Open Sesame Writers' Garden

A FRIEND

He’s like an umbrella in the rain,
He shares all your pain.
He’s the person you tell all,
Maybe big, maybe small.
You trust him to the core,
And believe he’ll open you a door.
He’ll scold you at every mistake,
But help with his life at stake.
He pulls you up when you’re down,
And brings a smile from a frown.
He’s the assassin of all your fears,
And he’s the sponge for all your tears.
He drives away all your greed,
A friend in need is a friend indeed!
Ojas R Deshpande, Class IX D, National Public School, Rajajinagar


Parting
The sun dipped into a blur of green,
It all seemed like a mysterious dream.
He dropped his bags at the doorstep,
Turning to say his final words.
While she turned a shade of crimson,
Knowing and accepting that they were done.
A silent tear ran down her cheek,
As no more could he speak.
Without a thought to spare
He silently walked into the cold air.
Ragini Srikrishna, Class XI E, SKCH (CBSE), Bangalore

The Illuminator
In the sky — a clear blue sky
Among the white, cottony clouds
With eyes that shone of a hundred stars
With a smile of pleasure... pleasure of the undefeated in wars
Shimmering with radiance, the brilliance second to none
With the speed no athlete could outrun
He rode on rays of gold... rich, lovely gold
Everything of value in his hold
Illuminating my world... a dark gloomy world
Everything that had gone wrong, he set to mould
Creating a world... a rich lovely world
He, the one worshipped by all, high and low
He, the god everyone wants to know
He, who adorns my world, my rich lovely world.
Sushmitha R, IX ‘A’, VVS SPHS

BOWLED OVER!
Thirteen-year-old Amar Kishen, nicknamed Butterfingers, is a familiar character from a well-known cartoon strip in the comic, ‘Tinkle’. His clumsiness is legendary. His father even jokes that if there ever is a place in the Guinness Book of Records for the clumsiest person, Amar would feature in it! In fact, everyone knows him as Butterfingers, and not Amar.

Amar loves to play cricket. The Colonel Nadkarni Under-15 Inter-School Limited Overs Cricket Trophy Championship is played every year and no school boy worth his bruises would want to miss it!  Last year, Amar’s school had an embarrassing loss thanks to you-know-who!

So this year, the children are very eager to prove themselves. They start practice in high spirits but their team captain has his 15th birthday very soon, which leaves their team without a leader. It’s an Under-15 tournament, remember?! After much deliberation, their coach, Sunderlal Sir, appoints the team’s vice-captain Ajay as the new captain, and much to everyone’s surprise Amar is the new vice-captain!

As if this weren’t enough, there are more troubles on the way!

The ground where they practice belongs to Colonel Nadkarni. The Colonel has told them that he has willed the ground to school, but his sudden death leaves everyone clueless about the all-important will. Then, during one of their crucial matches, their captain breaks his arm which forces Butterfingers to lead the team! Will he be able to lead the team to victory? And will the boys find the Colonel’s will? 

Children and adults will enjoy reading this book for two reasons: it’s about cricket and it’s very humorous. So, enjoy!

Rahul Rajpal  (13), Class VIII,
St Joseph’s Central School, Mysore
Author: Khyrunnisa A
For: 10- to 15-year-olds
Pages: 166
Published by: Puffin 

From freedom to fear...
I led a very happy life in the forest as a baby elephant.  I feasted on green grass, sugarcane and bamboo. Bunny, the rabbit, was my best friend. Though I was six months old, my mother always treated me like a six-day-old baby and fed me small bites of grass! I loved it! And I loved it even more when she cuddled me or splashed me with water when we frolicked in the river.

When I was eight weeks old, our herd was on its way to the river for a leisurely bath. We — the babies in the herd — were particularly frisky. I wanted to show off my newfound ‘jumping’ skills which I had learnt from Bunny. I vaulted neatly into the air and fell with a crashing thud! I tried hard to stand, but it was of no use. I was terrified. Would I have to stay sprawled for ever?!

To my immense relief (and surprise), the leader of our herd came and lifted me up with all her energy. I lumbered up to my mother and hugged her very tightly. She also hugged me and cried. And, there was a little pool of tears on the ground!

Did this incident make me less naughty? Not a chance!

A few weeks later, I was at my favourite spot by the the river when I fell into a deep pit. I yelled for help. There was no answer. I tried to clamber up, but I couldn’t. After some time I saw something strange. A two-legged animal with something black in hand came by, leading many other elephants. The strange creature shot a dart at me and I began to feel very drowsy. When I opened my eyes I was in an unfamiliar place. There was just one elephant, who told me some terrifying things. He said the two-legged creatures were called humans, and animals had to obey them; we — the trapped elephants — would have to carry logs; and we wouldn’t be fed if we didn’t work.

My new life was tough. I missed my mother and friends a lot. Most of all, I missed my freedom.

The next day, my trainer took me to place where men were cutting trees. I was made to carry heavy loads. After doing a lot of work I was given food. Many months passed, but there was no change in my miserable schedule. One day I was taken on a procession, where another elephant carried a very heavy statue. I was supposed to follow the older elephant. The procession was exciting, but a wee bit frightening. Everybody bowed to me and I enjoyed the attention. After some days, I had to return to my work place and carry lots of timber.

I better stop writing now because I have to get up early tomorrow and get to work. But before I lumber off, let me tell you this: my life in the elephant camp has taught me the value of family, friends and freedom. There was a time I took all the three for granted.
Preethi Muralikrishna, Class IX
Vijaya Bharathi Vidyalaya