The smiling face mask
Malli was not well and he had to go to the hospital on most days, for his routine checkups and tests. Usually Akki went with him and made sure that she kept him calm because he was very scared to go to the hospital. Having Akki around always helped Malli to feel relaxed.
But now things were so different. Only one parent was allowed in the hospital with Malli. Also everyone had to wear face masks and keep a proper distance from each other at the hospital. Even after coming home, they had to wash, clean and
even sanitize whatever they touched.
Malli was really used to having Akki by his side, whenever he went to the hospital. But the last visit to the hospital with only Amma hadn’t gone too well. Malli didn’t like wearing a
face mask. He had kept on trying to remove it. Although it was necessary to wear a face mask, especially when visiting a public place like a hospital, Malli was too small to understand the importance of it.
Akki was very sad to see Malli after he came home from his last hospital visit, a few weeks previously. His whole face was wet with tears and he looked miserable and tired. Amma told Akki that Malli had cried right throughout, asking for her. Some of the other children at the ‘Children’s Ward’
had also started crying after watching Malli crying so much.
Tomorrow was Malli’s next appointment with the doctor. Amma and Thaththa were already worried, wondering how to keep Malli calm the following day. They knew he would refuse to wear the face mask and that he would also feel very lonely at the hospital without Akki. Akki was sad too, because she knew that Malli would
cry a lot the next day.
Akki wondered how she could make Malli smile. Whenever she went to the hospital with him previously, she would give him a wide funny smile from time to time and make Malli giggle. Akki didn’t have a few of her front teeth because they had fallen.
It was normal for kids her age and she knew that she would be getting new adult teeth soon. Akki would often stick her tongue through the gaps between her teeth and Malli would howl and laugh.
Akki went in front of the mirror and smiled, looking at her teeth.
She got an idea. “Amma, can I have the face mask Malli will be wearing tomorrow?” she asked her mother. “I have an idea to cheer him up!” Amma took out a new face mask and handed it to Akki, after making sure she washed her hands before touching it. She also asked Akki not to make it dirty. Akki drew a smiling mouth on the outside of it using a colour pen.
She made it look as much as possible like her own smile.
The next day when Malli got ready to go to the hospital, Amma put the face mask with the smiling mouth, on Malli. It looked so funny and everyone at home laughed. Akki took Malli near the mirror and she smiled and pointed at her mouth and then at the mouth drawn on the face mask. Malli looked at both, his Akki’s smile and the smile on the face mask. Then he started to giggle. He didn’t try to take the face mask off because he loved it.
When Amma and Malli walked into the hospital, the nurses at the reception and a few patients saw Malli’s face mask and they all giggled. Malli loved all the attention and he started giggling as well. When Amma and Malli went to the waiting area of the ‘Children’s Ward’, there were a few small children there. Two of them were already crying as they were scared to be at the hospital.
Malli waved at the crying children and pointed at his smiling face mask. The children stopped crying and looked at Malli curiously. Then they too started to smile and laugh. Malli started to move in a funny way and the children couldn’t stop laughing. Even the parents were laughing at Malli’s funny actions.
While the doctor was checking him, Malli looked at his own reflection on the glass door and giggled when he saw his funny face with the smiling face mask. “What a brave little boy!” said the doctor, because Malli didn’t cry or try to stop the doctor from checking him. Malli felt very proud.
After a few hours Amma returned home with Malli. Malli looked bright and happy. Amma carefully removed the smiling face mask and put it in the bin. “Did Malli cry today?” asked Akki. “Not at all!” smiled Amma.
“He kept on looking at his face in the car mirror and he didn’t even want to take off the face mask today. He was even a little hero who stopped a few other little ones from crying at the hospital today!” Akki felt very happy
to hear all this.
The smiling face mask stopped Malli from crying and it saved the day.