The Ink Well Prompt #104 - Plus Weekly Challenge and Prize Announcement
The little girl's birthday is in two days. The only thing she wants is a puppy.
Prompt of the week by @theinkwell
The land of the lotus
Pushpa was sitting on the porch. She held her doll close to her. She could see the birds in the fields. The harvest was approaching and the birds, especially the parakeets were having a great time, pecking at the grains. The farm workers were trying to shoo away the birds but these were large fields and the birds came in large flocks.
Pushpa soon looked away. She was after all a small girl and her thoughts settled on her birthday which was in two days. She so badly wanted a puppy but her parents would not have it. They were a bit overprotective and Pushpa could not understand why they did not want to give her a small harmless puppy. She sighed. As if it could hear her sigh, a small sparrow looked at her with sympathy. She looked back. The sparrow was collecting twigs to prepare a nest. Soon, it would be trying to feed the chicks and help them to learn how to fly. She had seen it last season. The birds and animals wanted their young to be independent but not the humans. Oh yes, they were a complicated lot, Pushpa thought.
The lotus bloom caught her eye next. She went over and tried smelling it. Suddenly, she felt a pull and the next thing she knew was that she was hurtling toward the petals. She felt smaller and the speed at which she was falling should have frightened her but she did not feel anything nor did she scream.
She gently landed on a petal. It was so silky smooth and she could feel the world around her looming large. Before she could think further, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She was startled and turned back to see a small girl beside her. There was something about this girl. She seemed different. Then she saw the tiny wings. Golden wings. Pushpa gasped.
"Hey, I am Reeta." Said the fairy. "Welcome to the land of the lotus."
Pushpa had not even known that there existed a land of the lotus. The sudden pink land and the fairy's appearance made her scared and yet she was filled with a sense of suspense and thrill. What was to happen next? Would she get to meet a queen of cards? Would she encounter the rabbit that was always late? She rubbed her eyes to make sure she was not dreaming. The fairy came to her with a small glass of shining water-like drink. She asked Pushpa to drink it. She was wary and hesitated. The fairy told her that it would give her wings for an hour and with the help of those wings, she could fly back to her own house. Otherwise, Pushpa would have to remain here forever.
Pushpa almost grabbed the glass and drank the liquid. It was so tasty. She realized she was hungry. The fairy smiled and gave her some cake. The cakes were so tiny but delicious. Reeta and Pushpa who had now grown tiny wings herself flew down the stem of the lotus and entered a door on a green leaf. A toad who was surprised to see them hopped off.
Reeta told Pushpa to come back to this leaf later on and jump as high as she possibly could to get back to her land before the hour was over and Pushpa agreed.
They both went through the door and lo and behold was the land of the lotus. It was full of colorful flowers and birds that sang songs. Fairies were flying and smiled at them. There were many small lotus ponds around. Mothers were carrying pails of water and small children walked beside them, playing with puppies. Wait, what? Yes, there were golden-haired puppies that ran about with the cutest of eyes. One came near Pushpa and looked at her, lovingly. She stooped down and picked it up. Her eyes filled with tears. She thought to herself that at least she could hold a puppy in this land. She vowed to come again later.
Reeta smiled at her, sadly. Pushpa would not be able to come back once her birthday was celebrated. Teenagers could never enter the land of the lotus. This was Pushpa's last visit but she did not want to upset her.
Reeta and Pushpa had a great time and then the clock started ringing and Pushpa flew back to the leaf and bid goodbye to Reeta. She had made Reeta promise to visit her sometime. She could not bare to say goodbye to the puppy who she had named Goldie.
She summoned all her strength and flew and lo, she landed near her house again. It took her a few moments to steady herself again. Meanwhile, her mother had come calling for her. Her father gave her a bag and when she opened it, she saw a puppy looking exactly like Goldie but with silvery white hair and melting eyes. She nearly cried and took him out. Her parents smile and walked away. She looked back at the lotus and waved, hoping that Reeta would see her. She felt happy now and went on to name the puppy - Silvie.
This is an attempt to write a short story based on the prompt given by @theinkwell
image source - own and pixabay