Curiosity

Curiosity overtakes me, making me unaware that the schoolbag is half-dangling from my back. The ants, the subject of my fancy, are moving in a trail along the road.

Athai is standing next to a pile of wood. Her eyes are looking into space. For days she has been like that.

Mama, busy washing the dishes, is oblivious to what we have been doing. Lunch was over. And I had only taken a few spoonfuls of rice and dhal curry. Then, I saw the ants. A trail of them by the roadside.

Except for mama washing the dishes, there is no other noise. Athai is in a daze. I peer at her over my shoulder. There seems to be a glint in her left eye. And crumpled in her hands is a note.

Athai is forteen, seven years older than I am. She was not like that  a few month ago. A group of workers came with tools. Mama said they would be repairing the road. For weeks they had been working with dilligence. But then, at the end of that month, the youngest of them seemed to take an interest in her. Athai,at first, was shy, but slowly, when others were not looking, they were holding hands.