Three women. Three secrets. Three tangled lives. One death.
Kahani : My husband has died long back. Leaving a grocery store, a daughter and bills to pay. All I have of my own is my garden.
Ruhani : They taunt me at college. He assaults me at night...
These late, long nights are nightmares. The pain they inflict on me scratches my body. But far more than that, pierces my soul.
Ruhani… people say that I must be a very soulful person, just like my name. Yes, I am; or maybe I was. Now, I’m a soulless person. Just a body. A piece of meat for him to feast upon every night.
The pungent smell of dried blood and raw dettol is hitting the dark room. He has left with his friends for another round of monstrosity. I have to clean all to pretend soulful for the people.
The last drop of dettol is cleaning the long scratch of knife on my left calf. I can see I’m in pain, but I don’t feel the pain anymore. I’m used to it, but I shouldn’t be. Still, I can’t do anything. I’m used to the pain.
***
4:00am
“Madam ji, the roses are fresh and beautiful. Mainly the red ones. And take the jasmine as well. It’s wedding season, so they will sell a lot.” The wholesale seller of Mallick Ghat flower market is busy in earning money.
I also work at a floral shop where flowers are sold to spread happiness, love and positivity. People leave the shop with smiles in their eyes and I leave the shop with dread in my eyes.
The morning market of North Kolkata is yet to be awake from its sleep. I start returning with bags filled with flowers on my scooty. Local newspaper sellers are arriving at various corners to buy today’s newspaper, all wrapped up with warmth of winter clothes. It's becoming difficult to walk today. That bastard!
By the time I reach one of the quiet alleys of College Street, I have seen one or two people on cycle at the main road with occasional trucks filled with stuffs passing away. I stop in front of my work place, like every other morning. My leg is paining. Unloading everything from scooty, I go inside the shop. The bell at the glass door makes its noise cutting the silence. I don’t like it. The silence of the night is comforting. I switch on the lights of the shop. The darkness loses in front of light. What if I also had a switch to on and remove the darkness of my life? Just one click!
“Hahaha!” I know where this sound is coming from. I see her every morning. Is she a stalker? Does she want anything from me? I take a peek. My heart drops for a second. Her dark black eyes staring straight at mine. I pull the chair and decide to take my nap. It’s the only time when I can sleep. But my leg is disturbing me today. A cawing sound is hitting my ears from far away. But I need to sleep, to find some light somewhere in my dark nights.
*** Words : 491
Total words : 1065
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