Footprints in the Sand

Munia curled up her little toes as she stepped out on the hot sand. It was 10 in the morning and the sun was shining brightly. The azure blue sea, rushing up to meet the shore and crashing onto the rocks baring its white teeth in a foamy laughter, had beckoned her as she had stood watching it from her balcony.

It was a beautiful day and Munia was ready to build the perfect sand castle. Her little fingers curled around the knot tying her netted bag that held all her tools as she clutched it firmly. The coloured plastic shovel and basket gleamed in the sun matching their enthusiasm with that of the little girl’s. Munia carefully scanned the beach trying to find the right spot to build her castle. It was then that she noticed footprints on the sand left behind by the others before her. They were deep marks that made the sand cave in within the grooves made by their owners. There were some which showed the straight ridges of shoe soles whereas some displayed the circular hollows made by bare feet. Munia decided to get playful. She snuggled her little feet into the trenches. They were of different sizes. Her feet looked small within the bigger ones but fit into some perfectly. She giggled as she kept treading on each footprint one after the other and allowed them to lead her on with them. She began to love this new game.

It was some time before Munia realized she had moved far away from where she had started. She felt tired and sat down on a huge rock. She noticed the waves looked bigger and more powerful from here than they did from her balcony in her room. She noticed the soft mounds that formed on the sea and watched it grow bigger before it opened up in a huge yawn and crashed on to the shore. The Sea mesmerized her. Its vastness bewildered Munia. She wondered what pulled it towards the shore with so much enthusiasm and then pull it back even more urgently. Why did the sea not remain on the shore? She thought she would ask Ai when she got back. Ai always had answers to all her questions. Munia realized Ai would get worried if she did not get back soon. She had slipped out when Ai was asleep. She was always sleeping after she drank those amber liquids from those big bottles. But when she was not sleeping Ai was great fun. She would tell her stories and play with her. This was their annual vacation. Something they did every year together. They would usually go to hill resorts as it was a shorter drive for Ai. However, this time Munia wanted to come to a beach. She had never seen the Sea. All her friends in school had so Ai agreed. She always agreed to what Munia wanted. Maybe she wanted to make up for the moments she could not be herself for Munia. It was not that Ai was a bad mother. It was just that whenever she drank the juice from those bottles, Ai would suddenly change. She would start throwing things, shout at her and even try to hit her sometimes. Munia would hide in the wardrobe in her room during these times. Once Ai would fall asleep, Munia would step out, clean up the mess. At 8 years she had seen more than what she should. She often wondered what was there in those bottles that made Ai turn into a stranger. Yesterday night she had seen Ai pouring out that drink again after putting her to bed. She had squeezed her eyes shut pretending to be asleep.

But Munia loved her Ai. She was the best mother that anyone could have. She was there for all her school functions, she arranged some of the best birthdays and packed the most delicious Pau Bhaji’s in her lunch -box every morning. Munia also knew Ai loved her as much as she loved her.  Sitting on the rock looking at the Sea Munia missed Ai. She wished they could be together now.

Suddenly as if the Sea answered her doubts, Munia stood up. She knew she had to be as relentless as the Sea. No matter how much Ai would pull back, she would get Ai to sit with her on the beach. She traced her steps back. The Sea had washed away the older footprints. There were new ones now etched on the wet sand. Munia found her little feet fit perfectly into them, as if the Sea had ordained it to be thus.