I was chatting with my friends over the Internet, when suddenly (I don’t know how), I typed, “How r u Grandpa?”

He immediately replied, “I am fine. How are you all?”

My Grandpa had died when I was seven. I can still remember his long white beard which I used to love pulling. My Grandpa used to read the Ramayan daily with great difficulty and hesitation. And I was surprised that he was chatting with me in English.

“Grandpa when and how did you learn English?”

“I have an English girlfriend. She taught me.”

Then I told him him to get on the web cam. I was surprised at what I saw. My Grandpa had lost his white beard. His face was clear and bright. He had even coloured his hair.

I asked him, “How is your Master (God of Death)?”

“He’s fine but is suffering from gastric trouble.”

I was surprised at this. How could the God of Death get a “our disease”. Gastric problem is licensed to the Nepali population.

My Granpa cleared my confusion. “He likes Nepali food like sinki, gundruk and peppery achaar. He has made me his chef and that’s how he got the disease.”

Then I had a question that I’d wanted to ask since childhood.

“Why can’t we see gods nowadays. We have stories about holy men talking directly with gods?”

My Grandpa said,”My Master is here with me and he will answer it.”

I was very happy.

The God of Death said, “My boy, man has been very selfish. He works with brain, not his heart. He has lost his heart, so man cannot see us.”

I was thinking what to ask next when a wild buffalo, Dharmdev’s carrier, butted me like Zidane.

My eyes flew open only to find myself in bed with my mum poking me awake with a big spoon. — Panjol Oli, Class V, Blue Sky Public School, Kathmandu