New FF : Silken Shadow#1 (New thread Link @ Pg 141) - Page 9

"Assalamu Alaikum Chacha Ji" Geet greeted smiling to a white beard aged man. He was her tutor.

"Waalaikumus-salam Beti"

Geet mannerly walked and have her seat in front him. She opened her notebook and takes out a paper and advanced to him. "Khan Chacha see, I've added few more lines in my song. How's it?" She was very excited to know his thought. When he was studying, Geet eyes was glued on his face to read his expressions. And when she found his lips curved in smile, she grinned in excitement. "

"It's brilliant, wonderful. You did such a good job!"

"Really Chacha Ji, you liked it?" she almost shouted out in happiness.

"What did he liked Geet?" Hearing her loud voice Rano came out putting veil over her head.

"Nothing Maa, just it was.. something .. I"I.." She looked toward Khan for help. Both knew that Rano hated about Geet likeness in writing. It was Rano's fear that what if destiny dragged Geet also in the same path where she wants to keep her away from.

"It nothing Rano Bahan. Just I'd given her a task and she did it very well. So I was appreciating her" Khan interfered.

"Is it? Oh! That's fine" Rano was happy to know Geet doing well in her study. She always had dream to see her daughter highly qualified. It was her dead husband's dream which Rano wanted to fulfil. To make Geet make proud of him. Whenever she used to think about her life, how even been kindred in an honoured family of Lucknow, she was forced living a shameful life. Mainly she was helpless for Geet. Had it been everything normal, Geet would've been living a life of no less than a princess in an esteemed family. But their fate snatched the slightest facility from them.

"Geet Beti won't you make a cup of tea for your Khan Chacha?" Rano wanted to have a small talk with him in alone. Geet nodded. She left and vanished behind sheen white curtains. When Geet left, Rano started the talk in dim voice. "Khan Bhaiya what you think? Will she able to pass the exam? How is she doing in her studies?"

"You need not to take tension Rano Bahan. Our Geet is brilliant in everything and I'm sure, she will reach on top in exam"

Rano smiled in delight. "It's all because of your support Bhaiya that I can see my husband dreams being fulfilled. Otherwise, when I think what I would do in this place, alone, every hair on my body shudders, only with an imagination"

"Why don't you leave this place Rano? You can have better life anywhere else from here."

Rano laughed on this question. "Nothing is hidden from you Khan Bhaiya, how did I landed here with my small daughter" Rano eyes stuck at front wall. She seemed was losing her mind in past. "I can still feel the violence of the night when I was running with Geet to save our lives. My own family wanted to kill us. In this house I found security for me and my child. Even though living in a place of disrepute, it was much better option for me than to let them kill my child and I had to accept destiny written over my palms".

Rano gave a dull stare around house. "That time this house used not to be silent like it is today. It had the best liveliness of city. This used to be the known courtesan of town. This deaf walls used to hear songs of fortune and Sound of anklets every day and night. This world was new for me. The name which was a sin, even to take it out from mouth, today I was a part of it. I witnessed how purity tarnishes here. I have seen how a daughter, honour of a family disgraces before power, for wealth.

"I have heard their hidden sobs of aloofness. I have seen how this society make fun of respect of a woman and how she sings even after losing her honour. I have seen how a girl became woman and then grows older within a few years. I wanted not this same life for my child. I wanted to escape away from here but then I found, this place was not as worse as than the world I've come leaving behind. This place had stain but every dirt which caused the reason of this dirtiness came from outside, from the world which I though, it was mine and was unblemished. Then I decided not to go back. I decided to stay here for lifetime. The landlady of this house was nice. It was her obligation that she never forced me against my will. She always kept me and Geet away from all the works I hated. She loved Geet as of her own child and before departing to God, she gave up her everything on Geet name. Now this is my world Bhaiya. Now only after my death I can be free from this life"

"But you can sell this property and start a new life. Rano Bahan, you've spent your life in compromise but Geet yet has to start it. Therefore, several times I've already told you that I have customer ready for buying this property"

"And why don't you understand Bhaiya that leaving away this place can give chance to murderers, to kill my child. Can you really think that the family which is still hungry for our blood will sit silent? Or would they not know the place where we would hide Bhaiya? And how did you forget about Geet? How did you forget that she has a body of flesh and blood that every time vultures outside sits in wait of her one free glimpse and they can pounce on her? I can't take another risk. I have lost my strength, to once again running in search of a better life. We are alone women, wherever we would go, our fate will not leave us alone. I have been living safe here, and that's enough for me. Yes, I do have worry for Geet, but she has another lines on her hands, different from me and if there would be written something better, she will anyway going to gain better life herself. I have only pray for her nothing else"

"But Rano, don't they have, I mean who is after your life, knowledge about this place?"

Rano face darkened on the question. But she smiled meaningfully. "They know we are here but they can't harm us. Actually they don't need doing anything else to murder us Bhaiya. They know well, their arms could only have slash our body but what life we have right now, our soul is wounded. And till our soul will be bleeding, we'll be forgiven. No better death we can have Bhaiya, to live a cursed life like this. My Geet, I have kept her away from all happiness she should've. I've kept her imprisoned inside this four walls. She doesn't know what she can have risk outside.

"She has made friends of this trees, with this silent walls she talks, clouds and sky, birds and animals and everything which cannot speak, are her family because, I have kept her hidden from humans. She is in my prison Bhaiya which I can't break. Even if how much I wish, I can't release her. No one can understand how my heart pains but I can't do anything. I can't do anything better for my child and I hate myself for this. I can never forgive me" She clutched her mouth in effort of stopping upcoming sobs. She wiped her eyes with corner of cloth, "Geet must be coming. I should go inside" Rano hurried inside pushing curtains off before tears could have rolled down.

Geet standing far, wiped her eyes. She had been hiding behind the curtain. She understood, what life she had been gifted was not sane but more of this, she was upset for mother. Carefully holding the tray she stepped in wearing the same smile she had before leaving. She kept tray on table and started turning pages of book.

##

When darkness deepened inside, brightness grew younger outside. Geet dreams interrupted hearing the chiming of Anklets. The sound of tapping legs on ground, moving on the same rhythm of vibrating tabors. And then she heard vocal of a female, singing love songs wooing her man. Geet sat up at once. Something was happening inside her body. The same used to happen every night. She stood up removing cover from up. She touched feet on ground and her Anklet chimed. "Shhh, don't make sound" She scolded. She picked up lantern and a pen along with notebook, and came out of room. Throughout crossing the corridor she checked if the door of Rano's room was closed and after getting assured she was sleeping, Geet walked toward stairway. She reached up to railing-less terrace. Finding a better corner to sit she blew off dirt from ground and settled down keeping lantern beside. Entire area was shining bright. Geet smiled when cold wind caressed her face. "Don't you think you're being naughtier?" She teased the breeze and in reply it played with her long hairs. "Stop it. Let me hear the song" She pouted. Putting curls behind her ear she smiled and carefully started hearing the song and noted down on paper humming in her sweet vocal.

Even though, how much she used to hate this bounded life, but she actually loved the feel of living between shimmering lights, tapping of instruments and dancing legs, tuning of her own written songs and more of all, she wanted to make world hear her voice. She wanted to dance and sing before the world.