It was a school holiday.
It was that time when Nazifa was at home and her older brother and sister were at school. At their high school, they got a term break at a different time.
"I'm bored" said Nazifa as she hovered over her sister who was completing her Maths homework after school.
"Seriously?" said her sister as she furiously erased the fractions she had been writing.
"Nazifa, you are not bored, you are boring."
Nazifa walked away from her sister sulking.
She found her brother tying up his shoelaces for a game of football with his friends.
"I'm bored" said Nazifa.
Her brother appeared shocked.
"What? Have your scooter, your ipad, your keyboard, and your seven hundred and ninety-nine books all vanished? That's strange."
Nazifa left him and went to her dad who was reading a newspaper on the sofa.
"Dad, I'm bored."
"Really?" her dad said with a mischievous grin on his face.
"I thought your name was Nazifa."
"Oh, come on, Dad, I am so tired of that ancient joke" complained Nazifa as she decided to go to her grandmother.
"Naniji, I'm really bored and nobody cares about that."
Naniji put down her knitting and came over to Nazifa.
She held her in her arms and covered her head with kisses.
"Oh poor you, my little sweet birdie, oh my distressed little angel, my honey bun...how could the cruel world go on like this when you are so bored..."
Naniji began to rock her to and fro. Nazifa felt smothered by Naniji's display of affection.
Somehow she broke free from Naniji's arms and ran to her mother who was busy in the kitchen.
"Mom"
"Yes, dear, are you bored again?" said her mom without looking at her.
"Yes" Nazima made an upleasant face, folded her hands, and rested them on the kitchen counter.
Mom continued to stir the pot of curry.
"Ok, how about you keep stirring this pot of curry so that it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot and I go to read a book?"
Nazifa flew away from the kitchen at once.
She found her grandfather tending his plants in the garden.
"Hello, Nazifa, what brings you here?" he asked through his half-moon glasses as he dug a hole next to the big neem tree.
"Nanaji, I'm bored."
"Bored, eh? I know how it feels. I will be happy if you want to chat with me for a while."
"Ok" Nazifa agreed as she curiously looked at the tiny little two-leafed plants sitting neatly in a tray.
"What are those?"
"Petunias. They burst out into colours in a couple of weeks."
"Really?"
"I was planning to plant them next week. But if you would like, we can put them in right now so that we can have the flowers sooner."
"Yes, let's put them in" said Nazifa, jumping up and down.
She helped Nanaji to dig holes in the flower beds and to plant the Petunia saplings in a row.
After about an hour, they were dripping with sweat but they had broad smiles on their faces.
A couple of weeks later, bright flowers bloomed in their garden and Nazifa remembered her 'boring' school holiday.
(An original story by Aashoo. Protected by Copyright, February 2018.)
It was that time when Nazifa was at home and her older brother and sister were at school. At their high school, they got a term break at a different time.
"I'm bored" said Nazifa as she hovered over her sister who was completing her Maths homework after school.
"Seriously?" said her sister as she furiously erased the fractions she had been writing.
"Nazifa, you are not bored, you are boring."
Nazifa walked away from her sister sulking.
She found her brother tying up his shoelaces for a game of football with his friends.
"I'm bored" said Nazifa.
Her brother appeared shocked.
"What? Have your scooter, your ipad, your keyboard, and your seven hundred and ninety-nine books all vanished? That's strange."
Nazifa left him and went to her dad who was reading a newspaper on the sofa.
"Dad, I'm bored."
"Really?" her dad said with a mischievous grin on his face.
"I thought your name was Nazifa."
"Oh, come on, Dad, I am so tired of that ancient joke" complained Nazifa as she decided to go to her grandmother.
"Naniji, I'm really bored and nobody cares about that."
Naniji put down her knitting and came over to Nazifa.
She held her in her arms and covered her head with kisses.
"Oh poor you, my little sweet birdie, oh my distressed little angel, my honey bun...how could the cruel world go on like this when you are so bored..."
Naniji began to rock her to and fro. Nazifa felt smothered by Naniji's display of affection.
Somehow she broke free from Naniji's arms and ran to her mother who was busy in the kitchen.
"Mom"
"Yes, dear, are you bored again?" said her mom without looking at her.
"Yes" Nazima made an upleasant face, folded her hands, and rested them on the kitchen counter.
Mom continued to stir the pot of curry.
"Ok, how about you keep stirring this pot of curry so that it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot and I go to read a book?"
Nazifa flew away from the kitchen at once.
She found her grandfather tending his plants in the garden.
"Hello, Nazifa, what brings you here?" he asked through his half-moon glasses as he dug a hole next to the big neem tree.
"Nanaji, I'm bored."
"Bored, eh? I know how it feels. I will be happy if you want to chat with me for a while."
"Ok" Nazifa agreed as she curiously looked at the tiny little two-leafed plants sitting neatly in a tray.
"What are those?"
"Petunias. They burst out into colours in a couple of weeks."
"Really?"
"I was planning to plant them next week. But if you would like, we can put them in right now so that we can have the flowers sooner."
"Yes, let's put them in" said Nazifa, jumping up and down.
She helped Nanaji to dig holes in the flower beds and to plant the Petunia saplings in a row.
After about an hour, they were dripping with sweat but they had broad smiles on their faces.
A couple of weeks later, bright flowers bloomed in their garden and Nazifa remembered her 'boring' school holiday.
(An original story by Aashoo. Protected by Copyright, February 2018.)
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