Pay it forward - Bunch of Flowers

[This is a work of fiction.]

"Gerbera, sir? Only forty rupees." The boy thrust a bunch of flowers against my car-window at a traffic light.

I dismissed him with a shake of my head.

"Please, sir. Very nice gerberas." The kid persisted.

I looked at him. He couldn't be more than ten. At his age, I didn't know what money was. And he was earning his living. I reached for my wallet.

I didn't want the flowers. Perhaps I could give them to my octogenarian neighbour?

Her face lit up. "I can't believe you remembered my birthday."

The cake was delicious, the evening even more so.

_____

A drabble is a story told in exactly 100 words.

A Random Act of Kindness always sets off a chain, which may or may not circle back to you, but which makes the world a better place to be in. See it play out in our Pay it Forward feature, exclusively at the Burrow.

Seven Colours in the Rainbow

Seven Colours in the Rainbow, which is your favourite one?

Red? The hot Red of fire, the juicy Red of Apples.

Orange? The tangy Orange of oranges, the blazing Orange of sunset.

Yellow? The soothing Yellow of buttercups, the challenging Yellow of sunshine.

Green? The peaceful Green of forests, the flashing Green of parrots.

Blue? The all-encompassing Blue of the sky, the comfortable Blue of my favourite pair of jeans.

Indigo? The proud Indigo of peacocks, the exquisite Indigo of twilight.

Violet? The sweet Violet of jamun fruits, the fragrant Violet of lavendar.

Seven Colours! Can I take them all?

_____

A drabble is a story told in exactly 100 words.

Running and Writing

Running and Writing. Two ends of the spectrum. One a physical activity, the other a mental exercise. One stretches the legs and lungs, the other uses the fingers and the eyes.

On the face of it, you would think there is little in common between Running and Writing. But if that is the case, why is it that so many of my writer friends are also runners?

Maybe there is more in common between Running and Writing than is apparent? Maybe running better prepares you for writing, and vice versa.

To find out more, hop across to Burrowers, Books & Balderdash.

______

A drabble is a story told in exactly 100 words.

Motivational Friday, at Burrowers, Books & Balderdash

Weed, not plant

I grew up in a house set in a huge garden maintained by an army of gardeners. Among the formal lawns, rose gardens and rock gardens, the solitary shrub of lantana was a weed. Quite definitely a weed.

The flowers were pretty, the berries were cute. I loved crushing the leaves, and catching the dragonflies that flocked to it. But I was taught not to appreciate it, because it was a weed, not a plant.

A couple of months back, nostalgia drove me to bring home three lantana plants. Who cares if it is a weed- even weeds are beautiful!

_____

A drabble is a story told in exactly 100 words.

Don't grow up too soon

"Don't miss me too much", I told my son as I dropped him off at school.

"I don't miss anyone", he informed me, and ran in without even turning back to wave goodbye.

Seven years back, he was floating in amniotic fluid. Now, he was off on an overnight camp with his classmates.

He didn't sleep that night, because he was too busy having fun. I didn't sleep because I knew my baby was away.

I do want him to grow up, but a small part of me wishes I could hold him closer to me just a little longer.

_____

A drabble is a story told in exactly 100 words.

Nasty or Nice?

Yesterday, I had to deal with a lot of nastiness at work. Petty, un-called for nastiness. The nastiness of a bully. Nastiness that should have been nipped in the bud by my boss, but wasn't. I'll be lying if I said it did not affect me- nastiness always does.

Yesterday, I was also the recipient of niceness. The friend who flew into a rage on my behalf. The acquaintance who's smile told me how he felt.

I wish it hadn't happened, but it did. The good thing is that the nastiness will soon be forgotten, but the nice will remain.

_____

A drabble is a story told in exactly 100 words.

I don't need to read

“I don’t read”, he said. And he said it with pride. “Reading is a waste of time. I get all I want from the electronic media.”

“Information maybe”, I conceded. “But what about fiction? Surely you read books.”.

“Who has the time for books?”, he replied. “Movies get over in two hours, and they are much more entertaining than books.”

I was speechless. Was there anything left to say? A large part of the joy of reading is in filling up the blanks. In imagining things. If that is lost to a person, I can only feel sorry for them.

_____

A drabble is a story told in exactly 100 words.

The full post was first posted two weeks back on a Reading Monday at Burrowers, Books & Balderdash. For a new Reading Monday post, and other great posts, do visit us at Burrowers, Books & Balderdash