And That Day

Part -7

And That Day...

Part- 7

Aashi was standing a bit away, near that chair, still engaged in looking at the air. Akshat heard some noises; it was of Aashi, talking happily all alone. He thought that maybe his thought of Aashi having some imaginary friends was the only fact. He stood up and went near her. Mishika was silently inspecting everything, trying not to create more chaos.

Akshat keep on standing behind Aashi, saying nothing, inspecting what his daughter was speaking. But then Aashi turned to look at him after some minutes.

"Dad..."

"Hmm..."

"Grandma is saying that you have lost some weight."

"Really? And what more does grandma says." He said while bending on his knees to face Aashi properly.

"Wait let me talk to her."

Aashi was engaged again in the talking session with the air. Akshat was clueless on seeing his daughter that way. He remembered the pale face of hers, some hours back and now this transition, what happened in just some hours. He looked at Mishika who was looking everything from distance.

"She says that your habit of sleeping with the lights on is really funny."

Akshat was listening to her silently. And then Aashi burst into a heavy laughter.

"Why are you laughing?"

"Grandma gave the reason for your habit, that you saw a spider when you were young and when it disappeared you were more scared."

Akshat was bewildered on hearing that. He lost his balance and tripped on the floor. This was a very dusty memory back in his mind, which he surely didn't share with Aashi.

"Did.... Did you tell her that?" He asked Mishika.

Mishika moved her head, showing a negative response. Mishika came forward and helped Akshat to stand on his feet.

"I told you na. There is something wrong." Mishika said and buried her head in Akshat's chest.

"Ssshh, don't cry."

"Mom, grandma is asking why you are crying." Aashi said while turning her face to her parents.

The chair started moving to and fro. Akshat spontaneously understood the reason. The chair moved to and fro when his mother was in between of a small nap. To their surprise as the chair started moving Aashi too stopped looking at that chair. She quietly moved ahead and sat on the sofa.

Akshat and Mishika were standing at the same place, completely frozen.

"Mom dad, come here, let her sleep." Aashi said in a hushed tone.

Mishika and Akshat were not able to take their eyes off from the chair but they moved away from that place. They sat near Aashi and saw that bewitching smile on their daughter's face. They were dying to see that face of hers but today when she smiled, it took away the normality of her parents. They decided to be in one room until morning. They didn't eat anything but fed Aashi with some quick snacks because things were scary for them, which was not allowing them to eat but not for Aashi.

***

The next morning seemed very fresh. Aashi was awake before her parents and was standing in the balcony, waving at the air. When Akshat's sleep broke, he shook Mishika.

"Mishika... Mishika... wake up... where is Aashi?"

Mishika touched the empty side of the bed and turned her vision here and there to find Aashi. Finally they saw her in the balcony.

They were standing still, waiting for their daughter to tell whom she is waving at.

"Mom, dad, bid goodbye to grandma, she is going." Aashi said and raised the hands of Akshat and Mishika in order to make them wave to the air.

They both were looking at each other, helplessly.

"Where is grandma going?" Akshat asked while still waving.

"She is going up in the sky, look, there she is."

"Why she is going?"

"She came to meet me." Aashi said cheerfully and hopped inside the room.

Akshat and Mishika followed her, having so many queries in their minds.

"When will she return Aashi?"

"Never. She is gone now. And she wants me to be like before, otherwise she will cry." Aashi said with a big smile transformed to a puppy dog face when she mentioned about her grandma's cry....

*** THE END ***

And that's how with a gust of wind some unbroken bonds were finally united. The endless wait for someone after their death was over. The unexplained goodbyes are hard and for a 7 year old girl like Aashi, they are dreadful and thus she experienced the never forgettable experience of getting her grandma after the sudden death of her, by herself. And that day things changed in that house forever and ever....

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