At home, Snigdha was the same as before. For several days, she had filled our surroundings with a festive spirit. Of course, when she stays in the village, the atmosphere there becomes even livelier than here. This is how our days were passing.

One day, I suddenly noticed that she looked somewhat pale. I asked, “What happened, Snigdha? Why do you seem so down? Is something wrong?”

She replied, “It’s time for me to leave.”

Surprised, I said, “So soon this time? It hasn’t even been two months yet!”

Snigdha visits us every year for two months, bringing a special kind of joy. Sometimes, she stays even longer. A few years ago, when she visited, everyone was overwhelmed with excitement. That time, there was a grand feast of homemade pithas and sweets at home. But this time, hearing about her departure made me feel really sad.

I pleaded with her, “Can’t you stay a few more days? Without you, we struggle a lot!”

She smiled faintly and said, “How can I stay? You don’t let me come! You’ve changed everything so much that I can’t stay here for long.”

Shocked, I asked, “We don’t want you? How is that possible?”

She replied, “You cut down trees, pollute the air with factory smoke, build concrete cities, and contaminate rivers and seas—have you thought about the consequences? One day, everything will change, and there will be nothing left to do! I still come now, but if you continue like this, I might not be able to stay for long in the future.”

Her words deeply moved me. It was true—we had never thought of it that way before! I reassured her, “I will do everything I can. I won’t let you disappear. I want to have you around just like before.”

The next day, I prepared some posters and distributed them in our society. I gathered the boys and girls of our community and formed a youth organization to run awareness campaigns. Seeing this, Snigdha was pleased. She said, “Inshallah, I will not let your efforts go in vain. From next year, I will try to stay longer. But don’t just think about me—take care of the entire world as well.”

After spending a few more days together, Snigdha left. However, we continued our organization’s activities, hoping that she would return and stay with us for even longer.