Prayer on the Pavement

Riding a two-wheeler came easy to Loki, she would zip around the city through the mad traffic with aplomb.

This was on a Saturday; she runs a voluntary group that cleans forests off non-degradable waste and was heading for a meeting. She was a little rushed, as usual she slept in late on the weekend. So, she revved the scooter a litter faster than usual, cursing herself for her tardiness.

She was at an intersection waiting for the traffic light to turn green. Darn! These lights take forever, she was ranting inside her head. There is no guarantee that an expletive did not escape her lips.

Just then someone touched her left arm. She was livid. She couldn’t be bothered just now. She turned angrily to see who it is. A young girl of about ten years was standing next to her, begging for food and money. Now that is quite common. What was uncommon was the pain in the eyes.

Loki felt drawn to look at the girl a little longer and her eyes strayed lower. She was aghast, horrified, outraged. The young girl was naked waist up. A burn mark spanning from the right side of her waist to all the way up to her left shoulder and possibly further down her back too. The skin folded in an unbecoming, hideous, seething, stretched mess. The burn had healed. Yet the breadth of the damage – looked like a holocaust.

Loki’s mind raced. Could it have been an accident? Was this done to the child by a cruel adult? How? How? How could this happen to such a young child, her mind screamed! A stifled whimper escaped from her throat. She wanted to reach out and touch the child with gentle finger lit with love, but she knew it would offend her.

Loki did not dare continue to look, but she could not look away either. She was riveted. Rooted to the spot. Shocked to the core. Crazed beyond comprehension.

The light had turned green. Cars behind her started honking. She was too stunned to think of ways to help the girl. She inched ahead on her bike. She was torn between wanting to go back and having to move forward and keep her appointments for the day. She chose to go the meeting venue but was too distraught and distracted.

She just could not go on, so she cancelled the meeting. Rode back to the intersection, looked for the girl, determined to find a home for her. Maybe call in the police to help find the girl a destitute home. The girl was nowhere to be seen. Where could she have gone. Poof just like that!

Loki was frantic. She asked a few street vendors. They had seen the girl begging at the traffic light but did not know where to find her. They tried to dissuade Loki from searching for the girl, warning her of the mafia behind these beggars on the streets.

She waited a long time but did not find the girl. She rode back with a heavy heart back home, defeated, dejected.

Loki stopped at a temple on the way back, it was mid-day. The temple doors were closed. She stood on the pavement outside the temple, folded her hands in prayer – tears coursing down her cheeks. She swept her teary eyes to the sky beseechingly, seeking succor for the little girl at the signal. Wished for the scars both seen and unseen to be healed, gently, a sweet joy to pervade the girl's life. A short prayer answered. A miracle.