Tea Leaf

Sonu was a naughty twelve year old who lived in the beautiful valleys of Munnar. Yes, he was the naughtiest around and the sharpest. He did not have the way with words but did it make him less sharp?
He had hopped through all the green peaks and greens valleys. All the narrow brown paths in the midst of the vast tea plantation. That was his favorite pastime. Studies could always wait for him till the last day of the exams. Doing a race against time before the exams and winning it!!! He was a champion in it. Why to waste time with books every day when it can all be crammed up in one night. Much to Amma’s anxiety.
Amma was deeply spiritual, she meditated every day and she was very devoted to her Guru. She would put her basket around her head and collect the soft green leaves 8 hours a day and would collect Rs 150 each day. Not once had she complained about the money.
And Sonu, not once had he asked for a soft toy or toy car as a kid. Nay, not verbally that is. Hmmm..he would only glance at the glass window in the shops and then, his lower chin would protrude out, the nose narrowed down and ears reddened. It took a couple of years for Amma to understand this chameleon trick, Sonu had perfected. So there, he never really "asked" for anything, never needed to!
Then he had that "Einstein's glance". The eyes would be either narrowed or rounded up like saucers as if too curious thinking about something. He would give the silver tailed fish in the aquarium a particularly tinted look and for some considerable five seconds. He would be imagining the silver tailed fish doing belle dance with the small one with golden fins while poor amma would be thinking how her son is to grow up to a successful pisciculturist. "Appa, He is looking like a scientist. When my son grows up I will send him to a big college." Sonu wanted the aquarium. He would worry about getting into a big college some other day.
“It will be a gift for you if you pass the final exams." Amma never bought free gifts for her son.
Amma would say that God is in her life in the form of the tea leaves and the solid stem of the plant is His throne and God knows everything. God sees us with thousand eyes; He can see and know what no one else in the world can. So, only after a few days of his pranks would Sonu dare to wander near the tea plants. Amma forgets his mischieves only in a few hours; God may remember them for a few days at max.
Sonu knew in his heart of hearts that it was not as simple as that. Once as a toddler he had seen a holy spirit emerging out of the tea leaves. It resembled the face of Amma's Guru, which he had seen in the only photo frame hanging in their house. The spirit hadn't spoken to him, just smiled at him. Sonu had confided about this incident to his friend Gopal.
“Ok next time please take me along to see the spirit. Come on now lets hit that pole with stone", Gopal and Sonu had a bet again "ten times each"
"Huh, I can hit it all ten times and that too from double the distance where you are standing."
"Not in dreams!!!!" exclaimed Gopal.
Sonu walked to the throwing point and marked it, measured another equal distance from there and aimed at the pole. One, two, three,...nine and there's the resounding ten!!! There were ten straight strokes on the pole...
“May not be in dreams...but in reality, yes!!" Sonu said. Hmmm...he too was getting better with words.
"Sooo...nuuuuu" Amma was looking for him. She would ask her to sit and study again. Final exams were around the corner and he hadn't gone through his chapters even once. Had not it been for the aquarium...
Sonu walked to his room obediantly. One chapter, two, three, four...ahhh...the aquarium seems nearer now. Its dawn and Sonu had not even had a wink of sleep. He has to get ready and go for his exams. He was all set.
The midnight oil has paid of; Sonu is through with all the chapters.
He walks into the hall confidently as if he already knows the questions and is great to go!!
So there's the teacher with the answer sheets and the question papers, and there she is distributing the question papers and passing on the answer sheets.
The question paper arrives. Ahhh...the questions are all so familiar.
Sonu knows them all...there he goes....And CRASH!!!!!

Oh the teacher had already collected the answer sheets and everyone is leaving the hall. Why he knew all the answers. But...but ...did he write them?

Sonu had passed the exams!! Calmly he walked home and sat down to complete his homework before he could go out to play.
Amma was looking happy that day. “Sonu", she called out “the next final exams are far. Why study now?"
“Burning midnight oil isn't a very good idea Amma. It’s better to study a little every day than to gulp down everything the night before the exam" He had run to the tea gardens after the exams and Guruji from the tea leaves had whispered these words in his ears. Sonu remembered his promise of studying a little every day.

"Hmmm… but what about watching the silver tailed fish doing belle dance with the little one with golden fins" Amma said with a mischievous smile and pointed to the aquarium she had bought for her son.