I was walking on the street heading towards office. There were some boys bursting crackers as it was a Diwali time (a festival of lights not crackers). A boy having a long stick with fire was lighting up an Atom bomb. Don’t panic this is just a small one made with less intense power. But it could harm you to some extent. In spite of the danger of the cracker, I just continued to walk without a pause (I didn’t want to show to those boys that I was afraid). The boy was watching me. He must have thought that I wasn’t aware that he lighted up the bomb. To caution me, he shouted, “Uncle! There was a bomb lighted up”. Wait a second! What did the boy call me? Oh! It was ‘Uncle’. The bomb burst out. One is on the ground and one is in my heart. Both were lighted up by the same boy. I couldn’t believe that. That was the first time I heard being called ‘Uncle’. I wasn’t that old. May be I have become old enough to be called ‘Uncle’ by a school going boy. I just kept my mouth shut and started moving fast out of the place before someone calls me ‘Grandpa!’
I couldn't control my excitement after seeing those crackers. I even didn't know how it could make me happy. That was the first time I remember to have seen the crackers. That evening seemed so long. I was waiting for the dusk to dawn for bursting the crackers that my father bought. I was about 6 years old I remember. I knew that it would make sounds. He had bought a flower pot packet and couple of pencil crackers. My father hardly bought us crackers. So, I was always excited about crackers. The thought of bursting crackers itself woke me up so early in the morning. Even before I brushed my teeth, I run to front of the house. All I could see was those crackers leaving their last sparkles. Yes, my father burst all the crackers and what left were only a few pencil crackers. I was disappointed. And forgot that after I was my new dresses. After some time, I went out to the street. While ...
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