Conscience

Today is my birthday. So I am happy that I can spent time with cousins. Usually they will all come once in a while for any function or festivals. I got up earlier than usual which made my mom surprised. She kissed and wished me, ” happy birthday dear”.

I said, ” thank you mom”.

Then I saw clock, it was only 6 am. ” oh no, I got up so early” by saying that I went again to sleep.

But my mom asked me to get ready soon, “oh dear, its your birthday, you should get ready soon, you will be going to school today or not?”.

Yeah obviously I’ll go to school today. I don’t want to miss my friends in school and also I wanted to come home soon to meet my cousins. So I planned to bunk in after noon. Dad came and wished me with kisses, so my brother and sister. I had my breakfast and took my bag and say bye to mom and dad.

Its almost 3 pm I couldn’t wait to get out of the van. Usually my class ends at 4.30 pm, today I bunked the afternoon session and was sitting in the library. I was waiting for the van to take over for the primary kids at 2.40 pm. The van stops near my home. I ran towards my home. Everyone surprised me by wishing me happy birthday in chorus with huge strawberry vanilla barbie cake.

I blushed with little embracing. I don’t like attention usually but now I am center of the show. Then I cut the cake.

Everyone gave their presents. My mom gave me a nice barbie doll kit consists of 18 different barbies with makeup kit and their dresses. My uncle and aunt gave me a horse pendant with silver chain and other aunt gave me one pink dress with purple boots. Well, my cousins( they are so cute) gave me barbie watch, sport’s shoe, scrapbook, box of chocolate, minions bank, cutie kitty pen drive, geometry box, and a pair of goggles. My sister and brother both presented me video games. Everyone knows my taste and what I love much. Finally I waited for my dad’s gift, but he didn’t give me. I was little upset. He said, “Mine will take more time to reach my angel, its getting prepared”. I sighed relief.

Dad, uncle, my cousins and me went to park which I am longing for long time. My mom and aunts were stayed at home to prepare some delicious dinner for all of us.

We were playing in every areas we could cover. There were circus, see saw, ping pong, Merry go round, and also my favourite swing. But unfortunately it is not vacant yet from the time we reached here.

I waited along for the chance. ” Hurray” I exclaimed and ran towards the swing. It is vacant now. My cousins didn’t disturb me to take their chance. Its almost getting late, but still it didn’t get dark yet. Its is not usually like that. I planned to stay there for a while. I enjoyed sitting in a swing. The swing was painted blue and almost at my height, so it was easier for me to climb into that. I heard some creaky sound while swinging due to friction between the chains and rod. Suddenly the sound was getting heavier, one side of the chain got broken at once and I am landed on the sand with a hit on my butt and on my left elbow with one side chain hanging on the rod.

My dad and uncle ran towards me, ” Reena are you okay?” Dad asked.

“Did you get hurt any where?” Uncle asked.

” I am okay, nothing much” I said. But I got a hit on my elbow. I didn’t say that to him. We returned home. We are all watching our favourite movie.

But I was thinking the incident happened in the park. I remembered her when my elbow hurts. I remembered her beautiful face and her innocent smile.

Afreen was my childhood friend. She was born with challenge. She was not able to speak. She is only daughter for her parents. Her dad liked her very much but mother instead of giving care to her, she always scold her to be born like that. She will not care much for her. If she cares it will be for the sake of her husband. She used to come to my home to play with me always. She liked me very much. She wanted her hairstyle to be like me. So she signed her dad about this and her hair was interchanged just like me.

For my birthday her mom came and wished me. She also gave me some gift for my birthday. She liked me more than her daughter. She didn’t bring her to the party. She was not proud of her child anytime. So she never accompany her much except her father.

One day we were playing in their house, I am talking to her about something more enthusiastically. We were sitting on the bed. I was moving from the bed backwards while talking without knowing the bed end. She tried to signal me but I was thinking that she was listening and giving sounds for that. But then I came to edge, I fell down from the bed backwards itself with placing my elbow landed directly on the floor. I cried due to pain. Her mother came and took me to my mom and said, ” Don’t allow her to come to my home to play with her, she made your daughter to fall from the bed”.

My mom took me to hospital. There were full of crowd with other serious illnesses. I had an fracture of the left elbow. I was at treatment for few months.

But she used to came to my home even after that. One day while I was studying, she came and asked about school. I asked her whether she wanted to go to school. Her mother told that she was afraid of school. But she was only afraid of thunder and the big glass tank in her house.

Next day I asked about her to my mom, ” did Afreen can go to school mom?”.

” she can go to school with special care” mom said.

” Is there any school near by to our street?” I asked.

” I think there was one at 14 street, she can study there” she answered.

I was happy to hear that and ran to her house to tell that. But it’s locked unusually. I waited for some more time ranging the bell. Its of no use, so I returned back home.

Next day I went to school and asked my mom about her whether she came in search of me after I returned back home. She told that her dad went for an trip, maybe he took her along with him. So I was convinced.

I was doing my homework. Suddenly I heard a noise from somewhere. Mom also heard that and we went and saw where the sound was coming. It was coming from her house. Its not a sound, it was a loud cry. Her father was standing in front of the door and crying vigourosly. We went inside and asked someone inside. They told that shocking news. Afreen was died. She accidentally fell down into the glass tank full of water while her mom was sleeping it seems. I couldn’t believe my ears. She never go near that tank. She was afraid to go that side also. But now, I can’t digest it. Her body had been sent for investigation. I saw some of the fish inside the tank. Now I can understand what happened and how she died. But I don’t know who put the fish in the tank.

Then after 1 day she had been buried. But still we heard the noise in the night. We ran and ask what happened. She saw her daughter sitting in the car and crying. She got panicked and asked her husband to wake up in the night. While we went there, she was explaining about that to him. Her pressure level was increased. Its not good for her baby in the womb. She already 8 months pregnant and was expecting baby in one month or so. After that, she didn’t have any view or appearance of her daughter.

Her second baby was born. She was normal until 2 months. Again after her baby born, she started to tell the same story. Day by day, it was increasing. They called doctors to give her shock treatment.

Apparently it made her more insane. Totally she was out of her mind. She tried to kill her second baby itself. So they admitted her in some asylum.

Now I came to know who put the fishes in the tank. It was her. She wantedly put those fishes to kill her. Afreen was fond of fishes. She will always peek into the tank to see the fishes usually. I can guess now, so she leaned over the tank to see the fish clearly, then accidentally slipped into the tank. I don’t think her daughter was appearing in front of her to take revenge. I wanted to tell this to everybody. But that’s not needed now. Its not her daughter, its her own inner guilty conscience made her insane.

While I was thinking, my dad interrupted me, “Hey dear, see what I have got you”. He closed my eyes and went to the hall where all gathered. I opened my eyes and happy to see huge wooden swing for me. He also got one long iron swing which we kept it portico. I kissed him, ” thank you dad”. This was my best gift ever. We had our delicious dinner our mom made. And then we went to sleep.

Next day morning I woke up early and took bath. I also had breakfast earlier and got ready so soon for everyone’s surprise and ran towards the hall to swing.

–END–

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