Lift karaade !!

"But it is so far" !! Asif exclaimed!

"There is no option, if you want to make the Bus Pass, you need to go to the Bus depot". Disappointed, Asif dragged himself towards home. The daily expense of 50 paisa for the bus to school was affecting his monthly allowance, and he did not want to burden his Abbu anymore. The Bus pass was a cheaper option, saving Rs. 7 per month. But he was wondering how he would reach the Bus Depot which was built at a desolate place away from the main road. He could take an Auto, but that would consume Rs. 10. He saw the narrow road leading to the bus depot as he passed through the main road many times, but soon he forgot about the potential savings and continued to bear the daily expense.

It was only when teacher announced that new books need to bought due to a syllabus change, that Asif started thinking again. He decided that he would walk the treacherous path and get the bus pass. So, he did.... He got down at the main road and entered the narrow path. The road seemed to extend to the horizon, the Tar had been laid almost a decade ago, and the monsoon has left it in patches. After an hour of walking he saw his destination. "Another 1o minutes," he said to himself. It actually took him another 20 minutes. But he was there, just in time before the depot office closed for the day. He finally got the bus pass!

Happy with the achievement, he started his journey back, calculating the books he could buy with the savings. Peeeeeeeee Peeeeeeeee !!!! His thought were interrupted by the horn of a motorcycle, "Boy, do you want a lift to the main road" ? the biker asked him. Asif nodded, and before he could frame his thank you sentence, he was dropped at the main road. He barely manged to thank the biker before the biker sped away in the opposite direction.

When he narrated his day to Abbu, Abbu hugged him and said, "You have learned an important lesson, Isn't it ?? No Journey can be complete without the first step".

Later in the night when Asif was fast asleep, Abbu bowed and said, "Allah, thank you for helping my child".

Cuckoo

kuuuu....kuuuu

Asif slid his textbook away and carefully crept to the window. The mango tree was lush green, and it was difficult to spot the source of the sound. Abbu saw him and asked, "What are you doing beta" ?

"Shhhhhh..... Abbu. I want to see that bird", Asif eyes still fixed on the mango tree.

Abbu said, "Its a Cuckoo, difficult to spot, the song echoes all around".

Finally Asif was able to spot it. A small black bird, the song seemed to flow effortlessly. He wondered how such a small bird could sing so loudly and beautifully.

Watching the Cuckoo sing became a daily affair for him. The pleasant song seemed to bring coolness to the hot dry mornings of march and april. As the months rolled by, dark clouds came in from the south. The Cuckoo's song grew louder and louder....and one day it stopped. Asif waited for long hours by the window to hear the song, but it seemed to have disappeared. Finally Asif concluded that the Cuckoo was dead!

As time went by the last of the mangoes fell of the tree, the leaves turned brown in winter. On the other side of the window, Asif returned to his usual life, forgetting everything about the Cuckoo. And as the time rolled by, one february morning he woke up with the same sweet song. He thought he was dreaming, but he crept to the window and saw the tiny black Cuckoo..... kuuuu......kuuuu

"Strange, I thought it was dead", Asif said. Abbu hugged him and said, "It was not dead. The Cuckoo sings only during the spring, once the season goes away, it waits for the next season to come".