The Yellow Kite
A gentle breeze caressed the wrinkled skin of the man as he sat, leaning against the sturdy tree trunk. The golden horizon was reflected in his dark eyes…eyes that had seen countless storms and seasons! His mind flitted through various memories, one after the other- the way his daughter had scruffled up his hair every time she saw him, the way her laughter echoed in his ears long after it had stopped! He closed his eyes, a lone bead of grief trailing down his face.
A small distance apart stood his granddaughter, holding the bridge to a yellow speck in the sky, one among the unseen stars! The evening sun showered its blessing onto their courtyard, bathing the large tree in its golden light. Birds chirped, the wind blew, and all was right with the world for her!
Suddenly, a rival kite appeared on the golden horizon. Blue, ferocious and strong. It slowly came closer and closer to the bright ray of light dancing in the sky. Snip! One cut and before she could even realise what had happened, the kite slowly descended back to Earth. Gently swaying side to side, it landed on top of their majestic tree.
She remained motionless, unable to digest what had happened. A small face peeked above the wall.
“Hahaha, I cut your kite! I cut your kite!”, he taunted her in a sing-song voice. “What you gonna do? Are you gonna cry?”
She could only watch silently as the boy, who was one year younger than her, continued to mock her.:
“Abbas, leave that poor girl alone! How many times have I told you not to pick on weaker kids?”
“Next time onwards, if you don’t want this to happen, compete with girls like yourself! Don’t try to be a boy!”, he said in a low voice so that his father wouldn’t hear him.
“But I wasn’t trying to compete-”
But the boy had already gone. She slowly walked over to her grandpa, who had been watching this little exchange in silence. He bent down and took her hand in his, “How about we take that kite down and show that boy what it can do?”
“Yes!”, she smiled, her face now as bright as the kite again!
But the problem was that the grandfather was too old and the girl was too short! As they stood there, surveying the tree, a young man,with a black bag slung over his shoulders,looked over the gate.
“Hi, I’ve been watching you both standing there, looking at the tree for a long time! Might I ask what the problem is?”
Get Mathew Hayden’s stories in your inbox
Join Medium for free to get updates from this writer.
“Oh, it’s nothing! It’s just that her kite got stuck in the tree!”
“Well, if you don’t mind, I could take it down for her!”
The girl’s face stretched into a smile. Her grandpa looked a little wary but the look on his granddaughter’s face left him with no choice but to accept the man’s help.
The gate was opened and the man was let in. Suddenly, without wasting any time, he ran up to the tree and in one fluid motion, got onto the branches. The girl clapped her hands with delight, but her joy was short-lived. For the man was now stuffing his bag with the golden-yellow mangoes from their prized tree!
“Hey, you! Get down from there this instant!”
“Or else? What are you going to do? Follow me up the tree? I’d like to see you try!”, he replied with a smirk.
The old man froze. Helplessness drenched him all over again and the memories he had tucked away into the farthest corner of his mind all came rushing back- her loud screams as she was dragged away, her still body illuminated by the faint light of the streetlamps, the countless days spent inside that bustling courtroom and how, at last, the law had so easily let him free!
Unable to do anything, the old man could only watch as he filled his bag to its full capacity. The man leapt down on the other side and then,with feet as swift as a deer, he ran past the two and jumped over the gate.
“Not again..not again!”, the old man repeated quietly to himself as he kept on looking at the disappearing figure of the man for a long time. Then, he slowly walked back to his house and sat down on the steps, sighing. Watching the sadness in her grandfather’s eyes, the anger at the way in which the man had so casually stolen from them and how the boy had cut her kite ever so easily all boiled over and she felt a new kind of energy coursing through her veins. She looked over to the tree. It towered over her small body, but she wasn’t deterred in the least. Taking a deep breath, she screamed and ran toward the tree. She jumped, but couldn’t reach the branch. Dusting herself off, she went back. Another deep breath. She screamed and ran toward the tree. Couldn’t quite reach the branch again. Another deep breath. Couldn’t quite reach the branch again. Another and another and another…
The old man watched silently as she ran and jumped over and over again, a smile slowly blossoming on his face.
Finally, she could do it no more. She sat down on the soil and buried her face into her hands, her eyes shedding sorrow. The old man slowly got up and went up to her. Giving her his hand, he slowly pulled her up and said,” This is the world. Let its beauty not deceive you, for it too has its share of bad people! People waiting to try and clip your wings. People ready to take-”
His voice broke and he paused to compose himself, his eyes holding back a sea of sadness!
“People ready to take advantage of you. But the world is not just for them. It is for you too! For you to spread your wings and fly. So,meri jaan, rise and soar!”
That day, she might not have fully grasped what her grandfather had meant. But with renewed energy, she got up and ran toward the building. This time, she remained silent. No screaming. No loud shouting. And with a gliding leap, she flew! Her hands gripping the branch tightly, she pulled herself up and onto it. With one quick movement, she took the yellow speck and leapt back down, landing softly but surely on the caring hands of the mother she never had!
Beaming,her grandfather took her hand and there they stood, the yellow kite in her hands and the yellow horizon awaiting her flight!
“Remember this day, Anuja!”, he said. “Remember this day!”
