Care Taker

"Madam, is this your bag?" a voice of small boy waked me up.
He was holding my leather bag with his raised hand.
He was so small that he had to raise his hand high to hold strap of bag above ground.
"Yes"
I had dozed off while waiting for train on a bench on railway platform on a hot afternoon.
Bag must have fallen of from my hand while napping.
He was small boy of about 4 or 5 years; his clothes were oversized, old, torn and sticky with age. His hairs were overgrown and unkempt.
His dark face was filled with dirt and some tears might have dried in his cheeks. But his round eyes were bright and teeth were whitest and neat.
He smiled. There was a dimple on a cheek.
"Madam, that boy wanted to run with it. He wanted to steal your bag."
He pointed his chubby finger toward a boy who was running away.
I smiled at him.
"Thank you, what are you doing on this platform" though I knew that what a street urchin can do here.
With a little hesitation he spoke as if he is sharing some secret with me.
"I work there," he said as matter of fact.
"Work?" I was not expecting from little boy.
"I look after these things so that no one can steal it"
"What things"
"These", he spread his hand widest and turned around. "All this things"
"What things?" It was getting more interesting.
"This railway bogies, lamps, benches," he pointed his finger at random showing things, he turned his head up to show me, "fans, clocks everything"
"And who looks after you."
If he were not so dirty I would have hugged this little adorable kid. And kissed him.
His voice his gesture and his way of speaking like adult were enjoyable.
"How you can stop any one from stealing, you are so small."
"I am strong", he raised his little clenched fists to show, and he threw his punches in air on an imaginary thief. "I would beat him and run and." His eyes squinted as he spoke in anger. "Tell him not to do it, it is very wrong thing to do." He paused for brief movement for stopping imaginary fight.
"Is it not madam?" He asked me earnestly.
"Yes it is wrong. Who has given you this work?"
"My mother, she works here to clean this place."
"I help her by looking after everything. So that she can do the work. If some one steals it then how mother can clean so many things."
Mother must have found a ploy to keep this little one engaged with responsibility.
I offered him some money.
He rejected idea by keeping his hands behind his back and smiling coyly.
And then He walked away from me looking at those things he was supposed to watch. His hands tied behind his back, and in a deep thought.
Like a philosopher taking a stroll while thinking deeply about problems of universe.