Angry Akku

Vinayak Varma

When
the last school bell rang, all the children laughed and screamed with
joy.
All,
except Akku. Akku was ANGRY !

"Akku!
Akku! Look at the pretty sunflowers!" said Appa, as they rode
through a field.
"GRRMPH!
They’re TOO YELLOW! They’re making my eyes hurt!" said Akku.

"Akku!
Akku! Look! Look at all the monkeys!" said Appa,
pointing at the
roof of their house.
"CHEEE!"
said Akku. "SHOOO! Go AWAY! SHOOO!"

"Here,
drink some buttermilk," said Appa. "It’ll cool you down."
"HRRRM!"
said Akku. "I DON’T WANT ANY!"
"Try
a sip, at least?"
"OKAY!
FINE!" said Akku, and tried a sip.
It wasn’t all that bad.
She
had another sip. And
another.
In
no time, the glass was empty.

"Would
you like a vada?" asked Appa.
"FFEHH!"
said Akku.
"Just
one little bite?"
"Okay,
FINE!" said Akku, and took a bite. It was quite good.
She
took another bite.
And
another.
In
no time, the plate was empty.

"Good
girl," said Appa. "Now will you tell me why you’re so angry?"
"NO!"
said Akku.
"Was
it something I did?"
"NO!"
"Was
it something Amma did?"
"NO!"
"Did
something bad happen in school today?"
"MAYBE!"
"Oho."

"Would
you like to draw it?" asked Appa. "Here’s a nice sheet of paper
and some crayons."
"Okay,
FINE!" said Akku.

Akku
drew a brick…
"This
is the STUPID BRICK that I tripped over this morning," said Akku.
"You’re
right. That IS a VERY STUPID brick!" said Appa.

And
Akku drew a boy…
"This
is Bikku, a VERY BAD BOY! He laughed when I fell down!" said Akku.
"You’re
right," said Appa. "He shouldn’t have laughed at you."

And
Akku drew an idli…
"This
is my idli," said Akku. "It fell out of my lunch box when I
tripped over the STUPID BRICK!"

And
Akku drew a crow…
"This
is the VERY BAD CROW that flew off with my idli," said Akku.
"The
crow must have been very hungry," said Appa.

And
Akku drew her teacher…
"This
is my teacher, Amala Miss," said Akku."She helped me up when I
fell down. And then she hugged me."
"That’s
nice of her," said Appa.
"And
then she pinched my cheeks. I DON’T LIKE IT when my cheeks are
pinched."
"Oho!
That must have HURT, no?"
"A
little bit. But I’m okay now."
"That’s
good."

"See
how well you draw, Akku?" said Appa.
"You’re a real artist!
Will you draw something for Amma too?"
"OH-kay!" said Akku, and started drawing some more. "This is a little white mouse… and this is a boat… and this is a coconut tree…"

"And this is a
sunflower… and this is your cycle, Appa… and this is a dog… and
this is a frog…"
In
no time, Akku had forgotten all about the STUPID BRICK that made her
trip and fall. And about the BAD BOY who laughed at her. And about
the IDLI-STEALING CROW.
And Akku even forgot about being ANGRY.

10
Things to Do If You Feel ANGRY like Akku:
1. Laugh
loudly and jump around with your arms in the air!
2. Slowly –
very, very slowly – breathe in, and breathe out!
3. Drink some
water! Or buttermilk!
4. Eat a
piece of fruit! Or a vada!
5. Tell a
grown-up about how you’re feeling!
6. Write
about how you’re feeling!
7. Draw it
out! Paint it!
8. Play with
a pile of clay!
9. Make up a
song about your anger! Sing it aloud!
10. Dance like
a monkey!