Pocket Stories #7

He was very excited. Though his hands very dirty, he didn’t care. He was just eager to show her what he had received today. He ran barefoot, the small pebbles pricking his foot at all the sensitive places and his knee still pained from the lathi (rod) the policeman had beaten him with, last week. Bursting with breath, he ran inside the house and was met by her large, round innocent eyes. His eyes crinkled and he grinned.

“Look Durga, what I found today!” he said, as he held in his palm the two rotis he got at the temple. “You can keep one to yourself and one for your maa.”

Durga’s face fell. “What about you, Karan?” she asked.

“Oh, I’ve eaten at the temple only.” He smiled, ignoring the rumbling of his two day empty stomach. Who said blood was thicker than water?