Lock and Seek!

Once a cousin , aged about 2.5 years , was visiting us. His elder brother had not come ; thus being companionless , he went about the flat , prying into murky corners and poking into everyday oddities.

Having kissed and petted him , I shifted my attention on the conversation between my aunt and my mother.

Some while later...
I glided out of their doleful exchanges on the chaos of married life to bestow some more kisses on his chubby cheeks.
He was not in the hall.
Nor in the alley between the kitchen and bathroom.
He must be in my room.
The door was closed : I turned the handle.
It was locked.(How can it be ?)
I tried again - truly locked. ( ??? )
I called out to him.
No reply.

Knock ! Knock ! ( Are you there naughty boy ? Playing ? Let me in too...)

Silence.

OK. There is a gap between the door and the floor so I went down on all fours and peeped.
He was pattering around.
I drew his attention to the gap.
On the other side , two little black eyes twinkled back at me.
I could sense him grinning. ( He was being cheeky ?! )
'Open the door...see what I have got for you...'
No response.
'There is a key in the door..just turn it ...' ( Perhaps , he didn't know how to unlock ? )
No action; nothing doing.

I called my Aunt. She tried similar tactics.The baby ignored his darling Ammi as well.
We whispered worrying possibilities - What if he can't open ? Can he actually turn the key ? Is it possible to get in through the window ? (We live on the Groundfloor) The window has grills....

The pair of eyes regarded us casually through the gap.
His mother's patient worry snapped.
'I am going. Open the door and come out soon.'
We went to the hall.

In a few minutes...

'Ammi....' , said the baby and found his mother sitting in the hall.
The elf!
So he did know how to unlock ; tricky game.

Lesson learnt : Never leave the key into the door lock when toddlers are around.

I am Alone

The sun was bright ,
I was young ,
The days were carefree and light ,
There were friends , there were people.

I am alone.

Parents - they were there then:
In the remote background , close to touch ;
Now nearer and dearer , yet farther away ;
We spoke less ; now the talk is much...

I am alone.

The memories swirl as misty ghosts -
They are mine ; not gone away.
The books hold out a stronger hand -
They are mine ; soul entrenched within soul.

The sun still shines ,
The people still pass by , leaving pages to fill in.

I am alone , not empty ;
I am with God -
Is that lonely ?
He is alone: The One and Only.