Yumi

He was drenched every bit in it, the cold clear thing that dropped from the heaven. He knew not what the other creatures in the place he lived in called it. That was because he was not born among them. He was born someplace else but was picked up by some more similar creatures and put inside the jail and these few other creatures he lived with now, freed him from there. For now, he was shivering, and he was limping, because he had been kicked. Kicked by one of the familiar creatures, who had once hugged him so dearly that he felt there was no one who loved him more than him. He was not among them, but he knew what love was, because he had yearned for it when he was in the jail.

White he was, but had no pride, and now that he was so wet, he looked sillier than any darker creature of his kind would look. He saw a shed and struggled to rush towards it. He was almost successful, but just the moment a car come and hit him. He was already dying, but the few last moments that he could still breathe were stolen away. The driver said nothing and just drove away, and neither did anyone around say a word.

Back in the party by Martha Clara, the leading pop singer of those times, Kenny and Angel stood worried.

Kenny: Where do you think dad left Yumi?

Angel(worried): I don’t know but we have to look for him.

Kenny(concerned): Yes.(angry) How could dad just kick the poor creature so brutally on its belly and throw it out of the door this way?

Angel(sad): You know dad Ken, mom and him often fight and break things, and this time it was Yumi..

Kenny: Yumi wasn’t a “thing”, he was our playmate! He was our loyal guard! Our best friend! To dad he must have been just a dog…

Angel: True… Shall we go and look for him?

Kenny: Yes.

They left the home in the rainy winter night, looking for their dear old pet, who was left brutally several kilometers outside the warm shelter by his own owner, and just because of human rage, the momentary heat. It was so cold and Kenny and Angel knew well that Yumi had never been at ease without a sweater during these days. They ran from one corner to another. Finally, at the end of a street they found a dog lying lifelessly. Kenny took off his raincoat and wrapped Yumi in it, and Yumi made no noise. They took him to a shed and realized that their once cheerful Yumi was no more. He was wet and dead. The rains had washed away his pains and life.

Back home when things were calm, with Yumi’s body, Kenny approached his father.

Kenny(teary eyed) :Look dad, here is our Yumi..

Father :Oh no… Is he dead?

Kenny :Yes he is.

Father :Why did you bring him home? Just dump him somewhere. Its Unhygienic.

Kenny(crying) :Stop it dad…!

Father :We will get you another pup..

Angel :So that next winter monsoon you kick him harder and we can never even find him?

His father had no answer. It was just an animal to him, but his own animosity had killed Yumi. Yumi would never come back, and the children denied adopting a new pet. Every such winter monsoon night, the Father would cry in his heart remembering what he had done to someone who thought love was something that he gave him…