English Literature – Stories – ☆ In the world of Elders Part – 1 ☆ Mrs. Rajni Mishra ☆

Pari is eight years old. She is very fond of growing up and wants to grow up fast. Her baby teeth have fallen out recently, and she has stored them carefully in a small box. She has started mingling among the elders, showing off her small, growing adult teeth. Every day after school, she wants to behave like the adults, which will help her grow up. She wants to do all the things they do, which she watches and likes.

She likes her teacher very much, who looks like a Japanese doll. Pari and all the other children like her. Her name is Miss Wang. So her first wish would be to become Miss Wang: to teach, dress and smile like her; to explain the words written on the board, holding a scale in her hand, to talk about science. She knows everything. The whole class was awestruck when she had told them how rain came down from the clouds.

When she got home, she tried to explain the same thing, in the same manner, to her younger brother, Nick (whom she sometimes called Chotu), but he did not pay attention. Pari couldn’t understand that when the same thing was said by Miss Wang in the class, the whole class had exclaimed, ‘Wow!’ But Chotu had not cared about such an amazing thing. Actually, Chotu is a fool, always busy playing. Then she went to her parents and explained the same thing, enthusiastically, but they also just nodded. This made Pari realize that, for some reason, she is not able to explain like Miss Wang. She explains wonderfully. That’s why everybody says, ‘Wow!’

She told her mother that now she will have to work very hard, practice to read, write, and–especially–to explain, as she wanted to become the class teacher of Class II, like Miss Wang. But Mummy didn’t like her idea and said, “How can you become a primary school teacher, Pari? You have to become a doctor.”

“No, Mummy, I don’t want to be a doctor. I would never like to give an injection to anybody or give them bitter medicines. Doctors are bad. Children cry when they see the doctor.” She remembered that they had to wait for a long time when they went for shots to the doctor. When it was their turn, she used to get an injection. Oh! It was so painful. How can anybody pierce a small child for injection. She will never do such a job.

Whenever Pari or Chotu had a fever, they used to go to the doctor’s clinic. Chotu used to start crying as soon as they entered the room and continue crying until they came out. She doesn’t like people who make children cry. That’s why she will never become a doctor, never.

Neither doctor, nor teacher, so then what? Can she start a salon? Everybody visits the salon. She also goes there for a haircut. Father goes every week. Mummy also goes to get her eyebrows done. So today she opened her salon and asked her mother and grandma to come. She offered them tea and coffee; she even tried to do their hair. She pretended to put nail polish on them, and do their eyebrows too, with a thread. She just touched and removed the thread, but her mother started saying, ‘Ooh! Ah!’ She took their real credit card and pretended to swipe it. She was very happy and excited.

Then Papa arrived. She called him into her salon, too, to put in some gel and do his hair. Papa refused and said, ‘What is this, Pari? You can’t do this work. My princess will do everyone’s hair and eyebrows? No, never.”

This work has also been dropped from my list, she thought sadly. Now, what? She had an idea! She could open a nice shop. There are so many old toys at home which are lying unused. Neither of them plays with these toys. So, she set up a shop with their old toys and started selling them. Her younger brother also helped her. Anyone who liked the toys could purchase them from the collection. She would earn a handsome amount if she sold each toy for one dollar, like the dollar shop. Such inexpensive toys will never be available in the market.

But her grandma didn’t like this job. She said, “If you want to open a shop, you need some brand-name products, Pari, not second-hand and used things.”

What to do now? She had another idea! She thought of doing something which Grandma had suggested. Since it was summer, she could sell fresh lemonade outside her house. Even if she takes one dollar for one glass, the people who will pass by would surely buy some. It’s so easy to prepare lemonade: take lots of water, squeeze lemons in it, and add some sugar. Our class had done this in school, and we had the highest sales.

As she was about to arrange the table, glasses and other things, Grandpa interrupted. Apparently, it was his turn to say no. He said, “Don’t think of such a meagre job, Pari. We have a big five-star hotel, the largest in the town. Think of something big.”

Pari knew that Grandpa is the eldest of all. He only likes big things. But she was trying to figure out if all these jobs are done by people in real life, why didn’t their mothers, fathers, grandmas, and grandpas stop them? Nobody likes my work when I want to do anything. This is injustice, so depressing!

Continued….2  

Hindi Short fiction – बड़ों की दुनिया में  by – Dr. Hansa Deep

Translated by – Mrs. Rajni Mishra

© Mrs. Rajni Mishra