Choti Si Duniya - ArShi FF

133. A day in Raizada kids' lives

She did not know where she was. There were a lot of cars- very big cars around her. Zooming in at high speed. She did not know how she came here, and why she was standing there. But she wanted to go home. To her maa and dada. But which car will take her there? How would she know?

Her lips trembled as her heart almost gave in but then she did not let tears roll down from her eyes, holding them in her eyelids. She looked around while trying to keep the brave face even amidst this uncertainty. Her eyes searching for one person. That one person who she knew, even if there was no one else, that one person would find her. And that was her Maa.

"Pari." There. She heard that unmistakable sweet voice of her maa.

But why couldn't she see her?

"Pari, wake up baby." She heard her maa again. And then one by one her senses started registering the presence of her mother around her. That fragrance her mother carried which was much more wonderful than roses in dada's garden. That touch that was like softest fur- naah, not like Teddy's-he had none, but like that toy her chachu(NK) had gifted them. That soft kiss on her cheeks and her nose that was sweeter than any other dessert, even aamgo(Mango). And finally, as she slowly opened her eyes, she saw the beautiful face of her maa. Khushi.

Pari took a moment to realize that what she was in earlier was a dream while now she was waking up to reality. Her beautiful reality.

But still, as the remnants of that nightmarish dream still scared her, she instinctively sought her maa's warm embrace.

Khushi also quickly wrapped her delicate daughter in the cocoon of her arms and chest and caressed her head while saying, "Sab thik hai baccha (Everything is ok, baby). It was a dream. Bad dream. But no bad dream can do any harm to you when your maa is here. Ok?"

Pari slowly looked up at her mother in absolute wonder. Just how did her mother know what exactly had troubled her? And how she managed to 'rescue' her? Her maa was an angel, she decided!

"Sweet molning (morning), maa." She said, sleepily. It was their own little ritual. Others wished 'good morning', Pari and her maa wished each other with 'sweet morning.' No backstory to it. Just something they had started doing recently. From the time she had stopped attending the school actually. Actually unknown to Pari, it was one of Khushi's tiniest efforts to bring more words out of her...

"Sweeet morning mamma's baby." Her mother wished in return and said, "let's get ready fast. You know who is visiting today? Your Anjali bua and fufaji and Pratham." Khushi said with some extra cheer in her voice. But Pari made a face. She didn't really like Pratham. He would always come here and break things- her Chiku bhaiyya's toys or tear Piya didi's poem books or sometimes pluck the leaves from her and her dada's garden. Only Aru could keep him in check.

Speaking of her 'womb-mate', her twin sister, where was Aru?

Pari automatically searched for her sister when her mother said, "Aru is sleeping in that bedroom, beta. You get ready first then we will wake her up too, ok?"

Pari showed her toothy grin and said, "Ok." She knew her twin sister and her habit of sleeping till late hours. And most times she would go and sleep in her mamma-dada's bed. Simply because, she would freak out if their pet dog Teddy came to sniff her while she was sleeping.

By the time Khushi brushed her teeth, helped her with her morning routine and bathed her, Teddy was indeed waiting for her to come out. And as soon as Khushi and she emerged out of the bathroom with her wrapped in a cute pink towel with various fruits printed on it, Teddy woofed excitedly telling her to get clothed fast so they can play! Thankfully this was the month of May, which meant no school- even one with the teachers coming home to teach her.