"YRKKH-Aarohi's Enchanting Transformation"

27.Beyond the shadows

Akshu's words ignited a fire within Aarohi,Unleashing a torrent of fury in her.Seeking solace she asked Riddhima to sleep and went out of room swiftly.Before she knew,She found herself at terrace.
As she gazed up the starry sky,her life flashed in front of her eyes like a vivid dream.
Tears welled up,as she remembered the carefree and happy moments with her parents.

Even she wanted to run away from the chaos and the misery this family has been giving her,she felt an invisible anchor helding her.
May it be her brother,who has been facing losses since his childhood,She didn't want to add burden to him more,fearing her departure would tear him apart.
May it be her grandmother's frail and fading health,she didn't want to exacerbate her decline.
But putting up with Abhimanyu was never her plan,She wanted to teach him a lesson,setting up boundaries straight,but amidst the chaos she lost the strength to do it,Now all She wanted was peace and tranquility.The turmoil in her cried out for calm,the thought of confronting felt exhausting.

Fed-up with her fate,she descended the stairs,Reaching the bend,her gaze fell upon a door which she never noticed before.It was locked,it's surface worned out.
Confusion took over her,
there were no locked room in her home,
There were no secret in her family,be it love,hate, discrimination or disagreements,
there were no secrets within them or there wasnt a way maintain secret in the home,
they were so transparent with that,
Curiosity piqued her,She reached near the door and tried to take a peak through the key hole,which she failed.

The curious child inside her came to life,she brainstormed ways to enter the room,she didn't know why her brain works wild to open an old locked room,but that's who she is,A curious,enthusiastic,
questioning prodigy.
Suddenly an idea popped into her mind,the keyholder,she rushed downstairs,retrieved the keys and rushed back.

Fifty,Sixty keys maybe more,but her enthusiasm never wavered.key by key,she tried one after one,her patience wearing thin,Finally luck smiled upon her,on the tenth attempt the lock opened.

Elated she opened the door,Aarohi pushed the door,Just before moments she felt overwhelmed by her life weighed down by worries and uncertainty,Yet here she is feeling excited after opening a locked door.
As she switched on the lights,she could find the room filled with thick layer of dust and cobwebs shrouded the room.

Aarohi's gaze wandered over the dusty furniture and the yellowed books,her mind puzzling over the possible secrets buzzling over the room,but to her disappointment she couldn't find anything that feels odd,but her heart doesn't accept as she expected something weird inside the room.As she turned to leave,her dress got snagged on something,her heart skipped a beat,fear whispered worst case scenarios,
What if some ghost attacks me?
The possibility of lurking spirits,unseen and unnoticed sent her heart racing.
She chided herself for the foolish thought.
Taking a deep breath,with unshaken fear,she turned back, her eyes landed on the culprit,an old worned out suitcase's wheels tucked into her gown.
Relief washed over her.

As she bent to free her dress,she could read the name on the luggage tag,
It was none other than Mrs . Sirat karthik Geonka,her mother.
Did this belong to mumma?But why is this left here,abandoned?

As she opened the suitcase,a wave of nostalgia wrapped her,Her mother's old clothes were kept folded inside,they were redolent with her warmth and scent,tears pricked at the corner of her eyes.The sight of her mother's belongings discarded in this dark room mirrored the situation of her mother being ignored and neglected lying at a dark hospital bed fighting a lone battle.She clutched the clothes to her chest,the memories,longing overwhelmed her.Tears seeped like winter's slow thaw.

Aarohi's gaze landed on a yellowed book nestled within the case. Her hands instinctively cradled it, and her eyes widened as she read the cover: "Sirat Marykom Shikawat."A warm smile spread across her face.