As children we are expected to read only a few orthodox story books. Everyone remembers the comics from the local street library, a few famous fives and secret sevens along with regular archie and jughead thrown in and that was practically the be all and end all.

Mine was no different a choice. I remember one good story though very much obscured in the mists of time. So here's what i do remember.

I remember the first time I had asked the question to my grandfather. "Who sings from that machine?". "The soldiers" answered Grandpa, leaning to his chair after looking at the old Radio kept on a cupboard, "The little soldiers dressed in red and white; like that in the army." "Can we see them?" I asked, enthusiastically. "Hmm, no, we cant. Coz they are inside the box. For that we would have to break it open and then we can see them, but then they would all die."

"Ohh"

Time passed by and came the era of the Television। Grandpa's old radio was dumped away in one of the store rooms, as it became unusable। One day, when I was cleaning that very room, I found the big fat radio lying there behind a couple of huge boxes. I suddenly remembered my Grandfather, how he meticulously cleaned it up each morning and now it lay in dust. I reached out to press one button, but found that the cases had come off. I peeped inside to see if all the soldiers were there inside it, but couldnt find one."

This is all I can remember of that.