Hogwash

“Dadu, What’s the meaning of this word, hogwash?”

“I think it means something which makes no sense.”

“No! My friend was saying that it means a machine in which you can travel to fairyland.”

“Well, what he is said is just hogwash.”

“Why?”

“There is no fairyland and there is no machine in which you can travel to the fairyland.”

“No Dadu, there is a fairyland and my friend has been there, not once but many times. In fact, he has promised that he will take me with him on his next trip.”

“And when is planning to go there?”

“He said hogwash needs some repairs; it got damaged during his last trip. But he can’t find a good car-mechanic to carry out the repairs.”

“Is hogwash a car?”

“I don’t know, I haven’t seen it. He doesn’t let anyone see it. He keeps it locked in his cupboard.”

“How tall is your friend?”

“Very tall, taller than me.”

“And the vehicle in which he travels to fairyland is kept in a cupboard. Strange!”

“I asked him. He said, it wasn’t very big and it can be kept locked in the cupboard.”

“How does a boy, taller than you, manage to sit in a such a small machine?”

“Dadu, I think he must be making a fool of me. Yes, hogwash means something that makes no sense.”

“You see.”

“But, Dadu, there is a fairyland, no?”

“Perhaps there is…. Let me share a secret with you. When I was a kid like you, I too loved fairies and I always wanted to go there and play with them.”

“I too love fairies. I wish I could see a fairy.”

“Turn back and you can see one right now.”

The boy turned, quickly.

A cute baby was slowly and silently crawling into the room. She was beaming with joy; she had just learned to crawl.

***