Bedtime Story – Rukku Loves Reading!

“The two squirrels were lying down on the ground, gazing at the night
sky. They couldn’t take their eyes off the moon and stars. It has been an hour
or two and suddenly they began feeling hungry. 

They ate the last walnut for lunch and didn’t feel like cooking dinner
afterwards. There must be some apples around. “Let us go to the lily pond.” The
apple tree is a little far from their home, near the lily pond where they saw a
fairy once. The last time, when they visited, the tree was full of white
and pink blooms. Now it must have red juicy apples.”

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“Let’s sleep now, Rukku.” said her mother, closing the storybook and
yawning gently. That was yesterday.

Today her mother is down with a fever. And it was the nanny who served
her breakfast. Father was in his office with a heap of files and he had his
eyeglasses on – Rukku knew he was very busy. She kept an eye on the half-closed
room where her mother was lying and peeped inside whenever she got a chance.

Though her vision was hazy, the mother could see a little girl’s figure
hopping and running all around the room next to hers.

Rukku was thinking about the squirrels. She wanted to know how the story
ends. Rukku remembers her mother asking her to practise reading daily. But it
was a lot of work. Anyway, mother was always there to read stories to her
whenever she wanted.

Her father is still busy. She sneaked a look through the half-opened
door again. Mother is still asleep. She tip-toed to the room and got the
storybook from the drawer and gently closed the door behind her.

Her mother has kept a bookmark on the page where they stopped yesterday.
Something was written on it in silver ink. She tried to read it, “ To Rukku, on
your birthday. This must be from Grandpa, she tried to remember. “Once Amma is
well, I will ask her.”

Rukku went near her mother’s room once again, sat on the floor with her
legs crossed, and started reading aloud.

“Now it must have red juicy apples. A bicycle ride would be fantastic.”

Rukku couldn’t resist looking at her mother. Though her mother was
sleeping peacefully, Rukku felt she was reading out to her mother. And she
loved that feeling.