THE PAPER BOAT
Hreelekha Das
October 29, 2026
It was a rainy afternoon. Little Raju sat by the doorway of his small hut, watching the rainwater flow along the muddy road. The children of the neighborhood were laughing and playing with paper boats, but Raju was quite alone.
He picked up a piece of old newspaper and carefully folded it into a boat. As he finished, a thought enlightened his little mind.
“What if this boat could travel far, far away and reach God someday?”
Perhaps God would read his wishes and make them come true.
Raju hurried inside, found a small piece of pencil, and wrote on the paper boat:
“Dear God, please give my family enough food so that we can eat two meals every day. Please give Ma a new saree and Baba some good clothes to wear, especially on rainy days. Please let Riya, my little sister, go to school without wearing torn clothes. I don’t want toys; I just want my family to be happy.”
Raju smiled, looking at his boat, which was carrying loads of dreams. He believed that somewhere beyond the clouds, someone might read his wishes. He stepped outside and gently placed the boat in the little stream flowing beside his hut.
“Go safely, and please reach God,” he whispered.
The boat floated away with the rainwater, carrying the innocent wishes of a child who had so little, yet such sincere wishes.
It floated along the narrow stream, passing fallen leaves and tiny flowers washed away by the rain. After a while, the stream joined a wider canal near a row of beautiful houses.
A young boy named Aarav was standing on the veranda of his house when he noticed something floating near the steps.
“Look, Ma, a paper boat!” he exclaimed.
He ran outside and carefully picked it up before it drifted away. As he unfolded the paper, he noticed a few lines written by a child. Curious, he began to read. With every word, his smile faded.
The wishes were not anything extraordinary: just two meals a day, proper clothes, and happiness for his family. The boy glanced at his own home, the food on his table, and the clothes in his cupboard. He had always taken these things for granted, never realising that somewhere, another child was praying for the things he already had.
He carried the unfolded piece of paper inside and showed it to his parents. For a moment, the entire family sat in silence.
That evening, they decided to donate food and clothes to families in need, hoping to bring a little happiness into their lives.
Meanwhile, far away, Raju watched the rain from his tiny hut, wondering whether his paper boat had reached God. He never knew that his tiny boat had already reached somewhere important: someone’s heart.
Perhaps the boat had never reached the heavens, but it had carried a prayer that changed the way a few people saw the world.
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