Social Short Story – PARI HOON MAIN
Photo Credit: www.cepolina.com
Maa…. I want to fly high like those little birds. I want to play with that colorful ring that appears across the blue sky…. Will I be able to do that ever Maa?
You will…my little Pari…you will…
Those pampering words would always give me the hope of flying out of the nest one day, fluttering through that colorful ring, gliding with the wind, and disappear across the horizon.
*****
Maa was everything for me. Her arms were like the huge wings of an eagle forming an impenetrable shield around me. May it be chilly winters, blistering summers, the heavy rains or any nightmare; her arms were the safest abode for me.
We resided in an area that was always overcrowded. Silence would only prevail if you could lock up yourself into the airtight room where Maa and I lived in. There was scarcely any fancy decor in our room. I had nothing to play with or pass my time. The only companion for me when Maa used to leave for work was the small window like opening in our room. I would stand hours over the bed, peeping through the window and watching the hustle and bustle of the outside world. As the time used to pass by, I would often get lost into a world where I was a carefree bird, flying over the high mountains, the seas, the lakes, the evergreen forests, making its own way, doing things in its way.
An aunt used to keep a watch over me while Maa was at work. She was a middle-aged, sturdy woman, always dressed in a sparkling saree. Round the clock, she had make-up on her face and a highly fragrant flower garland tied to her hair bun. At times, she used to yell at me at her high-pitched voice if I would defy. I hated her. The only thing that interested me in her was that she had a cell phone that would lend any message from Maa. Most of the women in our building were akin to her.
Maa was different. She was a flawless beauty. Her slight curly hairs, broad pear shaped eyes, chiseled nose, rosy pink lips and a well-toned body could make any man irresistible. After a long and tiresome day or night of work when she would return home, I used to hug her tightly with my little arms around her neck. The adorable smile and the sweet motherly fragrance of her body would calm down all the commotion inside me that would built up in her absence.
But there were often terrifying nights for me, when Maa used to return with a brutal wound on her face or hand or even vicious nail cuts on her shoulders. Out of excruciating pain, anger and helplessness she would cry aloud holding me around her chest. Seeing tears on my eyes and feeling my quivering cold body, she would then relentlessly kiss on my face and hands. I used to wipe out tears from her red-hot cheeks with my tiny fingers and say….
Maa….We will fly high….fly away across that horizon one day….
Years of lonely long days and horrifying nights passed away. I had now the courage to counteract against that awful aunt. I was into my adolescence. Maa seemed a bit more stressed and tensed during those days. As if she was standing at the edge of a cliff and anytime someone could push her from behind.
So one fine day evading the stringent watch of the aunt, I ran after Maa to her work place. I kept an eye over her, hiding behind a car parked opposite to the building. I was literally panting. She climbed up the narrow stairs hastily and went inside a room in the first floor. I retraced her. Muddling through the wicked stares and malicious taunts, I went upstairs. An obnoxious aroma was prevailing inside the building. I could faintly hear the yelling and moaning voices surfacing out of the other rooms of the floor. I peeped through the windowpane of the room that Maa went inside. My hands and feet went numb by the sight. A ferocious woman was grabbing my Maa’s hairs and slapping her mercilessly and a stout man with a dreaded look was standing beside her, pointing a gun at Maa. Being baffled, with trembling feet and tears in my eyes, I crashed through the door. There was silence for a moment.
Maa screamed out aloud, ‘Run Pari…Run…Before they catch you!’
I heard only one gun shot after that. Tattered with emotions, I ran hard. I ran hard until I could fly past the horizon….
*****
Maa your little Pari can now fly high like those birds, fluttering over the blue canvas with their colorful feathers. I wish we could have done it together. But I feel your presence in every soothing breeze that help me to glide gallantly in the sky.
Miss You Maa….
__END__
