Family – a short story

Anika followed the family of ducks as they made their way to the pond on the grounds. She watched intently as the little ducklings launched themselves into the water in tiny splashes after their mother. At times, Anika felt jealous of the ducklings. Unlike her, they never had to worry about school, homework, exams, chores, and eating vegetables. But most of all, she envied them because they had the one thing she never had – parents.

Rosa, her carer at the orphanage often assured that Anika would soon get lovely parents of her own, just like her best friend Matilda. Ever since Matilda got adopted, Anika felt a little lonelier. Although Anika was happy for Matilda, it pained her that they had to part ways. But that was what happened whenever someone got adopted and got a new family.

Anika often wondered why she and the rest of the kids in the orphanage didn’t have any family of their own. Even the ducklings on the grounds belonged to a family! But Rosa always told her that the orphanage, the carers, and the other kids were her family. Rosa told Anika that because the children in the orphanage were all special, adults had to pass several tests to prove that they were worthy. Anika hoped that someone would pass all the tests and become worthy enough to adopt her. Some day, soon.

This story was written in response to Dakshali’s Saturday Picture Prompt Plate a.k.a PPP #2. The challenge is to use the given photo prompt and create an original poem, prose, story or anything related to the picture. Thank you, Dakshali for hosting this challenge. Click on the link to know more about this challenge and to read the entries by my fellow bloggers.

For visually challenged writers, the image shows a little girl sitting on the grass at the edge of a water body, looking at a family of ducks in the water.

Image courtesy: Dakshali

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