Hide & Seek

The school closed for summer vacations. Vishnu came to spend her vacation with her grandparents. She liked being there surrounded by many little friends of her age. “Grandpa now I am a big girl, I will be in 1^st STD”, Vishnu said smiling. Her Grandpa came home that evening with gifts for her and the items for pooja that was to be held there at home, that evening.

At the backyard, all the kids joined Vishnu to play hide and seek that evening. Maya closed her eyes and everyone rushed in search for their secret hiding.  After sometime Maya called out, “Vishnu, you are caught. Come out.” Maya screamed aloud in glee, that Vishnu’s Grandpa came running with anger. The pooja was about to begin and Vishnu was still immersed in her game and all the kids making noises. “Vishnu, come here” Grandpa shouted and before she could believe, she found herself beaten up by her dear Grandpa. A shattered Vishnu ran home weeping. “I am not the one who screamed, it was Maya. But I am the one who is scolded and beaten. Seems that Grandpa doesn’t like me”, she began thinking.

She sat there in her room weeping. Suddenly her eyes struck with the switchboard which was slightly damaged. She remembered Grandpa telling her not to put her fingers inside it. “What will happen, Grandpa if I switch it on and put my finger inside the plug?” Vishnu asked. “No dear, you should not even touch it, it can harm you.” “Okay I will not”, she smiled and replied.

And now since she was all shocked by what happened, she put her little finger inside the plug and switched it on. Huff!!! She was thrown back to the floor and when she opened her eyes, she found herself lying on the floor surrounded by everyone. “Didn’t I tell you Vishnu not to touch it? Do you know how much we love you?” Grandpa asked her with all his love. “Vishnu didn’t scream Grandpa”, she replied. 

That day Grandpa analysed what had happened and this was his conversation with Granny, “I couldn't scold some other kid though I knew it was not Vishnu's fault. As Vishnu was my own girl, I showed my anger on her, the reason which I failed to convey her.  Now I know, there’s is no need to scold all kids alike. They have different characters and perceptive skills. Every kid is special and so need to be taken care of in different ways, sometimes with love and sometimes scolding(only if required) them."  

Image Credits: unsplash.com/Coley Christine Catalano