Her outstanding quality was a kind and caring heart, made evident to me right from childhood. However much she might have wanted to get rid of the burden of looking after a younger sibling who stuck to her like glue, she never shirked this duty and I always knew that she would come through for me.
Irritating as it must have been to have me tagging along when she wanted nothing more than to be alone with her friends, she never used harsh words to inflict pain. At the most, the expression on her face might reveal the fact that she was less than thrilled (to put it mildly) to have me shadow her, but there was never any attempt to use physical chastisement or arrow-sharp words.
Unlike the other older siblings who weren't afraid of being told off by the parents for not including me in their fun and games, she had a strong sense of duty.
Oh, how I hated going to school when I was all of five or six years old. Every morning there were tears and tantrums, but to no avail. After trying all these escape tactics I realised that this was something I couldn't wish away.
I recall her patience in accompanying me to the primary section of the school, where she studied too. But she was a senior and in a separate building.
The distance between the two seemed like miles at that age. I would cling to her, eyes filled with tears as I silently implored her not to forsake me. And her heart melted each time.
The annoying behaviour of the previous day was forgotten and all she could see was a woebegone face.
Conscious of fleeting time and the need for her to be punctual for her assembly, she waited with me till the last possible moment before making a run for it. As I ignored all the other little girls playing on the swing and the slide, she would befriend them one at a time and then introduce them to me, hoping that I would make friends and become more independent. I remember watching her figure fading away in the distance and the sense of loss at the disappearance of someone loved and familiar.
Maybe I don't have the best of memories but I do recall many magical moments in my childhood when her play-acting set my imagination on fire and I could almost see and feel all those miraculous things she brought so vividly to life.
There was the thrill of anticipation, of contemplating the delicious possibility of being admitted to her ‘underground' world where she reigned supreme, queen of birds and beasts and all that she surveyed, which included trees whose branches groaned with the weight of unimaginable goodies such as chocolates and ice cream, all ripe for the picking. I might not have been the brightest on the block for being taken in by this story but I must admit it was expertly spun and woven.
My plea of "I'm bored, let's play something" goaded her into inventing the ‘master and dog' game which started with the display of great affection but soon the petting degenerated into growling and snarling, real enough to make my heart pound as I implored her to be my big sister again, not my guard dog!
All these stories have provided the family and succeeding generations with so much enjoyment. She made it all happen.
I am thankful to her for transporting me to a make believe world where everything seemed possible. That is the greatest gift anyone can bestow on a child.
While her untimely departure has left me bereft I am sure she will continue to weave her magic and warmth on so many souls on the other side.
