🕊️

The girl sat quietly against the old pillar of the verandah, hugging her knees tightly to her chest.

She looked so small there.

Almost like she was trying to disappear herself into the wall.

The evening breeze passed through the open space, but she didn’t move.

The sisters had tried again and again to take her inside, telling her she would be more comfortable in the room but each time, she had refused.

So for now, they let her stay.

Aradhya came back with a plate of food and sat down beside her slowly, not wanting to scare her.

She placed the plate in front of the girl.

The girl didn’t look at her, her gaze remained fixed on the food, uncertain for a moment, then she slowly began eating.

Aradhya noticed how fast yet careful she was eating.

Her heart ached.

She served a little more rice onto the plate.

“Aache se khao, hmm… aur chahiye toh kehna.”

(Eat properly, hmm… tell me if you need more.)

Avni came and sat down beside the girl, copying her posture, resting her chin on her knees.

For once, she was quiet. There was no teasing, No smiles. Only concern.

“Tumhara naam hai kya?”

(What is your name?)

The girl paused and looked at Avni for just a second.

Then she looked back down at her plate and continued eating.

Avni swallowed softly.

She tried again, her voice more gentle now.

“Konse gaon se ho tum? Tumhare maa-baba kahaan hai?”

(Which village are you from? Where are your parents?)

The girl slowly lifted her head.

She stared at Avni, confusion filling her eyes.

After a moment, she just shook her head.

Avni looked at Aradhya and Ira.

“Thik hai… tum khao. Hum abhi aate hain hmm?.”

(Okay… you eat. We’ll come back.)

“Ira hamari behen hai. Woh tumhare saath baithegi thik hai.”

(Ira is our sister. She’ll stay with you, okay?)

Aradhya gently held the girl’s cheeks, trying to give her some warmth, before leaving with Avni to get fresh clothes.

Soon, only Ira remained seated alone with the her.

She sat a little distance away from the girl, her hands folded in her lap. For a few minutes, the only sound was the girl eating.

Then Ira spoke softly, not even looking at her, just talking.

“Hamein nahi pata tumhare saath kya hua… ya tum par kya beeti hai…”

(We don’t know what happened to you… or what you went through…)

“Par hamara yakeen mano… sab thik ho jaata hai.”

(But believe us… everything becomes okay one day.)

Her fingers absent-mindedly touched her toe ring, as if remembering her own fears from the past.

“Hum bhi pehle bohat darte the… baat karne se, logon se…”

(I used to be very afraid too… of speaking, of people…)

“Phir jab jeevan mein woh aaye…”

(Then when he came into my life…)

She smiled a little.

“Hamare pati.”

(My husband.)

“Bohat ache hain. Aur hamare sasural mein sab bohat ache hain.”

(He is very kind. And everyone in my in-laws’ house is kind too.)

“Kabhi tumhe kuch nahi hone denge.”

(They will never let anything happen to you.)

The girl had stopped eating now. She was listening.

“Jab yeh aur hamare jethji aayenge na, toh hum unse kahenge ki tumhare ghar walon ka pata lagaye.”

(When my husband and elder brother-in-law come, we’ll ask them to find your family.)

Ira slowly turned and looked at the girl.

“Jaante hain hum… ghar walon se door nahi raha jaata na.”

(We know… it’s hard to live away from your family.)

She reached out and gently touched the girl’s hands.

But instead of longing or sadness, the girl’s face showed only fear and confusion.

Ira’s expression softened even more.

“Hum bhagwan ji se zarur kahenge… ki tumhe bhi ek din koi acha insaan mile.”

(I will surely pray to God… that one day you also find a good person.)

“Jiske saath tum baat kar sako… muskura sako… jo tumhari baato ko samjhe.”

(Someone you can talk to… smile with… who understands you.)

“Jarur milega… hmm?”

(You will find someone… okay?)

The girl slowly nodded.

A small, confused nod.

Ira smiled.

When Aradhya and Avni returned, they had already prepared warm water for her bath and searched for some clothes that might fit the girl.

They paused at the verandah.

Ira was still sitting beside the child, talking gently and the girl was listening with such deep attention.

A faint smile touched Aradhya’s lips.

Avni’s eyes softened too.

They walked closer.

The girl had finished eating. She sat quietly, her hands folded in her lap, staring at nothing.

Aradhya knelt down and poured a little water from the jug, carefully washing the girl’s hands and wiping her mouth.

The way a mother cleans her child.

The girl didn’t resist. She only watched.

“Chalo, naha lo… phir yeh kapde pehen lena.”

(Come, let’s take a bath… then you’ll wear fresh clothes.)

She held her hand gently and guided her inside.

Vanya’s POV

They are nice people.

They really are.

Or maybe they are just pretending?

But… they smile at me.

They give me food.

They touch my cheeks so softly.

Is that normal?

Do people talk like this to each other?

Then why don’t my maa and baba talk like this?

Maybe… if I do something wrong, they will also hit me.

But they don’t look angry.

They look kind.

So I should stay quiet.

If I stay quiet, nobody gets angry.

I know that.

If I talk too much, I get hit.

If I say no, I get hit.

If I move too much, I get hit.

So I won’t do that here.

If they hit me… that’s okay.

Nice people also get angry sometimes.

Right?

I just have to not make them angry.

Then they’ll stay nice.

They took me inside.

I wanted to stay near that pillar.

That pillar felt safe.

Especially when there was food in front of me.

Food is always safe.

At home, maa gave me food too.

But only leftover rice. Cold rice.

She said that was all I could eat But I knew she was lying.

Sometimes, Raju kaka secretly gave me good food at his shop. He always said I was his favourite child, he didn't had any family.

The food these aunties gave me today was even better.

But what if they think I ate too much?

What if they get angry?

I won’t eat more next time.

Then they won’t hit me.

They took me to a room.

A bathroom.

They asked softly, “Tum khud kar logi, ham madad karde?”

(Will you bathe yourself, or do you need help?)

I just shook my head.

I didn’t know what to say.

They smiled and left, closing the door gently.

I looked around. The room was so clean. So big.

I had only seen such houses on TV at Raju kaka’s shop.

There was a big bucket with water filled in one side.

A small stool.

And soap and few bottles of something.

I stared at the soap for a long time.

I had used soap once.

It burned my skin. So I never touched it again.

At home, I used besan, the gram flour I stole from the kitchen.

It cleaned the dirt a little.

Once maa found it tied in my saree.

She beat me so much that day.

I didn’t get food for seven days.

I had to sleep in the cowshed But it was okay.

I slept with Munnu and Gita. They are my cows.

They don’t hit. They just stay close.

I ate raw vegetables from the field to fill my stomach

Sometimes carrots. Sometimes tomatoes. Just enough for my maa and baba to not notice that I took something so I had some other vegetables also, like raw brinjal or beans.

If maa saw, she would beat me again But I was hungry.

Something is better than nothing.

Even leaves. Leaves taste bitter but hunger is worse.

I slowly removed my saree.

I poured the warm water over my head. It felt… so good. So gentle.

It didn’t hurt.

For the first time, bathing didn’t feel like pain.

I closed my eyes. I wish I could stay like this forever.