It was safe to go out and play. Mother had said so. She quickly rushed outdoors. She smiled as she lopped off with the breeze rifling her hair. As she reached the big ground at the foot of the hill, she could make out her friends had reached too.
Whooping with joy they started playing. They couldn’t remember when they had so much fun. No interruption, just play, fight, quarrel, mock fight of course then make up and go through the whole sequence again. Only hunger forced them to end their gamboling and rush home to Mother.
Under the star laden sky they would quietly lie, tummies full, the joy of being with their loved ones glowing in their eyes and their hearts thumping leisurely in their chests.
Tonight was special! It was the full moon night. The moon rose majestically from behind the hill, almost smiling as it deigned to shower its gentle yet brilliant moonshine on all things living and also those that stood sentinel for millions of years, the rocks, hills, mountains, the streams, the rivers, gently sustaining all in its tender loving care. Of late the skies had become clearer and the waters cleaner, as people had been forced to lock themselves in their homes to make the world safe.
All of them sat around, gazing at this stunning revelation, the best movie show ever. She felt she could just reach out and touch it, maybe clutch a handful for their play. Turning to see what her mother and aunts were upto, she realized they had all lifted their heads to the beautiful Moon ready to sing in unison. She raised her head too! You could hear the pack howling right across the valley drenched in the glorious moonlight.
