Pema lived in a village high in the mountains of Ladakh. Her father was a shepherd. Her parents, elder brother and Pema lived in a tiny cottage.
One morning, Pema was feeling sad. School had reopened after the long winter holidays. Pema’s brother was getting ready to go to school. A path of loose stones led from the village to the school above it. The village children ran up the path. Pema wanted to go too. But she sat in a wheelchair. She could not walk. Her wheelchair could not run on the stones. The wheels would get stuck on the path.
Abu, her best friend peeped in. He was dressed for school. ‘Hi Pema! The holidays are over. I have to go to school today. We will play in the evening when I return.’
‘Alright Abu,’ Pema said, her eyes full of tears.
‘Hey Pema! Don’t cry. I will come back in a few hours.’
‘I am not sad because you are going to school. You see, I am different from all of you. I cannot walk. I cannot go to school. I will never learn to read or write.’ Pema was crying now.
‘No Pema. You are not different. It does not matter that you cannot walk. I will teach you to read and write,’ Abu consoled her.
‘I know you will help me, Abu. You are my best friend. But I want to go to school.’
‘Then come along,’ said Abu.
‘I cannot. My wheelchair will not run on the stones of the path to school,’ Pema said.
‘That is right, Pema. Don’t cry. I will find a way,’ Abu said. He was already late. So he waved to Pema and ran up the path. He sat in class but he heard only Pema’s words. During the recess, he spoke to his friends. ‘What can we do so that Pema comes to school?’
All of them thought hard. Then Abu laughed, ‘Of course. It is so simple,’ he told his friends, ‘Let us meet in the evening.’
That evening, Abu took his friends to the path, ‘We have to clear the stones from this path. Under the stones the rock surface is smooth. So we can push Pema’s wheelchair up the path easily.’
His friends agreed. Pema and his friends started work on the path at once. They gathered stones in baskets and dumped them on the hillside. Every evening, the children worked. First, Pema’s brother, father and the village children joined them. Then, all the villagers joined in clearing the path. Every villager, whether rich or poor, worked on the path all day. There was no difference between them because they all wanted one thing---to help Pema go to school. Abu had shown the way.
Seven days and the path was clear, all the way from the village to the school.
Next morning, Pema was up early. She had a bath, wore a new dress and tied red ribbons in her hair. Her mother gave her some hot porridge in yak’s milk. Abu and his friends ran in. Together they pushed Pema’s wheelchair up the smooth path to school. The teachers were at the gate to welcome the children.
Pema turned to Abu with a smile, ‘You found a way. You are the best friend in the whole world, Abu.’
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