Gulliver’s Travels was the talk of Simmy’s class. Many of her friends had already read it and couldn’t stop talking about how amusing it was. Simmy, hearing all the excitement, grew impatient to get her hands on a copy. She would pray for the day she could finally read the book cover to cover in one sitting. As a small kid, just promoted from class 1 to 2, she was excited not only about the new textbooks, uniform and shoes that came with starting a new class, but this time, her eagerness centered on this one book.
Like every year, her parents wanted to take her to buy school supplies. But for Simmy, nothing mattered more than Gulliver’s Travels. Her parents, meanwhile, prepared a list: school uniform, shoes, books, pencils and all the stationery a child might need. Once everything was ready, they all hopped onto their Bajaj scooter and rode to the nearest market.
Simmy loved this marketplace. It was full of little wonders — she could pick a new hair clip, her mother might buy a new utensil for the house or perhaps a new dress for her. Since it was the first family outing after her class promotion, she hoped her father might buy her something special.
They reached the market in twenty minutes and started with the bookstore. They handed over their list and the shopkeeper began gathering the books. Next, they went to a nearby grocery shop to pick up their monthly needs. There was a small tea retail shop beside that sold fresh Darjeeling tea leaves. Her mother bought a quarter kilo of two varieties. Tea was an important part of their daily life. Her father loved strong milk tea with CTC leaves, while her mother preferred lightly brewed Darjeeling tea. Each person had their preferences and each choice was respected.
After the tea shop, they went to the dress shop to pick out her new school uniform and then to the Bata shoe store, where Simmy got a pair of new school shoes. Only then did they return to the bookstore to collect all the books.
When they arrived, Simmy asked the shopkeeper about Gulliver’s Travels. “Yes, we have it. Do you want it?” he asked. “Yes! I want to read it now!” she replied eagerly. The uncle gave her the book right there and she opened it at once. She was so engrossed that she didn’t notice anything else happening around her.
Her parents used the time to finish other errands, hoping not to disturb her. When they finally returned, they collected all the books from the shopkeeper, packed them onto the scooter’s seat-storage and prepared to leave. They suddenly remembered a friend was supposed to visit their house. In the rush, they didn’t notice that Simmy had stayed behind, completely absorbed in her book. The father assumed she sat with her mother, while the mother thought she was standing near the front seat of the scooter.
After they reached home, it wasn’t long before her parents realized she was missing. Panic set in. They searched the nearby homes of relatives, hoping she had run to one of the houses, but she was nowhere to be found. In those days, there were no telephones, so the only option was to rush back to the market.
The twenty-minute ride back felt like an eternity. Her mother sobbed quietly at the back of the scooter and her father was tense, muttering under his breath as he rode. They reached the bookstore just before closing time. To their immense relief, they found Simmy safe, still reading, with the shopkeepers keeping an eye on her. They gave her something to eat too.
The sight of their little girl, completely lost in her book, brought a wave of happiness and relief. They laughed at their own panic and gently scolded her for worrying them, though she hardly noticed. That day, the joy of a child discovering a world within pages outshone all the small worries of the world outside.