The Noble Daughter

Varsha was a cute nine-year-old girl. She studied in the fourth grade and was good at her studies. She was well mannered and soft-spoken. She was loved by her parents, teachers and all her friends. But, her parents noticed one change in her behavior since the past few months which worried them. Varsha started asking for a lot of pocket money from her parents. Earlier, she used to be happy with a hundred rupees every week. But, now she used to regularly ask them for fifty rupees or hundred rupees every other day. Since she was good at studies, her parents did not refuse her the money initially. But, when she kept doing the same thing for a couple of months her parents started worrying. They feared that their sweet child might have fallen into some bad company.

They tried asking Varsha why she needed so much money. So, she reminded her parents that they had told her to spend the money wisely. So, she was doing the same and she asked them to trust her. Since Varsha was a young child her parents did not want to confront her or probe more details from her. But, at the same time, they also wanted to make sure that their child was not doing something wrong.  So, they discussed amongst themselves and came up with a small plan.

Next morning, Varsha's mom packed her lunch box and school bag and her dad dropped her to her bus stop. That day, Varsha's mom took leave from her office. She went to Varsha's school and met with her school teacher Miss Shantha. She told Miss Shantha about Varsha's money spending habit. Miss Shantha said that she was not aware of Varsha's bad habit and promised her mom that she would keep track of it.

After Varsha's mom had left, Miss Shantha approached Ananya who was Varsha's best friend and asked her to meet her in the staff room during the lunch break. Ananya came to the staff room during the lunch break and met Miss Shantha. Miss Shantha asked Ananya to sit down. She then asked her why Varsha had been spending so much money off late. Was she into some bad habit? Ananya became silent for a moment after hearing this and lowered her head. Miss Shantha had a strict temperament and she scolded Ananya for holding back details about her friend's bad habit. Ananya finally spoke. She told Miss Shantha that Varsha was a very good girl. She said that her friend had been spending the money on a very noble cause.

Miss Shantha became curious and asked Ananya to continue. Ananya said that their classmate Rakesh's father recently passed away in a car accident. Rakesh was from a poor middle-class family and his mom was a homemaker. His dad was the sole breadwinner for the family. After he passed away, it became very difficult for his mom to sustain their livelihood. Even though Rakesh was a bright student but his mom could no longer afford to pay his school fees. So, finally, she had decided to pull Rakesh from his studies and ask him to go to work.

Rakesh told his classmates during the recess that he would be leaving school that week. After hearing this,  everyone became very sad. It was Varsha who cried the most since she had studied with Rakesh since the Montessori. She promised Rakesh that she would not let him leave the school. From that day, Varsha started saving her pocket money. She stopped spending anything on snacks. But, when she realized that all her savings were not sufficient to pay her friend's school fees she started borrowing more money from her parents. Finally, at the end of the month, she was able to save enough money to pay for Rakesh's school fees. She has been doing this for the past two months. Ananya started crying after saying this and begged Miss Shantha to not punish Varsha.

Miss Shantha was left speechless. She hugged Ananya and consoled the child. She promised her that she would not punish Varsha. But, she also requested Ananya to not tell Varsha anything about their conversation. Ananya promised her teacher that she would not disclose details of their conversation to anyone and left. That evening, Miss Shantha went to Varsha's house. Varsha was very happy that her teacher was accompanying her to home. She was very fond of Miss Shantha. When Miss Shantha, came to her home, she ran to the kitchen to fetch some chocolate cake and lemonade for her teacher.

Miss Shantha sat down on the sofa with her mother. Miss Shantha narrated the entire story to her mother. When Varsha returned with the lemonade and cake she saw that her mother was crying. Her mother ran and hugged her daughter and kissed her forehead. She said that Varsha had made her so proud. Varsha was a little confused and asked her mom what had happened. Her mom said nothing and asked her to give the cake to her teacher. Her teacher smiled at her. She had the cake and lemonade and took leave of them.

Next morning, Varsha's mom and dad went to the school and met the principal Mr. DeMelo. They told the principal that they wanted to take care of Rakesh's school education. Mr. DeMelo said that Miss Shantha had already informed him about Varsha's nice act. He appreciated her parents for helping Rakesh. That day, the Principal called Varsha on the assembly stage and praised her for her kind gesture and good moral conduct. Varsha thanked the principal and requested him to open a charity box in the school for funding the education of children who were not from very affluent backgrounds. Mr. DeMelo promised her that they would start this noble initiative very soon. Varsha's parents felt very proud for having such a noble daughter.

The End

Where is Blooming Street?

This is the second part of the Mystery Series "Blooming Street Warning". To read the first part please click this link Blooming Street Warning.

As the lady uttered the words "Blooming Street" my head started to spin. The warning from my last night's dream rang in my ears "Stay away from Blooming Street". My face turned pale and I just looked on at the lady dumbfounded. The lady sensed that something was wrong and asked me,"Is there a problem? Are you alright? I could rent out a cab if you are going elsewhere". As she spoke, I came out of my trance and answered,"No, don't get me wrong. Where exactly is this place, er, Blooming Street? I have never heard of this place before." "Oh, don't worry, it is about five miles from here. I'll guide you." So, I turned the ignition and started driving the car.

As I was driving, I realized that I had not asked the lady's name. "What's your name?", I asked. "Selene" she answered in a low tone. My heart beat started to increase and cold sweat trickled slowly from my forehead. I wondered if I was still dreaming. I pinched my arm to check if all this was real. The pain I experienced assured me that this was actually happening. It seemed that there was a strong message in my dream. I just could not read it yet. But, whatever it was, clearly told me to stay away from the Blooming Street. I wondered if I should just stop the car, drop the lady and just turn around. But, the good Samaritan in me just wanted to do the right thing by dropping the lady safely to her destination.

"So, Selene, why were those men after you?" I asked her regaining my composure. "I had taken a lift from these men. But, they waylaid me and started demanding money from me. When I refused, they started attacking me. You came at the right time and saved my life." She said the last sentence with a great sense of gratitude. I was proud of myself for doing a noble act by saving her. "So, do you stay in Blooming Street?" I asked her curiously. "No, I just work there". We chatted casually for some time and I remembered all of a sudden that I had forgotten to inform Jimmy that I would not be able to go to the movie. I picked up my phone and dialed his number. The phone rang for some time and the call went to his voice mail. So, I just left a message for him saying that I would not be able to go to the movie and told him that I would explain all the details to him later.

Selene was guiding the route to me and after about twenty minutes we were able to reach our destination. The street was deserted. It had few old houses. Selene asked me to drop her in front of an old-fashioned building. The name "Opera House" was painted in bold letters in front of the building. "So, you work here? Are you an actress?", I asked Selene. "Yes, you are right. I work in the drama company. Would you like to come inside and take a look?" she offered to me. I always wanted to see a drama rehearsal and readily accepted her offer.

We entered the Opera House. It was huge from the inside. It did not seem so big from the outside. I stood for a moment marveling at the beautiful architecture. The huge white pillars and the carpeted red floors thrilled me. A rose scent filled the air. There seemed like there was some magic in the air and I was feeling light and blessed to be walking in this beautiful building. The roof of the building was very high and was covered by a huge black dome. Black wallpaper covered the walls. In the distance, I saw a person waving to Selene. Selene waved back to the man.

We soon approached the man. Selene ran and kissed the man. The man was tall and handsome. He looked at me curiously and said,"Hello. Are you a friend of Selene?". Before I could answer him, Selene interrupted and told him how I had saved her life. The man came over to me and thanked me profusely. "Thanks for saving my girlfriend. But, I wonder what you are doing in this lonely part of the city?".  I told him how I was going for my date with Jimmy and had to take a diversion owing to the heavy rains last night. Selene said that Rocky was her boyfriend and also the producer of the drama. The rest of the actors were in the makeup room waiting for her. She excused herself and asked me to wait in the audience section.

I went and sat in the audience chairs. After about fifteen minutes, the curtains opened to reveal Selene sitting on a couch in a pretty white dress. She was having coffee and speaking to someone on her phone. Suddenly, a masked man came from behind her and grabbed her mouth. She struggled furiously. But, at last, she died. The acting was so real that I felt really terrified. The masked man left quietly and Selene remained motionless. I clapped. But, even after two minutes when she did not move, I sensed that something was wrong. I ran to the stage and checked her pulse. I stood frozen when I realized that Selene was actually dead.

To be continued

A Queen's Love

Marie Edward was the Queen of the great kingdom of Victory Land. The kingdom had been ruled by the Edward house for almost five centuries. They had vastly been unchallenged for the last hundred years or so. Marie's husband was King George Edward. He was a noble, brave and a kind King. He was a just ruler and was loved by all his subjects. It seemed to the subjects that Marie and George were made for each other. They thought that they were an exemplary couple who had been married happily for ten years. But, things were not quite as good between the two of them as it seemed to others.

Marie and George had been in deep love at one time. But, as their marriage became older, George started to misbehave with his wife. He began to take her for granted and started neglecting her. Marie had been the only daughter of her parents and she was used to a lot of pampering. Even after her marriage, George had made her feel very special for the first few years. But, somehow after Marie gave birth to two beautiful twin children - John and Rosie, her husband started losing interest in her. Marie was also occupied in taking care of her children and somehow the distance between her and George started increasing.

George now started to take more interest in the Kingdom's affairs. He was keen on expanding his Kingdom's territories to the new world beyond the great seas. He commissioned great craftsman from across the world to help him build a powerful Navy so that he could send out his armies to fight and conquer the new world. He also commissioned scientists to build new and powerful weapons. George became so engrossed in all these activities that he completely neglected his wife and his children. Poor Marie had to cope up with the upbringing of her children all alone. She felt sad and lonely all the time. Sometimes, when no one was looking, she used to cry her heart out and remember the beautiful days from her Past when her husband still loved her.

One evening, when Marie was taking a stroll in the garden, she saw someone which made her heart skip a beat. It was her childhood friend Shaun Brave. Shaun's father was consular in her father's court. They used to play together as children. They used to pretend to be husband and wife and hoped to get married one day. But, when they grew up, Marie was married to George and she never again heard about Shaun. Marie was curious and she approached Shaun. Shaun bowed to Marie and greeted her with all the respect which a Queen commanded. The Queen reciprocated and greeted him likewise. Marie asked Shaun what work had brought him to such a faraway land. Shaun said that he had come to the Victory Land to discuss the battle plans with the King. Marie was completely unaware that George had even dragged her father's kingdom into his battle plans. Shaun said that he had an appointment with the King and took leave from her.

Marie could not help thinking about Shaun the whole night. She wondered as to how her life might have been if she had married Shaun instead of George. She thought that she would have lived comfortably in her father's land and Shaun would have kept her happy for the love of his life. She cursed George for marrying her and neglecting her. She wanted to teach her husband a lesson. She came up with an idea to take her revenge.

The next morning she invited Shaun for tea. She talked with him about their childhood days. She learned that Shaun had become a Minister in her father's court. He had married a beautiful Lady and had three children with her. Shaun said that his wife was very loyal to him and that he loved her deeply. Marie said that she felt very happy for him. She gave him some presents for his wife and children. She also gave him a sealed letter and asked him to hand it over only to her father and no one else. The seal on the letter was of her father's kingdom. Shaun promised her that he would protect the letter at the cost of his own life. Marie smiled and wished him farewell for his return journey.

After Shaun departed, Queen Marie hurried to King George and told him that Shaun had betrayed them and was fleeing the kingdom with a state secret. She said that he must stop Shaun at any cost. She told him that he carried a letter of utmost importance with him and it must be recovered at any cost. King George immediately sent out a unit of his cavalry to apprehend Shaun. 

As Shaun was on his way back, King George's horsemen stopped his cavalcade and asked him to hand over the letter. Shaun told them that the letter was meant only for his King and he was sworn to protect it. The King's soldiers forced themselves on him and Shaun was forced to draw out his sword. A small battle took place between Shaun's men and King George's men. King George's men were larger in number and were also very well trained. Soon, they killed most of Shaun's men and imprisoned him along with few of his remaining men.

Shaun was dragged to the King's court. King George asked him why he had betrayed him. Shaun said that he was just following his duty as he had sworn to protect the letter. The letter was handed over to the King. The King ordered the seal to be broken and demanded the letter to be handed over to him. As the King read the letter, he wiped the sweat from his brow. He fell on his throne. After some time he regained his composure and ordered Shaun and his remaining men to be released immediately. He also handed over some Gold and some expensive gifts to Shaun and asked to him to forget about what had happened. Shaun was a bit confused but bowed to the King and swore that no one would come to know of what had happened. He took his leave and left for his kingdom.

After Shaun had left, King George hurried to his Queen's chambers. He got upset with his Queen and threw the letter at her in anger and demanded to know the meaning of all this drama. Marie picked up the blank letter and said that she wanted to seek his attention. She said that the King had become so busy with his Kingdom's affairs that he was no longer paying any attention to her. So, she had handed over a blank letter to Shaun and had asked him to hand it over to her father. Next, she tricked her husband by saying that Shaun had betrayed him and was fleeing with an important secret. She knew that if her father had come to know that George had killed his men then he would not support him in his battle. She also told him that if ever she was harmed in any way her father would never forgive George. So, she asked George to mend his ways and give her more attention. George was left flabbergasted with his wife's trickery. He also realized that he had no other option. So, he sought forgiveness from his wife and promised to love her once again. As for Marie, she knew that her husband would have to keep his promise at the peril of his own kingdom. She smiled once again and hugged her husband.

The End 

The Painting

Sally Adams was a writer in a Children's Magazine and worked from her apartment in Manhattan. Her apartment was in a high rise in the posh locality of Chelsea. The high rise had ten floors and each floor had four apartments. She stayed in apartment 220 on the second floor of the building. The remaining three apartments on her floor were owned by a popular television actress called Elizabeth Styles. The actress was out of the city most of the time for her television shoots and very rarely spent more than a couple of days in her apartments. So, essentially Sally had the second floor to herself. She enjoyed the quiet atmosphere of her floor which helped her to write peacefully.

One evening, Sally was busy writing in her room, when she heard the lift door open on her floor. The housekeeping staff had already left and as she was not expecting any visitors. So, she thought that maybe Elizabeth had returned from her television shooting. She did not want to look nosy by going out and saying, “Hi". But, she was curious nonetheless and peeped out of the door eye. She was surprised when she did not see anybody on her floor. She looked hard and suddenly out of nowhere a lady's face stared back at her. Sally got afraid and she fell back in fear. She heard the person knock on her door. Sally was thinking whether to open the door when she heard the person say, “Hi! I am Lizzie's cousin. Do you mind if I have a coffee with you?” 

Sally thought she was being foolish and got up to open her door. She opened the door and invited Elizabeth's cousin inside. Elizabeth's cousin was a stunner. She was tall, slim and had very beautiful blue eyes. Her black hair was cut short and she wore a knee-length black color skirt and a silver top. Sally couldn't help admiring her and said,"Wow! You are so beautiful." "Gee! Thanks! By the way, my name's Alice" the lady said smiling and shook hands with Sally. Sally prepared coffee and the two of them sat down on the sofa. Sally asked Alice if she had come to visit her cousin. Alice answered that her cousin was out of town and she had come to Manhattan on a modeling assignment. Since her cousin was away, she had asked Alice to stay in her apartment till her modeling assignment was completed. Alice said that her modeling assignment would get over in a couple of weeks. Sally was glad that she had a wonderful new neighbor like Alice.

The two of them got along very well. They would go out jogging in the morning and would have also had dinner together. Alice usually came over to Sally's place and the two of them would talk for hours together. During their conversations, Sally came to know from Alice that Elizabeth had gone to Dubai for a new movie assignment and would not be returning for another couple of months. Alice also mentioned that her modeling assignment was almost done so she would be returning back to Los Angeles the coming Sunday. So, Alice wanted to throw a party for her friends before she returned home. She invited Sally for the party.

Sally rarely went to any parties. But, she did not want to disappoint Alice. So, she agreed. The party was on a Friday evening. Sally put on a beautiful red dress and gold earrings and went to Alice's apartment. She had never been to her apartment before. The apartment was beautiful and big. Elizabeth had combined her three apartments to make one big apartment. It was beautifully furnished and Sally just could not take her eyes off the beautiful chandeliers. Alice showed her around the house and introduced Sally to her friends. Alice showed her a painting in the drawing room and told her that it was worth One Million dollars which made Sally's jaw drop in awe. Alice said that Elizabeth had received the painting as a gift from her rapper boyfriend on her last birthday. Alice told that her cousin had installed a world-class burglar alarm system to protect it. She said that only her sister's fingerprints and a secret pin code could deactivate the alarm. After the party, Sally thanked Alice for the wonderful evening and took her leave.

Once, Sally returned to her apartment she could not help thinking about that expensive painting. Sally thought if she had a million dollars she could clear all her debts and live the rest of her days enjoying on a remote Caribbean Island. She thought about the painting for the entire night. The next morning, she came up with a plan. She decided to steal the painting. Alice had informed her that she was flying back on Sunday, so she invited Alice to her place for dinner on Saturday evening. When Alice came to her place for dinner, she laced Alice's drink with a drug. After Alice fell unconscious, she took the house keys from her purse and went to her apartment. She opened the door and quietly sneaked into the drawing room. In the drawing room, she saw the painting. She took out her camera and took few pictures of the painting. She took out a tape and took measurements of the painting and its frame. She then took out soap from her purse and pressed the key for getting an imprint. She then closed the door and returned to her room.

She waited patiently for Alice to wake up. Alice woke up after a couple of hours with a heavy head. Sally told her that she had a bit too much wine and helped her to return to her apartment. The next day Alice returned back to Los Angeles and Sally once again had the second floor to herself. Sally got a duplicate key made out of the soap imprint and also got a life-size replica of the painting done with a similar frame. She bought a few microphones and spy cameras and installed them in various places in Elizabeth's house using the duplicate keys.

Now, she waited for Elizabeth to return. Elizabeth returned to her apartment after about couple of weeks. Sally could monitor her every activity from her computer. She recorded her every activity and checked if she could get some clue about the secret pin code. One evening, she finally got what she was wishing for. Elizabeth had called some people from the art gallery to curate the painting. She entered the secret six-digit pin code and pressed her index finger to deactivate the two-stage alarm system. Sally recorded the sequence using her spy camera.

A few days later, Elizabeth left for her television shooting. Sally sneaked into her apartment that night and managed to collect her index fingerprint from a wine glass. She imprinted the finger scan on a sheet of plastic and used it to deactivate the alarm. She then cleverly replaced the fake replica painting and once again reactivated the alarm. She took the original painting and hung it in her apartment. A few days later, she managed to sell the painting in the black market for about 800,000 dollars using a fake identity. She sold off her apartment to Elizabeth for 400,000 dollars who was glad that she owned the entire floor now. Sally bought a small property on the Caribbean Islands and spent the rest of her days writing peacefully and sipping red wine. As for Elizabeth, she still thinks that she owns a million dollar painting.

The End

The Cottage Girl

Dinesh was an eight years old boy. His dad worked in a Bank and had recently been transferred to the hill station of Ooty in the southern part of India. Ooty was a quiet place compared to the hustle bustle of his old city Delhi. His new school The National Public School in Ooty was about five kilometers from his house. Dinesh pedaled his bicycle every day to his school. He enjoyed riding his bike feeling the cool breeze of the Nilgiri trees and Silver wood trees on his face. He had never seen a more picturesque place in his life. He had been to the hill station of Manali in the northern part of the country when he was a kid. But, he had no memory of it now. Dinesh used to leave for school every morning sharp at 7 A.M. and reach school by 7.30 A.M. In the evening, his school would leave at 4 P.M. and he would be home by 4.30 P.M.

One day, when he was returning from school, it started raining very heavily. Since he was already midway, he decided to take shelter somewhere till the rain stopped. He spotted a small cottage nearby and headed towards it. The cottage was built on the side of a tea estate. Dinesh parked his bike near a rosewood tree and knocked on the wooden door of the cottage. Dinesh heard the sound of wood creaking inside as a person moved on the wooden floor to open the door for him. The door was opened by a young girl. Her black curly hair was untied and she asked in shy tone,"Who are you?". "It is raining heavily, can I please take shelter in your house till the rain stops?". "Alright, but remove your shoes outside".

Dinesh went inside. The cottage was quite small compared to the bungalow that he stayed in. But, the cottage was very neat and everything was in its place. It was quite opposite to his house where he always created a litter everywhere and never found anything in its place. "Will you take some tea?", the young girl asked him. "Sure, thanks". Dinesh sat down on the floor mat as there were no chairs in the house. The young girl went to a small corner in the house to prepare tea for him. There was only one separate room in the house covered by a curtain. Dinesh thought that it must be the bathroom. The young girl brought tea for him in an earthen pot. Dinesh sipped the tea and exclaimed,"Wow, that's the best tea I ever had." The young girl smiled shyly and said,"Thanks".

Dinesh realized that he had not even asked her name till then. "What is your name?". "Radha", the girl answered meekly. "Radha, which grade do you study in?", Dinesh asked her curiously. Radha looked at him with a sadness which betrayed her pain and said,"I do not go to school." Dinesh suddenly realized that he had asked her the wrong question. Seeing her living condition, he sensed that she must be from a very poor background. He said in a sober tone,"I am sorry Radha. I did not mean to hurt your feelings." "It is not your fault that I am poor. It is my fate and I have accepted it." The tone of her voice reflected the deep pain and anguish that she experienced. Dinesh was just a boy but he was sensitive and he understood her pain. He looked out of the window and saw that the rain had stopped. He got up and picked his school bag. As he went to open the door, he turned back and said,"Would you like to be my friend?". Radha did not say anything but smiled in her reply. Dinesh took her smile as a "Yes".

The next evening, there was a knock on Radha's door again. She was surprised that Dinesh had returned once again. She saw that he had parked his bike near the rosewood tree. "Hello, Radha, can I come in?". She opened the door. He quickly opened his bag and took out some books and pencils and handed it over to Radha. "What is all this?", she asked with excitement. "This is all for you." "But, I don't know how to read or write." "I will teach you," Dinesh answered firmly. Every day, after his school Dinesh would go to Radha's house to teach her. After a couple of years, his Dad got transferred to Delhi again. He told goodbye to Radha with a heavy heart. The two kids hugged each other and cried as they said goodbye.

Many years later, when Dinesh became a young man of twenty-five years, he came to Ooty with his friends on a vacation. He had forgotten all about his childhood friend and only faintly remembered that he had once stayed in Ooty when he was a kid. His friends had hired a jeep and they were driving on the hill station. Unfortunately, there was a mudslide and their jeep met with an accident. One of his friends who was driving the jeep had suffered some major injuries while he and his other friends were lucky enough to have suffered only a few minor bruises. Dinesh and his friends rushed their friend to a nearby hospital. Their friend was taken to the Emergency Ward and the doctor diagnosed that his hand was broken and a surgery had to be performed immediately. After about three hours, the surgery got over. A lady doctor came outside and told them that the surgery was successful and their friend would be discharged in a couple of days time. Dinesh went ahead to thank the doctor. As he said,"Thanks, Doctor." The doctor stared at him for a moment and exclaimed,"Is it you Dinesh?". Dinesh seemed confused. "How do you know my name?". "Don't you remember me? I am Radha," the doctor answered excitedly. After a while, a bell rang as he recollected his childhood and exclaimed,"My god, Radha, how are you?". "I am great. I am a Doctor now. I have no words to thank you," saying she hugged her old friend in tears. The two friends went out to a cafe and shared their life's journey with each other. After dating for a few months, the two friends decided to tie the knot.

By now, you must be wondering who am I? I am Dinesh's mother and Radha is my daughter-in-law. When Dinesh returned that evening from Radha's house, he was a changed boy. He wanted to help her but did not know how. So, I told him to teach her after school every day. I also arranged for her school expenses and sponsored her education. I requested the school authorities to tell Radha that they were sponsoring her education. I did not disclose this matter to Dinesh as I did not want him to feel that he was doing a favor to his friend. Also, I did not want Radha to know about this matter as I did not want to hurt her self-esteem. But, even I had no idea that life would take this unexpected turn to reunite the two childhood friends once again and then bond them for their entire life.

The End

The Woman on the Train

Every day, I would take a train from St. Frank Anthony station to Terry Cross station to reach my office. I boarded the train at 7.45 A.M. every morning. The train journey was one hour long. At 8 AM the train would arrive at the Serra Veronica station.

Every day, I looked forward to this moment. A woman boarded the train from this station. She preferred to travel in the first coach everyday like me. She had beautiful round eyes and tied her hair in a long ponytail. She was fair and had a slender figure. She was of medium height and walked elegantly. She carried herself with grace and looked charming in her office outfits. She looked around thirty years in age. She always sat down near one of the seats near the coach entrance. I made sure to sit on the other side of the coach where I could see her.

I had been observing this woman for the last one year. I did not know who she was. We would both get down at the last station. I would walk to the platform where I saw her climbing the stairs. I would follow her to the exit. I would walk fast to catch up with her and as we exited the station, for a few moments, we would walk together.

It seemed as though time stopped in its tracks during those few moments. Everything would appear to move very slowly around me. I could smell her perfume. It had a sweet fragrance like a rose. As she exited the station she would walk towards the bus stop. I would rent a bicycle and ride it to my office.

As I pedaled past her, I felt a strange feeling. This feeling represented hope. The hope of seeing this lovely woman every morning. I often wondered if she ever noticed me.

I wasn't the sort of guy who could just walk to a stranger and start a conversation. I lacked the courage. So, I just observed her every day. Seeing her would make my day. If she did not come on any day, I would feel restless. I felt scared thinking what would happen if she stopped coming one fine day.

I wondered if I was in love with this woman. But, I questioned my intellect wondering that how could I just fall in love with a stranger whom I knew nothing about. But, the feeling I experienced when she was around me was something unique. Seeing her would bring joy to me. She was like a rose in the garden. Seeing her every day would add joy to my otherwise dull life. So, I continued my life in this manner for almost a year.

About a month back, my fears were realized when the woman stopped coming on the train. I thought the first couple of days that she might have been sick. When she did not come for an entire week, I thought she must have gone off on a vacation. I thought that she might be returning the next week.

But, when she did not come for two more days, I became anxious. I wondered what had happened to her. Now, I cursed myself for not introducing myself to her. Only if I had her phone number, I would just call and check if she was alright.

I was stupid enough to not even know her name. How was I going to find her? I just wanted to make sure she was alright. I thought that there were other possibilities as well. Maybe, she had quit her job. Maybe she had got married and moved to another city. Or maybe her office timings had changed and she had decided to take another train.

The third possibility struck me as more likely to me. I decided to check this theory the following day. I took the train at 6.45 A.M., a good one hour before my regular train time and got down at the Serra Veronica station from which the girl boarded her train every morning. I stood at the side of the platform checking every new passenger.

There was a train every ten minutes. So, there could be five other trains between 6.45 A.M. and 7.45 A.M which she could have boarded. I stood patiently scanning every passenger's face. Already three trains had departed but there was no sign of the woman. I had begun to think that maybe I was wrong. That maybe she had quit her job or moved somewhere else, otherwise, she might have turned up by now.

As I was just thinking about this new possibility, I saw a familiar face in the crowd. It was the girl. My heart skipped a beat. My face became red and a smile of content spread on my lips. I moved across the wave of passengers. As I walked towards the girl, the train came and there was a rush of people to board the train. I lost her in the melee. But, I saw that she had boarded the train. I was glad that I had found her again.

I thought that when I got down at the last stop, I would walk up to her and introduce myself. I did not want to lose her again. I began to rehearse in mind what I would be saying to her. Should I introduce myself casually or seem more professional? Should I tell her that I have been observing her since the last one year? What if she thought that I was stalking her? What if she thought that I was a weirdo?

As the train arrived at the last station, I was a little nervous. But, I was determined at the same time to meet her. I had made up my mind to talk to her. So, as soon as the train stopped and the passengers got out, I walked briskly towards the girl. As we neared to the platform steps, I approached the girl and said, "Excuse me, Miss, can I talk to you for a couple of minutes?".

The girl turned around stunned. I guess she recognized me. But, she obliged me by saying "Yes, sure". Now, as I looked into her eyes, I panicked. I did not know what to say to her. So, I decided to tell her the truth. "You used to take the 8 A.M. train every day. I hope you recognize me. I used to travel in the same coach with you every day. I was a little worried when I saw that you stopped coming. I hope everything is fine."

I hoped that she would not regard me as an idiot. She looked astonished for a moment. But, she replied softly,"I am touched by your concern. I remember seeing you on the train as well. I used to take the train to my office every day after dropping my son at his school. My son's school timings have changed and it opens half an hour earlier now, so I started taking the train a bit early since the last week."

As she mentioned the word "Son" I felt that I should not have been following her like this. I felt embarrassed thinking that she might have sensed that I had been observing her so much all this time. "I am very sorry to bother you like this. I am glad you are alright." I excused myself and started walking towards the platform stairs. I was happy that the woman was safe. As I was climbing the stairs, I heard her call out to me,"Hi Mister, please stop."

I turned back to see her climbing the stairs in a hurry. Catching her breath, she asked,"What's your name?". I told her my name was Sam Orwell. I once again felt like a stupid person to not have introduced myself. I apologized to her for not having introduced myself earlier. I asked her,"What is your name?". She answered that her name was Sandra Rocks. She then asked me if I had some time to have breakfast together. I felt obliged and agreed immediately. We went to a cafe just outside the station.

Once in the cafe, we ordered our breakfast and sat down at a side table. When I was sitting with her, there was an odd sense of familiarity between us. I did not once feel that I was sitting with a stranger. We started a casual conversation. She asked me about my job and work. I told her that I was an Accountant and that I worked for a private firm. She said that she was an English teacher and she taught English for the college undergraduates.

She asked me if I was married. I answered that I was not. She said that she was a single mother. Her husband had left her some years back for some other woman. I felt sorry for her. We exchanged our phone numbers and she said that she would be coming catching the 8 A.M. train again from tomorrow. After breakfast, we took the same train to reach our offices.

At the exit, we exchanged goodbyes. As I pedaled past her that day, I felt a sense of happiness which I had never experienced before. This time I was sure of the feeling. It was indeed loved.

The End

The Foster Mother

The boy had big dreams. He often told me that one day when he will become rich, he would take me on an airplane. He would make a paper plane and hold it in his hand he would circle around me and make a nasal sound he would say,"Whoosh! Kaki, I am the Captain of Air India. Welcome Aboard! Ice-cream and biscuits will be served shortly, Whoosh!".

"Hari, will you stop making so much noise, boy. I can't sleep," I would say to him seeming annoyed. But, on the inside I loved him. I felt so happy when Hari was around. For a moment, I would forget about all my sorrows. I was the foster mother of Hari.

Hari was an eight-year-old boy. He was short for his age and had dark sunburnt skin. His clothes were ragged and his curly hair was disheveled. But, his eyes sparkled with mischief and there was always a grin on his face. I had found him about six years back abandoned on the temple steps. A small baby cuddled in a white blanket.

I heard the baby cry and took him in my arms. The baby became quiet when I held him. His small innocent eyes stared at me. And, then the baby smiled which made my heart melt. I looked around and checked with the temple priest. We searched for the parents of the baby for many days. But, we could not find them. So, I requested the Priest to allow me to keep the baby. The Priest thought for a while and seeing that there was no better option he handed over the baby to me. But, I guessed that he secretly wondered how a poor widow who owned a small tea stall could take care of the baby.

I earned enough only to earn two times meal for me every day. But, after Hari came to my life, I knew that this much money would not be enough to feed the both of us. So, I pawned my two gold bangles at the old jewelry shop near the temple and got enough money to feed the two of us for the next few months. I started taking household work like cleaning houses, washing utensils and gardening which also fetched me some extra money. I also did odd jobs at the temple which also got me some money.

After Hari became six years old, I decided to send him to a school. With my odd jobs, I was able to make just enough money needed to feed the two of us. I did not know how I would afford the school fees. I talked with the temple Priest and he talked with the temple Trust people. They gave me some money to take care of Hari's school fees. I felt a gratitude for them beyond any measure. My boy would finally go to school. He would learn and if everything went well he would be able to study till the tenth class and became an electrician or a plumber. If he was lucky, maybe someone would hire him as a Peon in a big company.

It was two years since Hari was attending school. He was now in the third class. He had already studied more than me. I had managed to study only till the second class when my parents had decided to pull me away from school. They did not find any reason why girls should be educated more. So, they made me do all sorts of household chores and when I turned sixteen years old, I was married off.

My husband was a forty-year-old man who had two children already. His wife had died while delivering their second child. For some time, my husband took good care of me. He took me to the cinema and shopping. But, after one year of our marriage, he started beating me and abusing me. He used to come home drunk every night and beat me.

Once, he beat me up very badly. I had bruised eyes and blue marks from his beatings. That night, I ran from the house. I went to the station and climbed the first train that came to the platform. I did not even know where the train was headed. In the morning, I got down at a village station. The name of the village was Suhana Gaon. 

I did not have any money when I came to the village. I only had two saris with me. I kept walking till my feet could not carry me anymore. I saw a temple nearby. I went and sat in the temple for some time. The Priest saw me and asked where I was from. I lied that I was a widow and my In-Laws had chased me out of the house after my husband's death. The Priest took pity on my condition and gave me shelter in the temple backyard. The temple became my house. I did odd jobs in and around the temple and also managed to open a small tea stall with my meager savings. It was around this time that Hari came into my hands. 

One day, early in the morning, I was selling tea when a big blue car stopped in front of the temple. A woman in a beautiful red and white colored sari stepped out of the car. She was accompanied by a tall and handsome man. From the way the man was holding her hand I sensed that they were husband and wife. The couple went inside the temple. I took no more notice of them and became busy with my work.

After about half an hour, the couple came outside. I saw that the Priest was accompanying them and the three people were walking directly towards me. I became slightly alarmed. I hoped that my Hari had not done any mischief. As the lady came near I saw that her eyes were moist. She had been crying. The Priest addressed me and asked,"Kaki, where is Hari?". From his tone, he looked concerned. I thought that definitely something was amiss and asked him,"Pujari ji, is everything alright? Has my Hari done any mischief again?" saying this I turned to the lady and folded my hands, "Madam, please forgive my son. I will teach him a good lesson today." However, the Priest addressed me and said, "Kaki, no Hari has not done anything this time. These people are looking for him. You see this lady is his real mother. They are here to take Hari to his actual home."

As I heard these words, I could feel the earth trembling beneath my feet. I felt like I was swirling and found it difficult to stand in my place. The vessel of milk spilled from my hand. "How is this possible? Hari was abandoned six years back on these temple steps. How do you know that this lady is his real mother?", I asked sobbing. This time the lady replied,"I was a single mother when I gave birth to this child. I was very afraid of the society. I was afraid that I or my child would not find acceptance in this society. So, due to my fears, I decided to abandon this child. I am very thankful that you took such good care of my child. I will be forever indebted to you. However, please return my child to me. I can't live without him anymore."

I became angry. "Where were you all these years? Did you even care if your child was dead or alive? Why have you come back after all these years? Go away from here, I will not give my child to you."

As I was saying this, I saw Hari returning from his school. When he saw that I was shouting at these people, he came running and jumped into my arms. "What's wrong Kaki, who are these people?" he asked me softly. The lady's husband who was quiet for all this time spoke now. He addressed Hari and said if he would like to go in the big car. He offered him chocolates and biscuits. But, my Hari refused them. He offered to buy him new clothes and toys, but still, my boy refused them. He said,"I will not leave my Kaki. So, just go away".

By this time a lot of people had gathered around us. The husband finally took away his wife and they drove away in their car. I hugged my child tightly. Next day, the Priest came to our house and said, "Kaki, can I have a word with you?". He then told me that the young lady and her husband had lost their only child in a car accident. And, now the lady could no longer bear any more children. He said that if she did not get back Hari then her husband might marry another woman.

When I heard this, I remembered my own plight after my marriage. I could not let another woman suffer the same fate. I thought that I had become selfish in my love for my child. I had not even spared one thought about my boy's future. No matter how hard I worked in life, my boy could never have the same life that these rich people could give him.

I put a stone on my heart and agreed to let go off Hari. The Priest understood my sentiments and remarked,"A mother who raises a child is greater than a mother who gives birth to the child. I bow down in front of you, mother please forgive me".

There were tears in everyone's eyes that day. Hari was shouting and kicking his legs as the couple came and took him away in their car. I waved him goodbye knowing that I had lost him forever. I had once again lost the purpose of my life.

The End