Neeraj and Deepa were unhappy. There was rain and frequent power cuts, and the weather forecast predicted more rain. Nothing could be more depressing, for they couldn’t go out and catch up with their friends.
“We had planned so much. It would have been nice to meet friends and to visit the new shopping mall, all glitzy and decked up for Christmas,” said a disappointed Neeraj.
The siblings had specially saved some money for Christmas, but the rain had played spoil sport. “We are missing out on so many things. This was not how I planned to spend my Christmas...cooped up at home all day. It is boring,” cried Deepa.
“There are many reasons to complain, but we can be thankful for one thing — at least we didn’t get flooded,” said their mother.
Water woes
The kids realised that they had been lucky.
“The water is receding. It is so boring in here. Come, let’s go and see how people are faring,” said Neeraj.
The children saw that many of the houses where the water had entered were locked. They felt guilty for being so self-centred and ignoring other people’s suffering.
One neighbour had shifted a few blocks away as water had seeped into the house. “Why don’t we peep in to see how they are,” said a concerned Deepa.
They found their neighbours in a single-room apartment. They had just the bare essentials. A little child was bawling because she was hungry. The children got a glimpse of what people were going through.
“Let us show the spirit of Christmas and share what we have. With the money we have saved, let’s buy them some essential items,” insisted Deepa.
Their neighbours were overjoyed. “The rain caused us so much hardship and we were wondering how we would get through. Your help made a lot of difference,” thanked the grateful neighbours.
Back home, the siblings looked at the tree they had decorated just a few days ago. Everything looked the same, but their perspective had changed.
