Potato and the Batman

Once a dog made a new friend. His name was Batman. At least that's what Aalu thought his name was. Aalu was a strange little mutt-looking dog with floppy ears, big dark eyes, and an ever-present grin on her face. She was actually a big scary Rottweiler or something like that, but she didn't like telling anyone. Batman was a strange man with big brown eyes and an awesome poker face that never gave anything away.

Aalu met Batman when he was taking a piss outside her house one day. She was on a walk with her Mumma, who she loved more than anything in the world, when they saw Batman. Of course, she didn't know then that it was Batman. Mumma, being Mumma, told Aalu to bark at the man and scare him. Aalu, being Aalu, did as she was told, and it was fun! The man got a real fright, but then he did something unexpected. He came out and tried to be friends with Aalu. Mumma and Aalu were both taken aback - should they trust this strange man who was so unexpectedly nice?

Aalu decided to test him. She scared him some more, jumped up and licked his face, his nose, even his mouth! She barked and barked in his ear till he had a headache, then she used him as a launching pad to bark at someone else!! And yet, the strange man, now known as Batman, stayed. And he kept trying to be friends with Aalu. He made her dinner, and took her on walks, and just loved her without ever saying so. Aalu had never really loved anyone other than her Mumma, but she got a good feeling about Batman. So Aalu decided it was ok for them to be friends, and she loved her new friend very much.

One day, Batman came to meet Aalu and told her they couldn't be friends anymore. "Why?!" cried Aalu, "I love you!"

"I love you too Aalu", said Batman, who now had a new puppy to take care of back home and give her more time. His mom and dad had just bought him a beautiful new puppy, and had strictly told him it was his responsibility now to take care of her. He just didn't have space in his life to love Aalu too anymore.

But Aalu didn't understand what she did wrong. She was angry and bit Batman in his shins and even on his butt. Her only other friend was leaving her and she was so sad, she didn't know what to do. She asked Mumma, "Mumma why did Batman go away?? Why did he get a new puppy? He could just stay with me forever." Mumma was sad, for she had trusted Batman too. She couldn't tell Aalu that the world was sometimes cruel, that beautiful new puppies were more valued than old sick dogs, that people disguise their choices under the guise of responsibility if it suits them. So she protected Aalu for the rest of her days, and never let her meet Batman or any other stranger again.

Too Little for Big

Little balloon and Big balloon lived on different sides of the track. Little belonged to a simple balloon seller with a small cart, who sold his wares to the few children passing by. They didn't make much money but were happy. Big belonged to a big shopkeeper who sold balloons, toys, collectibles, and many other exciting things to children and adults alike. Little and Big met by accident for sure; nothing but chance could have brought them together in the middle of the tracks one day. They didn't know each other, had never heard of the other, in fact. Wary, the balloons floated around each other for a bit. "You're shaped funny and have a little dent", said Big to Little. "You're shaped funny too. And have a little dent in the same place", replied Little. "Our dents match!", they exclaimed, surprised.

And so Little and Big started meeting more often. Less on Big's side and mostly on Little's side. Big explained to Little, "my owner, he is a very strict man. He loves me but worries about my flyaway nature. You had best not meet him." Little agreed, Big's owner sounded like an awfully strict man and Little was scared of strict men. So she would hang out outside Big's shop till he saw her, and quietly signal him to meet her outside and away they would fly again. They were full of life, beautiful, happy, and free. Big would fly alongside Little all day and never grow bored; neither would Little. Funny shaped and dented both, they found out they were even coloured alike, cut from the same rubber sheet and filled with the same dreams as each other. And so they soared.

One day Big's owner finally saw him flying around with Little. What on earth was Big thinking, flying from someone from the other side of the tracks? What would their customers think of them, what if they lost sales?! Big's owner had to put a stop to this immediately and for good. Off he went in search of the perfect shiny long cylindrical balloon to tie Big to. And he found It! It was Pink and pretty and very expensive too. His friend from the next shop sold it to him for a bargain though, so he took it and called Big home to tie him to it.

Big didn't like the idea; how would he ever fly with Little again if he was tied to Pink? He was miserable and lost air over it, but what could he do? He couldn't leave his shop or his owner or his side of the tracks, this was his life and he liked it here. He was the very first balloon in the shop and dreamed of someday being it's mascot even. This was his dream and priority. So he went and saw Little and told her the news. "Little, I love flying with you very much, but i have to go and get tied to Pink now".

Little grew littler, deflating. Big felt pity for her and said, "don't worry Little, I'll still wave hi whenever I see you from the other side of the tracks. You are my best friend!" On hearing that, Little felt like a pin had pricked her and she deflated rapidly, flying far away to her side and hiding. For Little had other dreams - of flying with Big forever and ever. But Big had other priorities, so he went to his owner and was tied to pretty Pink. "I look nice!", thought Big, looking at his picture with Pink. So he put it up on a big banner outside the shop, so big that everyone could see it. Including Little. Poor Little, who was desperately trying to pour life and precious air back into herself, felt another pinprick go through her. "Please God, let this stop", she prayed as she stayed close to her owner hoping the pricking would stop. But Big, silly oblivious Big, waved to her from across the tracks sometimes, said hi sometimes, and Little would forget everything and want to fly with him again like old times - until she saw Pink tied to him and felt the pinpricks again.

Because Little was not Pink. She never could be. She was just a loose end from the wrong place. And when she finally realised that, she stopped waving back and blew away.

A kite named Heart

There was once a little girl with a big beautiful kite named Heart. She made Heart herself, with her two little hands, paper in every colour of the rainbow, a little glue, some sticks and some love. Whatever she had, she put into that kite. Then she tied Heart on a long long string and sent it out to fly into the world. That way it would always be with her.

Heart glowed in every colour of the rainbow. It moved with the little girl in this direction and that, going where the wind took it. It saw beautiful sights and soared. It saw some sad ones too and cried. But it had it's little girl keeping it safe and so it was happy and alive and free.

But Heart and the girl did not go unobserved. There were little boys in the neighbourhood who watched with envy as Heart touched the skies and glowed brightly. "Why should she have Heart to herself?", they thought. And so the race began to see who could steal it.

The girl, though she had made Heart beautifully, was sadly not skilled in the ways of flying it. She lost Heart, not once, not twice, but many times. The boys would steal it for fun, keep it as a trophy, and sometimes even play with it like it was a ball. Each time she would manage to get it back from the cruel little boys, a little beat up, a little broken, a little more torn.  Heart grew weaker and weaker and didn't soar as high anymore,  so thankfully most boys left it alone now. A few nasty ones still tried but the girl had by now learned how to fly it better and keep it safe.

One day, a new boy moved into the house next door. His kite was called Heart too, he said. "Let's fly it together? I don't want to steal or break yours, I just want a friend." Girl listened to him carefully and asked Heart what she should do.  Heart gave her some advice - "keep me close, and put two strings on me this time so he can't steal it even if he tried". Girl agreed. Together the Hearts flew, spinning around and around each other until it was impossible to see where his Heart ended and hers began. So close did their Hearts stay together that both strings on hers were cut and she didn't even notice. Her Heart cried out in despair! But the foolish girl saw it too late, and her neighbour boy smiled and walked away with both his Heart and her own.

She begged and begged him to give it back. "Tonight", he said. So she waited outside his house all night to get it and he didn't come out. She begged him again. "Tonight, for sure", he said again. He never came and she spent another hopeless night waiting. "This evening, I promise", he swore. Evening came and she waited with bated breath at their spot. The stars came out and the moon shone. A few hours later, midnight struck, and the girl gave up and went home.

"Hey I looked for you last night", said the boy the next day. "I was right here, every night, but you never gave me back my Heart", replied the girl, knowing he was a liar and that he never came. "Haha!", laughed the boy then, "made you cry, didn't I! This is so much fun!!", and grinning, he took her Heart out from behind him, broke it in half, threw it at her feet, "there, take it now!" She looked at it sadly, and shook her head. "Keep it. I'm better off without it."

Off she went and explored the world on her own after that. She missed her Heart sometimes. She missed the happiness it used to give her. But she never missed the sadness again.