that one toothed boy

my eyes were looking for that one sparkling smile, a smile that could make the most peevish person happy. out of that heap of grime children, whose eyes peeped out of his orbits through those iron rimmed glasses as if asking me so many questions about his baffling world. at first he seemed like any other roadside child to me,bit weird with his one unnaturally big tooth protruding out, some one whose fate had taken a wrong turn and landed him in to the state of mendicancy, a boy with his bones looking furtively out of his skin, a hunched back (which worked to his advantage over other kids) and one who get on to your nerves to extract that one single penny out of your pocket, but i was wrong. he wasn't after me for a penny or two, he stalked me a mile with his younger sister dangling onto his neck only get a picture clicked, he with his sister.
i was relieved (i wish not to give money to such kids as this promotes beggary) and somewhere surprised as to why did he come after me this far with a heavy weight in his neck and a broken leg, only to get a picture?? but why?? upon asking, the reason i got was soul touching. his sister was growing independent now, she no longer wished to be swinging on his brother's neck, he knew very soon she'll start walking on her own and would no longer need him. with his broken leg he'd be left behind, his herd would leave him and so would his sister, so before his sister's departure he wanted to get his picture clicked with her as a remembrance, remembrance of his sister, the bond he shared with him. he was very well aware of the fact that he won't be getting that picture but still he felt getting it clicked would leave a mark on the life's time line with he and his sister together which no one could ever erase, from where no one could ever part them.
i clicked his picture with his that tooth shining brightly amidst the brother-sister duo. i went away with a thought if getting it printed for that boy.
i went to that same signal to give him his sister( picture of course), was looking for him. when i was about to leave as i couldn't find him, i got to know that the other day i left he came after me just to say "didi ye photo mat phekna", in order to catch up with me he overlooked the speeding car heading towards him and bumped into him. it wasn't any other casual bumping, but something that took his life away.
the thought that crept through my mind when i looked at his picture was dreadful, it took control over me, i never valued my siblings presence like i did when i looked at that one toothed boy in the picture, very firmly holding his sister as to never let him go. for me my siblings have always been trouble makers who i wishes weren't there to mishandle my stuff, but that day i realized how things could change in fractions of second.
though i couldn't give that one toothed boy his picture, but somewhere unknowingly he beatified my life's picture by teaching me a lesson of valuing those precious bonds i share with my siblings.