The Forbidden One

Prologue

The morning Sun was still playing peek-a-boo with the clouds and the veil of the snow, that was making the roads almost invisible, slowly began to fade. The grasshoppers were busy drinking the droplets of dew as their morning drink and the air began to fill with the faint smell of strong Shimla Tea. The melodious voice of Lata Mangeshkar coming from the national radio was competing with the chirping sounds of the early birds.

Ajeeb Dastan hai yeh...

Kahan shuru... Kahan khatam...

Yeh manjile hai kaun si...

Na woh samaj sake na hum....

Pinky Sharma began to sing along with the voice of Lata Mangeshkar as she poured the Tea in the white porcelain cups.

"Pinky, where is my morning tea... " Shakti Sharma's voice came.

Shaking her head, Pinky carried the two tea cups towards the Porch, where her husband Shakti was sitting on the bamboo chair with his almost greying head dipped in the newspaper. He raised his head as he got a whiff of the tea, smiling lightly adjusting his spectacles as he raised his hand to grab the tea cup from the tray his wife was holding in her hands.

"It still has the same taste and thickness even after the years. The manufacturer really was maintaining good standards." Shakti said taking a sip from his tea cup a satisfactory smile forming on his face along the smile lines.

"That credit goes to me, it's me, who has been preparing tea for you every morning in the way you like. Not because of that manufacturer." Pinky said annoyed making Shakti chuckle.

"I know darling, it tastes divine because there is some magic in your hands. I was just trying to annoy you. In which I got successful." Shakti said as he winked at Pinky making her blush and hit his arm at the same time.

"Shameless, stop flirting with me. You are not some teenage boy to tease and annoy the girls, not to forget you are a father now. Keep that in mind,Old man." Pinky said in a mocking tone.

"Ahh... Don't remind me of my age," Shakti said feigning hurt, "it's just a number. I am still young at heart, Sweetheart. Unlike you, I am a cool dad to my cute daughter." Shakti said proudly and before Pinky can say anything he stood from the chair keeping his tea cup on the table.

"I am going to wake up my princess." Shakti announced as he moved inside the home.

In the house, there layed a innocent and cute looking Gauri, sleeping on the fluffy bed covered with pink bedsheet, tangled in soft white duvet while hugging her favourite Teddy.
Her face looking calm and peaceful, her breathes even, indicating that she's still wandering in the dreamland of her own.

Shakti watched his sleeping daughter leaning against the door frame of her peach colored room.

"What are you doing here, without waking her up? " Pinky asked coming near Shakti.

"Shh... Don't make noise. My daughter's still sleeping." Shakti said silencing Pinky.

"She is my daughter also and she was getting late for her college. Let me wake her up." Pinky said moving inside Gauri's room.

"Don't." Shakti said as he pulled Pinky back holding her hand. "How are you even having a heart to wake her up. Look, how cute and peaceful my daughter is looking when she was sleeping." Shakti said in adoration.

"Shakti ji, stop spoiling her with your pampering. She has to go to college, if not you and me then her gang is going to come over to wake her up in a few minutes." Pinky said looking at Shakti and as on cue, the noise of bike honks are heard and followed by loud noises making Gauri to wake up startled.