Discovering the jewel called hope......

The porch was where you could spot her in the day. She spent her day gazing at the school children hustling and bustling in and out of the school nearby. A smile would unfurl on her face when she found her son frolicking merrily with other children. But in no time the smile would fade and diminish somewhere when she realized that this was nothing but an illusion, a dream that could never be true. Her eyes would well up with tears imagining where her son was in the universe. Life for her was like a dried river since she had lost him. Life for her now was lifeless. Even with so many people around she felt uninhabited. No rain could flourish the river with water again.
It was just another monotonous and melancholy day, and she was trying hard to resolve the conflicts raging between the realities and mirages enshrouding her life. She was again lost in the sweet disillusions that her deepest whims had set before her. That was when she saw a little boy approaching her. She couldn’t help confuse him with her son and was overwhelmed with bubbling joy. She instinctively moved forward to hug him, but the reverie was shattered when the boy uttered something,” Madam, will you buy these toys?”
Her exuberance was smashed to smithereens. Tears rolled down her cheeks and she hastily wiped them off to save herself from the ignominy.
She asked the boy,”How much do they cost?” The boy replied by asking, “Which one do you want Madam?”
“Which is your favourite one?” she asked.
“This is my favourite toy, my home which was made by my father.”
She asked him still visualizing her son in the little boy,"Where is your home?"
“It was near the fields before my parents died in the drought, and now the entire universe is my home”, he softly articulated. She was amazed by the boy’s braveness.
The boy continued innocently, “I am glad I did not die in the drought, otherwise who would have taken care of my Chotu.....” There stood Chotu besides him wagging his tail. He patted Chotu with his little but warm hands softly.
There was then a shower that brought water to her dried river. She was sanctified and rejuvenated by the hopefulness and optimism portrayed by this little angel whom God had sent to transform her life. She couldn’t stop the smile spreading like broad day light on her face.
The boy interrupted her felicity by asking” Madam, which one shall I give you?” She smiled and said “Come in my boy, I’ll tell you which one do I want.”She had already decided what she wanted.
She took him in, fed him with food and asked lovingly”Will you be my son?”