She opened the door to go to school and went out. 'Nuisance', a kitten, came running and started to rub its face at her feet. Hima slowly pushed it away with her foot.

She walked towards the gate, and the kitten also walked with her. Although she passed the gate, the kitten just stood there. She bolted the gate. 'Where did this come from?'

I am Hima. My house is in a hill village in Kannur. Raju uncle is a friend of my father. One day, uncle and Gracy aunty came to my home to visit us. While talking, aunty asked, "Is Hima coming to Thiruvananthapuram? You can study at a good school there". That's how I came to Thiruvananthapuram.

In the evening, as soon as the gate of the house was opened, the kitten came running from the car porch. It even came to the sit-out with her and just stood there. Hima looked back. The kitten is staring at her face. 'Cute baby face', she sat down and took it in her hand. "Totally dirty; don't pick it up." Aunt Gracy called from inside. She let the kitten get down and went inside.

'Laughter is heard from Raju uncle's classroom. May be students of St. Thomas School in the tenth grade. They are very jolly. Uncle likes that class very much. It’s a bit noisy, even from the class of nine.'

'Sarvodaya tenth is silent. Uncle says that children of nine are just starting to learn. Shouting answers from time to time can be heard from Chempaka and Christ Nagar. Uncle says some children of Loyola ninth and tenth are very creative. Uncle is very friendly with children. But are some of them not studious?'

'The face of Parvati from St. Thomas eight is as cute as this kitten's.'

At night, uncle and aunty are walking in the courtyard. She came out. The kitten is meowing at one end of the yard. Must be hungry. She went inside, opened the fridge and took a 'Dairy Milk'. She tore the wrapper and cut it into pieces. She gave it to the kitten.

"Don't show too much affection. It is a kitten from some other house. It will go to its house at any time. You will have to be sad later." Aunt’s warning. Her mind went wet.

She thought, 'Am I not a child of some other house? And the children who come here to study are also kittens from some other houses. After some days, they also leave here.'

She remembered what Sunny uncle, cousin Esmi's father, had told us in the car that day: 'The girls are not ours; they belong to some other house. Keep them like gold and give them to another house'. She felt like crying.

"We all belong to some other house. For a few days in this house. Then leave here and go somewhere unknown and alone, without company." Uncle Raju said something meaningful!

"Go to sleep," Aunt said. She walked in.

She just lay in bed with her eyes closed… She flew like a butterfly in the moon. The kitten ran with her ... Later she fell asleep.