I See The Light

The Miraaz

Shiv dreams of waking up in his own bed, in the warmth of his home. He hears his mother calling him for breakfast and his father telling him to hurry up, or he’ll be late for school. But then, he wakes up—only to be hit with the harsh reality. His parents are gone, and he is alone in this dark, cruel world.

Desperate to escape the suffocating prison his uncle has trapped him in, Shiv tries to climb out of the window. He carefully sets his feet outside, the drop over 8 feet to the ground. But just as he prepares to jump to freedom, his uncle’s older daughter, Shriya, spots him. She runs to her father, alerting him to Shiv’s attempt to escape.

Before Shiv can move any further, his uncle bursts into the room, grabs him, and pulls him back inside, forcefully locking him up once more.

Six months pass. The days blur together, and hope slips further away from Shiv with every passing minute. He no longer trusts anyone—not even the slightest flicker of belief remains in his heart. He’s lost all faith in the world, in people, and in any kind of rescue.

Meanwhile, the uncle’s family grows. They have a second daughter now, but that doesn’t bring any joy to Shiv. One day, Shriya, the older sister who is four years older than Shiv, walks into his room with a cruel smirk on her face.

“How does it feel?” she taunts. “Feeling intact and warm, huh?”

Shiv glares at her, but says nothing. His silence only seems to anger her more. Without warning, she picks up a glass and throws it at him. The glass shatters on impact, and a shard cuts Shiv’s skin.

Hearing the commotion, the uncle rushes in. He scolds his daughter and shuts the door behind him, leaving Shiv locked away once again. His life, it seems, has become a never-ending cycle of pain and cruelty—no love, no escape, no hope.