Everyone has a Mother

Lawang’s father was gone so his mother was extra special. He tried to make sure he never hurt her feelings.

“Mom, what makes you really sad?”

When he asked, she would just smile and not say anything.

When he found tasty food or a friend gave him fruit from their garden, he always brought it home because his mother was very dear to him.

But Lawang was also naughty. When there was fun, he was there! All the children were his friends. The boys wouldn’t go to class in the morning until he came out of his house to lead them to school, full of mischief and laughter. This naughty group was famous everywhere. The village was never at peace and neither was the playground or classroom. It was a rare day when Lawang and his group didn’t start a fight.

One day, Lawang and his friends were coming home from school. On the way, they saw a cat in front of a house. climbing with a kitten her mouth, leaping onto a broken wall.

The naughty group saw the cat and shouted. The baby fell and the cat jumped down to collect her baby and tried again to climb the wall. The boys continued shouting and the two animals fell to the ground shivering with fear as the children yelled. Some threw stones.

Hearing the noise shouts, a woman came out of the house. She gathered up the cat and kitten and took them inside her home as the children, led by Lawang, ran off along the street.

The next afternoon, Lawang was walking past the big willow tree near the village mosque. A sparrow was feeding her chicks in a nest and their chirping sounds filled the air.

Lawang loved sparrows and it didn’t take long to call his friends. In a short time, they had borrowed a ladder, and Lawang was climbing towards the nest to take a chick. He showed his friends and they shouted to take more but the sparrows were flapping and chirping. Bees from a hive in the branches flew out at the commotion.

Lawang became nervous. Holding the chick in one hand, he tried to hurry down the steps — but the bees were chasing, stinging his face and neck while the sparrows swooped. His hand slipped from the ladder and he fell to the ground alongside the baby bird.

The boys ran to tell Lawang’s mother who rushed from the house crying loudly with worry. Lawang saw his mother’s face and tried to stand but he was wobbly and couldn’t walk.

Lawang’s mother was scared. His leg was badly hurt and his back was in pain where he had fallen against the ladder. She held his hand as they carried him to the doctor. When they returned, his leg was in a cast and he had to stay home from school.

For days his mother stayed by his side. When he cried out in pain, she was always there, speaking softly, offering medicine and water, fixing his blanket to keep him cozy.

“My dear child, where does it hurt?” she kissed his forehead.

“I wish I could take your pain.”

After a few weeks, Lawang could run and play again.

One day, while walking home from school with friends, he saw some boys tying a rope around a puppy in a ditch. The little dog was crying loudly.

“Why are you making it sad?” Lawang ran to untie the rope.

The boys looked at him and went home quietly but his friends took slingshots from a bag and took aim at a bird in a tree. Lawang stopped them.

“Don’t be cruel,” he told them

At school, everyone wondered why Lawang had become so calm. He didn’t fight or get in trouble, took care of himself and did his work. One morning, the kids stood in line and the headmaster spoke to all the children.

“Your friend, Lawang, has something to tell you.”

Lawang greeted everyone with his usual smile. He talked about naughty tricks, fights with school friends and classmates, remembering being unkind to animals and birds — and how falling from the tree had made his mother sad and worried.

“Be careful not to hurt anyone,” he spoke with a true heart and children and teachers clapped for him. “Keep yourself safe and happy. Most important, remember, everyone has a mother.”

The End

* photo credit: Joshua J Cotten

Original text in Pashto