The Wish of Tears (Volume 1)

Chapter-2 The Letter of Choice

The evening is falling on the red – orange sky. Sam is still sitting on the attic watching the setting sun. The front yard of the orphanage is completely empty. Usually it used to be completely filled with children playing merrily, at this hour of evening. But today everything has changed. Sam is left all alone in the old orphanage. But in actual he is not alone. Still someone else is there to look after him.

Granny Nanny, an old woman in her seventies. Her long white hairs were always shining in the last sixteen years, since she brought Sam in the orphanage, for Sam. She alone takes care of the whole orphanage, especially Sam. But now she has grown old and can't work a lot anymore as she used to do. From evening to night she kept herself busy, looking after all those children and taking care of them. She was never alone in her whole life but today everyone left leaving her alone. Well she has no complain about it because she always wanted a better life for all her children. So, instead she is quite happy. That's why she has prepared fried rice for Sam.

Holding a bowl of fried rice in her old shivering hands, Granny Nanny came to attic. She walked towards Sam and set next to him, handing him over the bowl of rice with a light fainted smile on her face. The same smile that Sam has seen every morning when Granny Nanny woke him up from his dreams. Sam still remembers the smile from every single morning but with time the smile fainted but was still there.

"Thanks, Granny Nanny.", Sam kissed on her face with a smile to thank her for her hard work.

"Oh! Sam Dear.", she patted on Sam's head gently, "Now quickly finish your rice."

"Ok! Granny Nanny." Sam replied and began to eat his food.

Granny Nanny was looking at Sam finishing his food, smiling, "So how was the day", She asked.

"As usual" Sam replied taking another spoon of rice in his mouth.

"So, what new did you do today? Tell me about it.", she asked again.

"Well, I again watched the children sitting here. As I always do. But today everyone left. Now I am all alone. Whom will I watch from now on? I will be bored staying all alone." Sam became sad as he said so.

"Don't worry Sam dear. I am here with you. So, you will not be bored." nanny consoled Sam saying so.

Sam gave a hug to Granny Nanny happily and then went back to eating his fried rice.

"Well Granny Nanny, today I saw something which I don't understand." said Sam taking a sip of juice from his glass.

"Oh! Really, Let me hear." asked Granny Nanny.

"Nanny, today when the children were leaving, first they were happy but later they were not. I don't know what emotion was that. There was water in their eyes. But I didn't know why there was water in their eyes. So I searched online and found that those were tears. It said that when someone is sad or hurt, tears come in their eyes. But, Nanny I don't know what tears, sadness, hurt are? Why never tears came in my eyes? Why I don't know about sadness? Why I never felt hurt before?" questioned Sam.

Granny Nanny didn't reply anything. She was quite and still. There was no smile on her face anymore but sad and worried. Seeing her worried face Sam asked, "What happened Nanny? Why are you looking worried?"

"Nothing dear, I just remembered that I have something to do. I will talk to you later. Now quickly finish your rice and go back to your room." Granny Nanny left from there with these words. She didn't say anything else. Maybe she didn't want to say anything. Sam found such a behavior of Granny Nanny very weird. But he ignored it.

That night was weirdly quiet. Not because there were no children in the orphanage but because Granny Nanny was quiet. She didn't talked much after she came back down from attic. Even at the dining table she didn't talked much. Sam has never seen her so quiet before. Even if she was troubled be anything in the past but still there was smile on her face. But today was something different. Granny Nanny seemed troubled by something but Sam didn't know what the matter was?

The night passed and the morning arrived.

The next morning was weirder than the last night, for Sam, especially. Because for the first time, in sixteen years, Granny Nanny didn't came to wake Sam up. The sun was up. Sam got up from his bed when the sun rays from the window fell on his face. He walked down the stairs, half sleepy, rubbing his eyes, calling out," Nanny! Nanny!"

Sam called out several times. But there was no reply. It seemed that no one was there. Getting no reply back, Sam said, "Where Granny Nanny did go? She didn't come to wake me up today."

He looked around and came next to the dining table and found a letter lying there. It was from Granny Nanny. He opened the letter which read as –

"Dear Sam

When you will find this letter, by then, I would have already left here. Last night you asked me a question. The question about which I always feared for the last sixteen years that one day you will ask this question. I always kept you away from other children because I thought by doing so I can keep you away from the reality. I hoped that by doing so you will never know what tears are? You will never question why you don't know about the emotion of sadness. But when you asked me about your emotion of sadness, your tears, I thought that I was wrong all this time. Even after all my efforts I couldn't hide it from you.

From your very childhood, you always questioned me about your parents, your family but I never told you about them. Until today I don't want to tell you the truth. But I think I can't keep you away from the truth any longer. One or another day you will come across the truth so, now I will not try to hide you or stop you anymore.

Today I am writing this letter to tell you that from today on, you can do what you want. I will not stop you anymore.

You don't have tears and sadness in your life. I don't know whether it is a boon or a curse. So, you yourself have to find answer to this question. If you want to leave here or want to continue the life you are living now. It's your choice. Whether you want to find out about your parents or not. You have to decide. Whether you want to find out the reason why you don't have the emotion of sadness or not. Everything is up to you. I could stay with you until today and from now you have to move ahead alone.

But remember one thing; whatever you choose, choose wisely, because, not everyone gets the second chance.

Good Luck My Boy

Granny Nanny"

Sam read the letter and slowly folded it back. What will he choose? A wish to find Tears or not?