The Incomparable

Chapter 1. The crucible

He was gone. And, soon, this bedroom, the house in whose eastern corner it sat, and the tiny garden outside with its gnarled old red hibiscus and the half-grown mango tree they had planted together, all those would be gone as well. It was the strangest feeling ever.

She got off her bed, walked down the purple furry carpet. Her feet were cold and her body numb
down, she dragged herself to reach out for the shelf. Opening the third drawer she dug hands deep under the clothes and pulled out a rather small wooden box with leather straps around. It was her treasure box. She unfastened it, slowly, one strap at a time, opened it, and removed the blue tie, and the dried twigs. She manoeuvred her hands though the compass, the little shiny rocks, and the few broken sea shells to reach out for the photo, which laid at the bottom of the box. It was of her and her father, it was taken 8 years ago when she was 7. She pulled it out looked at that photo intently, her father was holding her hands and she was standing on his feet. He was looking at her, she was looking back at him. She turned the picture and it said "I will be there to hold you". She turned it back again and looked at her father's face. She wanted to cry but before she realized it, everything around her turned red, it was happening again.

Anhiti was special. She was special because she couldn't hide her pain, her anger, her frustrations with lies and smiles. She was special because she genuinely cared, when she smiled she meant it. She was special because she had an extra chromosome. Doctors called it the "down syndrome" but her father, Sudheer, had made it clear to her that it made her special.

When she came back to her senses, the lamp which once was on top of the shelf was now down on the floor, broken. The drawer pulled out, with her the clothes scattered everywhere. Her rage took the best of her for this time she didn't have her daddy to pacify her. She didn't like the mess she created, and started ordering things up, just the way she liked it, neat and clean. She reached out for her favourite pair of socks next to the wall. But before she could turn back, she heard a voice. She placed her ear next to the wall.

"But Akshika we need someone professional to take care of her"

"Sumit, we just need to spend more time with her, that's what Sudheer did and now that he is gone we should continue with that, besides we can hardly manage to keep things together with Chintu's and Anjali's school fees, where will you get the money for a therapist?"

"Why do they always have to fight like this, it is noisy" Anhiti thought to herself .
She covered her ears and walked towards the window and looked at the mango tree. And with her dreamy eyes she reminisced those moments she had with her Father.