mahir and aastha entered gauri’s pink and white room only to find their little sister in baby pink pjamas and holding her big white toy unicorn. she had some fairytale board game out and there was a blue dog and a purple teddy bear surrounding it.
gauri: accha, i did my go. now tolu (blue dog) your turn.
she goes to tolu’s side and rolls the dice, moving the counter.
aastha whispering: should we stop her?
mahir whispering: nah it’s cute.
they smile as she moved to the purple teddy bear and then back to her side, rolling the dice continuously.
mahir whispering: i think she should sleep now.
aastha whispering: good idea.
they go behind gauri as she moves a counter.
mahir: you haven’t slept yet?
gauri turned to mahir and then aastha, giving an innocent look.
gauri: i was but then tolu and tinu (teddy bear) wanted to play a game. i said no, sleep time but then fluffy (white unicorn) said ‘gauri chalo let’s play with them, besides all day i at school’ so i agreed.
aastha: accha…well it is time for everyone to sleep.
gauri: no. i no want to sleep.
mahir: you know aastha, i was planning to go to that donut shop after school tomorrow. i know you are busy with your friends so i planned to take gauri but seeing she won’t sleep, i guess i will take a friend over. you know a friend who is a girl and very beautiful.
gauri: no! we had deal! no girlfriend!
mahir: then sleep then no girlfriends. and if you sleep, you can have any donut you like.
gauri: okie!
she goes in her bed and mahir and aastha lay either side of her.
gauri: bhauya, didi, story.
aastha: oh so our baby gauri wants to listen to a story?
gauri nods happily.
mahir: fine then. so once upon a time there was a princess who lived with a monster. that monster was very mean to the princess.
aastha: but one day three fairies came into her life and gave her many reasons to smile.
mahir: and soon she left that monster because she wanted to give the fairies a happy life and she wanted to be forever happy.
gauri sleepily: princess ki naam kya hai?
aastha and mahir looked at each other knowing they couldn’t tell the truth.
aastha: we don’t know, we only heard of this princess’s story but naam nahi.
gauri: oh okie.
she sleeps as both aashta-mahir kiss her forehead.
soon they left and went to mahir’s room.
3 hours later:
11:45pm:
aliya was in the kitchen, quickly making chai. soon she was done but as she put something back up on one shelf, she knocked the jar of sugar opened and as of that, some sprinkled its way into the chai. as soon as aliya saw this happen, she quickly found the lid and closed the jar tightly.
aliya: shit yaar! today again i have to face his slaps.
just then she heard the door open and then closed with a loud bang. she heard her name being called aloud by a strong male voice.
aliya under her breath: shit!
voice: do i need to pay for food here?! where is my food?!?
aliya: coming!
she picks the food plate up and goes to the living room giving it to rohan.
rohan: thanks.
as he started to eat it, he turned the TV on and kept it on full volume. mahir and aastha saw this as they were peeking through the door.
aastha: he is going to wake up gauri.
mahir: her senses are switched off when she is asleep so that’s not a problem but i am more worried about mum.
aastha: same yaar
aliya: voh,…voh rohan, gauri is sleeping so is it….alright if you can turn the volume down…please?
rohan: gauri who?
aliya: your youngest daughter.
rohan: oh her! look aliya, this house was brought by my money, i work hard all day long coming home at very late so i think i deserve to watch TV.
aliya just nods in fear.
rohan: chai please.
aliya cursed her fate as she simply nodded. she went to the kitchen and gave rohan the chai hoping to live. he took a sip only to spit the chai in his mouth at aliya and then throw the cup on the floor. he stood up and twisted her wrist as he kept his hand on her mouth, preventing her from screaming in pain but her complexion was ashen. her natural fair skin sunk in tone to something so lifeless. she closed her eyes as the pain was such.
rohan whispering to her ear angrily: next time you serve me chai with so much sugar, I will kill you!
he throws her on the floor and leaves the house locking the door so loudly as she cried.
aastha and mahir quickly rushed to aliya and hugged her tight.
mahir: mum rono maat please. don’t ruin your pretty face by crying.
aastha: and don’t cry because of that man. he is not worth your tears.
aliya kept silent as tears simply rolled down her cheeks.
the next day:
the kids came back from school – well from their earlier activities after school- to a very quiet house.
gauri: no milk?
mahir: do you really want plain milk?
aastha: haan gauri. plain yucky milk.
mahir: besides you already had a milkshake at the donut shop aur voh bhi chocolate! so what’s the point of plain milk?
gauri: i want plain milk. me and mummy watch salman khan and eat cookies if i have plain milk.
aastha: really?
gauri: haan.
mahir: if salman khan and cookies is the case then clean your room and then have plain milk.
gauri: but my room clean.
aastha: your board game is still out.
mahir: aur tolu and tinu want to go back in their shelves with their other friends.
gauri: oh good point. i go and tidy.
mahir: good girl. jaldi go.
gauri happily skips to her room as mahri and aastha go to search for aliya.
eventually they found her in the guest room, just sitting on the bed staring into space. mahir and aastha went into the room and saw that aliya had a black eye. mahir and aastha didn’t need to guess even once to know who gave her a black eye.
aastha: when will you leave him mama? he abuses you everyday and you….
mahir completing her sentence: and you bear it silently. how can you live with such a monster?
aliya: AASTHA, MAHIR! STAY IN YOUR LIMITS! HE IS YOUR FATHER!
mahir: father my foot!
aastha: the day i considered him my father is the day i die!! and let’s be real that will never happen because the first one to die here will be him! blo*dy f**king loser. only knows how to beat up people. think the whole world revolves around him! why did you not just listen to your father?!
just then a tight slap landed her face.
aliya: DO NOT TALK THIS SHIT AASTHA! HE IS YOUR FATHER FINAL! ONE DAY YOU HAVE TO COME TO TERMS THAT HE IS YOUR FATHER!
this scene was viewed by a pair of eyes, gauri’s eyes.
gauri in mind: mummy slap my didi? bad mummy! i no live with mummy if she slaps.
she goes to the door and finds the keys. using her clever brain, she opened the door leaving the keys in the keyhole and left the house.
…
gauri: i wish i bought a toy along. tolu like a little walk outside. uff! why i leave in hurry? i got no money. poor me. ek kam karo, i go to park! haan park! park is fun.
she goes to the park and goes on a swing. just then she fell off it and cried. a man saw this and rushed to her.
precap: gauri and the man…
so guys, sorry for a boring chapter. in my defense, some idiot deleted the earlier chapter.