story and illustration by Prakhya Bhageria
I am Sid and I am 10 years old. I always used to be very sad. My parents never had time for me. My dad spent the whole day in office and my mom was always busy with her kitty-parties. Whenever they were at home, they spent all their time fighting with each other. I felt they didn’t even know that I existed! There came a time when I couldn’t bear it and one night, when everyone was asleep, I left the house without telling anyone.
I did not know where to go. I just kept walking down the street, staring at my shadow, when I suddenly bumped into a man.
“I am sorry sir!” I said to the man.
“Oh! No problem,” replied the man. “You should not roam here and there alone at this time of the night, kid. Your parents must be worried; should I drop you home?” he asked.
“No, thank you. I don’t want to go there again. I am just looking for a place to live”, I explained to him.
The man looked shocked. He thought something over and said, “Well, you can live with me, but you must work at my café.” I thought it was a very good idea. The man looked very kind. But I was wrong. That man was a horrid person. He would hit me and give me food only once a day. He made me work very hard from morning to night.
One day, when I was cleaning the door of the café, a very old woman passed by. Her leg hit against a large stone and she tripped. I ran to her as fast as I could and steadied her. She was very thankful. She started talking to me. After a while she noticed the scars on my body and asked me about them. I told her all about myself. She felt sorry for me.
“Would you like to live with me? I live all alone,” said the old woman. It was like a dream come true. I just wanted to leave that place. So, I said yes.
I started living in the old woman’s house. She was very loving. I started calling her ‘Grandma’. She had a small grocery store. I told her why I left home. Then she told me why she lived alone. “It’s a long story,” she said. “I used lived with my husband and my son. We were one of the rich families here. But one day, about 11 years ago, he left the house an….”
“Why did he leave the house?” I interrupted.
“Because he liked a girl and wanted to marry her. My husband did not like her and would not allow this. So, he left the house and after a year my husband also died. Now I don’t even know where my son is.” I felt sorry for her and said, “Don’t be sad, Grandma. I am also like your son.” I started living happily with her, helping her in the shop and going to a government school.
One day, after two months, when I was walking in the market with Grandma, I saw a wall poster with my picture. It said: Sid Miller: Missing since 2 months.
My eyes filled with tears. Grandma tried to comfort me. Then the shadow of a man fell on us and I saw it was my dad. His eyes filled with tears. He hugged me as hard as he could.
I turned towards Grandma and saw a river flowing from her eyes. I asked her why she was crying, but she did not reply. She just kept staring unblinkingly at my dad. My dad too was staring at Grandma. Suddenly, he said “Mum!” in a choked voice and hugged her tightly. Now I live happily with mom, dad and grandma. Mom and dad spend a lot of time with me and love me a lot.
Prakhya Bhageria is 11 years old and lives in New Delhi, India. She is a student of Class VII. She enjoys reading, surfing the net, crafts and art.
