Paper Boat

Dedicated to my grandma and all those memories which we made together! Rain is just beautiful!

The weather is wickedly awesome today! It's been long since it rained last time, and today I'm expecting rain. Maybe somebody up there is really happy that's why the sky is gonna rain in summer.

The clouds turn into darker shades of grey and black and the thunders roar louder and lightning strikes more beautifully!

And I hear a pattering sound as if it's raining and the water is poured on the roof of the steel shed in the lawn. I reach out my hand from the window.

It's raining!

Unlike most of the human species I used to hate rain. Everytime it rained I was dressed into warm clothes with a knitted cap covering my ears and was asked to sit inside looking out of the window from where I could see my friends dancing in the rain, rolling in mud and splashing dirty standing water on each other, how childish but seems like fun!

I warmed water in a kettle and put some herbs in it and let it boil for few minutes. After taking it into a cup I went near my window to see few students walking in colourful raincoats and beautiful umbrellas. I sat on the table near by opening the window, to feel the raindrops touching my face and let the petioure fill my room.

It makes me feel good, you no more feel lonely even though you're alone! I pull myself into a warm coat that my mom gifted me on my birthday this year. It's warm but I miss the warmth of her hug.

Thunders.

The weather gets worse and I closed my windows and pull the curtains and let myself roll on my bed. After lying like a sloth for an hour I pulled myself out of the bed and raised my steps all the way to terrace. The rain has stopped it's just a drizzle now.

I stand at the end to see the kids jumping in the water collected in the digs. Few are playing in mud. While my eyes fell on a paper boat slowly sinking into the water.

Paper boat.

I hate rain I muttered which was quite audible, I guess!

My granny took me into her arms and asked me impersonating a five year kid, which I was, "Why do you hate it?"

" There's nothing good about it all it does is bring loud scàry thunders and leaves the roads all muddy and not to forget a whole good place as a residence for diseases."
I sneeze and say, " See!"

Rain has always been those sour grapes I rejected to have.

My granny laughs before saying, " Oh my child. Don't get so angry. Relax" she lowered down to reach my ears and whispered, " I'll tell you one secret, even I used to hate rain."

Unbelievable. Her face is shouting how happy she is as it's raining.

" I don't think so" I pouted when she continued, " But that's the truth, and the secret is, this rain is sent by your grandpa."

" Really?!" I exclaimed in disbelief.
And she nodded.

" Your grandpa is looking at you and me from the sky and he's happy to see you all grown up. That's why it's raining." She explained it to me.

I still was in the phase of disbelief.

Thunders. I tightened my grip of her sari in my little fingers when she smiled and said, " It's okay. Thunders are friends of rain."

Wow!

" So you want to tell your grandpa something? Let's ask rain to relay your message to him."

My grandpa passed away when I was three. I don't remember him except for a figure tossing me up in air and then catching me in his arms as if he saved me. And that was scary!

" I don't know I want to send a message to mom in Delhi. Can rain relay it to her?"

She thought for a moment and then blinked asking me to wait and left the room to come back with papers and pens in her hands.

" Write down your message on this paper."
I did what she instructed me to do. Then she folded the paper into a beautiful boat and placed it on my palm.

" Now let it go in the stream."

And I slowly left the boat in the water running down the street.

I clapped my hands when it sailed on the water with the wind. I was happy.

Rain is not bad. I muttered and I felt my grandma smiling at me warmly.

" Let's sail more messages." I shouted in excitement. And we made many paper boats and left them into the streams.

" Take them safely Mr Rain. Happy journey my little paper boats." I shouted in the rain.

Memories! They hug you like a dream and just a thought of them being real on someday at sometime amuses you!

Now grandma is not here with me. I folded the paper into a boat and left it in the rain water streaming down the lane.

I know it will sink in the water and will be drained into the stinky gutter but I want to be innocent and believe that it will sail all the way to the sky and relay my message to that bright star shining there.

As it is raining I assume that you're happy grandma. I miss you and I'm happy to have you in my memories. I sail this paper boat to let you know that I love you.
Love,
Gouri!