ETHEREAL

3

She step inside the hall and some sad faces welcome her. There was an unusual silence which she had never heard before.

"What's wrong?" Sanyukta step inside shutting the door behind her.

Uncle John's face fell more when she asked him. But he couldn't answer

"What happened?" She moved to aunt Carla and lift her face up.

She didn't said anything just pointed towards the other door that leads to the office.

Sanyukta was puzzled now.

Then she saw uncle Tim and aunt sarah packing some stuff in bag of uncle Zayn and aunt Zara.

It's their stuff. The couple she loved the most here.

"Why are you packing their stuff?" Sanyukta voice was urgent and shrill.

She is only one hour late today and the whole home is upside down.

"They are leaving." Aunt sarah put a hand on sanyukta shoulder. As if she understand how much close she was to them.

She had shared most of her childhood memories with them. She told them how much worthless her family thought her to be. She told them the reason to leave her home and family behind. And now they are leaving her. The people she consider as her new family, her new parents, are leaving.

Is this some kind of karma coming back at her?

"You should say a goodbye. They waited for you here. But when you didn't arrive we thought you aren't coming today." Uncle John whispered.

It's all because I decided to take a fucking walk here.

Sanyukta felt tears burning up in her eyes.

Can she say goodbye to them without breaking down? Can she see them leaving her for forever? Her mind was already buzzing with the things she is going to miss. She cried more when she remembered how she used to lay down in garden with her head in aunt Zara lap while she pat her hair gently while talking about their grandson they used to adore. How uncle Zayn used to or more like tried to tie her hair in braid while aunty used to instruct him how to Braid and how can she forget the little flower uncle Zayn used to pick up from ground and tuck one in my braid and one in aunt Zara.

That's all she needed to break the goddamn dam of tears she was holding. Aunt sarah hugged sanyukta quickly and rub her back.

Nobody said anything. Every body was in grief. They all love them. Just like her. Though she got the most attention from them but nobody complained.

"Would you like to drop these off to them?" Uncle Tim ask sanyukta holding up two bags filled with their stuff.

She know she couldn't.

She cannot.

She nod her head in no and they all understood.

Though she was dying to hug them and say a goodbye but it's better is she stay content with watching them leave through the window.

"But this never happened before." Sanyukta murmured. "Nobody came to take anyone ever before." She stated. " They rarely care if they are even alive anymore."

She shouldn't have said that. The already sad faces shrank with disappointment. Then she realised one more thing they all are sad because it's not their family who is sitting in the office and asking to take them back into the family.

Oh god. She is feeling worse now.

"I'm so sorry."

She spread her arms wide and all took the message and engulf her in a group hug.

***

It's been another hour but nobody left the office. Sanyukta sat their eyes stick to the glass window only to see a glance. But sitting there for an hour made her muscles cry in protest.

Uncle John had taken their bags in the office but he too hadn't returned back yet. It was a tense atmosphere inside the hall. Nobody did anything today. No gardening. No art and craft. No pottery. No laughter.

A door opened and uncle John reappeared. Everybody wanted to know what was going on inside the office but the things in his hand made all of them stop and stare.

Why would he bring those bags back?

Weren't they supposed to leave with this?

Then uncle John smiled. Particularly at sanyukta.

"They denied. They don't want to leave. They don't want to leave you sanyukta."

At this point she didn't know if she had to smile or cry harder. But when she felt her eyes blurry with tears she chooses the second option.

Thank you so much.

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