Bholu And The Fly

Published in Awic Journal 1986

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Long, long ago, there was a boy named Bholoo. He loved doing everything, but when it came to studies, he could never pay proper attention. Of all the subjects, he found mathematics very difficult.

One day, he was sitting at his study table, trying to work out an arithmetic sum.

“If a woman carrying 370 eggs and drops 90 of them……..”  ‘Bah!’ retorted Bholoo,  “Why on earth should a woman drop eggs? And look at this……. a bus driver carries 75 children in his bus. Will someone advise the bus driver not to dump children like sacks!”

In between, he dozed off. He got up with a start, when his head banged heavily on the table. “Gosh!”  I was sleeping. These sums are always making me sleep!”

Bholoo’s mind was reeling. He could not understand head or tail of the sums. He took up a pencil and idly moved it on the paper. His hand moved slowly in a circular motion and two tiny round balls were drawn on the paper. Seeing those tiny round balls, his hands now moved faster and faster, making a stroke here and a stroke there lay in front of him a beautifully drawn picture of a fly.

Bholoo was fascinated. Forgetting all about his problems, he quickly took out his colour-pencils. Using different colours he made the fly very colourful. “Oh! How beautiful!” Bholoo chuckled, “I never knew I could draw and colour so well.”

“Oh! Thank you Bholoo for making me so beautiful,” came a very soft and squeaky voice.

“No, who’s that who spoke to me?” Bholoo looked to his right and then to the left.

“It’s me Bholoo …….. the fly.” All of a sudden, the fly flapped her wings------“Flip, flap….flip, flap.” Bholoo looked down. He couldn’t believe his eyes. He blinked and tapped his head, “wake up, you sleepyhead….stop dreaming.”

“But Bholoo, I’m here talking to you. I’m Genie – fly of knowledge. My name is Shiny. I’m here to help you with your problems.”

Bholoo was dumbstruck. “Imagine a fly speaking! Had anyone heard of such a thing?”

Bholoo came out of his trance. He looked down and gently touched Shiny.

“A Genie……you said?” Bholoo stammered.

“Yes, a Genie-fly pf knowledge.”

“Can you help me in doing my sums?” Bholoo asked.

“Of course I can.”

Bholoo solved all the sums with the help of Shiny. He was very happy. He did somersaults on the bed and sang aloud :

           “La-La-La-La  

           Problems are all done

           And Bholoo will have fun!

           La-La-La-La”

Shiny too fluttered about joyfully. “I must go now, Bholoo,” said Shiny, fluttering her wings, flip-flap-flip-flap.

Bholoo stopped at once. Everything seemed to come to a stand still. “What do you mean……must you go? You’ve been here for just a while!” Bholoo made such a sorry face that Shiny smiled.

“Don’t worry,” she said, “Whenever you want me just run your pencil along the picture or make a new one like this, and I’ll come again. So, bye-bye for now” and Shiny flew back and sat on the picture.

Bholoo sat in awe. It was still hard for him to believe that he had really met a Genie-fly. At the same time he was happy! He practiced the whole exercise that evening . To his surprise, they weren’t as difficult as he thought. “Why! I like doing these exercises, for a change,” said Bholoo to himself.

At school the mathematics teacher, Mr. Sharma was surprised to see Bholoo’s work. He gave a few more problems to the class. Bholoo was again stuck. “I’ll call Shiny again,” he said to himself.

Bholoo started drawing the picture of a fly. His hands were not steady. The fly which he drew had a big mouth, tiny eyes and a long stomach.

“Yes, what do you want?” came a hoarse voice. Bholoo jumped in his seat.

“Speak softly,” he shrieked.

The whole class looked back at Bholoo. Seeing him so worked up, they all whispered and giggled.

“Tell me quickly, what do you want? I’ve to go …..for I’m hungry.

“Go away,” Bholoo shouted angrily. The fly knocked him hard on his nose and went back to the picture. The whole class burst out laughing.

“What’sthe matter?” Mr. Sharma asked, “Who’s making noise in the class?”

“Sir,” Nitin said, controlling his laughter, “Bholoo is talking to himself, sir.”

“And Sir,” Rohan added, “he says funnything like being hungry, a long stomach……away……”

There was again a peal of laughter in the class.

“Silence….Silence” Mr. Sharma thundered, “Bholoo…. Stand up.” With glaring eyes he looked at him.

“Me ….sir? said Bholoo, petrified.

“Yes…You! Stand up! What game are you up to, boy? Bring your copy here.”

Bholoo took his copy to the teacher. The teacher flew into a rage. “You good for nothing ! Not a single sum has been solved-and you’re idling away your time in drawing a silly fly….go, stand near the door.”

“Sir……I, Sir, the fly…….” Bholoo tried to answer, but his voice choked.

“Go and stand near the door!” Mr. Sharma commanded. “Serves you right.”

So, Bholoo stood near the door the whole day. He cursed the fly for putting him into such a situation.

“Fly ……you just wait!” Bholoo said, “I’ll show you what it is to betray a friend. You just wait! I’ll catch your wings and dip you into a gum bottle.”

Fuming and frowning, Bholoo reached home. He threw his bad and flung himself on the bed. The insult he faced in the class was too much for him. After some time he got up, washed his face and soon he forgot all about the fly and went to play. 

In the evening, as he sat at his study table, he remembered the painful experience at school. He took out his note-book and started drawing. Everytime he tried to draw, a different fly came alive. Flies of all sorts- big , small, fat-thin, long-short, hovered around Bholoo making all sorts of sounds like Bhin….Bhin….Bhoom….Bhoom….Zoom….Zoom!

“Oh God!” Bholoo cried in despair. He put his hands on his ears and shouted—“Stop it!”

But the flies continued their sing-song circling around Bholoo. Bholoo tried to drive the flies away, waving his hands from right and left up and down.

Then he sat inside the mosquito net, panting and ranting, putting his head between his knees and shut his eyes. The flies hovered around the net but couldn’t reach him. He opened his eyes and looked around. His note-book lay just near him. He turned its pages, and he was surprised to find the same picture of Shiny which he had drawn earlier. Bholoo ran his pencil along the lines and pat came the voice.

“Bholoo, Bholoo! How are you?”

Bholoo forgot the grudge he bore against Shiny. Instead, he pleaded, “Shiny, Shiny, please help me get rid of these flies. They’ve been hovering around me as if I’m a lollypop to be licked.”

Shiny laughed, “Why did you call so many flies?”

“Oh! That’s a long story. But first please drive away these flies.”

Shiny flew all around the corner of the net chanting –‘Bhin-n-nnnnn-Bhinn.’ One by one all the flies disappeared.

Now Bholoo was at ease. He thanked Shiny for driving away the flies.  “Any problems to be solved now, Bholoo?” Shiny asked with a smile.

“No….No! No problems to be solved. Thank you very much,” Bholoo said quickly. Shiny wished him good luck and went back to the picture. “Never will I again call any fly for help,” Bholoo decided. Taking his note-book he sat down to do his work all by himself.