A Day Off

Arupam Maity posted under Flash Fiction QuinTale-16 on 2020-02-27



The master is out of home for two weeks. Jishnu is very happy. Kapil’s octogenarian mother is very sick and she needs hospitalisation.  The urgent message came very late at night and he left at early morning. As the Sun is rising slowly, the news of his departure has added to it with much grandeur.  May be Kapil is right in his capacity of a very strict warden of this orphanage. But with the bygone days, he became a monster to the fifty plus young residents of this home. Though he is an orphan but he can feel the emotion. With intelligence and wit, he balances Kapil’s tyranny in the name of vigilant administration and it makes him very popular to the residents. Everyone is celebrating freedom today. ‘Jishnu, my dear, can we loiter?’ All that he looks at Heera’s face is a smile, completely incomparable to any other day.  ‘Where do you want to go?’   ‘Obviously at the river bank...quite simple to guess...oh yeah, no denial please...you must agree.’ ‘And who else will go with you?’ ‘Ummm...let me think’ Heera pauses for a while.  ‘I can only tell about Moti. For others, I don’t have any clue.’ Jishnu bursts with laughter. ‘So the devil comes out of the den. I knew, brother, what exactly you’re supposed to say.’ Moti is the most beautiful girl of these ten odd female residents of the home and Heera has a crush on her. He is anxiously looking at the monitor’s face. ‘Ok, let’s come out with a plan which, I think, everyone will love. Today, we’ll finish our lunch by one. We’ll take an hour’ rest and then we all will spread on the valley and will enjoy the day off. But remember, the river is our checkpoint and I hope none will try to jump or swim or cross it because that will be too much embarrassing for me.’ ‘Hurrah...’ Heera is shocked to hear so big noise. Actually, he hasn’t realized that almost all residents of the home were already gathered in the meantime behind him. 

* * * 

This afternoon is amazing and none of the residents ever have tasted so much the open sky. They are running, playing, jumping, whistling, they’re doing everything they can.  This orphanage is situated at a desolate place. But luckily, today some girls and boys from nearby villages are also flocked together and the residents get mingled with them at ease.  Heera and Moti, manage to get out of the crowd. They are looking divine. A lone banyan tree is there at the river bank and they find the place to their comfort. Most of the residents are near about class ten. These people need love and affection. Jishnu can realize the truth. ‘God, you’re so kind. In one hand, you take but you return also with something, equally precious.’ Suddenly, Moti becomes naughty. She tries to tease Heera. She runs away, very fast and Moti is after her. Jishnu feels happy to see. _________ _________   Penmancy gets a small share of every purchase you make through these links, and every little helps us continue bringing you the reads you love!