Where the clam sleeps

It was early morning birds started chirping, the crow crowed as if it wanted to tell everyone the morning is already here. Everyone at home busy mom making breakfast, dad heading to this factory, brothers doing their homework which they did not finish last night even after our mother pushed them so hard to finish it. I am third grader one among eight siblings and I do not have that much homework in general. I went to the lake in the morning and it was pretty dark. I saw Chirutha the lady walking towards the lake Vembanattu. The lake Vembanattu lake was calm enough and she took her boat to the center of the lake. The anchor of the boat was a tall bamboo stick which chirutha struck into the chest of the lake as if she did it every day. I watched the boat and Chirutha for almost one hour and I heard my mom yelling at me from behind Tom why are you wasting your time in the morning without getting ready for school. I sighed as if I am a very old and I really tired of her being a naggy mother. She is naggy to everyone in general. It was my concept at least and I am not sure about others. I went to school and came back at three o'clock and the minute I reached home I ran towards lake. The lady was still there in the water collecting clamps. I could not see far enough to know whether the boat was half of full of clams. It will never be empty that I know for sure. Why she has to work this many hours or is this her passion or something else. MY dad never stayed in the factory this long and I mean never. There should be some secret behind this I concluded. I will come to know later. I returned home had evening snack which was fruit cake which was one of my favorites and the tea. I won't drink milk unless mom forces me to drink at bedtime. I went to bed at nine at night thinking about the lady at the lake. I woke up next day and sneaked out of the house and ran to the lake and I saw the lady at the bank of the lake. I asked her name, and she told me her name as Chirutha. Wow! what an interesting name just like her work and why she was not named Maria just like my sister, but I did not ask her.  Why you are not in your bed at this time she asked, and I said I do not know. I clearly knew the answer that I wanted to see whether her boat and she was there. Why she is working every day, and it was something I never could comprehend. I thought she has a big house and lots of children so that she needed lots of money.