Sally's Glasses

Sally squirrel lived on a dense Ashoka tree in a big, beautiful park with lots of trees and plants.

- Suman Bajpai

The flowers stood in neat rows in their beds looking like disciplined students. There was greenery everywhere. Sally loved the long leaves and the thick trunk of the Ashoka tree on which she lived.

She kept swishing her tail and darting up and down the tree trunk.

The best thing was that many people came to the park for walks in the mornings and evenings.

It was a lively and cheerful place. Sweet little children came accompanied by their parents and grandparents.

Sally didn’t mind their joyful shrieks. In fact, she liked those children who livened up the park with their pranks.

In the afternoon, when nobody visited the park and there was absolute silence, Sally took long naps.

During winter, the park was a busy place even during the afternoons.

People spread out sheets on the grass and ate peanuts, oranges, and other things. Some even had their lunch in the park. Sally also got fed peanuts, gram, and bits of rotis.

Sally did not understand everything, but she loved to watch the humans. Some people walked briskly and others ran. Old people walked around slowly.

The youngsters, with earphones plugged in, enjoyed listening to music while walking. Children played on the swings, ran around, or played with balls. Some people sat comfortably on the grass, with legs crossed and eyes closed.

Sometimes, people who came to the park left some biscuit pieces or grains on the platform around her tree. Children came to meet Sally every day. In the beginning, Sally would get scared and scramble up the tree, but soon she became friends with them. They fed her and she ate fearlessly.