A Melody of Love - V.V.S.Manian

A Melody of Love

V.V.S.Manian

Karthik and Pramodh are brothers living with their parents in Woodbridge, New Jersey. Both of them are fond of their parents. Karthick likes nature, birds and bees. He is very considerate to all. Pramodh is very quite, likes music and very good in studies. Both Karthik and Pramodh spend their free time in the garden near their home. One day Karthik happened to venture alone into the wood near by. That was a pleasant evening and the wind was cool and breezy. Karthik’s black hair, soft and shiny blew around his face as the wind howled about him. His hands were covering his eyes to keep the dust out. He sat among the blades of tall grass, curled up, waiting for the gust of wind to pass.
A long time passed before the wind stopped. Karthik removed his cupped hands and looked around. His clothes were coated with a thin layer of light brown dust. He stood up and brushed himself off. CHIRP! CHIRP! The sound of a cricket came from close by. CHIRP! CHIRP! He looked in the grass near his feet. There was the brown cricket. CHIRP! CHIRP! The cricket hopped away. Karthik chased it and caught it in his hands and held it carefully. The cricket’s antenna tickled the palms of his hands as it wriggled about, trying to escape.
Karthik headed for home. He was feeling happy now that he had his pet cricket. His grandmother had given him a cricket cage for his last birthday. It had thin golden bars. He carefully moved the cricket into one hand and closed a fist over it. Using his other hand he took the cage out of the wooden chest that sat on the floor. He lifted the lid and picked the golden cage up. Setting it on the small table next to his bed, Karthik slipped the cricket carefully inside and shut the door.
He named the cricket Jing. Jing was happy to be out of Karthik’s tight hand. He hopped around his new, tiny, golden cage. His long antenna stuck out through the bars. Karthik was glad that Jing couldn’t fit his body through them. He carried the closed cage and put it on top of his drawers, near the window. He knew it would be hard for Jing to get used to his new cage. Perhaps if he was able to look out of the window it would be easier. Jing would be able to see the beautiful green garden.
Karthik left Jing and went outside to find some flies and other small insects that the cricket could eat. He took a jar with a lid. He caught a few flies in his hand and put them in with the others and felt lucky to catch two spiders.
That night, before he went to bed, Karthik fed Jing some of the dead bugs. He put them into the cage along with a tiny bowl of water. Sometimes Karthik wanted a drink in the middle of the night; maybe Jing would too.
Karthik dressed in his pajamas, turned his light off and climbed into bed. He opened the bedroom window a few inches to let some fresh air in. He fluffed up his pillow and pulled the blanket snuggly around him. No sooner had he closed his eyes than Jing began to chirp. CHIRP! CHIRP! CHIRP! The noise was very loud. He put his hands over his ears. CHIRP! CHIRP! CHIRP! Jing sang a goodnight song too. Other crickets, which were hiding outside in the back garden, started singing too. Soon there was a chorus of crickets. CHIRP! CHIRP! CHIRP! CHIRP! CHIRP!
Karthik sat up in bed. How was he going to sleep with all this chirping? He pulled his window shut, hoping that would stop the noise, but it didn’t. CHIRP! CHIRP! CHIRP! Jing kept singing. Karthik lay down again and put the pillow over his head. All night long Jing sang his beautiful nighttime melody.
When morning came, Karthik was very tired. He hadn’t slept at all. He picked Jing’s golden cage up and looked at the cricket. It didn’t look happy. Its antenna was hanging down, bent and sagging and it hadn’t eaten any of the insects. Karthik felt sad. Maybe he shouldn’t keep Jing in a cage. Maybe he should let him go, so that he could sing outside with the other crickets.
He got dressed and took the cricket outside, walked over to a leafy bush and put the cage down in the grass. He opened the door and Jing hopped into the flowers. Karthik knew that Jing would be happy. He carried the cage into the house and put it back into his wooden trunk. All day long Karthik played with his friends and laughed and was happy. He liked running around. He knew that Jing would be happy hopping around.
That night, before Karthik lay down in his bed, he opened the window. He put his head on the pillow and thought about Jing. He wondered what the cricket was doing. Just then he heard CHIRP! CHIRP! CHIRP! It was Jing. He stood on the window ledge chirping. He’d come back to say thank you to Karthik for letting him go. He stayed for a while, singing his nighttime lullaby. The other crickets in the back garden joined in. Karthik closed his eyes and drifted peacefully to sleep. (Adapted from a Chinese story)