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akritipatel
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Venu got back to his house and saw a star in the night sky. It was all alone, but it was so bright and it twinkled silver and white in the night sky. Venu stopped to admire this sight until his thoughts were interrupted by his father's voice.
'Venu, come here, my son.'
The boy approached his father and gave him a big hug. The old man was very grateful to have such a loving son. He said:
'Your mother and I are not angry with you. We do not want you to leave. We just want what is best for you. A very generous friend in London has offered you a place in his home and he will support your schooling there. You will be leaving next week. I am sorry, my son. I cannot work anymore so we cannot afford to keep you with us.'
Venu put on his bravest face but was unable to stop the tears. 'Yes, Tantai,' he said in a quiet voice, 'I understand that you love me and want what is best for me so I will go to London.'
Venu held his father as tightly as he could because he did not know when he would see him again. The young boy was also very nervous because he knew nothing of London or of Britain. But he carried a glimmer of hope in his heart; He hoped that one day he would return to the forest, that he would come back and see the tall trees and the monkeys. He would see Laila and together they would watch the kunjiri flower bloom once again.
Venu was deeply unhappy about leaving his parents, but the forest needed him to stop the factory so he braved the shock of landing in a foreign land with the most courageous face he could muster.
He was met at the airport by his father's friend who was known to him simply as Balu. Balu was a large man with a jolly disposition. His favourite pastime was singing along to Tamil songs whilst he prepared his meals. Balu wanted to make the boy feel at home so he had prepared a large array of dishes for Venu's first meal in London.
Tamil songs played on the radio in the background as the two of them ate together that first evening. Venu shared with Balu what was happening in the forest back home, how the gifts of the forests were being destroyed, polluted by the mercury from the mining factory. 'I am saddened to hear of what is happening to our beloved forest,' said Balu.
'I need to tell people about what is happening back home so that they might help us,' said Venu, 'but all I can do is play my flute. I do not know what else I can do.'