Men defend their mental status quo even through a mortal neglect. But here, a rare deed emanates from a girl’s heart. She plucks the puppy from the crow beaks that carve death. Resisting the pessimistic voices around, she tends to that stray animal hit by an auto rickshaw. Her virtue is buttressed by her brother and friends. Confidence illumines hopes. The flickering life gets steady. Let these shoots of virtue grow in the parched world. First published in issue#25, The Literary Hatchet Inspired by a news clipping about the four children - Varadha, Vasu, Ema and Aryan - who brought a wounded stray puppy back to life.