After wandering aimlessly for a long time, we sat on a bench by the roadside.
Nainital's evening was slowly descending. Clouds like cotton fibers and steam were passing by, touching our heads without hindrance. Colored by faint light and darkness, sometimes they looked blue, sometimes white, and then a little reddish, as if they wanted to play with us.
Five, ten, fifteen minutes passed. My friend showed no intention of getting up. I said irritably, "Let's go!"
"Oh, sit a little longer!"
When I was forced to sit down by being held by the arm, there was no other choice. It was not easy to get rid of the whim, and sitting 'a little longer' was not 'a little'.
I was sitting silently, getting bored and annoyed, when my friend suddenly said, "Look, what is that?"
I saw a dark figure coming towards us from a few feet away in the white mist. I said, "Must be someone."
From a distance of three yards, a boy appeared, scratching his long hair, walking along. Barefoot, bareheaded, wearing a dirty shirt hanging loose.
He didn't know where his feet were falling, and he didn't know where he was going, where he wanted to go. There was no right, no left. In the small circle of light from the nearby octroi post's lantern, I saw he was a boy of about ten or twelve years. He was fair-skinned, but had turned black with dirt. His eyes were nice, large, but vacant. His forehead seemed to have wrinkles already.He could not see us, he was as if seeing nothing. Neither the earth below, nor the fog spread all around above, nor the pond in front, nor the lonely world.
He was just looking at his near present.
A friend called out, "Hey."
He opened his vacant eyes wide.
"The world has slept or is sleeping, why are you the only one roaming around?"
The boy stood silent, yet with a face that seemed to speak.
"Where will you sleep?"
"Somewhere around here"
"Where did you sleep yesterday?"
"At the shop."
"Why not there today?"
"Fired from the job."
"What job was it?"
"All work; one rupee and leftover food."
"Will you work again?"
"Yes."
"Will you go outside?"
"Yes."
"What did you eat today?"
"Nothing."
"Will you get food now?"
"Will not get."
"Will you just sleep like that?"
"Yes."
"Where"