RAINY DAYS

Now, every dawn is born into the chill that the rain has put back in her and how fine it is to cuddle into the blanket in the mornings. I was just remembering those rainy days, with the bag on my back and the Poppy umbrella held by two hands and walking with other children from school to home. Most of the days, it will be raining afternoon. Before the noon I was not careful about that because I had to drink much rain flowing from my eyes while defeated by my mom and travelling to the school in an autorikshaw. The evenings were heavy with rain. As my home was nearer, walking was very slow; looking at the frog in the field, water snake in the brook and fishing was the interesting one. I used to fish with my shawl, took them home and distributed them to my neighboring children. It was rare such fishes survived in our small pots and bottles and I had thrown them into the well. Once, we children were walking along the brook and suddenly a loud scream was heard. I saw a girl ten feet in front of me crying and suddenly I noticed one sandal was tumbling and falling in the heavy flow of water and without even removing my bag, I jumped into the stream, caught the sandal in my hand and threw it to the girl. She gave me a startled smile. I was totally wet and my mom was very angry that whole day. Another day, I lost my umbrella. Two of us were sitting near the brook on the lookout for fishes. The water was almost full and my friend told me that if I gave my umbrella she would test the depth of the water in the brook. I gave it, she tested and we didn't see the way the umbrella got carried away with the current. It just slipped out from her hands due to the heavy flow at the bottom level. We ran along the brook, checking whether it was coming to the top anywhere. She was consoling me while we walked; I wasn't in tears but full of horror, thinking of what to tell my mom. Those days are now caught by new children. A house now stands in the place of the field. The brook has been cemented and polished along the bottom and side walls. Will there be fishes? Will they be comfortable? Will children see frogs there? ....Times change.

~AYISHA YASMIN.A.