Solitude!

I held my breath as the door banged. Aziza, who was swirling and swinging her feet on her favourite tune, too, gasped. Quickly brushing off the dust on my frilled saree and tying my hair into a bun, I ran towards the cracked rotten door as it banged harder this time...while aziza, took her little scratched feet to the nook and sat numbly.

As I opened it, HE , with his swollen face and shrunken eyes stared at me. His filthy shirt and muddy shoes were stinking of alcohol and dirt. "What took you so long?" He screamed in his hoarse voice. His dark and wet face looked like a devil from abyss.

As I was shivering and trying to answer with the dreadful thought of getting beaten up today as well...with the thought of adding more scars and wounds to the punches and kicks of yesterday, of aiding all the aches in the corner of the leaking wall, later in the dark..and with the thought of wrecking all those aches with my tears...

he, due to his desolate body, striked down on the floor and became unconscious. I was startled, but just for a while. Later, it felt soothing and calm. I looked at aziza and saw her gloomy eyes twinkling so wide. No screams and cries, no hunting and begging, no slaps and tears for that night. Just the dim glimmer of cold stars and stringy pink clouds.

Aziza whispered her unfinished tune while I.....sighed happily!