My Vacation with Minnie

During my summer holidays, I usually spend most of the days at my brother’s place in Vizag. They live on the beach road from where we can see the glimpse of the beach from the house. My brother’s daughter Minnie is a 7 year old enthusiastic, boisterous and incisive girl who has “what” question words for each and every single thing she notices.

In my brother’s room above the bed , there’s an attic where empty luggage bags and cardboard boxes were kept. At one corner of that, she made out a place where she keeps every interesting thing she finds. It may be a leaf or a stone of an unalike shape and the origami stuff she made by herself. And the thing which captivated me was the spider webs and a lot of spiders.

She came near me holding a wooden scale and 2 books in a pretty blue gown and  with 2 little ponytails. I gave her a bag of soft toys which I bought for her. She was very surprised and her joyous expressions explains that she loved each and every toy.

Then I asked her, “So you stopped taking care of your place? I think the spiders undertaken your work and they resided on your place.”

“No Atha(Aunty) ! They are my friends”, she said. I was quite surprised with her fascination towards spiders.

“Ah what! Friends?”.

“Yeah ! I love spiders”, she replied in a frisky voice.

“That is a bit strange. Wh..what is that in your hand?”, I asked pointing out her hand.

“Dead insects, I found them in the garden. Lunch time atha for my friends ”

“Don’t you feel bad when spiders eat them?” , I asked her just hoping for an interesting answer.

she said ,”No atha! we also eat the plants even they are living beings”, in a very innocent tone.

“Hehe carry on sweetheart!”. Till that moment I was thinking that I was the only one who is strange in my family. Well I got a tough competition here.

After lunch she was lying on my stomach and we were watching TV.

I asked her, ” what is the matter with spiders? why do you like them?”

“They look so cute and fragile atha”.

“Don’t tell me that you got obsessed by Spiderman series and you want to become one”.

“Haha”, she giggled so innocently. “No atha, but while watching the series, I sometimes get carried away and even ask golu to make me spider girl.”

“golu ?”

“The name of the spider which is the biggest of all.”

It sounds funny but the way she says that her cuteness overcomes the stupidity in the matter and leaves a smile on our face.

She put her both elbows on my stomach and raised a bit and said “Atha atha, Do you know something? Some of my friends say that when a spider falls on us, we will get a new dress.”

“Aww! really ?”,I exclaimed.

“Whenever I want a new dress ,I deliberately make one to fall on me”

“So do you really get a new dress then?”, I asked.

“Yes athaa! I always get a new dress”

“That’s cool”, I replied in a bit exclamatory way.

“Yes atha, when any spider falls on me. I go to dada(dad) and say ‘dada, see this spider fell on me, I am going to get a new dress now’. Dada too replies the same way as you did atha”

“Oh! Now I got it how you get a new dress every time.”

She is so fair and looking so adorable with her innocent eyes and curly hair. I kissed on her cheek  and laid her on my legs and lifted her up and we played for some time.

In the evening, she took her books and went to the garden.

My brother’s wife made a filter coffee for me. I took my coffee and sat in the balcony where I can see minnie playing in the garden. She is walking from left to right studying loudly, with a scale in her hands waving as if she was teaching to someone. Suddenly she took her scale, shook and hit one of the branches of curry tree.

Suddenly I shocked and shouted “Oi ! what happened ?”.

she turned and raised her head and replied “Nothing atha ! He is not listening, he is playing with the rose plant.”

“wait I am coming”, I put my coffee there and went down to the garden.

“who is not listening sweetheart?”, I asked her.

“This is my class atha!”, pointing out towards the plants in the garden.

“These are the toppers of the class”, showing the leafy plants in the front row.”These are the mischievous ones “,showing the rose plants.

“Be careful with these rose plants, they might hurt you”, I said.

“yeah atha! they are very annoying, they don’t even allow me to punish them. So whenever I want to punish them, I just pluck their flowers “, She replied very innocently.

I chuckled suddenly, “That’s so cute”.

“Finish the class quickly and come sweetheart we will go and play on the beach” , I said and went inside.

Children are the cutest and they will search for something good and interesting in everything. She is the girl with full of pep, she will make me active and happy at any point of my life. Only because of her, I spent the whole vacation in my brother’s house and I bookmark each and every moment I spent with her and carry a bag of memories with me until the next vacation.

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