Beyond the 12x12 Window

Akmal, a curious boy of 14, loved how an avid smoker would blow up dreamy smoke rings which would rise up and glide over and then just vanish! To him, watching this was every day’s fascination.He was the helper boy at the corner tobacco shop. A shop situated at a fork in the city of Dehradoon where city cars would not just whoosh by every time. Sometimes, these cars would abruptly stop,sometimes make a gliding move and sometimes rush by. Thanks to the changing colours of the traffic light. He sometimes thought that his malik was like the yellow one in the traffic light, because like all those wagons ignoring the yellow light, he loved to ignore his malik’s voice. The shop was his window to the world. He loved having new customers and also a few regulars. On his way back home, he would always spot the insect ladybugs in the gardens by the side. He was amused how an insect could emit light on its own. He wanted to ask someone about it but he wondered who would know. One of his recent favourite customers at the shop was Benson, he was an Austrian tourist who had specially come to visit Uttrakhand. He too was an avid smoker. He was originally a professor who had taken a break from work to travel and explore. Benson wore a special velvety cow boy hat that always caught Akmal’s attention. It was studded with beautiful jewels.  The jewels were shaped as mini knives and were studded on to the black ribbon around the hat. Every time as the sunlight would fall on the jewels, it would produce an array of 7 colors on the hat. Akmal would always be startled with it. Benson, being a professor, noticed the curious child and convinced his malik if Akmal to accompany him in his travel plans that day. Akmal quickly left off his gamcha, shed dust off his clothes. Nothing could hold his excitement because he now had a chance to know what it is like beyond his window.