**The Toffee That Got Stuck**

Once, when I, Sham Misri, was a little boy in primary school, my older sister Lalita took me to her school. It was called Kathleshwar Girls High School, and it was in Zaindar Mohalla.

I was a bit scared because I was small, but everyone noticed me because I had a fair complexion. My sister Lalita was even fairer than me. When the big girls at her school saw a small child holding his sister's hand, they all wanted to hug me and kiss me. Some of them even gave me toffees to eat. But Lalita told me not to eat any sweets while we were at school.

Our house was very close to the school. It was only a five‑minute walk. We did not stay there for long. Soon, we went back home.

When we reached home, I was very curious about the toffees. I took one out of my pocket and unwrapped it. I popped it into my mouth and started eating.

But then something terrible happened. I coughed, and the toffee got stuck in my throat. I could not breathe properly. I took long, heavy breaths. Everyone in the house heard me and came running. They all started shouting, "What happened? What happened?"

Someone said, "A toffee is stuck in his throat!"

Then my mother Soma shouted loudly, "Ongul diyus! Ongul diyus!"

My sister Lalita did not understand what those words meant. But my mother knew exactly what to do. She came to me quickly, held my head down towards the floor, and pushed her curved finger deep into my mouth. She tickled my throat with her finger, and soon the soft toffee came out. I was safe.

After that, Lalita asked my mother, "What did you do?"

My mother replied, "Ong^uj^u."

Then my father Janki, who was standing nearby, explained everything. He always liked to teach with a bit of humour. He said that "ongul" means the width of one finger, a measure of length about as long as eight barley corns. And "dyun" means to give or to do. So "ongul diyus" simply means using a finger to tickle the throat and make someone vomit.

By now, many family members had gathered around. My father saw that everyone was listening, so he warned them with a smile. He said, "Just don't confuse it with 'angolica'. That is a slang word for cheating or swindling, and it also means a very bad and indecent action."

Everyone burst out laughing. My father always liked to make people laugh while teaching them something new. And that is how I learned the meaning of "ongul diyus" and also learned to be careful with sticky toffees!

Here is a short set of poetic stanzas about the author, Sham Misri, drawn from the little boy we meet in the story.

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**The Boy Who Became a Storyteller**

A little boy with skin so fair, 

Held his sister's hand with care. 

Shy he was, yet full of wonder, 

At the world that pulled him under.

 

Curious heart and eager eyes, 

Tasting sweets in quick disguise— 

One soft toffee, round and sweet, 

Nearly stopped his tiny feet.

 

But a mother's finger, swift and sure, 

Curved to make his throat secure, 

Drew the danger out with skill— 

Saved his breath, and saved his will.

 

Then, his father, Janki, full of cheer, 

Turned the fright to laughter near. 

With a joke and wise old word, 

Lessons danced and wisdom stirred.

 

From that day, the child would see, 

Life is rich with memory. 

Every cough, and every cry, 

Holds a story by and by.

Now that boy, grown old and wise, 

Shares his past with twinkling eyes. 

Sham Misri, friend of pen and rhyme, 

Turns small moments into time.