Meenakshi Mohan (Children's World)

Meenakshi Mohan
A Girl with The Most Precious Name 

In the middle of nowhere was a small village inhabited by peaceful, happy, loving people. Small animals, colorful birds, and rainbow-colored butterflies hovered around here and there. Green luscious trees and beautiful gardens loaded with hyacinths, jasmines, roses, and many other colorful flowers surrounded the village. The sweet, aromatic smells of the flowers flooded the village. Pink and white cherry blossoms lined the two sides of the main road. The garden was always buzzing with people -- kids on the swings and playing with each other, women with their knits or books. Mice, rabbits, and squirrels wafted around the village. Parrots mimicked human voices in their red and green outfits and entertained everyone. White peacocks danced around the gardens.

People lived in cottages with red and green roofs with hanging flower baskets of yellow begonia and red/purple petunia on their windows or patios.   Colorful butterflies and hummingbirds hung around the sweet-smelling flowers. Everything was so peaceful, happy, and beautiful about this village. Everyone knew everyone else. 

But then, something unusual happened one day!

It was a Saturday, the market day, and the village was buzzing with vendors selling their fruits, vegetables, and other products. Some adults were sitting and chatting with each other, and kids were busy with their plays. A small girl in her torn clothes came dancing and singing on the cherry blossom-lined street, "I have the most precious name in the world!" No one had ever seen or known this girl.

The village stopped and looked while she danced and sang. She played with the kids. As soon as it started getting dark, she disappeared.

On Sunday, she returned in rags, singing, "I have the most precious name in the world!" People again stopped and watched.

On Monday, while many people were at work and kids were at school, they heard the beautiful voice, "I have the most precious name in the world!"

On Tuesday, she appeared again, "I have the most precious name in the world!"

 "Who is she?" "Who is she?" people asked each other. Small animals, birds, butterflies, and peacocks stopped their daily work and watched in amazement!

On Wednesday, when the village heard, "I have the most precious name in the world," an old lady approached the little girl. She asked, "Child, who are you, and what is your name?" The girl looked at her with wide-eyed wonder, "I have the most precious name in the world!" And she continued dancing and singing until sundown.

She did the same thing on Thursday and Friday, but now she had a trail of young kids and small animals following her. The colorful birds and rainbow-colored butterflies hovered around her, but nothing stopped her from singing and dancing, "I have the most precious name in the world!"

Everyone was getting used to seeing this girl and loving her. Saturday was the market day again. The village was buzzing again with vendors and people. But they all missed one thing; the girl was nowhere to be found. They missed hearing, "I have the most precious name in the world!" Kids, small animals, beautiful birds, and colorful butterflies all were looking for something for the little girl with her sweet voice. Even the flowers and the trees were drooping and moaning.

Then, they heard a sob! The little girl was sitting in the corner of the garden with her head bent on her knees and crying. The whole village stood around her.

Finally, all in a chorus asked her, "What happened?" "What happened?" The little girl told them, between her tears and hiccups, "I have lost my most precious name." 

Everyone looked at her with a question mark. "Who is she?" and "What is her precious name?"

"Ha, ha, ha!" they heard. "Ha, ha, ha," they looked up. A witch on her broom was floating in the sky, "Little girl, I have hidden your name, and no one can find it," said the wicked witch in her shrill voice.

The girl looked at everyone with tearful eyes and requested, "Please help find my most precious name."

The birds, small animals, butterflies, and young and older adults scurried around, looking for the most precious name of the little girl. They looked and skimmed the whole day but couldn't find anything. The night and cloudy sky overshadowed the village. Soon, it started pouring hard. No one cared about the rain. They kept looking until dawn.

Sunday came! It stopped pouring. The sun was trying to peek through the dark clouds. A mouse came squeaking in its little mouse sound, "Look, what I found?" It was a letter, "B." "Wow! Let's look more, and maybe we will find a clue." Soon, a bird came with the letter "G" in its beak. Everyone started looking more. An old lady found an "O." A kid found an "R." A butterfly found a "Y." A young man found an "I." No one had any clue what this all meant. As soon as a white peacock came dancing with the letter "V," something fantastic happened – all the letters assembled themselves and flew up in the sky as "VIBGYOR!"

Everyone was in awe! No one had ever seen such a splash of colors in the sky. Each letter sketched violet, indigo, blue-green, yellow, orange, and red sprays of blooms on the vast canvas of the sky. It had stopped raining. The clouds were dispersing, and everyone -- young, old women-men, kids, birds, animals, butterflies-- was amazed at nature's beauty. They looked for the little girl; she was nowhere to be found. Then a sweet, musical voice rhymed, "I am here, the girl with the most precious name in the world!"

They looked at a grandeur rainbow stretched through the sky in its seven colors. And, just behind the rainbow, the little girl was holding the shining pot of gold. She gave everyone a wink, "My name is VIBGYOR!"

 

Bio Note: Dr. Meenakshi Mohan

Dr. Meenakshi Mohan, an internationally published writer, is an educator, art critic, children's writer, painter, and poet. She has been listed twice in the Who is Who Among American Teachers. She is on the editorial Committee for Inquiry in Education, a peer-reviewed journal published by National Louis University, Chicago, Illinois. She received many awards, including Setu and Panorama International Awards for Excellence in Literature.


5 comments :

  1. Absolutely fascinated! Had me hooked! Really novel idea.

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  2. Enchanting story and such an adorable illustration. Loved it all.

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  3. Remarkable. Suspense created till the end. Kudos

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  4. What a beautifully narrated story with powerful imagination and suspense! Loved reading it❤❤

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  5. Enchanting ! I loved every bit of it. Truly mesmerizing ! Will touch every child's and adult's heart!ЁЯе░ЁЯШЗ

    ReplyDelete

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