THE BLUE UMBRELLA
MONSOON IN INDIA
Photo: Wikipedia/PlaneMad
Soon it was the time of the monsoon [heavy, heavy rain]. Big black clouds kept piling up, and thunder rolled over the hills. Binya sat on the hillside all afternoon, waiting for the rain. As soon as the first big drop of rain came down she raised the umbrella over her head. More drops, big ones, came down. She could see them through the umbrella silk as they hit against the cloth. Then there was a cloudburst. And it was like standing under a waterfall. The umbrella wasn’t really a rain umbrella, but it help up bravely.
Everywhere on the hillside people were scurrying [hurrying] to find shelter. Some made for a charcoal burner’s hut; others for a mule shed, or Ram Bharosa’s shop. Binya was the only one who didn’t run. This was what she had been waiting for—rain on her umbrella—and she wasn’t in a hurry to go home. She didn’t mind getting her feet wet—and the cows didn’t mind getting wet, either.
Soon she found Bijju sheltering [waiting under cover] in a cave. He would have enjoyed getting wet, but he had his school books with him and he couldn’t afford to let them get spoiled. When he saw Binya, he came out of the cave and shared the umbrella. He was a head taller than his sister, so he had to hold the umbrella while she held his books. The cows had been left far behind.
“Neelu, Gori!” called Binya nd Bijju.
When their mother saw them walking slowly home through the driving rain, she called out, “Binya! Bijju! Hurry up and bring the cows in! What are you doing out there in the rain?”
“Just testing the umbrella, “ said Bijju.