The Photo Album

Years have gone by and Anjali started reading her bygone days. She could go back to her good old days as she turned over the pages.

Maya, her niece, looked at the hand that turned the pages one by one. The skin on her aunt’s hand had become loose and showed lines that had come up with age.

Anjali looked intently at the photos as they passed her sight, with so much interest. Maya could not hold back her inquisitiveness and asked politely, “Aunty, you look so happy looking at the photos?”

“These are the days that have gone by, will never come back, but memories are hidden in them. They take me back to those days which have mostly faded with years and these photos enliven those long lost days”.

“What’s so important in these pictures?”

“Little girl come closer, I’ll show you and tell you the tales of my life as we see the pictures one by one.”

Maya comes near her aunt and she starts narrating her life story which interests Maya. The day slips and night falls. Two girls -- one young and the other old, one, the story-teller and the other, the listener, engrossed in their act.

Hours slipped and Maya was stunned hearing about her aunt in her own words. A thought struck Maya, and, she said, “Aunty, I want to put your life in words as a novel. I need your permission”.

Her aunt looked at her and said, “What’s goodie there to come up as a novel”.

“Once the publisher accepts and publishes the novel, then only you will read and know”.

It took more than three months for the novel to be written and published. Maya named it, “THE PHOTO ALBUM”.

When Anjali read the book, she had no words for all was written in the book.