Angeline - His Uninvited Queen ✅

7 - A Friend Request

Arun's POV:

Me, Angeline and Pari came out of the home. The endless dark sky with a dazzling half moon and shimmering stars welcomed us.

"Kuttima, There are a lot of stars in the sky. You find your mom yourself," Angel said affectionately.

Pari looked up, raising her right hand and pointed the brightest twinkling star and said with a pout, "Amma."

I too looked up at the star, a smile appearing on my face. Before I could smile completely, I remembered how my Diya used to say the stars and moon as our messengers. My smile disappeared from my face and tears appeared in my eyes, thinking, "Diya, the moon and the stars were our messengers. But, I never ever thought even in my wildest dreams that you yourself will change into a star in the sky."

Pari pouted at the star, "Amma, Why did you change into a star? Why did you go far away from me? If everything changes around us, if you can change into a star, why can't you change back to your old look? Please change yourself to your old look and come back to me ma. Come, maa." She started crying again.

It was very tough to manage her. Though she accepted that Diya changed into a star, she wanted Diya to come back to her old form. I didn't expect this from her. I thought she was convinced. But, children are unpredictable. I really didn't know how to handle her. I felt so helpless. All I could say was, "Ammu ma, please don't cry. Then, I will also cry." My already welled up tears rolled down through my cheeks.

"You don't cry, pa." Pari wiped my tears, sniffling. I too wiped her tears and said softly, "Ammu ma, Some changes are irreversible. For example, if your toy is broken, it can't be glued back together again to the exact same look, right? Death is like that. Once the person changes into a star, they will never come back with the same look. It is the nature of death. Please understand this and smile at the star."

"Why can't they change again?" Pari sniffled, looking at the star.

"It is nature. We can't change nature," I said softly.

She looked up at the star with her puppy eyes and said in an innocent tone, "Amma."

Angeline intervened, pointing to another star, "Kuttima, Can you see a star to the right side of your mom?"

"Yes."

"It is my mom. She is telling me to smile now through her twinkles. So, I am smiling." She smiled and added on with a competitive attitude, "My mom is telling me to smile. Is your mom not telling you to smile?"

"No no. My mom is also twinkling. My mom is also telling me to smile. I will smile." Pari's lips curved up to a smile in a trice.

A smile appeared on my face too, on watching her smile after a long time. Her smile felt as if a soft breeze when I was sweating in suffocation. It felt wonderful. A daughter's smile always feels wonderful. I was thankful to Angeline.

Angeline added on, looking up at the sky, "My mom is again twinkling. She is telling me to eat now. I am going to eat." She lifted one of her legs which was injured and limped towards the food which we kept in the garden.

"Hey, You are going to fall down," I gasped and held her hand.

She grinned foolishly and stopped her legs.

"Appa, Our mom is also twinkling again and again. She is also telling me to eat now. I will eat. You feed me." Pari said, looking up at the sky.

I felt a huge relief and I immediately nodded and hastened towards the food. Angeline gasped, limping her foot as she couldn't cope up with my speed, "Leave my hand. I will walk slowly."