|ℍ𝕒𝕦𝕟𝕥𝕖𝕕 𝕂𝕒𝕕𝕙𝕒𝕝|

¦ PROLOGUE ¦

Dandelions
>>>>---- 🥀 ----<<<<

Ouch!

Shreya winced as she tripped and fell to the ground. She squints her tiny eyes and struggled to raise herself to stand. Tears were starting to form in her eyes,

Paathuma

Suddenly someone say from her behind and comes to rescue. Shreya looks up and sees that it's a boy seemingly around her age, probably 7 or 8 as he let go of his balloon and helped her up.

He kneeled down and used his tiny hands to dust off the sand on her knees and elbows as she cried.

Azhadae

Shreya cried yet more sadly to have gotten lost in a beach where she's unable to find her mother for a long time.

Ashwin looks around not knowing how to comfort this thing which he accidentally jumped to rescue and now it won't stop wailing.

He looks around himself and gets an idea.

Oru nimisham

He politely excuses to her and rushes, Shreya cluelessly stands there watching him pluck something. In a few seconds, he rushes back with a flower.

Ashwin watched her face transform from a sobby mess to a confused state as he handed the dandelion to her.

Idhu per'uh dandelion! Na en school'a kathukiten, un school'la teach panlae?

Shreya shook her head wiping her tears. Ashwin frowns wondering why would her teacher be so slow whereas Shreya reluctantly took the flower from his hand.

She took a closer look at it, the yellow blooms and basal leaves amaze her.

Un Appa Amma yenge?

Ashwin asks Shreya snapping her out of her thoughts, her doe eyes start to turn glassy again by his question,

Unakaga ice cream vanga poirukangala?

Shreya shakes her head pouting, Ashwin quizzically cocks his head,

Apo yenga ponnanga?

Yevlo neram theduradhu unna?!

They both jerk towards the voice of a middle aged woman who rushes towards Ashwin. She kneels to him and worriedly cups his face,

Yenga ponnae nee?

Enaku onnum illa ma, na nalla dhan irukken

Ashwin assures his mother.

Shreya watches them adding more to her grief.

Mother's always find their ways to their children, like this boy's. Then where is hers? There's no way it's taking her that long when this boy's mother found him in such short time.

Iva dhan romba neram azhara, avanga amma innum avala thedi varala

Ashwin tells his mother making the woman look over at a sobbing Shreya holding a dandelion in her hand,

Un peru yenna ma?

Shreya is scared to say anything, remembering her mother's warning to not talk to strangers. She blinks not knowing how else to react.

Ashwin's mother notices the child's state of mind and feels bad for her. She looks around and finds a constable making rounds on the beach since it was getting late past noon. The woman calls for him,

Sir, indha ponnu yaar'nu therla, pavam avanga amma'va thedi azhundutu irundha. Konjam...

The constable looks at Shreya and comfortingly smiles,

Na pathukuren ma neenga ponga

He assures Ashwin's mom before gently taking Shreya's hand and walks her from there. He keeps talking to assure her that they'll find her mother very soon.

However, Shreya turns her head around and sees the boy with the rainbow coloured cap holding his mother's hand. He widely smiles at her and waves his hand hoping to see her again.

Shreya tightly holds the dandelion in her hand, her ray of hope for the next twenty years after finding out that her mother had abandoned her in this beach for good, and smiles back at him, hoping to see him again.

>>>>---- 🥀 ----<<<<