Wild Fruit

Watercolor illustration of Vijay discovering wild strawberries in a sun-dappled clearing. He is kneeling in the damp grass, his fingers gently separating the broad, green leaves to reveal a small, bright red strawberry hidden beneath. The sun filters through the canopy of trees overhead, casting dappled shadows on the ground, creating a mosaic of light and shade. A gentle breeze rustles the leaves. He’s surrounded by ferns and moss-covered rocks. The color palette is dominated by lush greens, vibrant reds, and warm yellows, conveying a sense of natural beauty and hope. Vijay’s face is illuminated with a mixture of wonder and anticipation. His small hand gently plucks the berry. The watercolor technique captures the delicate textures of the leaves, the moist earth, and the plumpness of the strawberry. Soft blending creates a sense of tranquility and intimacy.

It was a long walk to school. Down the hill, past the big, leafy bushes, across a little stream, around a bare, brown hill, and then through the small, busy market, past fruit stands piled high with oranges, guavas, bananas, and apples.

The boy often stared at those piles of bright oranges – oranges from far away, shining like the sun even in the cold winter. His nose would wiggle at the yummy smell of melons in summer; his fingers would sometimes gently touch the fuzzy skin of a peach. But these were treats he couldn’t have. The boy didn’t have any money.

Watercolor illustration of Vijay standing in a bustling market bathed in the warm, golden light of midday. Fruit stands are overflowing with vividly colored oranges, guavas, bananas, and apples, creating a kaleidoscope of vibrant hues. The air is thick with the scent of spices and ripe fruit. Vijay’s eyes are fixed on the oranges, their bright color contrasting with the drabness of his surroundings. His stomach is slightly visible through his thin, patched clothes, suggesting hunger. His ribs are subtly visible. People are walking by, dressed in colorful saris and dhotis, seemingly oblivious to Vijay’s longing gaze. Their expressions are a mix of haggling and hurriedness. The background features blurred figures and stalls laden with vegetables, spices, and textiles. The watercolor style is loose and expressive, emphasizing the energy and vibrancy of the market with dynamic brushstrokes and a rich, warm color palette. Vijay’s expression should clearly convey yearning and a hint of desperation.

He ate one meal at seven in the morning before school, and another at seven in the evening when he got home. Sometimes – especially when he was at school, and his teacher talked and talked about being good and brave – he felt really hungry. But on the way to school, or on the way home, he could usually find some wild berries or fruit.

The boy’s name was Vijay, and he lived in a village near a big town. His parents grew food on small patches of land on the hills. They grew potatoes, onions, barley, and corn; but it wasn’t enough to feed them all. When they didn’t have many veggies, they cooked the leaves of stinging-nettles and ate them like spinach.

Vijay’s parents knew it was important for him to go to school, and it didn’t cost much, except for the books. But it was a long walk to town, and a long walk makes a boy hungry.

But he could almost always find wild fruit! The purple berries of the prickly bushes, getting ripe in May and June. Wild strawberries, hiding in the shade like little drops of blood on the green grass. Small, sour cherries, and hard fruits called medlars. Vijay’s strong teeth and tongue would find any bit of yummy juice hidden inside. And in March, there were the flowers from the big, leafy bushes.

His mother made jam from them. But Vijay liked them just as they were. He put the petals on his tongue and chewed them until the sweet juice went down his throat. But in November, there was no wild fruit. Only acorns on the oak trees, and they were bitter, only good for the monkeys.

He walked confidently through the market, his legs strong. He looked like a healthy boy, until you got close and saw the spots on his skin and his tired eyes.

He walked past the fruit stands, wondering who ate all that fruit, and what happened to the fruit that went bad. He walked past the sweet shop, where hot, fresh sweets called jelabies looked like orange jewels in a glass box, and where a big, round man cut a thick piece of sweet halwa.

Vijay’s mouth watered; his stomach rumbled. But he didn’t show that he was hungry.

And then, a candy shop! Glass jars full of chocolates, peppermints, toffees – candies he didn’t even know the names of, candies from far away – wrapped in colorful paper.

Watercolor illustration of the ‘rich’ boy in clean, pressed clothes holding a brightly wrapped, elaborately decorated sweet in his hand. He stands on polished cobblestones, the light glinting off his immaculate shoes. He’s smiling slightly, a hint of condescension in his eyes, looking down at Vijay who is out of focus in the foreground. Coins are visible jingling in the boy’s pocket, creating subtle shadows on his pristine white shirt. The backdrop is a colorful candy shop with large, sparkling glass jars filled with sweets in every imaginable color and shape. The lighting is bright and inviting, highlighting the abundance of the shop. The color palette is vibrant and cheerful, contrasting sharply with the drabness that usually surrounds Vijay. The watercolor style is clean and precise, emphasizing the boy’s polished appearance and the opulence of the candy shop. The rich boy’s expression should convey a sense of superiority and detachment from Vijay’s circumstances.

A boy had just bought a bag of sweets. He had one in his mouth. He was a boy with nice clothes; coins jingled in his pocket. He moved the candy from one cheek to the other. He bit into it, and Vijay heard the crunch and looked up. The boy smiled at Vijay, but walked away.

They met again, further down the road. Again, the boy smiled, and even looked like he was going to offer Vijay a sweet. But this time, Vijay looked away shyly. He didn’t want to seem like he wanted the sweets or that he was hungry for one.

But he kept seeing the boy, who always showed up at some corner, sucking on a sweet, moving it around in his mouth, letting it show between his wet lips – a sticky green thing, looking so yummy and good.

The bag of sweets was almost empty.

Finally, Vijay decided he had to walk faster than the boy, forget about the sweets, and hurry home. Otherwise, he might grab the bag and run!

And then, he saw the boy leave the bag on a bench, look at him once, and smile – smile shyly and nicely – before walking away.

Was the bag empty? Vijay wondered excitedly. It couldn’t be, or it would have blown away right away. There must be a few sweets left. The boy had gone to get a snack, and Vijay could have the rest of the sweets.

Watercolor illustration of Vijay walking away from a weathered wooden bench with an empty, crumpled sweet bag clutched tightly in his small pocket. His head is down, his gaze fixed on the cracked pavement, and his shoulders are slumped with disappointment. The street is deserted, littered with fallen leaves and bits of trash. The light is fading, casting long, melancholic shadows and suggesting the end of the day, with the warm glow of twilight painting the sky in hues of orange and purple. A stray dog watches him from a distance. The color palette is muted and desaturated, dominated by grays, browns, and fading blues, reflecting Vijay’s dejection. The watercolor technique is loose and expressive, capturing the weight of his disappointment and the emptiness of the street. Details like cracked pavement and peeling paint on the bench enhance the feeling of neglect and isolation.

Vijay took the bag and stuffed it into his shirt pocket. Then he hurried home. It was getting late, and he wanted to be home before dark.

As soon as he was out of town, he opened the bag and shook the sweets out. Their red wrappers shone like rubies in his hand.

Carefully, he unwrapped one.

Watercolor illustration of Vijay standing on a windswept hillside, the biting wind whipping through his thin clothes. He’s unwrapping a faded red candy wrapper to reveal not a sweet, but a smooth, round, ordinary grey stone. His face is a mixture of raw anger, heart-wrenching sadness, and profound disillusionment, tears welling up in his eyes and tracing paths down his dusty cheeks. He is surrounded by patches of snow and bare, brown bushes, their branches reaching out like skeletal fingers. The sky is a turbulent mix of gray and purple clouds, threatening more snow. In the distance, the village appears small and insignificant. The overall color palette is cold and stark, with grays, browns, and whites dominating the scene, reflecting Vijay’s emotional turmoil. The watercolor technique is raw and emotive, capturing the intensity of Vijay’s emotions and the harshness of the landscape. The stone should appear dull and lifeless, a symbol of his shattered expectations.

There was no sweet inside, just a smooth, round stone.

Vijay found stones in all the wrappers. In his mind, Vijay saw the smiling face of the boy in the market: a boy who smiled sweetly but tricked him with stones instead of sweets.

Holding back angry tears, Vijay threw the stones down the hillside. Then he put his bag of books over his shoulder and started the long walk home.

There were patches of snow on the ground. The grass was brown, the bushes were bare.

Watercolor illustration of Vijay, a young boy with slightly visible spots on his skin and tired eyes, walking a path lined with brown, bare, and gnarled bushes on one side and a steep, rocky hillside on the other. The weak, diffused sunlight of a late November afternoon casts long, soft shadows across the path. In the background, a small village is nestled amongst rolling hills dusted with early snow. The houses are painted in muted earth tones with terracotta roofs. It is a cold, overcast day in November, with patches of snow visible on the ground, clinging to the shaded areas. Vijay is wrapped in a thin, patched wool shawl, his shoulders hunched against the cold. The overall color palette is muted and melancholic, dominated by browns, grays, and subtle blues, evoking a sense of quiet hardship. The watercolor effect should be soft, with gentle blending and a natural flow, capturing the subtle textures of the landscape and the boy’s worn clothing.

There is no wild fruit in November.

Why the Fish Laughed.

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