A prayer

10

Dear God, My results are coming out tommorrow. Papa has promised me choclates and a trycycle if I get first rank. I don't know if I will get it. Becose I think I did badly in social studies. I knew all the answers, but culdn't remember the name of the prime minster. Was it Manmohan Sinh or Sonia Gandhi? I see both of them all the time on TV. And I am sure Ramesh has the right answer to it. He, most of the times, gets the right answers. He is also very good at mathamatics. That's another subject I am scared of. He beat me in the last two exams. I don't know how he gets all the corect answers. How he is allways first in the class. Oh God! Can't I be first at least once. Papa and Amma want me to beat....

The magic of football

3

"Wake up. Today is France versus Canada," Krishnan banged the doors of our house. It was two in the morning, and it was pitch dark. Krishnan and friends had a torch with them. Not the fancy ones run by cells. This one was made of dry palm leaves. We -- I and my uncle -- joined Krishnan and his friends. Together, we were more than 10 people. The torch led us on our way to Appu chettan's house just five minutes and two canals away. The monsoon was on and the road was full of water. And not just water. Fish, snakes, frogs, tortoises. One can find all of them in plenty during the rains. The ponds were overflowing. One couldn't tell the roads from the pond even during the day. But we had no other choice. The only television in Vazhikulangara was at Appu's house. There was....