Ineffable Love

The paper aeroplane swirled in the wind and took to flight higher and higher in the air, Poppy happily clapped, giggled and danced round and round, she was delighted to fly the aeroplane...the aeroplane then swooped down towards her and landed at her feet.

She lifted the aeroplane and started playing again.

She smiled and laughed and giggled with a little game.

"Maaaaa! Can I please?" Poppy cribbed at her mother. She caught hold of Poppy tightly by her left arm and was waiting for an autorickshaw.

Her mother looked at her with big eye to forbid her daughter, but Poppy was adamant.

"Please, please, please maa, once, and only once I will be back in a moment....granny is right round the corner...."she cribbed.

"Granny! Now who's this granny Poppy? what have you been up to?" Poppy's mother frowned.

Poppy was constantly trying to unwrap her fingers from her mother's hold.

Her mother was inquisitive, who was trying to make her daughter so adamant, is there someone who was trying to play fowl with her daughter, was trying to snatch her from them, should she report to police? was she getting entangled to something worse!!!

Something evil is awaiting. Poppy's mother was lost in thoughts and forgot when Poppy had already unfurled her hold.

She looked her and there called out to Poppy, a tension grew in her mind, she was nervous, the pulse rate seems to increase, where was Poppy, was she kidnapped? where did she go? the evil thoughts lurked.

She moved towards the corner a start of an alley, completely abandoned....

A giggling alerted her, she peeped through the dirty wall of the corner into the alley...

Yes, Poppy, she guessed it right.

But who was she with? An old lady, very old, haggard.... she wore torn clothes, the rug could hardly protect her, the only shelter was a tin shed above her head.

An abandoned alley with an abandoned tin shed was a home to her. A dustbin stood near her so called shelter.... dripped out with trash, a stray dog laid beside it, asleep in a deep sleep after the "night guard" unaware as to what was happening around.

The place stinks of rotten garbages.

Sewage pipes had leaked resulting in the outlets of dirty and smelly water and junk.

The place was unhealthy and unhygienic, how could a person even stay there?

Poppy's mother took to her heels and with a frowning face called out, "Poppy...."

Poppy was watching the old lady do something she turned around to see her mother's angry face, she was scared, her giggle stopped and like a puppet she got up and went towards her mother...but before she walked back the old woman handed her something....

Poppy's mother pulled Poppy by her arms hailed for an autorickshaw. Poppy bow down her head and big drops of tears rolled down her face she tried to look back at the alley while the autorickshaw whizzed away.

Next day Poppy went missing again and their maid found her in the same alley with the old woman. Poppy's mother was getting worried.

She informed her father; she was smelling something fishy. Poppy's father just took it for a child's play.

Poppy's mother had secretly checked on to Poppy as to what was she bringing from the old lady....she found nothing suspicious. Few paper planes, paper crafted animals and toys.

She decided to check on this old lady, if she happens to be a kidnapper.

Once when the old woman was not in the alley, might have gone somewhere to beg for as that was her "profession", Poppy's mother checked in her shelter....few torn rugs, broken toys, a tin bowl and a box, she opened the box...there lay kept with utter precaution a picture of a family, a mother,a father and a daughter.....Poppy's family. Poppy's mother was now confident. The old woman wanted to take away her child and she is not going to let her do that, before she does it, she would have to face her---Poppy's mother......she mumbled...and turned to leave...when the old woman arrived. She was feeble, hunched down with age, wrinkles had grown all over her face and hands, she wore a dirty cloth and leaned on a staff...

Poppy's mother aggressively went towards her and questioned; the lady was nervous...

Poppy's mother threatened her of police....few passerby stopped to watch, few came forward to see if help is required.... everyone supported Poppy's mother.

Then suddenly through the crowd peeped a head from amongst the legs the head pushed in to see what was happening....

Through the crowd a faded voice of a child uttered, "Granny!"

The old woman looked to the crowd, Poppy popped her head in through the crowd, her mother started shouting at her scolding why she was here.

"No maa, she did not do anything to me, I gave the photo to her.....she had a grand daughter like me, she had a family like us, no one is there now, all are dead!!!" Poppy cried and blabbered.

Poppy's mother looked at the old haggard woman, then she looked into the box, just below the picture was another photo, a little girl of the same age of Poppy....a soft smiling face.....brown eyes....

Poppy's mother understood why there grew an untold relationship between the old woman and Poppy.

She realized it was a mistake and the old woman was not trying to harm her daughter, but she loved her as her dead grandchild.

An unsaid love relationship flourished.

Poppy's mother felt sorry about it and bowed her head.... a tear rolled down her eyes....Poppy push through the crowd and hugged the old woman, they hugged each other tight and wiped off the tears from each other's eyes. Poppy's mother did not say anything, she knew this was a bond of ineffable love and faith.