“The left side of my body,” my grandmother exclaimed. Has she told you to write that Chinnu? “Oh Boy be careful with that intelligent senior” 

My Grandmother even instructed me that better if you don’t ask her any doubts. I said quietly, ok, but back of my mind, I said to myself she is super intelligent.

You want to know about whom my Grandma and I were talking about? She is sweety, and I call her sweetyakka. She is super super senior. In my school, juniors are assigned to a few seniors to look after and guide them in school. I was assigned to none other than Sweetyakka.

That day my class teacher gave me a form to fill out. I just filled everything in and struck at the question about my identification marks. I was confused about what to fill like Identification marks visible to whom? You (or) me? It is not clear because I have moles I can see, but hello, I cannot show you. Also, maybe there were moles on me that only you can see, not me. Like birthmarks behind my ear, so which one should I put in the form? I was confused.

Sweety is walking in the corridor. After seeing her, I felt super happy and relaxed. She solves any problem at a glance of it. Previously, she helped me buy a Mother’s Day gift for my mom when I was confused about what to buy for her. Now I told her my problem with moles. She laughed and said Chinnu, It’s Simple, just right, “a mole on the left side,” I wrote that and submitted it and felt I was right. She is super intelligent and solves any problem just like that.

My Grandma had an everyday routine of asking me what I had done in school before telling me my bedtime story. After a few things I said about writing about moles in the application form, she instructed you to write the left side of your body. Really left side of what? Your teacher probably gets you out of class for these silly mistakes and get ready for that chinnu. I slept in the middle of the story, hoping nothing would happen like that.

Often sweetyakka took me to her home to play with me, and a few times I became like a Lakme fashion week judge to give her marks for different dresses she had. Best of all is I accompanied her visit to a nearby Ice cream parlour. Sweetyakka’s dad won’t allow her to go alone, So she always takes me as a guard dog or something. I don’t know the logic behind that. But I accompanied her on one condition that we both eat the same ice cream. Because in the initial days, she convinces me to eat a small one telling me that I am a small boy so I should eat a little 5rs one. Being a big girl should eat a big 20 Rupees ice cream. in the starting days, I believed that, but later I realized and protested for equal rights and achieved.

We usually go on her cycle to an ice cream parlour or any new food available in nearby streets. After my dad’s bike sweety cycle is a second fascinating thing for me. I always ask her to teach me how to ride a cycle. She somehow refuses every time. But one day, she was probably happy that I saved her from her mother’s anger. Later that evening we went to eat Panipuri. While returning, she asked me, “Oh, Mr.Chinnu looks gained some height, and now he can try cycling. I said super happily that “I am always ready.”

Then I started pedalling the cycle. I am doing well. Sweetakka was shouting from the back that Chinnu, to stay balanced, you must keep moving forward. Keep Pedaling. That’s what I am precisely doing, and I am moving forward felt super duper happy I learned how to ride a bicycle. Now I can go too far away from home to the cricket ground also.

After a few meters, It went well until one cylinder-shaped aunty came on my way like a power Ninja Turtle. As I applied breaks all of a sudden, somehow, I managed to stop it, but I fell on the road. I still remember the words sweetyakka told me after the fall “If you fall don’t worry about that. At the same time if you really like doing that thing, don’t stop there try again and again until you master something you love, Do not give up on what you love chinnu, the beginning is always the hardest part of learning anything. I fell 6-7 times from the cycle before learning to go this fast”

“No Akka I am not at all worried about this bleeding. I am very worried about my mom and how she will react to after seeing these things,” I Replied

I won some medals of blood and bruises out of that incident. Went home with those things. Later those bruises were hurting me slowly, but I was quiet. I don’t want to tell anybody. If I say about this, my grandma and mom will beat me for trying to ride the cycle without any supervision. Most importantly, my grandma already instructed me not to go anywhere with her.

Me Being that quiet and calm at home is not so normal, and my mother sensed something wrong with me. I don’t know how she can sense when I was not good. Maybe That’s a mother thing sensing their son’s problems without saying a word. Later, my mum came and asked me what happened, and I showed the little bruise on my hand first, and later a big wound on my leg. I said I fell while playing in the school. She did some first aid and took me to Vivek uncle’s hospital.

Vivek uncle enquired and gave me a lecture about how I should be more careful while playing cricket. While he told me something, my focus shifted from his boring discussions to the fish tank in his room. Later some time, I started feeding fish in that fish tank. One blue and orange fish always caught my attention each time I fed the fish. This little fish was beautiful and stood out among its black and grey counterparts, Who just swam the length of the fish tank whenever I looked at her. It was like love at first sight. I suddenly told him that I would follow everything you instructed me if you allow me to take this one fish to my home.

He looked at my mum. She is implying to him to say no. Now Vivek uncle is confused about what to tell me. Then I put on my puppy face and started offering things to my mum like I will wake up early from tomorrow. I will eat two eggs for sure if you allow me to take this home, Mom. Finally, she said okay after a few more offers(Believe me, I promised many good things, those are like a wishlist for my mom, Maybe I over-offered but it’s okay!)

My mom put a little glass jar into the fish tank in the path of Blue and Orange fish it just swam inside that jar in a flash. my mom lifted the jar carefully out of the tank. “Hermione,” I whispered to myself, giving the little fellow a name. “Hermione Granger,” My New friend.

Back home, I transferred her to a new tank of her own. I fed her every day and cleaned the jar each week. Every evening after coming home from school, I started talking to her, telling secret things I don’t share with anyone. I have laughed with her telling those secrets. Soon she too settled in that jar as if she had lived there all his life. I started loving her almost as I love my dad’s bike.

Every time I approached Hermione in the fish tank, she always swam up to the tank as if to get close to me. When I spoke to her, I was sure she understood what I am telling her. I felt that way in my little bones.

One day in our regular conversations, I asked Hermoine, ” When I grow up, I am going to take my dad’s bike and ride it all over the world. Will you come with me, Hermoine?

The fish went one round on the tank. Her mouth blew in and out so that tiny bubbles rose to the top of the water. It looked as if Hermoine was speaking and imagined she was asking me something like, “One day when I grow up to be a big fish, I am going to swim in a big ocean will you too come with me, chinnu?

I whispered Yes unknowingly. 

And I imagined something like below me and my Hermione underwater and there too, telling my remaining secrets to her .

I already told you about our weekend bike rides to RK beach on my dad’s bike, so that week, I transferred Hermoine to a little jar so that I can hold her along with me. My mom said “You are yourself a luggage to us and now you are bringing extra luggage you should pay us for bringing your friend.” I said, hoo yeah, I will pay whatever to bring my friend to the beach. Actually, mom “We are practising for the days when me and heroine travel together when we grow up.”

My mom wondered, ‘ Oh really.”

Before I even answer anything to Mom. My dad just increased the bike speed. Four of us speed off on the beach road, and Hermoine accompanied us every week after that.

An excellent happy six months went super well. I grew a little taller and Hermoine a little longer, but my mom was worried about my sadness on one particular day. I was sad because Hermoine is not eating well for 3-4 days. I even changed the food menu. Still, she is not eating properly, so I was not feeling good. My mom understood that these little fishes wouldn’t live long, and they probably die in a year two. Not eating food is a sign that fish will die soon. Then she foresaw that Hermoine was going to die soon. She doesn’t want to see me crying when I see a dead Hermoine, so she comes up with a story to tell me.

She started telling me that Hermoine was growing and it wouldn’t fit into that glass tank anymore. We should drop her into a somewhat big water body, probably into the ocean, so that she would grow taller and meet her friends too in the sea. Maybe Hermoine is feeling alone, that’s why she is not eating properly. She said many other things and convinced me to drop Hermoine into her new home, a big ocean, this week. Only two more days are there for my Saturday night bike ride, so I want to spend more time with Hermoine before I miss her.

Later that day, I remembered my promise to Hermoine, “I am gonna take her along with me on my rides and show her the world” I was feeling guilty for not keeping my promise to her to make that guilt smaller. I want to do something that I can do right now before she leaves me. I can take her on a cycle ride and show her Vizag at least. That way, I may feel better, and I can remember my travel stories with Hermoine. I asked Sweetyakka about this plan, and she agreed.

On Friday evening, sweetyakka , I, and Hermoine started roaming the streets of Vizag like nomads. I am telling Hermoine things like this road lead to Tinku’s house and this goes straight leads to mom’s hospital, This house is my English madam’s house like that I was telling few important things to Hermoine in our journey. Sweetakka is super clueless, and she is just wondering what I am doing. is I going mad by seeing cartoons and lately talking to fish?  

I feared she might stop peddling the cycle, so I started telling slowly and secretly to Hermione.

After a few streets, sweetyaka become super tired and refused to take us any further. Me to Sweetakka “Akka We didn’t show Hermoine full Vizag at least I promised her to show the world”, She then replied “Full World is not different chinnu, all the world is the same and filled with the same people only names are different. You will understand this when you grow up. And she told me something like when she bothers her dad to take her to any exhibition he would probably take her to one stall in the exhibition and tell her that every other stall is one and the same and one day you tired of meeting the same people with different dresses Hermoine. No need to waste time going to every stall and street. She even started talking to Hermoine, telling her the same as what her father told her.”

I didn’t believe what she told Hermoine to convince her (still, I am against every word she said to Hermoine. It’s her view of the world. Mine is totally the opposite. If I write here about my view of the world, it becomes another big post, so will tell you about it in my future posts) but I don’t have any other option than to come back home with little happiness. I somehow managed to show a few important places to Hermoine, my school, my mom’s hospital, and our ice cream parlour.

After our trip, I kept Hermoine in her fish tank and asked her, “Are you were feeling any excited, you are going to live in your new big home from tomorrow?” This time she was silent, or maybe I couldn’t comprehend what exactly she told me.

Saturday night came. I played with her one last time. As planned, we went to the beach. As mummy and daddy walked along the path around the RK beach discussing their future, I held Hermoine in her glass jar and went down to the water waves. For the first time, my mummy forgets to tell me to be careful in the water. Probably she is feeling sad about telling me lies about Hermoine, and all this story about Hermoine is feeling alone and dropping her into the ocean idea just to see me not to cry when I see dead Hermoine. At the water’s edge, I raised the jar and looked at the Hermoine. She, too, looked at me calmly.

I unscrewed the lid and tipped the fish into the water. Hermoine landed with a tiny splash. She stopped for a heartbeat as if to get to see me for the one last time. And then with a bit of quiver of her tail. She darted away, As my best friend went after me. A tear of mine splashed in the ocean, making water in the sea a little more saltier than it had been before.

I miss you Hermoine Langer. I miss you in a good way. Whenever I go to the beach or see a blue-orange fish, it reminds me of you. Probably you too miss me. I hope you were swimming in the ocean. I am also learning snorkelling soon. I will meet you in the deep sea besides that as we promised each other, I started riding my bike all over and seeing new places now and then whenever possible.

This is Ravi Yalavarthi and I will see you soon, Click here to read about other women who influenced me