Little cracks in the Sunshine

Part 1

Little Anna leaned against the railing of her gallery, watching the sky being dipped in orange and pink, the kind of colors that made her dream of faraway places-anywhere but here.

Her home was always full- uncles, aunts, cousins, and her grandparents, all living together in the old ancestral house. It should have felt warm, but it didn't. Despite trying her best to stop hearing the grown up talks behind the locked doors, she always found herself eavesdropping it, and she didn't like it. The talks were always about the bragging of other family members.

The only time the house lightened was when her father came home from the city on weekends, bringing toys and chocolates, but those days felt too few and far between.

Her mother, however, carried a storm inside her-a storm that was not always hers to bear. The taunts, insults, and constant expectations from the in-laws piled up like stones on her chest. And when the stones grew too heavy, they tumbled down on Anna. The girl never understood why-why every little mistake turned into a slap, why even her best efforts earned scolding, or why, when her mother cried alone at night, it made her heart ache, too.

No matter what she did, even if just was looking at her mother, she used to get beatings, for no reason at all. Poor Anna could not tell this to her father because she was always too busy to play with him and smile around him as she always used to see him only during the weekends.

Her school was no different too. She used to get bullied for the silliest things. It was not because of hatred or something else, it was because of jealousy and envy. Anna had an innocent, shy, and a very nerdy personality in school. All the teachers admired her, except for some of the students of her class. They used to pick on her, saying she was weird. The worst part was that she could not stand up for herself. This continued for a while until things took a turn.