The Mystery of The Yellow Mattress

The little girl, Her little sister, and their littler dog.

It was a crystal clear blue sky that looked over the bunch of schoolgirls playing soccer on the lush green field. The grass was still soggy from the benevolent shower it received that morning, but the girl's didn't care. In fact, they proudly went home, skin and dress plastered alike with mud, grass and bruises. Live to tell the tale another day or rather, play the game another evening. Unlike the boys they were not allowed to play football when it actually rained, but hey, this was good nevertheless.

A little girl stood on the boundary, her eyes following each and every player, every dancing move of the ball. She let out little sighs whenever someone fell, slid or jumped into a pool of slushy mud - do not misinterpret her sigh to be born out of concern towards the person. No, she sighed for she was being kept away from the game, by herself. If she managed to somehow pursue the team to let her in, in spite of her short stature, she still had something against her - her little sister and their littler 'hot-dog' dog. It was tough enough being a little person and garnishing some respect, their dog Momo had no chance at all. Sometimes it just seemed to know when someone was making fun of it, especially the neighborhood boys. You could see she smelt it - she would stretch her already stretched self and bare her teeth, with low growls serving the background score. It was amusing.

She let out another sigh, she did, little Sonya. It was time to gather her 'tail' and head home. Their mom would be coming anytime soon, and she would be very unhappy not finding them there.

*

The Little Blue Car.

"Come on darling, its time to go home", she said to her little sister Mishka. Mishka gave her the sweetest smile, and put down the dandelions she was blowing. Sonya wondered what she was wishing for. Her sister was too young - just 3 - and too innocent. She loved Mishka, even before she was born. She had always wanted a little sister - she saw the trouble her friends had with their little brothers. No, she prayed every day for a little sister. And her joy knew no bounds when a very tired looking mom, and hassled dad bought Mishka home. Something was wrong with her, they told her later. But Sonya thought she was perfect. She had the sweetest smile, the kindest eyes and she was everyone's pet. She would follow her Sonya everywhere, and she perfectly understood what Sonya said. In fact, Mama sometimes had trouble getting through to Mishka. Mishka then had the most serious look on her face which would instantly disappear on seeing Sonya. 

She took her sister's hand, and Momo's leash and guided them onto the crosswalk. Spring was giving way to summer and there were sweet smells in the air. She was only 10 and she was going to be a 'tween soon, whatever that meant. She was shorter than most girls in her class, and hence left out of the interesting games. Mama patiently explained to her every time she felt depressed about it. Mama was tall, taller than most grown ups. How could Mama know what it meant to be small? But Mama showed her her pictures when she was young - a little kid of her own age. Sonya was so surprised to see that Mama then was short too! Shortest girl in her class pics. That gave her some courage, but she desperately wanted to grow tall soon. 

Her train of thought was interrupted by Momo's harsh barking. She felt Mishka's hand tightening in hers, and she knew something was wrong. She looked around to see what was bothering them. A Little blue car, looking very much like an over sized toy, was on the horizon uphill. It was in reverse and pretty fast too. Sonya wondered why her skin had goosebumps. That definitely meant trouble. Then she saw. She saw that the driver couldn't see. He had a huge yellow mattress that looked vaguely familiar, at the back of his car and it was blocking his view. More importantly, it was blocking his view of THEM, for he was partly on the footpath where they were walking, and HE didn't seem to notice that. 

*

To be Continued.
Come back.