Nilah's new paints

Behind the cowshed was the chicken coop — a wooden gate, a bit of wire roof, and a small stretch of fence that didn’t really keep the chickens in. They wandered wherever they liked, sometimes into Amma’s garden, sometimes under the swing. The fence was old, splintery in places, and a little wobbly. Nilah passed it every day without thinking much of it — until one morning, sitting nearby, she realized it looked a bit too plain.
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Later that day, she found a leftover box of paint tins in the storeroom. The labels were faded, and some lids stuck, but a few colors were still good. She carried them out and sat cross-legged in front of the coop. She started with a bright red chicken comb, then painted a guava, a mango, and a little yellow flower. She added a drawing of her slipper — the one a hen had once run off with — and a small cloud like the ones she watched while feeding the chickens.
Each day, she added just one more. That was her rule. A jackfruit seed. A pebble. Her cat’s paw print. A biscuit. The swing. The corner of Paati’s saree. The fence slowly filled with her favorite things — not big or fancy, just tiny memories that made her smile. Sometimes the chickens watched her while she painted, clucking softly like they were curious. One even pecked at the painted worm. “Not real,” Nilah said, laughing.
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When Paati saw it, she asked, “What’s all this painting now?” Nilah stood back and looked at the fence. “Just things I like,” she said. “So the chickens have something nice to look at.” Paati chuckled. “Hmm. Lucky chickens.” Nilah smiled. The fence still creaked and leaned — but now, it felt cheerful.