Peculiar encounter

“That’s the ideal meeting…once upon a time, only once, unexpectedly, then never again.” – Helen Oyeyemi

Strolling through a warm summer evening, along the Pichola lake, I met this little kid. Free-spirited, laughing and jolly. She approached me with an elephant keychain insisting to sell it for Rs 20. And we started talking. She told me some stories and I listened earnestly. And then she gave me the keychain, that I still cherish with all my heart, but vanished before taking the money. I called after her but she just disappeared in the blues. I still think about her sometimes, wondering what she might be upto.
Abhijit Naskar, in his book, Love, God & Neurons emphasized on “Each person you meet influences your mental universe in a way……. ” and I feel she influenced me in some ways.

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