Only For Her

He was sitting across the study table, focusing on the words and trying to get some meaning out of them. The room was light dim with only the table lamp on the study table. He looked out of the window, as stars gathered in the horizon with moon sprinkling its peaceful and soft light. Stars blinking. Just the way Ayesha’s eyes blink and the way she makes that adorable puppy face when she asks me for chocolates, he thought to himself. His lips curved and stretched along his face, he shook his head smiling.

Suddenly, he heard a thump on the door. It was from Maa’s room. He closed his eyes quickly and opened again. He looked down at the book trying to focus on the words, which were now flowing around the room and chasing each other, flying everywhere, everywhere…

“What did I do?” Maa’s cries were so loud that he could hear them even from downstairs.

She cried in very hoarse cracking sound.

His heart started racing so fast as if it would come out beating and fall off his chest on to the ground and finally... stop beating... all at once. He shook his head again trying to get off the thoughts.

Yet every heartbeat raised the fear rushing down through his veins throughout the body, raising goose bumps all over his skin. His eyes darkening. As if some dark cloud had took over him. So dark.

He got up from the chair he was sitting on and walked to the door. As soon as he touched the door knob to open the door, one more scream echoed. More loud, in much more cracked voice, making fear run through his veins along with blood, more.

Her voice sounded like she was in pain. Unbearable. He tightened his grip on the knob and shut his eyes tightly. As he opened them, they no more showed his fear but now they spoke of something else. His eyes were heating up, turning red. It was anger. His eyes spilled fire. The unspoken words and unexpressed feelings running out of them continuously…

He thought of Maa. Is she okay? Is she hurt? He thought his mind would explode. He stood there, without moving. For a long time. Just as one more cry from downstairs shook him up and brought back to the reality. In the room he was studying, in the house from where the voices were coming.

The sounds coming from downstairs had not stopped, instead they had increased.

“Ayesha?” He murmured. Loud enough to hear himself.

He opened the door and ran out of the room, downstairs. Even before reaching the end of stairs his eyes were searching for her. He walked into the living room and saw her. Her small figure curled up into a ball on the couch. He walked towards her. He stood beside her, looking and observing her. Just how playful she looked once, he thought. He sat down on his knees and looked up at her face with strains of dried teardrops. Her eyes puffy and red at corners.

She looked scared. Just as much as he was. He wiped a fresh tear with the back of his hand. And threw his arms around her. Hugging her. So tightly wrapped around her as if he were saying ‘It will be okay’ ‘Everything will be alright’. Making her feel safe. In his arms. That he would never let anyone or anything hurt her. She was safe there.

He pulled away and looked at her innocent ‘always-used-to-smiling’ face. She stared at Maa’s room. She was continuously staring in the same direction. The door was slightly open. The screams and shouts were still there. Coming right from there. He stood up gathering all his emotions as his eyes darkened again. Anger…

He walked towards the room and swung open the door without hesitating. Just as he entered he saw Maa lying on the floor beside bed. Her arms, legs, lips, every body part that was visible to his eyes, bruised. Some bruises bleeding, some with a shade of purple-black around them and a few with dried blood stains. A single tear escaped from his eyes as he shut the eyelids to hold back the other tears and prevent them from falling tightening his fist. Crying will make me more weak, he thought.

“Rahul, go back to your room. Go, go now!” Maa tried to scream at him through her already cracked and weak voice. He threw a glance at her as he saw Papa coming in his way…

“Arun, don’t do anything to him. I beg you. Please don’t.” Just as he was about to punch him, he ducked and the punch was missed.

He tightened his fists as he stood straight again. He had had enough. He looked to the right corner of the room. A vase set on the glass table.

“15 YEAR OLD KILLS  FATHER”

“FAMOUS BUSINESSMAN MURDERED!”