The Pearl Necklace

Part 4

*Ding dong*

It was sharp 8:00 in the morning.

Shumona opened the door. Shahida was standing outside.

"Come Shahida, I was waiting for you. Now make some good breakfast for me, I am very hungry", Shumona said.

Shahida came inside and smiled a yes.

She was looking for Richa. Shahida would come every day at 8 in the morning. When she would come inside, she would find Richa standing near her room, smiling at her. Shahida would smile back and start her day.

But today Richa was not there.

"Madam, has Richa gone somewhere?", Shahida asked Shumona.

"No, she is in her room, sleeping", Shumona replied.

Shahida felt something was wrong. After preparing breakfast and serving it on the dining table, she went into Richa's room. Richa hadn't opened the curtains yet. The room was completely dark. She was sleeping, facing towards the window, her back towards Shahida.

Shahida came inside and opened the curtains. The entire room got brightened up with light. The darkness had vanished in a matter of seconds. It replicated the relationship of Shahida and Richa. Richa's life would be like a closed, dark room without Shahida. But once she came, there was only light.

Shahida turned to Richa. She saw that Richa wasn't sleeping, her eyes were open.

She sat on the bed near her legs. She rolled her hands through her hair. Richa got up and suddenly hugged Shahida. Her arms were probably the only place where Richa felt safe, protected.

Shahida asked, "What is the matter Richa?" She figured something was wrong.

Richa sobbed a bit. She looked towards Shahida with all hope in her eyes and said, "Ammi, Vikram papa..", she started crying before completing the sentence. She sobbed again and then continued, "Vikram papa looks at me inappropriately. He sometimes tries to touch me also, but I push him away. I don't feel safe here anymore. Take me with you Ammi, take me with you", she said. She was crying in Shahidas lap.

Shahida couldn't believe what she said. She was shocked and also scared to know this. She knew that Vikram didn't like Richa, but she didn't know that Vikram was waiting for her daughter to grow older. But Shahida was just a nanny, a maid. Her word will have no value to others. But for Richa, her words were like a mother's words to her daughter.

She held Richa and cupped her hands around her face. She said, "Richa, you are strong and bold. Whenever you think that whatever is happening is not right, always fight, until you win. Never tolerate anything wrong from any person, irrespective of who he is. God is always with you. Never hesitate to defend yourself", she waited for a second and said, "do whatever you need to do, to take down the wrong."

Those last words, 'do whatever you need to do to take down the wrong' were echoing in Richa's head right from the time she ran from that house after hearing the conversation between Vikram and Aruna.

----------------------------------------

Richa was trying to open her eyes. They were paining, it was difficult for her to lift them up. But she tried to open it. She was not able to see anything clearly, everything was blur. She realised that she is not lying on the ground. Instead, she was sitting in a car. She thought she is being taken somewhere. But no, the car wasn't moving. She looked outside through the window. She saw the empty warehouse outside. She realised that the kidnappers have only moved her inside the car, they haven't gone anywhere.

She was able to hear faint voices of Raju and Ashraf talking on the front seats. She closed her eyes for a second. She tilted her head to the left and again started opening her eyes. There was some black familiar-shaped object lying on the seat beside her.