Madam rides the bus by Joann Joe

How Valli saved up money

joannelenjo — 2022-01-23 08:25:26 UTC

She had to resist every temptation to buy peppermints, toys, balloons and finally saved a total of sixty paise.

How Valli escaped from her house.

joannelenjo — 2022-01-23 08:28:04 UTC

She had to slip out of the house without her mother's knowledge. Every day after lunch her mother would nap from one to four or so. Valli had used these hours for her usual excursions, and even for the bus ride.

joannelenjo — 2022-01-23 08:29:59 UTC

joannelenjo — 2022-01-23 08:32:00 UTC

The bus continued on its journey.

joannelenjo — 2022-01-23 08:33:43 UTC

The bus rolled on now cutting across a bare landscape, now rushing through a tiny hamlet or past an odd wayside shop. Trees came running towards them but then stopped as the bus reached them and simply stood there helpless for a moment by the side of the road before rushing away in the other direction.

Meeting the cow

joannelenjo — 2022-01-23 08:38:06 UTC

A young cow, tail high in the air, was running very fast, right in the middle of the road, right in front of the bus. The bus slowed to a crawl, and the driver sounded his horn loudly again and again. But the more he honked, the more frightened the animal became and the faster it galloped — always right in front of the bus.

Valli laughed in glee.

joannelenjo — 2022-01-23 08:39:23 UTC

She laughed and laughed until there were tears in her eyes. “Hey, lady, haven’t you laughed enough?” called, the conductor. “Better save some for tomorrow.”

Valli's journey in the bus

2022-01-23 08:39:41 UTC

Valli wanted to see the view outside,but a blind blocked her view.
So she stood up to take in the green grass lands , the palm trees, mountains and the blue sky .

SCENE 3

joannelenjo — 2022-01-23 08:42:25 UTC

END SCENE 3

joannelenjo — 2022-01-23 08:42:34 UTC

SCENE 2

joannelenjo — 2022-01-23 08:43:36 UTC

END SCENE 2

joannelenjo — 2022-01-23 08:43:42 UTC

A change of scene

joannelenjo — 2022-01-23 08:50:11 UTC

The bus reached the shopping street and Valli gaped at everything in wonder. Everyone got off the bus but Valli.

2022-01-23 08:53:19 UTC

An elderly woman sat down next to her
Valli didn't like her earrings nor her breath which smelled of betel juice
When the woman told to her that it wasn't proper for a child to travel alone Valli retorted that she could take care of herself

Reaching the city.

joannelenjo — 2022-01-23 08:53:39 UTC

“Hey, lady,” said the conductor, “aren’t you ready to get off? This is as far as your thirty paise takes you.” “No,” Valli said, “I’m going back on this same bus.”
The conductor was surprised that she didn't want to see the different scenic sights. He even offered to buy her a cold drink but she refused.

SCENE 1

joannelenjo — 2022-01-23 08:53:57 UTC

END SCENE 1

joannelenjo — 2022-01-23 08:54:02 UTC

SCENE 4

joannelenjo — 2022-01-23 08:54:11 UTC

END SCENE 4

joannelenjo — 2022-01-23 08:54:16 UTC

2022-01-23 08:58:32 UTC

Valli held out a few coins and told the conductor that she had to go to town

Valli enters the bus

2022-01-23 09:02:34 UTC

The conductor, amused, jokingly referred to her as "madam" and asked everyone to make way for her^.

2022-01-23 12:10:49 UTC

Won’t your mother be looking for you?” the conductor asked when he gave the girl her ticket. “No, no one will be looking for me,” she said.

The bus started, and again there were the same wonderful sights.

2022-01-23 12:13:53 UTC

But suddenly she saw a young cow lying dead by the roadside, just where it had been struck by some fast-moving vehicle.

2022-01-23 12:15:50 UTC

“Isn’t that the same cow that ran in front of the bus on our trip to town?” she asked the conductor.

The conductor nodded, and she was overcome with sadness. 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, legs spreadeagled, a fixed stare in its lifeless eyes, blood all over...

2022-01-23 12:20:15 UTC

She sat thus, glued to her seat until the bus reached her village at three forty. She stood up and stretched herself and proceeded to walk home, promising the conductor to see him again.

2022-01-23 12:23:21 UTC

When she entered her house she found her mother awake and talking to one of Valli’s aunts, the one from South Street.
“And where have you been?” said her aunt when Valli came in. She spoke very casually, not expecting a reply. So Valli just smiled, and her mother and aunt went on with their conversation. “Yes, you’re right,” her mother said. “So many things in our midst and in the world outside. How

can we possibly know about everything? And even

when we do know about something, we often can’t

understand it completely, can we?

2022-01-23 12:24:11 UTC

“Oh, yes!” breathed Valli. “What?” asked her mother. “What’s that you say?”

“Oh,” said Valli, “I was just agreeing with what you said about things happening without our knowledge.”

2022-01-23 12:24:58 UTC

Just a chit of a girl, she is,” said her aunt, “and yet look how she pokes her nose into our conversation,just as though she were a grown lady.”

2022-01-23 12:25:25 UTC

Valli smiled to herself. She didn’t want them to understand her smile. But, then, there wasn’t much chance of that, was there?

joannelenjo — 2022-01-24 03:20:04 UTC

Once there was a girl called Valliammai. Just like every child, Valli was eager to know about new and unknown things because of which she could spend all day looking at the hustle and bustle of the street. Moreover, she had no friends to play with, so the only option she has is to look at what is going on outside.

joannelenjo — 2022-01-24 03:22:07 UTC

If one of her friends happened to ride the bus and narrate the experiences to her, she would call them," Proud, Proud."

joannelenjo — 2022-01-24 03:23:02 UTC

She made plans over the days to collect the needed money and fixed a time to get out.

And finally.... the day arrived

joannelenjo — 2022-01-24 03:23:29 UTC

joannelenjo — 2022-01-24 07:56:13 UTC

The most fascinating thing of all was the bus that travelled 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.

joannelenjo — 2022-01-24 07:56:36 UTC

Even though she couldn’t play with friends, looking at the outside affairs was just as entertaining. She learned a lot of new things in the process and the best part was the arrival and departure of the bus that routed from her village to a nearby town. The bus crossed the village street at hourly intervals, once while going to the town and the other, while coming back. Just gazing at the bus filled with a new set of passengers every time it crossed the street, gave Valli lasting excitement and joy.

more_vertical

comm