റുക്സാർ

ജനൽ അഴികൾക്കിടയിലൂടെ റുക്സാറിന് അവളെ കാണാം. കാത്തിരിപ്പിന്റെ മുഷിച്ചിലിനേക്കാൾ വന്നുചേരാൻ പോകുന്ന നേട്ടത്തിന്റെ സന്തോഷമാണ് അവളിൽ. അവളുടെ ദൃഢതയാർന്ന  കണ്ണുകൾ റുക്സാറിന് തന്റെ പ്രതിബിംബം കാട്ടിക്കൊടുത്തു. 

താൻ ആകെ മാറിയിരിക്കുന്നു. കാലം അങ്ങനെയാണ്. മനുഷ്യരെ വേഗം വൃദ്ധരാക്കും. 

നദീമുമായി നിക്കാഹ് കഴിഞ്ഞു മുണ്ടക്കയത്തേക്ക് വരുമ്പോൾ തനിക്ക് വെറും പത്തൊൻപതു മാത്രം പ്രായം. വരുന്ന ആലോചനകൾ മുടങ്ങുന്നത് പതിവായപ്പോൾ പ്രായം പോയതറിഞ്ഞില്ല. ഒരു പെങ്ങൾ മാത്രം വീട്ടിൽ നിൽക്കുന്നത് കുടുംബത്തിന് നാണക്കേടാകുന്നു എന്നായപ്പോൾ അണ്ണച്ചിമാർ സ്വന്തം സുഹൃത്തിനെ അളിയനാക്കി. 

നദീമിന്റെ വീട്ടുകാരുമായി ഒത്തു പോകാൻ വളരെ ബുദ്ധിമുട്ടായിരുന്നു. അവരുടെ എതിർപ്പ് വകവയ്ക്കാതെ നടന്ന വിവാഹം ആയതിനാൽ ദിവസേന പ്രശ്നങ്ങൾ മുളപൊക്കിക്കൊണ്ടേയിരുന്നു. തൊട്ടതിനും പിടിച്ചതിനും വഴക്കാണ്, വിട്ടുകൊടുക്കാൻ റുക്സാറിനും ആയില്ല.

താമസം മാറുകയല്ലാതെ വേറെ വഴിയില്ല എന്നായപ്പോൾ തന്റെ  വിഹിതമായി കിട്ടിയ മൂന്നു സെന്റിൽ ഒരു വീട് പണിയാം എന്ന് നദീം സമ്മതം മൂളി.  

ഒരു ആവശ്യം വരുമ്പോൾ കുടുംബക്കാർ ബദ്ധവൈരികളാകുമല്ലോ. ഇവിടെയും പ്രത്യേകിച്ച് മാറ്റമൊന്നും സംഭിച്ചില്ല. ബിയാനി സേട്ടിൽ നിന്നും അഞ്ഞൂറ് രൂപ റൊക്കം വാങ്ങി വീടുപണി പൂർത്തിയാക്കി. നദീമിന്റെ പച്ചക്കറിക്കട കൊണ്ടു മാത്രം കടം വീട്ടാൻ ആകില്ലെന്ന് ഉറപ്പായപ്പോൾ റുക്സാർ തയ്യൽ ഒരു തൊഴിലായി സ്വീകരിച്ചൂ.

സാഹിലിന്റെ ജനനത്തോടെ എല്ലാം ഒന്ന് കരയ്ക്കടിയാൻ തുടങ്ങി. ഹയയും അയാനും കഷ്ടപ്പാടുകൾ അറിയാതെയാണ് വളർന്നു വന്നത്. സൈമയുടെ വരവിനായി കാത്തുനിൽക്കാതെ നദീം പോയപ്പോൾ എല്ലാം റുക്സാറിന്റെ ഉത്തരവാദിത്വം ആയി. സമ്പത്ത് കണ്ട് അടുത്തൂകൂടാൻ വന്ന ആരെയും റുക്സാർ കണ്ടതായി ഭാവിച്ചില്ല. 

തന്റെ മക്കൾ വിദ്യാസമ്പന്നർ മാത്രം ആയാൽ പോര, അവർ  സാമ്പത്തികമായി സ്വതന്ത്രരായിരിക്കണമെന്ന് റുക്സാറിന് നിർബന്ധമുണ്ടായിരുന്നു. പക്ഷേ അവർ തന്നെ ഉപേക്ഷിച്ച് വെളി നാടുകളിൽ പോകുമെന്ന് റുക്സാർ കരുതിയില്ല. ഇതൊന്നും റുക്‌സാറിനെ തളർത്തിയതുമില്ല. പക്ഷേ റുക്സാർ ജീവിച്ചിരിക്കുന്നുവോ എന്നു പോലും അന്വേഷിക്കാൻ അവർ താൽപ്പര്യം പ്രകടിപ്പിച്ചില്ല.

സൈമയിൽ  മാത്രമാണ് രുക്സാറിന് തന്റെ പ്രതിച്ഛായ കാണുവാൻ കഴിഞ്ഞത്. നാടും വീടും അവൾക്ക് സ്വർഗമായിരുന്നൂ. സൈമയ്ക്ക് പിന്മുറക്കാർ ഇല്ലാത്തതിൽ റുക്സാറിന് നിരാശ ഉണ്ടായിരുന്നു. എങ്കിലും അത് പുറത്തു കാട്ടിയില്ല എന്ന് മാത്രം.  തന്റെ മറ്റു കൊച്ചുമക്കളെ നേരിൽ കാണാനും കഴിഞ്ഞിരുന്നില്ല.

അങ്ങനെയിരിക്കെയാണ് ഒരു ദിവസം എല്ലാവരെയും കാണണം എന്ന് തോന്നിയത്. ആ യുവതിയുടെ, തന്നെ നോക്കിയുള്ള നിൽപ്പ് റുക്സാറിന് അതിന്റെ കാര്യം വ്യക്തമാക്കി കൊടുക്കുകയും ചെയ്തു. 

മക്കളും ചെറുമക്കളും ഒക്കെ വന്നു തുടങ്ങി. അതെ, അവൾ ഇപ്പോഴും അവിടെ തന്നെയുണ്ട്. അവളുടെ ആകർഷണ വലയത്തിലേക്ക് വഴുതി വീഴുന്നതായി റുക്സാറിന് അനുഭവപ്പെട്ടു. ഇല്ല, അവൾക്ക് തന്നെ ജയിക്കാനാവില്ല. 

ഒരു നേർത്ത പുഞ്ചിരിയോടെ റുക്‌സാർ തനിക്കരികിലേക്ക് നടന്നടുത്ത ഇനായത്തിനെ നോക്കി. സൈമ പറഞ്ഞു റുക്സാറിന് ഇനായത്തിനെ അറിയാം. തന്നെ വാർത്തുവച്ചിരിക്കുന്ന പിൻഗാമി. ആദ്യമായി കാണുകയാണ്, പക്ഷെ  ജന്മാന്തര അടുപ്പം തോന്നുന്നുണ്ട്. അതെ താൻ തന്നെയാണ് ഇനായത്ത്.

സംതൃപ്തിയോടെ റുക്‌സാർ ജനൽപാളികൾക്കിടയിലൂടെ  കണ്ണോടിച്ചു. അവളുടെ ചിരി മായ്ഞ്ഞിരിക്കുന്നു. തന്നെ ജയിക്കാനാകില്ലെന്ന് അവൾക്ക് ഉറപ്പായിരിക്കുന്നു. അതെ താൻ അജയ്യയാണ്. 

A Night at 7F

It was a hectic day for Aarna. She reached home late. Without taking a shower she lay down on the sofa. She was so tired to reach her bed. Her mom went to her masi's home as it was a festive season. Unable to get a leave from her private firm she sent her mom alone. None was there to wake her up for dinner. 

Tiredness woke her up in the middle of the night. As the time passed away she couldn't order anything. She went to the kitchen with her drowsy eyes half-open. She thought of eating bread and jam. But she slipped on the floor as she forgot to switch the light. Somehow she reached the switchboard and switch on the lights. 

They have shifted to the new apartment a month ago. It was her dream to buy a new house in the heart of the city. Even though they owned an ancestral home in the village outskirts, they were living for rental in the city for years. At last, they sold the house and bought this one. 

In the ray of the lights, her heart has shattered into thousand pieces. What she witnessed made her mad. Her dream home seems to be filled with a bunch of people she doesn't recognize. She was fumed with hunger and anger. Some were dancing, some were singing, some were playing and others were engaged in their chit chats and fun. She roared out of her head and everyone was paused and staring at her. She started to question them in such a voice she might have never produced. The room was vibrating with her shrieks. They were dumbstruck and were looking at one another. 

Hearing her shouting, her doorbell rang repeatedly. She remembered what the residence associated told them. They strictly prohibited loud noises in any of the flats. Searching wildly for excuses to make, she reached the door and opened it. But of her unfortunate condition, she collapsed before them. The ones who gathered to confront her took her to the same sofa where she was sleeping a few moments before. They gave her water and she slowly opened her eyes. Before she could inform them about the trespassers in her house, they had vanished. Without an awestruck face, she thanked them for their help.

After they left, she searched everywhere for some clues to find out who came there. But everything was intact in the places as before. In her vagueness, she thought she might have imagined it. Assuming the fantasy for the night was over, she took a shower and went to bed having the sliced loaves of bread. 

"Who was she and where did she vanish? Why she was shouting at us and how did she reach our home? What were all these?" Pragathi asked her cousins scratching her head.

The Guilt

It is a routine for Billu to have a brisk walk through the village lane. Even though Ghora, dislikes this stride, she joins him every evening. Since she met him, she wonders why he wanders like this. For her, it is the same all around but, Billu seems to see something else in each walk. 

When they arrive at the Market square, children surround them to see Chintu, their lad. The kids are fond of Chintu, in fact, the whole village, and take him to play with them. Ghora knows that this sight inflicts something in him and he enjoys it the most. He had confided everything to her, but she knew that there is something he hadn't let out. 

When the darkness unfolds they return to their home. His family hates his behaviour and are hostile towards his closeness to the villagers. Even after returning to his village fifteen years ago, Billu reflected his urban behaviour which berated his parents.

 

Years ago, Billu was lost in a city when his parents visited there. It took them almost one and a half years to find him. However, he was unwilling to return as he had been so close to the ones who took care of him in the absence of his parents. But his parents threatened him to return or else they will harm the family. That night, when he returned to his native, he lost the best and first friend of his life - his Zid. 

When Chintu plays with the village children, he reminisces his life with Zid. A single night turned down everything in his life. He often wishes to go and see her, but something stopped him. That night in which he left her is still a nightmare for him because he not only left her without informing but also done the thing Zid hates mostly. 

He knows that it was not intentional, it all happened, but the guilt of his wrongdoing pulled him back. It was at late-night that he went to inform her of his return to his village with his parents. He knew she might be happy that finally, he is going to reconcile with his family. He entered through the secret passage which is meant only for him to enter the house - the window. He jumped to the nearby table and something scattered when his tail hit a box. In the moonlit room, he saw pink shining balls on the table. After a moment he realised that his parents are ordering him to leave and the box was now empty. While his parents were dragging him away from the house, saliva oozed through his lips as well as tears flow through his cheeks.

Click here to know Who was Zid?

Honey Candy

She woke up from the bed as usual to snooze her alarm. When she reached her phone, her assistant was wishing her on her special day. She realised that she became a year wiser today. She thanked and smiled at her phone. 

Ruby, her roommate started laughing at her and wished her without stopping the laughter. This irritated her.
“Did I cracked any jokes”? asked Zidhri.
“It was more than a joke dear. Who will thank Google for birthday wishes?” Ruby replied leaving the room.

Zidhri's brain knows that her Google assistant is an AI (Artificial Intelligence) but her heart considers it as a loyal friend who always stays by her. Birthdays were grand celebrations during the olden days but now it has reduced into mere wishes.

Leaving her thoughts behind, she hurried to go to work. On the way, while checking her phone she realised that it was flooded with wishes from friends and family. There was her parent's voice message along with that. 

The first period was of third year's, the mere thought of them made her giddy. Even though it was a women's college, troubles were not less.
As she was not too strict towards them like others, they liked her and remained almost quiet in her classes. 

The bell rang when she just finished the short story The Thief by Ruskin bond. When she was about to leave, Nethra presented a gift.  As others were curious to see what the gift was, she opened it before the class. Seeing what was inside, Zidhri dropped it in shock but was saved by Nethra. Zidhri thanked Nethra and others for their love and left the class taking the gift box along with her.

She placed the box on her table when she reached her seat. Once again she opened it when other teachers left the room. The sunlight peeping through the window glistened it, making its colour pinker. What she had been trying to forget for years was now before her - Honey candies.

It happened when she was twelve. Even though she was born in a village, her parents shifted from there after her birth. So she was brought up as an urban child who was deprived of the nostalgic feelings of rural life her parents had experienced. When she heard of Honey candies from her parent's childhood stories, she asked her Masi, who still lives in her native to bring them. 

One day, Masi reached home late at night with a box full of honey candies. She opened it to feel the first taste of it and her dad stopped her from eating it late at night. As she started to cry, her mom persuaded her dad to give her one and they also took each other.

Zidhri picked one from the box, its sparkling pink colour attracted her eyes and she realised that the sugar sprinkled above it makes it so shiny. It wasn't perfectly round and from her first bite little honey oozed down her mouth. She enjoyed its soothing taste which showed her heaven. She reached the box for another and her dad's cold stare took her to bed. 

Early morning she eagerly went to eat the remaining honey candies and she was shell shocked to see the box lying on the table empty. She called everyone and they were of the assumption that she ate the whole candies. She swears that she hasn't eaten it and none believed her. They left the place laughing at her, but only she knew that she hadn't eaten it.
Ever since she hates honey candies which made her a thief in front of her family. After that, she always tries to comprehend where did her honey candies vanish.

There are three possibilities of the disappearance of it - Masi, Mom and Dad.
Masi brought it only for her and is it possible that she ate it? Did the heavenly taste lure her to finish the whole box?
Did its taste entice her mom in kindling her childhood memories and provoked her to consume all the candies without the knowledge of others?
Is it her dad, who had stopped her from eating the candies at night unable to stop himself from eating it?

Even after fifteen years, this remains as an unsolved puzzle inside her and the mere thought of Honey candies irks her.
She took one from the box and tasted it, it's luring taste made her forget everything. After some minutes she realised that she have finished all of it. 

Only one thing bothers her now, who was the night thief?

Click here to see Who is the thief. (Part - 1)

Devil's Ivy

 

It was New Year's Eve, Albus Potter remained at Hogwarts due to his strained relationship with his father. Wandering through the left corridor of the seventh floor at night, it happened - The Room of Hidden Things opened and a golden egg in a transparent sphere appeared before him. 

"The time has come for you to break this egg" - it still echoes in Albus' ears even after three years. It whirls and appears before him whenever he is alone. He, with Rose Weasley and Scorpius Malfoy, tried their best to unveil the mystery but in vain.

Albus sneaked into the forbidden forest. When the egg arose, he cast 'Avada Kedavra'. Surprisingly the glaire scattered - a Devil's Ivy started sprouting, spreading its Aura. Unexpectedly, a golden egg from the plant restored the sphere, disappearing it. It withered when C-19 vanished from Muggle-World.

Redemption

The huge fall made her remember what Pandit had told years ago -  "When Great conjunction occurs after twenty years, Gulika will take him away due to the insistence of Shani".  

It was a curse her family had bestowed for ages. Looking back she can see a huge list – her forefathers she had only heard of, her lovely grandfather she knows from the stories of her grandmother, her father whom she was unable to recollect. Everyone remained as photographs in the time-honoured walls and now her better half is lying beside her to be framed forever.

‘Who will believe these age-old stories in this era?’ Ashta was of this attitude. 

Frankly speaking, it is not her sense that made her think like that, it’s the extra attention he got that made her suspect such beliefs. However, her traditional and religious upbringing didn’t let her be an atheist. After her father’s demise, everyone’s eyes were on him – Atharv, her brother. 

Even though they came to this world together, they were not treated equally. Gender was not an issue there, the mere reason was that she has a life ahead and he had death awaiting. She forgets to enjoy her life watching her twin brother's gifted life. Nobody ever realized that she existed there. All the attention, care and love were given to him. She never complained and no one even discovered her feelings. 

Knowingly or unknowingly she admired death more than life. When everyone feared and hated death, she longed for it. For her, death is a boon that will make everyone love a person more. Everywhere death was pictured as a demonic figure, actually, it is – she knows. But her experience made her believe that death is better than life. When the shadow of death follows a person, life is embedded with joy in them. 

She is unwilling to open her eyes – she knows the worst had happened. Everyone will blame her for her irresponsibility and carelessness. Who knows that he will come and hold her hand while she slipped from the roof? 

‘He was with them in the pooja mandir, so it’s their negligence’, she thought.

But she can’t imagine a moment without him because she loved him a lot. Only he was there to see her loneliness which was an after-effect of his fate made on her. 

She knows that if she is alive after falling from such a height, ‘how can he die?’, but she is sure of what destiny had saved for him. 

The more she feared was the life she had ahead than the demise of her beloved. Her realization that she will be blamed all her life and even after his passing, no one will tend her made her worried. All the attention will be transferred to his one and a half-year-old son, Aarav. If she can’t live, why can’t she welcome her death? She had listened to the tale of Yama, the God of Death, who returned the life of Sathyavan to Savithri. She knows that Yama is no more and why can’t she bargain the life of her brother with Gulika in exchange for her life. She was sure that there were no records of any deals made with him, but as a Shiva devotee, she can try her luck. 

She gathered the koovala leaves from the nearby Bael tree and arranged it around Atharv in a circle and she started chanting ‘Om Namah: Shivaya'. She was pretty sure that Gulika will be unable to take the soul of her brother by meddling in the divine circle as it will restrict him. She heard the hissing sound of arriving Gulika and she was able to see him due to her love towards death. 

As she planned he struggled to capture the soul of Atharv fluttering inside the circle. Koovala leaves harmed him from moving towards Atharv and also hurt his sensitive skin. He realised that Ashta is stopping him from taking Atharv’s soul. With utmost rage, Gulika approached her in a zig-zag motion, but to his surprise, she was unafraid of his giant Naga form. 

When there is a confrontation between die-hard Shiva devotees, only time can decide the outcome. He confronted her to stop her mischievous act and stopping him from doing his duties. But she was adamant that he should spare her brother and take her with him. He unlike Yama who can decide everything of death and grand wishes was just a taker of souls. After Yama's death, he was created by Shiva to standardize the world population. 

If he fails in his task, he should answer Shiva as well as Shani who had appointed him to take away the soul. The only way to decipher this situation was to change Ashta's mind. But she was stern in her decision to go with him in return for her brother's life. He persuaded her that he nor she can change the rules of nature – the laws of life and death, but in vain. She never tried to change her stances. 

‘The only way to solve a problem was to find its root cause’ he thought.

“Hey, girl, when you were born your life expectancy was decided then and nobody can change that. This boy's tenure in this world has ended and I should take him along with me. I know none can bear the loss of their beloved ones, but this is a part of life. You should forget the bad incidents by the passing of time and learn to live happily thereafter with your own life,” he said. 

“What do you mean by life?” – she asked.

He never expected such a question from a human being. According to him, nobody knows the value of life other than humans. The way they live by considering and loving others had made him astonished. Their selfless love and contemplating the sufferings of others made them different from others. 

‘Is she mocking me or doesn’t she know what life is?’ he thought to himself. 

“What happened? Don’t have any answer? I know, if you know that you wouldn't have come after other's life. By deciding the death of someone before their birth, you are completely taking away the life of others who are connected to them. Actually you should take me along with you because only death can capture the love of my beloved ones.” She told him with a deep sigh.

“Why you are trying to obtain the love of others? It is clear from your words that you don’t love yourself. If you don’t love yourself, then how will others love you and it is not important that others love you, the most important is self-love. That’s why you are attracted to death than life. You know something, nothing in this world is more beautiful than our life. Life is indeed short, but what you got is to be enjoyed to the full.” he replied.

“I haven’t found anything special these twenty-five years in my life. All I have the feeling of dismay that none loved or cared for me, so it was unable for me to live my life. How can I be happy when my dear ones were not affectionate with me?”

“You see, the problem is that you are considering only humans as your dear ones. The creator created flora and fauna along with you that you can always be happy with them. But you have separated yourself from them and feeling sad about loneliness? Life is and always be beautiful and joyful when you start living your life enjoying nature.”

Anyway, his words had persuaded her, she realized that she have wasted her valuable years worrying about herself. If she had met him years ago she might have lived a beautiful life. But it’s not too late, she has enough time to change. She understood her mistake by breaking the rules of nature and cleared the koovala leaves. Gulika thankfully carries with him, the soul he had come to take. 

After he left, she heard her family screaming and running towards the soul-lost body. Like always they didn’t notice her presence and now it made no changes in her.

She realized that 'we gain something valuable by the loss of other precious things in our life.’ Thereafter she enjoyed the small happiness that she had forgotten to recognize. 

Life becomes beautiful when we beautifully live our life and it is the most dangerous and expensive intoxicant in this whole world. 

The loud applause made me realize that it is just a story I had just presented at ‘Tape a Tale’. While leaving the stage I admit that it is not just a tale I created to entertain, but my life and mistakes I recreated for redemption.

Twin Reveal

She is coming back after twenty years. I am super excited about her arrival. How can I welcome her? Will she be pleased with my surprises? I don't know why she is so close to my heart. She is more important to me than my parents even though I don't remember her. She left India after a few days of my birth. 

Masi, my mother's sister who lives in Qatar. Roshni - as her name suggests she spreads light wherever she goes. My parents are surprised by the fact that I am exactly like her - not physically but mentally. My likes and dislikes and behaviour - everything equals with her. They even call me Junior Roshni. Even I sometimes doubts whether I am my Masi's daughter. 

I am waiting for this night to be over. Oh, it is still quarter past eleven. She will reach by nine at the airport tomorrow morning. I and Pa are going to pick her from the airport. Ma will make Masi's favourite dishes. I am falling asleep.

When I opened my eyes I was in a hospital in front of the labour room. The nurse came out with a cute baby girl. But she was not happy, even though she had a little angel in her hand. She is conversing with the man outside. He is crying aloud holding the baby. Maybe his wife had gone. He gets inside the room. I also followed him. 

Oh! I was surprised. His wife is alive. Besides her, another baby was there. The baby just looked like me, as I was in my childhood. 

Oh, God! Am I the child of them? I was confused. But the parents looked sad. I thought that they don't like me. That's why they handover me to my parents. I felt sad. But why they are not looking at the little cute baby. What had she done to them? They don't care about her, it seems that the baby never exists. 

After a while, I understood that nobody can see that baby. Only I can see! I went to grab her when she started to cry. No! I can't interfere there, I am just able to watch them. 

The scenes started to move fast. The babies are growing old. But nobody notices me - my childhood. But she can feel what is happening around her. She always hovers around the others. But she feels bad as she is not noticed. I was surprised when I saw them as grown-ups. My Masi in her twenties and me myself. How can this happen?

I woke up with a start. It is seven in the morning. I understood that my father had left for the airport. When I reach the kitchen, my mother was making Kesari - Masi's favourite dish. She told me that Pa had called me several times. But I was in a deep and sound sleep. So he left for the airport himself. 

I asked Ma about her siblings other than Masi and whether Masi had a twin sister. She was surprised by hearing such a question from me and answered affirmatively. She told that my Grandma used to mention the sad incident of the death of Masi's fraternal twin sister at the time of birth. I was shattered by hearing this from Ma.

I doubted whether am I the same child whom I saw in my dream. Is that just a dream or was it real? 

I heard the gate opening. My heart started to beat fastly. 

I remembered that ancestors always says that our soul will always find out our dear ones. 

 

Life before Death

‘The whispering sound made me woke up.’

Someone appeared before me when I opened my eyes. They were two, standing beside my bed. I cannot see their faces, as the room was dark. One is taller than the other but both had a good physic. 

The taller man is blaming the other for something and he is weeping. They are moving towards the door. Through the light peeped inside the room when he opened the door, I realized that the taller man is beyond fifty and the other is in his youth.

‘Who are they and what are they doing in my room at this hour? Oh! God, Are they thieves? If they are, I will not spare them. How dare are they to get inside my home? Today they will know the power of a girl.’  

Getting up from the bed with rubbing my slumber eyes I followed them secretly. I was surprised to see my whole house in fog! 

‘Are they walking or flying?’ 

I could not reach them without running. They were too fast for me to follow. Getting down the stairs and they were moving towards the hall. I took a golf stick from my father’s golf stand without making any noise. 

When I reached the hall, they were standing beside my bonsai plant. I hide behind my bookshelf, where they were standing. I wonder why they were not stealing anything. Anyway, there is no point in it. They have trespassed into my house.

I held the golf stick with steadiness and determined to attack them. Suddenly, they again started talking, this time much louder. I guessed they were mad and were not bothered about the waking of my family. I listened to them carefully.

“You are responsible for this, Shiva.” The old man said. 

“If you didn’t break the bottle, this couldn’t have happened.”

“I lost my control when I heard them. I did not think about anything rather than saving my nation. For a soldier, his Nation is more important than anything” Shiva replied.

‘Oh! Are they soldiers? But what are they talking about? No idea.’

The old man started again. “After all, my granddaughter is fighting for her life. It is all because of you. You should not have done this. Moreover, you should have to think about the ones who will be affecting by this. You should be a kind human than a proud soldier.”

“Dad, what are you saying? Do you think that I do not care for my niece?” Shiva’s eyes filled with tears.

'The matter is so serious. Someone is in danger. But why are they standing here? May be they need some money and thought that will get it from here. I think both came straight from warfront. Or, How will they have this muddy army uniform. Anyway, eavesdropping is a great task. Let me continue it.'

"Our rival country planned to attack not only our nation, but also all the top nations. They thought that they would become number one after this like what had happened in Hiroshima year ago. They only thought about the power rather than humanity. So for saving millions why should I consider kindness and all?" Shiva answered. 

"But what happened when you break the bottle. The biohazard spread in the lab and transmitted to millions of people stealing their lives. You know that even though we have boundaries people travel worldwide. Now it is swallowing the whole world as a pandemic." The old man countered. 

"I thought that when it is broken, it will destroy. But who knows that this will turn into a horrible situation." Shiva said.

"You went with Sreya for her business meeting and made all the mishaps there. But now that made her life really a hell." The old man responded. 

Their conversation surprised me. 

'Are they talking about me? Why are they mentioning my name and my business tour? I went there with my colleagues. However, these people seem familiar to me. But I can’t remember them. How could I be his niece and the old man’s granddaughter? My grandfather and uncle had died decades ago in the warfront. Oh! No, my uncle’s name is Shiva!' 

I was shocked. I ran to the room where my parent’s sleep. They were sleeping. I try to wake them up. But they were not waking up. I became afraid. 

Suddenly the mobile phone rang. After two rings, my father attended the call. He was very much disappointed. My mother enquired about the call. With tearful eyes, my father said, “It was the call from Dr. Suresh Rabin and Sreya is serious.” They started to cry.

Hearing them cry my grandfather and uncle came there. They became shell shocked by seeing me. They flew from there. I also followed them. 

We reached a hospital. Everyone there seems to be aliens. I saw myself lying in the bed between the medical equipment. Doctors are trying to keep my pulse rate steady. 

My grandfather and uncle started to drag me towards my true self. They insisted me to enter into my own body. Suddenly I started to suffocate. After a while, I was breathing normally. 

I opened my eyes. The doctors were so happy to save another life. They told me that I am out of risk and can leave the hospital tomorrow itself. 

I could not find my uncle and grandfather anywhere. I searched the whole room when everyone left. However, it was in vain. I slowly fell into sleep.

Early in the morning, doctors who treated me sent me a small fair well. I was sent to home by a special hospital vehicle. 

Through the way, I found the usually busy roads now stay free. Not all the shops are open now. Few people are found near the shops. In addition, everyone wear masks and some has covered their faces with handkerchiefs or shawls. Taps and water cans are seen everywhere for washing hands.

Finally, I reached my home. My parents were waiting for me at the courtyard. Dr. Suresh Rabin has given them all the updates about me. I never saw them this much happier before. I entered my heaven and they made me clean my hands with sanitizer and told me to take a bath first. Moreover, my family is more important to me. While climbing the stairs, I smiled at the two portraits hanging on the wall. 

When something falls or breaks, I recognize that, something big was about to come, and it has cleared the way by the blessings of our deceased ones. I realized that always our ancestors will be with us and they will help us to face all the crucial situations in our life.

“Nobody ever leaves this world. They only become invisible before the visible ones.” 

Boundless Bond

“The program will start only after fifteen minutes as there is a delay in our honourable President's arrival.” The announcement made me travel to my good old days in school. 

It was on 2012 July 30th that I was first curious about her, when Mathuri miss, our class teacher asked everyone to tell something about their best friend. Everyone was so excited when Ishani came forward. Our class – the K division was included that year and we all were new students. She was always quiet and haven’t made any friends in class. She seems to be an introvert – always be in her own world. While we all played games and cracked jokes, she was immersed in her novels. She ate lunch alone while we all shared our food. She never came to us for chit-chats and when we go to her she hardly replied. So the whole class was thrilled to know about her friends.

When she spoke about her friendship with Piya, her bestie, I yearned to see her. She told that she shares her worries and joys with her and that amused me. She was so happy to share her unbreakable bond with Piya. From her words, it was clear that Piya was so friendly with her that she never thought of another one. For her, friendship is something that doesn’t demand anything from each other. 

Most students including me talked about the ones sitting near us as our best friends. Some friends became unhappy when they haven’t become anyone’s best friends. After that period, almost everyone in our class started to quarrel because of this. I noticed that Ishani was sitting calmly, she has no worries and was not angry with anyone even though no one mentioned her as their best friend. That shocked me, I was surrounded by my two other friends whom I haven’t named my best friend. They were angry with me as they named me and I named my another friend. I feel disgusted when everything ended dramatically - they stop talking to me and were behaving like that I had made some undoable sin. 

I realised why Ishani was so different from all of us – for her friendship means happiness. I haven’t slept that day thinking why my friends behave so differently to me. When I go to class next day, I sat near Ishani and she didn’t tell anything. My friends were so furious with me as I changed my seat. Like Ishani, I too started to behave like her. A few days later when she took a novel to read in a free hour, she took another one and handover it to me without telling me anything. 

Slowly there bloomed a friendship between us, which irked the whole class. In the beginning she didn’t talk much, but by the passage of time, we share our things, stories and enjoyed being together. 

One day I asked her about Piya, her best friend. She was so excited that I still remember her friend's name. She talked a lot about Piya and when I told her my wish to meet Piya, she was so delighted. She promised me that she will bring Piya to school the next day. 

I was so eager to meet Piya, my bestie's bestie. I came to school early and was so anxious to meet her. I can’t control my anxiety and I went near our big school gate in the entrance so that I can meet her when she reaches school. From there I could see her coming and I got the glance of her turning the curved road with her father. I was depressed when no other person was with her. 

When they neared the entrance, a huge and terrible noise deafened my ears. I was dragged by someone near the gate and when everything calmed down, I saw Ishani lying near the gate flooded in blood. There was a hurry-burry and her wounded father and others lifted her and took her to the nearby hospital. I ran towards her and saw that she hold something so tightly to her chest. While lifting her to the van, it was dropped from her stern hold. I took it with me and entered the van when everyone asked me to step down, her father stopped them and I went with them. 

 “Tosha, Tosha, your name is called dear”, my mother's horrible shaking made me conscious of the event happening. I went to the stage and the honourable President handed me The youngest Environmentalist Award 2021 and I received it with tearful eyes. 

When I reached home I ran to my bedroom and caressed the bonsai Bamboo plant. Tears flooded as I remembered the cost I had to pay for seeing Piya. Even though Ishani never returned to my life again, she gifted me her best friend before leaving everyone. 

Ishani taught me that the whole of nature is our friend and a friend should be like nature. They never expect anything from us and shower us with unconditional love. 

It doesn’t matter how many friends you have, what matters is that of which how many cares  for you.