Paper Boats

The day started sunny and bright. The recent showers made every flower in the plant to bloom adding colours to the surrounding. But everyone was least bothered to watch those tiny wonders and rushed through their way to enter the workplace and get their cards punched on time.

Everyone felt that there looked a prominent change in the weather. At times the sun looked hot and made the people complain about sweat and dryness in the air. Suddenly during evenings, the clouds one by one peeped from every nook and corner of the sky and gathered together with their dark coloured cloaks and started to come down as if hitting the earth in the form of strong drizzle without giving a chance for anyone even to open the umbrellas.

People who wore their raincoats somehow escaped from the strong winds that splashed rain on their faces. The umbrellas could not withstand the power of the wind and they turned up exposing the person underneath to the downpour. 

The fancy umbrellas sold in the roadside shops did not have the power to fight against the heavy wind or the heavy downpour. The umbrellas turned upside down and the ribs of the umbrella twisted and made them unusable.

The streets were flooded with muddy water mixed along with the garbage thrown down at the corner. The downpour took along with it all the dirt even from the faraway roads. Reema stepped out of the main door and stood at the entrance. The main entrance had more than twenty wide long steps and she could see the roaring water down the path that connected the office to the main gate.

The heavy downpour looked like a thick curtain that was dropped from the sky down to the earth. It made everything hidden behind it. Nothing was visible and it was difficult to walk or drive the vehicles down the road looking beyond the thick curtain of water. It was only evening at six o'clock, but it looked darker like mid-night. The chill breeze that blew splashed drops of rainwater on her face and made her feel thrilled like a little girl. 

As a kid, Reema always loved to play in the puddles of rainwater after heavy rain. Her mother never allowed her to enjoy such play with her friends in the neighborhood and kept her inside the house with the doors locked.

Somehow Reema would manage to convince her mother or get the permission from her father if he was at home at that time and join her friends down the street to play boat race. They collected the required paper from the used notebooks to make paper boats. Paper boat racing was one of her childhood favourite playtime and if it rains Reema always looked forward to spending the whole day out in the street.

Reema still remembered how her dad taught her to make paper boats. Her friends knew how to make ordinary paper boats. But Reema's dad taught her to make a paper boat with a sword underneath that made her boast to her friends. She made them beg her to teach how to make that kind of paper boat. The only difference is doing one extra fold of paper, which she would teach them with much fuss. 

After getting something in exchange for teaching how to make that paper boat, Reema taught them how to make that paper boat. After making the maximum number of paper boats, they decided to have the paper boat race in the stream of water that flowed down the street. Little boats made out of different colours of paper floated gracefully on the small stream of water that ran down the street.

"Shall we play pirates with our paper boats?" Reema called her friends.

"That is interesting. I will be the pirate."

"No, I will be the pirate."

"Hi, I will also be the pirate" another one joined the group.

"Then, I will be the sea guard." Reema would shout above the noise.

"Ok, Let us begin the game."

With a cheer, they would start the game. When the boats were halfway through the stream, the rain would once again come down harshly and drown their paper boats. The water flowing down the street would carry away the crumpled paper boats and throw them into the rainwater drain. 

Yet, they never complained. With all the cheer of heart, they tore away more number of sheets of paper from their used notebooks and made another set of paper boats. Till their hair started to drip drops of rainwater, they would run along the street chasing their paper boats.

Reema also remembered how they decorated their paper boats with tiny flowers that grew on the plants on the roadside. They also made tiny paper dolls and made them stand in their paper boats. Their paper boats carried tiny dolls as sailors and they all shouted together when the boats started to move down the water. Reema could not forget all those childhood plays and they were still warm in her heart.

'Hi, once again into daydreams"

Reema turned around to see who made such a remark. Her friend Caroline stood there with a mischievous smile.

"It is not the day, dear. This is the evening. No daydreams to dream now."

"So, you are waiting for your Prince Charming to come in one of the paper boats down the stream?"

Both of them burst into laughter.

"Hi, when did you shift to boats from horses? You are becoming adventurous."

"I know you like only horses. See the water. How it will be if we get a boat ride back home?"

"Enough. Come on, let us start. I may miss the bus. Today it is going to be pretty long to reach home. My mother will be really worried." Reema spoke with concern.

"Do you have your raincoat?"

"No, I have my umbrella only. It is not comfortable to travel on the bus with the raincoat." Reema and Caroline stepped down and put their legs together in the street water.

"Ayyee" Caroline screamed and jumped onto the middle step.

A long snake swimming down the water was trying to climb over the steps searching for a dry space.

"Oh, god, what a miraculous escape" Caroline trembled with fear.

"I don't know if it is an escape for the snake or you," Reema replied her giggling loudly.

"Don't joke. I am really scared. This is the first time I am seeing such a long snake."

"Cool, cool." Reema pacified her friend. "It's gone."

Holding hands together, they struggled to walk through the muddy rainwater and reached the bus terminus in twenty minutes.