Child doesn't answer.
Continues to play, fully engrossed.
"What are you playing?"
"Blocks", without looking up.
There's so much happening in that little mind, from converting the imagination to the 3D structure, from building and from it falling, not giving up to building more, more different this time. It looks taller this time, I tell myself.
The child takes an orange block and gives me one.
"Here, you put it here." Points at the right side of that incomplete structure.
"Sure. What am I making?"
"You're feeding the gorilla a piece of grass. He doesn't like fruits. He eats only grass. He was once friends with a cow. The cow told him that only grasses are healthy. He likes to be healthy."
I do as I am told.
"How did you get to know about the gorilla?"
"He is my pet. He lives at my home. My mamma doesn't like him. Because he's so messy. So I take him with me in my bag, wherever I go. That makes him happy. I am his best friend!" There breaks out a smile on that little curious face.
I am left to wonder. This child has taught me to wonder just by observing and listening to what he's made.
"This is beautiful. Can I also be his friend?"
"You already are. He likes everybody. Here. You can give him a hug, if you want."
The child hands over a blue block to me. After I give that block a little hug, the child took it back and said, "He wants to sleep now. He just had food."
And the child cleaned up the blocks, and looked at me.
"I want to go home."
"Sure. I think your parents are waiting for you upstairs."
And up the stairs, ran that little bubble of joy, laughing, light on his feet, sparks flying everywhere, spreading curiosities and inspiration wherever he touched.
I can probably never see a blue block and pretend to not see a gorilla, ever again.
Contributed by Sruthy Krishna, Learning Facilitator at Sparkling Mindz Global School.
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