Ok, so this was my ArShi story, which is now complete but dont go searching for the ArShi version as I have shifted that to blogš And I am not going to give the link to my blog š Till I complete this one that isš³. And as I have all parts ready and after giving it little rajasthani touch and some changes, I will be updating one part daily and it will complete in 8 days. It will be little different from the ArShi version as Paro and Khushi are poles apart and there will be little changes in the story line too. It's nothing related to RR , its set in alternate universe. Hope that you all like it and I get to read your views.
Happy Reading!
Part 1
She ran, her heart slapping mercilessly against her chest, making it painful to draw breathe. The chilly night wind hitting her skin like thousand needles. Her legs hurt.But she can't stop. She can't. Clutching her precious thing close to her chest, she ran, as fast as her hurting legs allowed her. She turned to look back, wiping the tears that were blurring her vision. They have lost track of her, otherwise there's no way she could have escaped them. Finding some relief washing over her, she desperately searched for some place where she could hide. She can't run now, her legs were hurting.
A wooden cart rested against a rectangular steel stall. She ran towards the wooden cart leaning against the steel wall, she curled herself in a smallest position possible, the cart helping her to hide. She shivered, the cold wind hitting her skin making her aware of her torn clothes. A fresh batch of tears flooded her eyes and flowed down her cheek. She wiped her tears harshly. She will not cry. She needs to be strong. Strong for herself... strong for her.
She sat there, her heart thudding in fear. Looping herself in the smallest position possible, she sat there, hidden between the cart and the wall. She hugged the tiny figure close to her chest. The tears flooded her eyes once again as uncontrollable silent sobs wrecked her body. She sat there, sobbing on her fate.
"Ahhh.." her hand fled to her mouth, trying to muffle the panicked cry. Big round eyes, filled with fat tears lifted to look at the figure which slumped on the ground in front of her .She shrieked back, her heart thudding painfully in fear. She huddled in a farthest corner.
The figure lying on the ground lifted his blood red eyes to look in front of him through his blurry vision. He stared at her, lifting his head from the ground. And after few seconds of staring, he again kept his head on the ground.
"Hmmm...roaming alone in this scary night ...on this scary road" his inebriated voice reached her ears. "Not good ... not good ..." He tried to shake his head.
She looked at him, the fear gripping every tiny cell of her body. She wandered her eyes in all direction, looking for some escape. And she was about to get up but was stopped. She looked down in her arms.
"Amma..."
She again sat there.
"What ...What happened, dear?" She asked.
"Amma... .. I am hungry..."
She hugged her baby, the tears taking their course again.
"I... I know baby... I will... I..." She choked; the pain in her heart grew tenfold.
"Hungry...?"
She looked ahead at the man lying in front of her.
"Come..."
He tried to get up on his wobbly legs, stumbling multiple times in the process.
"No!!!" She shrieked, cuddling her daughter close to her chest.
"Come come. ... I. ...I will not harm. ..." he tried to keep his drooping head straight, too drunk.
She shook her head..
"Come. ... I am better than other monsters roaming here ..."
She looked at him. He was not in his senses, too drunk. And she needs some shelter, she can't stay here all night. And if he tried to do something inappropriate then she can fight him, he is too gone to fight her. Satisfied that it will be a safe bet, she got up, embracing her daughter close to her chest.
The man turned around.
"Follow me. ... don't lose the track... you might get lost here. ... so just. ...just. ... follow me..."
She followed him, listening to his incoherent blabbering. Fear again clouded her as she saw him entering the woods. Should she follow him? What if.. ... what if he tries to do something...? She looked at her both side, the empty roads stood proud, scaring her. They will find her, she needs a place to hide. It's better to follow him, she is running anyways. And if he did anything wrong then she can ran, at least this man can't catch her, she thought looking at his state.
And so she followed him.
He pushed the loose wooden door of his cottage open and entered inside.
"Come ... " he said.
She followed him.
"Amma... who is he?"
She looked down at her daughter.
"I... I don't know, Meera. " She replied to her daughter.
"Amma ... I am hungry..."
Before she can reply to her daughter, she heard the man speak.
"Hungry ... she is hungry... Hmmm... I will see..." He carried his wobbly legs to the left corner of the cottage, the small kitchen settled in the corner.
She saw him going towards a small fridge. He opened the fridge and bent down, looking inside the fridge. Taking a milk packet, he stood straight. She saw him moving towards the small platform where the stove was kept. He was searching for something, maybe some leftover food, but got none.
"I...I have nothing here..." the man turned to look at her.
But before she can say anything, he again came up with something.
"Wait ... I will make something..."
And she saw him opening a steel container covered with a lid with his trembling hands. Taking the container, he poured the milk in it and taking out a plastic bag, he removed something and put in the container. And as she paid a close inspection, she saw what it was. It was sugar.
"Amma...?"
Meera muttered in an annoyed voice, irritated by the sleep and the hunger.
She patted her daughter and sat in one corner, looking at the man as he stirred the mixture with a spoon.
"Here ...take this ..." The man came and sat in front of her.
He stared in front of him, blinking his eyes many times to keep it focused. And as he kept staring at the two figure in front of him, he saw two almond shaped hazel eyes lifted to look at him. The two eyes stared at him innocently before wriggling away from that woman's lap and sat in front of him. He lifted the spoon to her.
"What is it?"
He heard her ask in her tiny voice.
"I...I don't know ... Milk, rice and sugar ... eat..." he held the spoon and soon saw her open her tiny mouth. He fed her the mixture with the spoon. Probably the morsel is too big for her tiny mouth, he thought as he saw her chubby cheeks moving as she chewed the food.
"Feed Amma too... She is also hungry ..." He looked at her tiny arms pointing at the woman sitting in the corner. He lifted the spoon towards her, without thinking much.
"No...I am not hungry ... Meera , I am not hungry... You eat... " She replied.
"Eat na Amma, you are hungry ..." Meera stood on her two tiny feet and catching the stranger's hand, she took the spoon towards her mother.
She opened her mouth, her eyes filling again.
He fed her and was about to pull his hand back when he saw two drop of tears falling on the back of his palm. Keeping the spoon in the container, he wiped it against his trouser.
Meera smiled at the stranger as he finished feeding her the last morsel.
"Thank you for the meal..." She smiled.
The man nodded his head and tried to get up but lost his balance in the process and fell flat on the wooden floor.
Meera cried panicked and ran towards him.
"What happened? Get up ... get up..." she patted his cheek, but he was already asleep.
"Meera, he is sleeping. Come here..."
Meera looked at her mother and walked towards her.
"Is he sleeping?" Meera asked as she settled in her mother's arm.
"Yes, he is sleeping. You too sleep.." She patted her daughter's head.
Meera stared at the stranger lying in front of her.
"Amma, he must be feeling cold.." Meera again wriggled out of her mother's arm and ran towards the small bed in the right corner of cottage. She took two pillows and again ran towards her mother.
"This is for Amma and Meera.." she kept one pillow beside her mother and then ran towards the stranger. "This is for him.." keeping the pillow near his head, she sat beside him. Lifting his head with great difficulty, too heavy for her, she kept his head on the pillow. Satisfied by her work, she again ran towards the bed. Catching the covers with her hand she pulled it and kept on the ground. And then catching hold of the bedsheet, she pulled it too. Taking both the things, she ran towards the stranger. She took the blanket and covered him. And then taking the bedsheet, she ran towards her mother.
"And this is for Amma and Meera..." she smiled sweetly and laid down, keeping her head on the pillow and pulled the bedsheet over her and her mother. "Good night, Amma." Meera closed her eyes, hugging her mother's waist and buried her face in her tummy.
She smile at her daughter and ran her hand on her silky soft hair. Sleep? Sleep will not come to her even if she tried to.
Index
Hope you all enjoyed it! Do share your views and if you have not read the Note above, please have a read :)
Shivi..