Page 39 - 4.4 Abhivyakti

A RANDOM DREAM

Once upon a time, in the busy city of London, lived a boy named John. He was so tired after
school that he didn’t even bother to change his uniform. His shoes were muddy, his hair
messy, and his notebook was crammed with half-finished homework, the classroom noise
still echoed in his head. Without touching his lunch, he dragged himself to bed and fell onto
it with a big thud.
His mother had worked hard to prepare his favourite food, momos, but John was too sleepy
to notice. She placed the steaming plate on the table and sighed sadly, wondering why her
son had skipped his meal.
The moment he shut his eyes, the room around him melted away, and the smell of momos
seemed to follow him into his dream.
In his dream, he heard the sizzling sound and spicy aroma of the delicious momos made by
his mother, and suddenly it came to life! They grew bigger until they were humongous, the
momos didn’t just grow bigger; they sprouted tiny legs and started marching like soldiers.
One of them was even taller than his mom, that one Momo was the king with a crown of
fenugreek. The giant momo rolled toward her, its mouth wide open as if it was about to
gobble her up. John’s feet refused to move—like he was glued to the dream floor—as the
momo rolled closer, and within the blink of an eye, mini superhero momos arose from the
lake of chilli oil. Without wasting any time, they started releasing steam and attacked them
with minced garlic bombs. The Momo King was strong; he defended himself and took away
John’s mother.
“NOOO!” shouted John in his dream. He woke up with a start, his heart pounding, and
screamed, “Mom!” His mother stroked his hair gently, whispering, “It’s okay, you’re safe now.”
John clung to her as if letting go would send her back into the dream.
Feeling hungry and a little silly, John finally got out of his bed, sat down and ate the momos.
The first bite melted in his mouth—the warmth and flavour felt like a hug from the inside. He
smiled and told his mother, “These momos are the best!” She laughed in relief.
Later, John went back to sleep and had a much happier dream—this time about Ferraris
with rainbow flames and bikes flying on neon lightning bolts across the sky. Instead of fear,
laughter echoed in his dream as he raced against superbikes made of pure light.
From that day onwards, whenever his mom cooked, John remembered the dream and
smiled, knowing her food carried love more powerful than any dream monster. He promised
himself he would never ignore the efforts of someone who cared for him.

"Dreams may come and go—some frightening, some joyful—but one thing never changes: a
mother’s food has the power to calm storms, chase away nightmares, and fill life with color."

SAYESHA PAWAR
GRADE 5
NAND VIDYA NIKETAN
JAMNAGAR
33