Cloud Horses and Imli Chocolates

Three boys sat on an old log near a lazy little stream that looked like it had forgotten how to rush. The sun was out, birds were chirping, and the clouds above floated like fluffy cotton candy.

Jatin suddenly pointed to the sky, eyes wide with excitement. “Look! A horse! A giant one! It's galloping across the clouds!”

Irfan rolled his eyes and smirked. “That’s not a horse, genius. That’s our school playground. See that one? That’s the slide. The one you always get stuck on.”

“Hey! That happened once,” Jatin protested. “My shirt got caught!”

Then Gopi, the quiet one, stared up silently. “No… it’s the merry-go-round. The one my mum got me when I was five. Before she got sick…” His voice dropped to a whisper. “She passed away last year. Cancer.”

The joke disappeared. The three sat still. Even the birds seemed to quiet down.

Irfan quickly stood up, brushing the mood away like dust off his jeans. “Hey! Let’s go to the stream! It’s shallow now—no rains. We can splash around like buffaloes.”

Jatin grinned. “Yeah! Last one there is a rotten tomato!”

Gopi smiled faintly and followed. He didn’t want to be the tomato.

At the stream, Jatin cupped water in his hands and splashed it right at Gopi. “Take that! Water ninja attack!”

Gopi flinched. He looked a little scared.

“Oops! Sorry! Friendly ninja!” Jatin said, holding his hands up. “No evil powers here.”

Irfan sat down beside Gopi and dipped his feet in. “Hey, you okay?” he asked softly. “We can just sit here if you want. No splashing. No ninja drama.”

Gopi looked at them both. “I'm okay... just... sometimes I remember stuff and it feels heavy. Like a rock in my stomach.”

Jatin nodded. “That’s called feelings. I had one once. It lasted a whole day!”

Irfan chuckled. “Don’t worry, Gopi. Feelings are allowed. Even for ninjas and buffaloes.”

To lighten the mood, Jatin suddenly jumped into the stream with a huge splash. “I hereby declare myself... King of the Stream!”

“You can have the title,” Irfan smirked. “As long as you don’t declare war on dry clothes.”

Gopi finally laughed—a real one this time. He took off his sandals and dipped his feet into the stream too. The water was cold, but it didn’t scare him now. His friends were here.

Then Irfan dramatically pulled out a small paper pouch from his pocket. “Gentlemen, I present to you… imli chocolates! Fresh from my lunchbox and slightly pocket-warmed.”

“Woohoo!” Jatin cheered. “This day just went from sad to sweet!”

They unwrapped the sticky treats and sucked on them, their faces scrunching from the tangy taste, followed by big grins.

As they sat by the stream, legs dangling in the water, clouds drifting above and imli melting in their mouths, Gopi looked up again.

“I think that cloud looks like a dragon now,” he said.

Jatin squinted. “More like a lizard who went to the gym.”

Irfan nodded wisely. “Boys… no matter what we see up there, down here we’re a team. Even if we’re weird.”

And just like that, the world felt a little lighter. The stream gurgled its quiet song. The sun kept shining. And three little boys sat laughing, learning how to face the world—one silly cloud and one imli chocolate at a time.

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