I just came back after a meeting with Cosa Nostra and as I open the main door, stepping into the hall was quiet as always . But something was different today there was faint smell of sandalwood filled the air homely. I loosened my tie, pulling off my blazer as Phantom walked beside me . For my astonishment today no survent came with a glass of water I was about to shout when "Ladoo," a calm voice called out.
I turned and saw Dadi Saa standing near the sofa, with her as usual gentle smile on her face and glass of water in her hands. I walked towards in her direction and she handled me glass .
"When did you come, Dadi Saa?" I asked, throwing the blazer on the couch. I looked at her while drinking water.
She raised an eyebrow. "Kyu, main nahi aa sakti kya?"
(Why, can't I come if I want to?)
With the emotionless face I look at her and sank onto the couch. "It's not that, I was just asking. By the way, did Badi Maa-"
Before I could finish, a soft , cheerful voice came from behind. I turn my head on voice direction to see Badi Maa walking in, adjusting her saree and smiling brightly.
"Aayi hoon, aayi hoon! Main bhi aayi hoon!"
(I'm here, I'm here! I've come too!)
She was always a cheerful person she always loves me soo much and we share a best Bond but after maa's went to coma she became my second mother. But I am not able to do what she wants and I know why she came here this fast my thoughts break with dadi saa voice.
Dadi Saa sighed with a playful smile. "Lo, aa gayi tumhari Badi Maa bhi."
(Here comes your Badi Maa too.)
Dadi Saa smiled warmly, and before saying a word, I bent down to touch her feet then Badi Maa's.
Badi Maa looked at me, half soft, half hurt. She always get hurt after seeing my emotionless,cold face but i can't give her , her old Aru back cause he already died with his di, jiju, little star and papa that night "Aren't you happy to see us, Shaurya? If not, we'll go back right now."
I exhaled softly, straightening up.
"It's not like that," I said, keeping my tone even. "I'm... happy to see you both here."
She folded her arms, eyes softening. "Good. Because that's exactly why we're here to make your darkness and emptiness a little less."
For a second, I didn't know what to say.Darkness and emptiness.
Those two words summed up everything I had left inside me.I forced a small nod, pretending not to feel the sting in my chest. "You shouldn't have bothered."
But Badi Maa just smiled knowing my reactionless face . "We'll bother as long as you're ours, Shaurya."
Their presence filled the cold silence of the mansion faint laughter, soft voices, the sound of belonging I'd forgotten long ago. And still, behind the calm mask I wore, I couldn't help but think...No matter who tried to bring light back into my world it would never be the same again.
Some bulbs never lit up cause they never ment to . Light cannot reach everywhere some corners always remain in darkness because that's their world, and light has no place there. Bringing light to those places would only be wrong.
Dadi Saa was stirring her tea slowly, the faint clinking of the spoon echoing through the silent hall. I was about to move towards my chamber when she said .
"Your Bade Papa will also be coming here in a few days," she said casually, like it was just another piece of news.
I only hummed in response, my eyes were fixed on my watch watching that my time is running and I am getting late for gym but i can't disrespect Dadi Sa.
Then her tone softened.
"Waise, Laddo... humein tumse kuch kehna tha."
"Kahiye," I said quietly. "Kya kehna hai aapko?"
She exchanged a glance with Badi Maa, then looked straight at me. I know very well what she wants to say of course i know they are saying the same thing since last two years.
"Hamne tumhari shaadi tay kar di hai."
For a few seconds, the only sound was the clock ticking on the wall.
I Didn't blink My face remained exactly the same emotionless i know that this gonna happen .
"I'm not interested," I said finally, my voice was low but firm. "In this marriage or anything related to it."
Dadi Saa's gentle eyes hardened, her voice turning sharp with authority.
"Humein tumhari iss baar ek nahi sunni, Shaurya. Maine jo keh diya, bas wahi hoga."
She paused, her tone colder now.
"Aur bhool mat jaana hum abhi bhi tumse umar mein bhi bade hain, aur aude (position) mein bhi."
Her words hit the air like a command not loud, but powerful enough to fill the entire mansion. But it will work on her mansion not my. I said in my cold voice " True But forgetting now I am the one who rules this dark world and without my permission even wall's didn't talk , without my permission u can't fixed my marriage with anyone".
Dadi saa and badi maa looked at me in disbelief but I say the truth and I never feel any kind of guilt. I walked away from there and headed to my gym chamber
"Maa, main college ja rahi hoon!" I shouted, tying my hair into a loose ponytail as I hurried toward the door.
From inside the kitchen came Maa's usual reply, "Dhyaan rakhna!"
"Haan haaaaan," I said, slipping my left foot into one shoe and almost about tripping on the other but at correct moment I take the support of wall . "Bach gayi..." I muttered with a nervous laugh, steadying myself. "Aaj toh auto lena padega... Papa bhi ghar pe nahi hain. Chal Vidhi, camp hai aaj!"
I slung my bag over my shoulder and rushed out, the morning air brushing against my face half chaos, half calm, just like my life. Oh no my life is whole mess . Univers just like to throw me on problem no no problem is small word for what happened in my life . My life half problem happen because of my idiotic brain .
---
Orphanage Campus
(Scene Shift)
The air inside the old orphanage was filled with soft murmurs laughter from one room, quiet crying from another. The walls had seen built with more stories than most people could bear.
We are here because of aur psychology prof she said it's important to know others mental health too so yeah this campaign is for that and we are here for that only.
"By the way, Vidhi," Nandani said, adjusting her filies, "don't you think the kids these days... their mental health is getting worse?"
I nodded, glancing at a small boy sitting alone near the window just looking outside with no reaction. "Yeah... I talked to a few of them earlier. They were scared. Almost like they don't even want to talk about what they've been through."
Before she could respond, my phone buzzed. A message flashed on the screen
'Come to Campus No. 6.'
I sighed, tucking my phone back. "Let's go," I told Nandani , grabbing my notebook and bag . "We've got too many sessions lined up today."
As we walked down the corridor, a few of the kids smiled at me. And just for a moment, I smiled back. Maybe god send most of the broken people in my life cause i have strength to fix them and honestly I like doing this cause sometime what u like to do reflect that u need it in your life too somewhere.
"Laddo," Dadi saa's voice broke through the faint clicking of my keyboard, "humein aaj anath ashram jaana hai... kuch samaan dena hai bachchon ko."
Without looking up from my MacBook, I muttered, "Haan, theek hai, jaiye." My towel was still hanging on my neck .
"Aap bhi chal rahe hain hamare saath," she said firmly.
I finally looked up, with blank emotionless. "I'm not interested, Dadi saa, also-"
"-I don't want to listen to anything," she cut me off sharply. "Aap chal rahe hain. Bas."
I exhaled, leaning back in the chair, the muscles in my jaw tightening. "Fine," I sighed, snapping the laptop shut and jerk the towel off my neck. "Let's go."
---
( Orphanage)
The place smelled faintly of chalk, sanitizer, and something old... like time itself had slowed down here. The walls were cracked, but someone had tried to cover them with bright drawings of sun, flowers, stick figures smiling.
Dadi saa moved among the children with soft eyes and a warm smile, handing them clothes, stationery, toys things that meant little to our world, but everything to theirs. Right now she was looking like maa she always do this same thing when i was kid
I stood behind maa grabbing end of her pallu, and right now i standing hands in my pockets, just watching dadi.My phone buzzed.
"Yeah, Arjun?" I answered, stepping out of the room.
"Bhai, we have to leave for Sicily," Arjun's voice came through, low and efficient. "The construction of the tunnel and the weapons dealing we need your confirmation."
I glanced toward the main gate, lowering my voice. "Hmm. Prepare everything. I'll be there and inform me if Cosa Nostra try to be too clever "
I ended the call and slipped the phone back into my coat pocket. I walked return back toward the hall, when a faint sound caught my attention. Soft, Rhythmic, music carried by the wind.
I stopped. My instincts sharpened I wasn't a man who got curious easily. But there was something about that sound... it wasn't annoying noise but i don't know why i start feeling peace and claim that feeling isn't made for a man like me . My brain should not control by this sound.
My footsteps slowly start following the music direction , every step was echoing against the marble floor of the orphanage corridor. I was following the song direction like a senseless man . It was like a enchantment, and i m following it .
Then I saw a girl through the thin, faded curtain - a shadow. The silhouette of a woman dancing there.
I froze on place, my foot wasn't able to move anymore something tightening in my chest. The way her hands moved, the subtle turn of her form it was art carved out of silence.
Her each and every move feel like a goddess came on earth itself they way her hand were moving my heart beat were increasing with increasing rate . For a man like me who had seen blood spill easier than rain to stop for something so fragile was strange. Unsettling. But I couldn't look away.
Her shadow moved like a whisper I could almost touch, graceful, haunting. And then... it vanished.
The curtain stilled and the sound faded.
I blinked coming back to my senses as the shadow moved away from there . I walked quickly toward the room, but it was empty. No trace of anyone. There was just the faint scent of blackberries,sweet rose & sensual musk lingering in the air.
For a minute that smell hanged my brain my eyes close it's own. As I realised " Damn !"
I opened my eyes ignoring that feeling and turned to leave, as I walked a steps something crunched beneath my shoe. I stepped back looking down and saw a small jhumka glinting faintly against the floor. Silver Delicate . Out of place in this lifeless world.
I crouched, picking it up between my fingers brushing my thumb on the the jhumka. For a moment, I just stared at it the way the light caught its curve, the faint trace of warmth still clinging to it. I didn't know whose it was. I didn't care to ask.
And yet... my hand refused to let it go.And Unconsciously I slipped it into my pocket, the metal cold against my skin.
"Okay, okay!" I raised my hands in surrender, surrounded by a dozen laughing kids who were practically vibrating with excitement. "Fine, I did it! Happy now?"
Their giggles echoed through the orphanage hall as I finished the last few moves of their silly dance dare. My dupatta was half falling off, my hair loose and messy, but their joy that unfiltered, pure laughter made me forget everything else.
A little boy clapped his hands, jumping up and down. "Didi, you dance so funny!"
I gasped dramatically. "Funny? Excuse me, mister, I'll have you know I was trained by YouTube !"
That made them laugh even louder. I couldn't help but laugh with them. Their smiles had that power that they could melt away exhaustion, erase the tiredness that came from carrying too much heart.
"Alright," I said, sitting down on the floor with them, pulling my dupatta back over my shoulder. "Now that I've completed your dare, it's time for mine."
They all leaned in curiously, eyes wide."You promised," I reminded them gently the deal we sign when i agreed to dance . "Now you'll tell me your problems. No more secrets. One by one."
For a second, the laughter faded into soft silence. A few kids exchanged looks, hesitant as if the words were there, but locked behind old fears.
I smiled, reaching forward to ruffle one girl's hair. "It's okay," I said quietly. "You can tell me anything. I won't get angry. Promise."i tapped on her cheeks.
Slowly, like sunlight creeping through clouds, their voices began to emerge one small story after another.
Lost parents. Fears of being forgotten. Dreams of having a home.
And as I listened, something deep in me cracked and glowed all at once. Because even in their brokenness, they still laughed. Still hoped they are more stronger than they know .
I touched my ear absently and froze. My one jhumka was missing.
"Oh no, not again," I muttered under my breath, scanning the ground. "Of course I'd lose something after making a fool of myself." A panic rush in my body
A little boy tugged my dupatta. "Didi, maybe it fall while you were dancing?"
"Maybe," I said, sighing with a smile. "Guess my jhumka also don't like my dance and run away from me . But thanks"
The kids nod and giggled again, and Nandani looked over, amused. "Lost something again?"
"Yeah, my patience," I muttered with a smile, still glancing around. "And maybe a jhumka too."
She laughed. "It's okay, you'll find it. Or maybe it'll find you."
I rolled my eyes. "Ha ha, very funny."
But for some reason, a strange chill ran down my spine like what if, someone already had , ahhh vidhi your imagination is getting wild i think i should stop reading fictions .
I jerk my thoughts, sat cross-legged on the mat, surrounded by a sea of tiny faces some curious, some shy, some trying hard to smile through the cracks life had left behind.
"Okay now," I said, clapping my hands lightly, "deal was a deal, right? I danced like a total fool for your dare... now it's your turn."
The kids exchanged glances, giggling softly. One little girl tried hiding behind another. I leaned forward, resting my chin on my hand. "Hmm... koi toh chupke chupke kuch chupana cha raha hai but agar vo mujhe batayega What's been bothering them ? I'll give them chocolate"
A small voice piped up. "Didi... Raju said no one will ever adopt us because we're big now."
My heart twisted. I looked at the boy sitting beside her eyes down, guilt heavy in them. "Raju," I said softly, "who told you that?"
He shrugged. "People say small kids get adopted. Not big ones."
I reached out, placing a hand on his head. "Listen to me carefully, okay? There's no 'too late' for love. Sometimes it just takes a little longer to find the right people but that doesn't mean it won't happen."
"And if no one loves them you should love yourself cause at the end u will always found you with yourself only "
The room went quiet for a moment. I could see hope flicker in their eyes fragile, but there.Another kid spoke, voice trembling. "Didi... I don't sleep at night. I get scared. I see the fire again."
My throat tightened, but I smiled gently. "It's okay," I whispered. "You're safe here. Nothing can hurt you now. The fire's gone. You won, sweetheart."
He crawled closer, resting his head on my lap. I stroked his hair, eyes stinging. Around me, a few other kids began talking about bullies, nightmares, fears of being forgotten.
Each word felt like a small wound on my heart.
And yet... I listened. Patiently. Because that's all they needed someone to listen without judgment, without rushing, without saying "you'll be fine" and walking away.
"See?" I said softly when they all quieted down again. "It wasn't so hard, was it?"
A few of them smiled, heads nodding.
I grinned. "And you know what? From now on, we're a team, okay? Whenever something scares you you talk to me, not your pillow. Promise?"
They all raised their tiny hands. "Promise!"
I laughed, the sound warm and light. "Good. Now who wants chocolate?"
Half the group shouted "me!" at once, and the room filled with laughter again.
I watched them all these little souls who'd seen too much, hurt too much and yet still found a way to smile.
And deep inside, I made a silent promise. If no one else would fight for them, I would.
_______________________________________
Hope you all enjoy this Chapter
That's it for today
Thanks for reading 🎀 ......
........🌷
Write a comment ...