The Drawing That Started a War
654 Words
The final school bell rang.
Students rushed out of the classrooms, laughing and shouting as they ran toward the school gate.
Under the shade of a deodar tree stood Eshaan Singh, waiting patiently for Shanya.
Dressed in a simple black T-shirt and jeans, he still carried himself like a soldier.
Disciplined.
Calm.
Observant.
His eyes unintentionally landed on the notebook in Hania's hands.
A rough sketch.
A military cap.
Devil horns.
An angry face.
And beneath it...
MONSTER BROTHER.
For a brief second...
Eshaan was speechless.
Then, very slowly, the corner of his lips lifted into a tiny smile.
"So..."
he thought.
"This is how she sees me."
"Hania, let's go!" Shanya called, packing her bag.
The girls walked toward the school gate, chatting happily.
The moment Hania noticed Eshaan waiting there, her smile disappeared.
"Oh no..."
"What happened?" Shanya asked.
"Your monster brother."
Shanya burst into laughter.
"He's right there."
"I can see that!"
As they reached the gate, Eshaan looked directly at Hania.
"So..."
Hania looked away dramatically.
"So?"
"I didn't know I had devil horns."
Shanya froze.
Hania froze.
Silence.
Very.
Very long silence.
Then Hania slowly turned toward Shanya.
"You showed him my notebook?"
Shanya raised both hands.
"I didn't! He saw it himself!"
Hania closed her eyes.
"Ya Allah..."
Eshaan folded his arms.
"I have a question."
"What?"
"Are the horns accurate?"
Hania blinked.
Then she answered with complete confidence.
"Very accurate."
Shanya almost fell over laughing.
Eshaan nodded slowly.
"I see."
"And your ears are probably pointy too."
"Hania!" Shanya whispered, trying to stop laughing.
"What? I'm just telling the truth."
Eshaan looked at the fearless eleven-year-old for a long moment.
No fear.
No hesitation.
She simply said whatever came into her mind.
Finally, he spoke.
"If I'm a monster..."
"...then what are you?"
Hania proudly placed both hands on her waist.
"I'm a lioness."
Eshaan looked at Shanya.
"She's a lioness?"
Shanya shrugged.
"According to her."
The three began walking home together.
Halfway there, they passed a small roadside stall selling colorful ice creams.
Hania's eyes immediately followed the cart.
She slowed down.
Then slowed even more.
Until she stopped walking altogether.
Eshaan noticed.
"You want one?"
Hania quickly looked away.
"No."
"No?"
"I said no."
Her stomach growled loudly.
Shanya giggled.
"Liar."
Hania glared at her.
"I am not."
Without another word, Eshaan walked to the vendor.
A minute later, he returned with three ice creams.
One for Shanya.
One for himself.
One for Hania.
She stared at it.
"I didn't ask for this."
"I know."
"I'm not taking it."
"Fine."
Eshaan turned as if he were about to hand it to another child nearby.
"W-Wait!"
He stopped.
"You said you didn't want it."
"I..."
She looked at the melting ice cream.
"...I changed my mind."
Eshaan handed it to her without a word.
Hania accepted it with an embarrassed little pout.
After a few bites, she muttered so quietly that only Eshaan heard—
"...Thank you."
He didn't reply.
But for the first time since meeting the stubborn little girl...
he smiled without teasing her.
That evening, Shanya couldn't stop talking.
"Maa! You know what happened today?"
"What happened?" Isha asked from the kitchen.
"Hania made another drawing of Bhai!"
Colonel Arvind looked up from his newspaper.
"Another one?"
Eshaan sighed.
"It had horns."
Colonel Arvind laughed so loudly that even the neighbors could probably hear him.
"A devil officer?"
Shanya nodded enthusiastically.
"And Hania called herself a lioness!"
Everyone laughed.
Everyone...
Except Eshaan.
He quietly looked at the small bite mark on his hand that had almost faded.
Then he remembered the stubborn little girl who argued, climbed trees, drew cartoons of him, and refused to admit she liked the ice cream he bought.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"She's trouble," he murmured.
Little did he know...
The fearless little girl he called "trouble" would disappear from his life after Class Twelve.
- Writer
