AN IMAGINARY FRIEND: A SHORT STORY It was a wet,

AN IMAGINARY FRIEND: A SHORT STORY It was a wet, airy evening. The rain drops didn’t stay up in the clouds for long and were desperately coming down! It was pouring cats and dogs! The wind and the water had teamed up once again and thanks to that, the asphalt took a bath and drank some water! The regular denizens, consequently, took early leave from work. Unlike other eves, the road was crowded with cars, buses, rickshaws and people with umbrellas above their heads. A whole canopy of pink, green, black and rainbow coloured umbrellas could be seen! Although the canopy looked beautiful, the rest of the street was even busier. It was a mess! *FULL STORY IN THE CAPTION* AN IMAGINARY FRIEND It was a wet, airy evening. The rain drops didn’t stay up in the clouds for long and were desperately coming down! It was pouring cats and dogs! The wind and the water had teamed up once again and thanks to that, the asphalt took a bath and drank some water! The regular denizens, consequently, took early leave from work. Unlike other eves, the road was crowded with cars, buses, rickshaws and people with umbrellas above their heads. A whole canopy of pink, green, black and rainbow coloured umbrellas could be seen! Although the canopy looked beautiful, the rest of the street was even busier. It was a mess! But there was this teenager boy wearing torn clothes. He had untrimmed hair and an unshaven face, with a small, irregular beard grown on it, but despite his dismal condition, he always wore an innocent smile on that face! He was walking briskly, enjoying the weather, as the tiny droplets of water touched his skin. His only ally to protect him against the rain was his umbrella, as we all thought! But his umbrella wasn’t just any umbrella. It was this umbrella that was dyed in a shade of blue, somewhere in between indigo and sky blue. It had no design, no embroidery, but its simple texture of colour stole the eye easily. And the interesting fact was, he had an unconditional liking for the umbrella! It wasn’t his apple of the eye, rather, his “Umbrella of the eye”! He always protected the umbrella. He claimed that he could afford to lose his daily earnings, but not his umbrella. Speaking of daily earnings, this boy Ramu, as he was called, led a heck of a life! Ramesh Kedia, was a thirteen-year-old boy, who lived with his mother, Sunita Kedia and his six-year-old younger sister, Kiran Kedia. His father passed away a month after Kiran was born, in a fatal car accident. Ramu led a tragic and hardworking life. His mother runs a roti stall beside the footpath to earn just enough to fill their stomachs. Kiran helps her mother in carrying out the roti business, counting the money, packing and stuff. But Ramu runs away every evening and begs on the crowded streets of Kolkata! His mother didn’t like his way of earning. But again, all they needed was money, anyway, anyhow! But because Ramu was a kid, many people helped him financially, and some of them bought him food and clothes! So that was how, the Kedia family used to earn their bread.

The Incomplete Metaphor