It was 5pm, the bus stop was very busy with people returning from their workplaces and students from their schools and colleges. He was a boy of ten years studying his 5th standard. He was waiting for Bus no.113 by which he would go home daily from his school. His father usually dropped him at his school in the morning on his way to his workplace and in the evening he would come home by bus. Generally he need not wait for more than 10 minutes for the Bus 113 which was quite regular.

One day he was waiting for half-an-hour and Bus 113 had not come. He didn't like waiting at the bus stop for a long time due to two reasons. One was a big foul smelling dustbin placed adjacent to the stop and the other was the presence of an ugly man in dirty and torn clothes who hadn't taken a bath for months, was unshaved and unkempt for many years and his skin was coated with dirt. And he was always sitting beside the dustbin and uttering some unclear and meaningless words to all the people passing along on that way...

The boy soon became tired of waiting there and he decided to take an autoricshaw. He looked out for an auto but he couldn’t find one also plying by. Then as he waited he saw that the ugly looking man quickly grab into his mouth some roties thrown away into the dustbin and he was shocked to see that. Just then the Bus‘113’ had come. As it had come after a long time, people rushed towards the bus and started climbing it even before it stopped. He ran towards the bus and climbed into it. The bus was over crowded, and with great difficulty he obtained a seat.

The boy started thinking about the incident that he saw. He was deeply touched by that and felt very bad for thinking about the ugly looking man in such a way. He went home, took his bath, wore fresh cloths and sat for his homework. But he couldn’t concentrate on it. His mind was full of unanswered questions like What makes him eat from the dustbin...?? Was it Hunger...!! Was there no one to give him food...?? Doesn’t he have any parents like me..???? these were some of the questions crowding his mind when he was called for dinner. He got up and went to the dinning table.
The food was already kept ready for him. He looked at the food and he thought to himself, I am being given a lot of variety in good food and clothes. taken for a hair cut when it grows long and I play with my friends happily. But why is that man like that, with out proper food or clothes? Does he have no one at all to look after him, no one to cook and give him some proper food? Why does he always stay there beside the dustbin? Doesn't he have a home or some friends at all...?? If God is the one who gives everything to us, why didn’t he give him also...?? Why was there a discrimination here....??
Suddenly all his thoughts were disturbed by his mother’s call; “Have you finished your food?” He quickly ate his food and went to his room.
Lying on the bed he was still thinking about the ugly man. Was he still there beside the dustbin..? Was he not afraid of the darkness..? Could he bear the cold or not..? How could his torn clothes protect him from the cold..? Trying to find out the answers to these questions he fell asleep.
Next day, in school he was punished for not doing the previous day's homework. In the lunch period he opened up his lunch box, looked at the food, then he closed it and decided to give it to the ugly man.
After school he went to the Bus stop to see if he could find the man, but the ugly man could not be found. He looked all around for him but he couldn’t find him. He waited; fifteen minutes passed, one Bus 113 had come and gone, half an hour passed two more Buses of 113 passed, one hour also passed but the ugly man did not come around.
If he went home without the empty lunch box he would be scolded. So he decided to throw out the food in the box. He took out his lunch box and dumped all the food into the dustbin. Then came Bus 113, he entered the bus, found a vacant window seat and sat down there.
The bus started off with a loud horn and a jolt and when he turned around casually towards the dustbin, he finally saw the ugly man quickly grabbing up the food thrown away by him from the dustbin and eating it. The boy was shocked.....


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