Madam Rides the Bus

Eight-year-old Valliammai, called Valli for short, had no playmates of her own age on her street. Her favourite pastime was standing in the front doorway of her house, watching what was happening in the street outside.

1.1 The Source of Endless Fascination:

While standing at the door gave her many novel unusual experiences, the most fascinating sight of all was the bus that traveled between her village and the nearest town. It passed through her street each hour—once going to the town and once coming back. The sight of the bus, filled each time with a new set of passengers, was a source of unending joy for Valli.

1.2 The Growth of an Overwhelming Desire:

Gradually, a tiny wish crept into her head and grew until it became an overwhelming desire: she wanted to ride on that bus, even if just once. She listened carefully to conversations between her neighbours and people who regularly used the bus, asking discreet questions to gather all minute logistical details:

• Distance: The town was exactly six miles from her village.
• Fare: The fare was thirty paise one way ('almost nothing at all' to a rich man, but a huge sum to Valli).
• Duration: The trip took forty-five minutes each way.

To achieve her dream, Valli demonstrated financial discipline and self-restraint extraordinary for an eight-year-old child.

2.1 Painstaking Savings:

Valli needed sixty paise for the two-way fare. She painstakingly saved whatever stray coins came her way, resisting every childhood temptation to buy peppermints, toys, balloons, or sweets. The hardest sacrifice came at the annual village fair, where she possessed a resolute determination to stifle her desire to ride the wooden merry-go-round, despite having the money in her pocket.

2.2 Timing the Expedition:

After the money was secured, her second challenge was slipping out of the house without her mother's knowledge. She knew that every afternoon, after lunch, her mother would take a nap from about one to four o'clock. Valli decided to catch the one o'clock afternoon bus, reach the town at 1:45 PM, stay on the bus, and return on the same vehicle by 2:45 PM, well before her mother woke up.

On a fine spring day, Valli hailed the bus by raising her tiny hand and shouting commandingly: 'Stop the bus!'

3.1 The Jolly Conductor and the Moniker 'Madam':

The conductor was a jovial, fun-loving man. When he stretched out his hand to help her aboard, Valli snapped with dignified pride: 'I can get on by myself. You don't have to help me.' Charmed by her self-reliance, the conductor bowed and joked: 'Make way for Madam! Come along, Madam, take your seat.'

3.2 The Scenic Wonder & Valli's Independence:

The bus was new, painted outside in gleaming white with green stripes. Inside, the overhead bars shone like silver, and there was a soft clock above the windshield. Because a canvas blind cut off the lower half of her view, Valli stood on her seat to gaze outside at the palm trees, grassland, mountains, and the deep blue sky.

3.3 The Galloping Cow:

Suddenly, right in the middle of the road, a young cow ran directly in front of the bus, tail held high in the air. The driver sounded his horn repeatedly, but the more he honked, the more frightened the animal became, galloping wildly in front of the vehicle. Valli laughed and laughed until tears filled her eyes.

When the bus reached the town, all the passengers disembarked to visit the bustling shopping streets, but Valli stayed firmly in her seat.

4.1 Refusing the Conductor's Treat:

The conductor asked if she wasn't going to get off and look at the sights. Valli explained that she had only thirty paise to pay for her return ticket. When the kind conductor offered to buy her a cold drink from a stall at his own expense, Valli firmly and politely refused:

"No, I don't have enough money. Just give me my ticket, that's all... No, I don't want a drink. It's very nice of you, but no."

The return trip began with the same empty bus and cheerful atmosphere, but soon took a chilling, transformative turn.

5.1 The Tragic Encounter:

Suddenly, Valli saw a young cow lying dead by the roadside, struck by a speeding truck. It lay with its legs spread stiffly, a fixed stare in its lifeless eyes, blood everywhere. Valli asked the conductor with an aching heart: 'Isn't that the same cow that ran in front of the bus on our way to town?' The conductor nodded.

5.2 The Philosophical Awakening:

The Shock of Mortality:
"The memory of the dead cow haunted her, dampening her enthusiasm. What had been a lovable, beautiful creature just a little while ago had now suddenly lost its charm and its life and looked so horrible, so frightening as it lay there... She no longer wanted to look out of the window."

5.3 Quiet Return and Secret Smile:

The bus reached her village at 3:40 PM. She slipped into her house and found her mother awake, gossiping with a talkative aunt from South Street. Her mother remarked: 'So many things happen in our midst and in the world outside. How can we possibly know about everything?' Valli chimed in: 'Yes! I agree with you.' When her aunt called her a chit of a girl who pokes her nose into grown-up talk, Valli smiled secretly to herself, knowing she had tasted the mystery of the vast world outside.