Twiggy Tales
I: Happiness
Five-year-old Molly asked her dad, “What is happiness?”
So the next day, her dad surprised her with a toy, a speaking Barbie, and she was overjoyed and spent every waking and sleeping moment with it.
A week later, her dad promised another gift.
As Molly waited by the door, her dad came home with a huge box. While she looked on with excitement, her dad opened the gift to reveal within it ten dolls of the same Barbie make. Her smile disappeared in disappointment.
But her dad smiled. He said, “Come, let’s go out.”
Taking the dolls with them, they wandered around the whole block. Molly’s father then asked her to distribute each doll to all her good friends, with a special personal message for each. It was to become their lifetime bond now. Molly was elated.
But as they neared home, giving all of the dolls away, she came across a poor girl staring longingly at them. Her dad looked at Molly, wondering what her response would be.
In a blink, Molly ran indoors, got her doll, and gave it to the poor girl.
‘Happiness lies in knowing when to take and when to give.’
II: Guilt
On a cold evening, in a lonely park, a troubled kid & an old man sat on a bench as black clouds covered the sky & the trees hummed the tunes of nature, dancing to the wind.
“I was hungry and took an apple off the hawker’s basket as no one was watching. I was happy then but had been feeling heavy ever since. What could be troubling me?” asked the little boy of the old man.
“Ever noticed how the beautiful flowers in a garden are caged within the metal barbs? It is not their imprisonment but ours that prevents us from reaching them. These barbs are not always physical; they are sometimes invisible and all in the mind, standing between you and your soul, the garden of fragrance. That is guilt,” answered the old man.
“But what is it that I should do now? Should I confess or pay up to the fruit seller?”
“Apologise to him, but more importantly to yourself in sincerity: not in words, but in actions. Plant the seed of one fruit you’ve taken and nurture it with care to return a tree in time, with interest.”
III: Innocence
One night, the fisherman’s daughter woke up in the middle of the night. As she looked from her balcony, she saw the sparkling, still lake behind their house. She ran and woke up her father.
Puzzled, he awoke, rubbed his eyes, looked at his tiny bundle of joy, and stared at the clock, reading the time as half past one.
“Take your net, Appa”, she squeaked excitedly to her father.
He sheepishly smiled and conceded to her innocence. He picked the net from the corner and joined her.
Taking him to the balcony, she said, “You only go and gather fish each dawn with your net. I’ve now realised you’re always late, Appa. Come, see what I have found today!” Pointing to the reflection of the stars in the still lake, she exclaimed, “If you’d rather go at midnight with your net, you can catch the stars instead.”
Glancing at the many twinkling stars in the lake, the fisherman smiled & so did the little one, content about the treasure she found.
We are often told, ‘The early bird catches the worm.’ Maybe a more colourful adage from this story is - ‘The innocent heart catches the stars.’
IV: Duality
It was just another cold night when a boy & his father went for a stroll after dinner as they always did. Today, however, the boy was bugged with a question. After much pondering, he decided to ask about it when he reached the bench leading to the pond.
When they did, the little boy asked, “Papa, what’s the difference between a man and a woman?”
Thinking about how to answer the question, the boy’s father looked around for a moment before saying, “Look around, son. Let’s say the water is the man, and the moon is the woman. By herself, she’s the crown jewel of the sky, and yet in his curling lap, she’s a splashing child. By himself, he’s a powerful force and a calm monk, and yet, to her grace, he surrenders to sway with all his soul. They’re each by themselves enough to be, and yet only together can they make and sustain life.”
“But who’s greater?” the little boy inquired innocently.
“When he’s happy, the water opens his wings to take to the skies, and when he’s shy, he vanishes underground. Each night, she assumes a different role based on her mood, yet holds on to her identity even among the million sparkling stars. No one’s greater than the other,” the boy’s father replied.
Staring at his boy’s puzzled face, he concluded, “For the weary traveller lost in the woods with a parched throat, the water may be life, but the moon is hope.”
Credits
This collection was written by C. S. Manohar, reviewed by R. S. Chintalapati, edited by Sreekar Ayyagari, proofread by V. K. Telkepalli and illustrated by Renius Mercy.
Your Opinion?
Excellent
Good
Average
Bad
Opinion by far was my favourite short read. Loved the last paragraph.