“Maa, I want a new book”, whined Kapil.
Bela looked at him.
Then she looked at her mother with concern.
“Kappu, I ll manage to get a new book for you soon”, Maa
answered nervously hurrying with her chores, “Bela, do not forget to empty this
grocery bag later, go to study now”. Maa left for work.
Bela kept the bag full of groceries aside. She then
carried her school bag and sat in a corner of their small hut.
When she glanced outside, she saw Kappu throwing pebbles
in the air with a frown. Maa could not save any money to buy a story book this
time too. With a sigh, Bela took out few books from her school bag. Just then,
an old notebook fell off her bag. Bela did not notice. She started doing her
homework. But her thoughts wandered. She felt worried about her mother.
Suddenly, breaking the chain of her thoughts, a frog
jumped on her wrist. “I am here for Kappu.” The frog danced merrily on her
wrist.
“What? Where are you coming from?”, Bela was bewildered
to see a talking frog. Before the frog could answer, a beautiful, tiny fairy
with a magic wand landed herself on Bela’s shoulder. “Kappu needs us Bela,” the
fairy said whirling in the air.
“Oh, what’s going on?” Bela was losing her nerves.
And then she saw a line of ants, Bubloo - the Elephant and Tunni – the smart Rabbit,
all coming out from the old note book.
“Ole Ole, Busha Bela” they all sang.
“Oh My God, I got it. Thank you Baba”. Yelped Bela,
coming out of her trance.
She took out a new notebook in zest which she bought last
week to do her homework in. She wrote down all the stories narrated by her
father when she was little. The Frog jumped on page 3. Tunni took its place on
page 4 and so on. She decorated the book with colours.
“Bela….” Maa called out from the door. She looked pale
and colourless, just back from another house-cleaning job.
“Maa, take some
rest now. And don’t worry about the story book for Kappu.”
Bela emptied the grocery bag and placed things neatly.
After dinner, when Kappu was about to go to bed, still
sulking, she called out to him lovingly, “Kappudi, Come here, Ole Ole, Busha
Bela”.
“Maa, come fast, look what I have made for Kappu”.
Kappu was delighted to see a handmade story book titled
“Baba’s tales – Ole Ole, Busha Bela”. He jumped with joy and ran away outside
the hut with it.
Maa looked at him with affection, wiping a tear
stealthily.
He sat below the street light and opened the first page
of Baba’s tales. The fairy raised her magic wand. A dazzling firework displayed
in the sky. Bela ran out to see it. The beautiful cracker burst into stars,
flashing Baba’s smiling face.
“Ole Ole Busha Bela” Kappu murmured, totally engrossed
in the book.
