Tintin was a curious little boy, just four years old, with an adventurous spirit that often led him to unexpected escapades. He had just started nursery school at a well-known institution in Delhi. Every morning, his father would take him to the bus stop, waving as Tintin climbed onto the school bus, before heading back home to get ready for work.

Life had settled into a routine. His father, after ensuring Tintin was safely on the bus, would head back home to prepare for the day, while his mother would be there to greet him when the bus returned at noon. But one afternoon, this routine took a sudden, unexpected turn. But one afternoon, the routine took an unexpected turn.

In the middle of a busy day at the office, Tintin’s father received a frantic call from his wife. “Tintin didn’t get off the bus! He didn’t come home!” she exclaimed, her voice filled with panic. In the background, his mother was on the verge of tears. His heart skipped a beat. He tried to stay calm, but fear and confusion quickly set in.

Being 20 kilometres away from both home and school, he felt powerless. He tried to keep his composure, but the panic was real. What could have happened? Why hadn’t Tintin returned?

After a few moments of shock, he suggested that his wife call the school to check if Tintin was still there. The minutes that followed felt like an eternity. Finally, the phone rang again. This time, his wife’s voice was calmer, though still tinged with worry. “Tintin’s in the principal’s room,” she said. Relief washed over him, but now a new question arose: Why was he there? The thought raced through his mind, a mix of relief and confusion.

Unable to wait any longer, Tintin’s mother quickly booked an autorickshaw and rushed to the school. The moment she arrived, she rushed to the principal’s office, where Tintin sat, looking as innocent as ever. The principal, somewhat bewildered, explained that Tintin had simply refused to board the bus that day. “He said his mother was coming to pick him up, so we waited,” the principal explained, still surprised by the turn of events.

It turned out that Tintin had been observing one of his classmates was picked up by his mother from school every day. That afternoon, he decided it was his turn to be picked up personally, just like his friend. In his mind, it made perfect sense—why take the bus when his mother could come to school?

As his mother looked at him, her initial anger dissolved into a mix of exasperation and amusement. How could she scold him for such innocent logic? It was a lesson in the unpredictable, whimsical nature of a child’s mind, where logic and imagination often intertwine in the most unexpected ways.

That evening, as the family sat together, the earlier panic turned into laughter. Tintin was safe, and they now had a story to tell—a story that reminded them of the unpredictable and endearing nature of childhood. Life, with all its routines, sometimes throws in a little surprise, and in those moments, they learnt to see the world through the eyes of a child.