A Short story by SOMOLEKHA SUR

Under one raincoat :

The rain fell in soft sheets, soaking the gray pavement and painting the sky a deeper shade of sorrow.

On the side of the road, two little girls walked home from school, their footsteps slow and careful on the slippery path.

One wore a bright yellow raincoat, slightly too big for her small frame. The other had no coat at all—just a worn-out sweater clinging to her shoulders, already darkened by the downpour. Her hair was wet, her books held tightly to her chest to shield them as best she could.

Without a word, the girl in the yellow raincoat glanced at her friend and stopped walking. She reached out and lifted one side of her coat, awkwardly stretching it toward her friend’s head. It didn’t cover much, just a shoulder and part of her hair, but she held it steady, even as the wind tugged at it and the rain tried to find its way in.

They walked like that—huddled close, their steps a little uneven, their laughter rising softly above the patter of rain. Passersby hurried by under umbrellas, but the two girls seemed to walk in their own world, where warmth didn’t just come from dry clothes, but from hearts that knew kindness.

That small yellow corner of a raincoat became a shelter—not just from the rain, but from the loneliness that poverty can bring. It was a quiet, gentle reminder that friendship doesn’t need grand gestures. 

Sometimes, it’s enough to simply share what little you have!