Then — it happened.
A low, angry rumble.
A truck, too large for the narrow street, barreling forward at an impossible speed. Its horn blared like an alarm too late to change anything.
Agni’s eyes snapped from his mother to the approaching metal monster. His throat went dry. He slammed the car horn, his breath caught somewhere between a shout and a scream.
“Maa! MAA!!”
Komal ji turned, her smile faltering — her lips formed his name but no sound came out. She stepped back, one foot lifted in mid-air.
The truck roared closer, tires screeching, but it didn’t stop.
Time stretched and shattered all at once. The world blurred. Agni’s pulse pounded in his ears like war drums. He tried to open his door, his hand fumbling at the handle. But it was too late.
The truck rammed into her — the dull, sickening thud echoing through his bones. The bag of vegetables burst open, tomatoes rolling onto the street like blood-red marbles.
Komal ji’s body crumpled against the road with a softness that didn’t belong in a moment so cruel.
The truck never stopped. Its brake lights flickered once — a taunting heartbeat — then disappeared into the blur of panicked shouts and screeching brakes.
---
Agni was out of the car before his mind could process the horror. He ran — stumbled — dropped to his knees beside her. He lifted her head, his hands trembling so violently he nearly dropped her again.
“Maa… Maa aankhein kholiye. Please… please aankhein kholiye! Main yahin hoon Maa… main yahin hoon!”
His voice cracked, raw and guttural. His uniform badge dug into his ribs but he didn’t feel it. There was only her — his mother — her eyes half-open, glazed with a faraway look he couldn’t reach.
A small crowd formed, but the world was silent in his ears. A man said something about an ambulance. Someone touched Agni’s shoulder — he shrugged them off like they were ghosts.
“Maa… dekhiye na… aapko Diya se daantni hai na? Usne halwa bohot meetha banaya tha kal… maa aankhein kholiye…”
His tears fell unchecked onto her saree. A soft wind blew through, carrying away the last warmth from her cheeks.
---
Meanwhile, at the dance academy, Diya tied her dupatta carefully, humming to herself, her body light with the afterglow of dancing. She texted Agni: “Aap kitna time? Mujhe bahar hi wait karna hoga?”
The phone buzzed but no reply came.
She smiled, shaking her head. “Aap bhi na…”
She stepped out, expecting to see her husband’s car rolling up with its usual, warm predictability. Expecting to go home and hear Komal ji fuss at her for not eating enough after dancing.
She didn’t know — not yet — that somewhere, her husband was sitting in the middle of the road, rocking his mother’s lifeless body, whispering apologies to a woman who would never answer again.
___________________________________________
The house was too quiet.
Diya stepped in, expecting to hear the clatter of Komal ji’s bangles in the kitchen or Agni’s soft voice from their room. But there was nothing — just the mechanical hum of the fridge and the fading echo of the main door clicking shut behind her.
YOU ARE READING
"Ehsaas"~ A Story Of Falling In Love
Romance"For all the girls who crave a love that's gentle in the daylight yet consuming in the dark. The kind of man who holds your hand with warmth, speaks with quiet devotion, and protects you like his own heart-until the door closes. Then, he's all fire...
