Dreams Matter

Akarsh was walking on the road with his mother in the warm afternoon. The sun was spewing the UV rays like sprinklers spraying water everywhere, making sure everything in vicinity gets some radiation.

Its a pretty normal noon, dogs are trying to find a comfortable place to sleep in, some people trying to catch a bus for their offices, playschool students seemingly happy to get back to their parents, the pride of parenthood showing up on parents faces. The street kids running half naked towards the nearby lake. The shopkeepers cleaning up and loitering on the streets. The cars going at 40kmph on the narrow roads creating ruckus at an ear-deafening level. Akarsh makes a mental note of everything as he reaches home.

While going to bed, he asked his mom, "Mom, why do people throw garbage on the streets?"
His mother replied "Beta, they are just lazy people. You please go to sleep."
"But they can keep a plastic bag with them na, if they are too lazy?"
"Its not that simple beta"
"But..."
"Okay tell me what superhero power you would want to teach them a lesson.", she cut him off.
"I would become Flash and would go back in time and keep repeating the past till they don't throw the trash in the bins", Akarsh said giddily.

The mother smiled; half proud of her son's passion and half on the ignorance of the idea of paradox of time-travel that her son was fathoming.

She listened to the mumbling of her child as he carried on the idea and eventually slept.

Akarsh woke up to a voice calling his name. The voice came from a long distance that he knew he couldn't trace. The voice asked him "What is making you anxious?"

"It's the people" said Akarsh in a muffled voice.
"Hahaha..you have to be a little more specific on that.", said the voice grinning loudly.

"Why do people throw their garbage on the streets? Why don't they understand its a moral duty to keep your area clean"

The voice culminated into a shadowy figure and came close to him.

"I am tired of dropping hints to them. Tell me if you have any good idea."

Akarsh whispered something into the shadow ears.

Next day, Akarsh walked around with grinny face. Everywhere he saw, it was so clean. The half naked children were still running to the dirty pond. The dogs still couldn't find a warm place to sleep. The ear deafening cars were still a big trouble. He thought to himself, atleast one thing got cured. We will work for other problems some other day.

"Look mom, its so clean today. No garbage, everything either in the dustbins or in the 'houses'.", he giggled.

"How did this happen?", mom thought loud enough in order to make Akarsh answer.

"I asked the 'voice' to turn the garbages into 10 rupees note for few minutes"

They continue walking the road as Akarsh is singing happily and his mom scratching her head.

Image Courtesy: Google Images