Vishnu (name changed)

He sat in front of me with eyes too big for his face ,fixed on my face .It shone with expectation and a little uncertainty .Even as I speak to him ,his gaze shifts to focus on something on the wall and roams about till I rapp him for attention .
We have been acquaintance for almost three weeks now .His reading has improved but not his grasp over the subject .
“Okay now, Vishnu (name changed for obvious reasons ) lets read the passage." .
He begins enthusiastically enough ,”Ek gaon mein ek darji tha ,”repeating after me .Uska naam tha Aslam." I stop. "Right....now tell me ..what was the tailors name ?”....He looks at me searchingly,"Aunty" ,he pauses, “ My birthday is in November.”
“Oh …did I ask you that?”Looking confused he turns back to the book before him and stares at it .I can almost hear the whirr and ,the click of his thoughts …
I sigh,” Lets start again .” Repeating slowly after me he labours to finish the passage .He gets stuck at the word Dukan again .Keeping my impatience in check ,I say “ Vishnu , you have read it just two seconds ago .Look at it well and think… what could it be .”
His eyes fixed on my face he starts chanting ,”da ,daa,di ,dee ,du ,doo …..He waits for a change in my expression and then he stammers ,.”.Du ..du …dukan”He smiles like a winner ..My patience straining at the leash I ask him to write the word five times .
I watch him as he, like a still life artist ,copies the word - curve ,whorl and line
We have been at this hammer and tongs for three weeks now .

Suddenly he looks up ,”Aunty , there were three elephants at the circus .”
“.Okay ....…so ?”
“No , nothing.”
I wait for him to finish .Suddenly he stops to stare intensely at his pencil .He holds the pointed end between his thumb and forefinger and looks thoughtful (.Now what !)
“Aunty ,He begins ,”You know Shashank of my class, he steals pencils and breaks them ,he also eats my snacks .”
I don’t have time to humour him so I ask tersely ,”Vishnu ,Have you realized that its your final exam in three days time ?Don’t you want to go to Second standard ?”
His reply is prompt , “No aunty , I want to go to Pre-Kg .There’s only playing there .”

Childhood truncated!!!!!