Krishna Marjaala

It was a quiet morning in the colony, kids still asleep, the grandpas sipping hot coffee and reading politics in newspaper, the moms figuring out what to cook for breakfast. Just then a cat purred and meowed and broke the silence in the alley. It was right beneath Spoorthi's window and the sound woke her up.. What was it she wondered, she had not heard anything like this before. Spoorthi slowly crawled out of the bed, peered through the window. She was awestruck by the sight, it was small, shiny fur ball, black as the darkest coal curled up and looking at her with those green eyes. She always wanted a pet but her parents would not agree. She secretly hoped he would be part of her family soon.

She ran down to the kitchen, her mother was boiling the milk and also the idlis were getting cooked by the side. Spoorthi with all excitement told her mom to come see the fur ball.. Caught hold of the edge of the saree and pulled her to the bedroom. Her mom reluctantly bent over and spotted the cat. Immediately she let out a cry and shooed away the cat. She told Spoorthi that the cat would be a mess and drink all her milk.

Spoorthi with a broken heart went to the school. After coming back from the school, she was playing hopscotch with her friends. She saw the cat again, all her friends gathered and saw the fur ball in amazement. They wondered what to call him.. Spoorthi had a name, she would call him Krishna as he was a black cat.

Next day morning again Krishna came to the alley in the morning, purring and meowed. Some of the elders did not like the cat, it was not a good omen, they would shoo him away. Sometimes he would cross the road and the people would stop and just curse him.. "Oh its going to be a bad day this black cat came in my way !!! ". Few did not mind him, it was as if Krishna didn't exist for them.

Krishna was not troubling anyone, he would just move around, pick on lizards, any left over food in the alley dustbin. 

This continued for many days, Spoorthi and her friends had something new, they would bring a thread or stick from the broom and play with Krishna. Spoorthi's mother got used to Krishna by her daughter's window. The old ladies also were now not mean any more they also got used to Krishna in the alley.

Spoorthi's mother would see her playing with Krishna every day and felt happy that she had a good friend in the cat. One morning she came out of the house and saw Krishna going through the trash cans for food. Spoorthi had just woken up, was right behind her mother. Spoorthi and Krishna froze for a moment in fright. Spoorthi's mother hurried inside and came back with a bowl in her hand. She put it outside the door sill, to Krishna's and Spoorthi's amazement she poured milk into the bowl. Krishna slowly walked in and sipped the milk. Spoorthi was delighted, she hugged and kissed her mother. She started pleading her mother to have Krishna as her pet. Her mother agreed .. 

This was a bond that lived through the rest of Spoorthi's life..

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