The Last leaf: Adiya story

Just take me away

Gurgling of the brook nearby and the giggling of Arjun were the only two sounds that reached the ears of the twelve year old Adi. 

"Bhai daddy is cheating come and score goals for me", little Arjun the teddy bear that he was ran around giggling. His parents, Arjun, his best friend Pooja and her mother had come for a family picnic everybody was in a jovial mood but Aditya was lying down aloof feeling the green grass beneath him. His peace was disturbed when the football landed on his forehead causing him acute pain. Before he could react he felt soft fingers running through his forehead. 

'Aap thik hai, bahut dard ho raha hai?' a young girl of about eight years was kneeling next to him. She was dressed in all white kurta pajama and had a basket of flower next to her. Aditya could not help but smile when he noticed that her dupatta was safely pinned by a safety pin probably by her mother. The little girl looked surprised, he kept pondering at her big brown orbs he knew them somehow those pair of doe eyes.

"Who are you here with?" He asked worryingly.

' Don't worry about me do you see the Chinar tree out there' ,his eyes followed her fingers to see a big tree with vibrant leaves.

'I will go away along with the last leaf of the tree'.

Aditya Hooda opened his eyes and shot up from his bed only to realise that some commotion was taking place at the Siddiqui house in the middle of the night. He rushed out of the room waking Arjun up in the process. Dr. Naushad Rizvi was talking to Wasim with his hands on Wasim's shoulders whereas Noor had tightly embraced her mother. He knew his heart had stopped beating it was only Arjun's hand on his shoulders that made him rush inside her room. They had put oxygen mask around her with a lot of machines it reminded him of the time she had decided to end her life. Her breathing was heavy he went and sat close to her lying form.

"Zoya" he called her name.

"I saw you in my dreams just now do you know that?" He whispered in her ears.

"Why did you have to fall sick? You woke me up I wanted to play with little Zoya."

Meanwhile Dr. Naushad had entered the room, Aditya desperately asked him about Zoya's condition.

'The fluctuation in her platelet counts have resulted in this extreme fatigue. She will be fine by tomorrow, sudden fluctuations are common to her condition.' He assured Aditya.

Relief overpowered him although he saw from the window the Chinar tree silently shedding some of it's leaves. He abruptly drew  the  curtains and knelt next to Zoya's sleeping form, Adi held her wrist to cover it inside the blanket. It was cold and slim, was her hands always this soft he wondered for sometime. At this time Zoya's parents, Arjun and Noor had entered the room. Her mother broke down into tears whereas her father had a bravery mask on his face while letting his wife cry on his arms. Noor embraced her parents for she dreaded the thought of only three of them living as a family. She could feel Arjun's presence behind her and she drew strength from his silent support. Arjun wanted to hold Noor but he knew her parents needed her most at this time. He glanced at his brother holding Zoya's hands with his head lightly resting on her stomach. Arjun knew some well wishers of the Siddiqui's might come to see Zoya so he tried to wake his brother from this questionable position. Aditya was lost in his own thought, holding her hand hearing her heavy breathing, clinging to her like a lost little boy.

"Wait, you take me to that Chinar tree", he ordered the little girl.

'Why should I do that I don't even know your name', the girl said standing up and folding her arms stubbornly.

'Aur aapko koi manners nahin hai kisi ko aise order karna bad manners hota hai humari ammi kahti hai'.

He noticed her cute button nose flaring while she gave a side glance to him.

"Okay I am sorry" Adi stood up to notice that her height was just a little above his chest must be an inch taller than Arjun he smiled to himself wondering.

' Even if I ruun I will not be able to reach the tree and the last leaf will fall', the girl expressed her sadness.

Adi out of a sudden knelt in front of her with his back facing her front.

" Jump on my back I will take to the tree before the leaf falls".

She hesitantly climbed on his back with her hands around his neck and also the flower basket. 

"You weigh lesser than my little brother", he could not help but giggle.

'Aap jhut bol rahe hai I am the strongest girl mere abbu bhi yehi kehte hai' she retorted.

'waise aap mujhe hamesha aise hi uthayenge?' her question confused him.

'Hamesha se aise hi toh utha raha hoon' he smirked.

Hmm? He did not know why he said that.

The sun poured it's last rays through the every corner of the hills while the twelve year old Adi carried this little girl on his  back and rode down the hills , their giggles echoing through the dales clearly revealing that both of them were enjoying this piggy back ride...