Under the moonlight

• 𝐒𝐚𝐟𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐬

'Year 2016,
The phone rang, one summer evening.

Hello Karishma Singh, we are sorry to inform you that your father was shot dead during PoK attack

These words, so casually spoken by a stranger as if singing a reverie, snatched away everything from me.

Everything I was, everything I had, lay shattered in front of me. My limbs felt numb, and lungs felt heavy. I tried to breathe, but I couldnt. It felt like somebody was choking my neck.

My breathes were getting uneven and shabby. Darkness prevailing infront of my eyes.

"Kashi.. " faint voices reached my ears. "Breathe, try to breathe" somebody rubbed my palms, but I couldnt follow the instructions.

I continuously felt somebody was choking my throat, weighing me down. Soon, the world ahead of me drowned into darkness.

Karishma opened her eyes with a jerk, inhaling deep breathes. The first thing she saw was the ceiling. A few seconds after she calmed down, she heard some voice.

"One..."

"Two...'

"Thr..three..." Haseena was counting the number of squats she did.

Karishma looked at her with squinted eyes "Aap savere savere mere room se exercise kar rahi hai?" 

"Ji, hum Ammi se subah subah gussa hoke aa gaye. Arey, hume jeans nahi fit ho rahi thi to unhone hume mota bol diya. Aisa koi karta hai kya" she whined like a baby.

But Karishma had no energy to respond, she was drained because of the nightmare. Haseena noticed her pale face and asked if everything was ok. She remained silent, and opened her whatsapp and started typing something. Then shutting her phone down she went away to the washroom.

Haseena knew she had a bad dream so she let Karishme be in her space. With just a light knock on the bathroom door she reminded Karishma that they had to go for lunch at Vyom's place.

Because of the constant uneasiness she felt, Haseena couldnt stop herself from opening Karishma's whatsapp. When she opened it, what she read broke her heart. There she knew that Karishma was still not out of her trauma.

It was still deep embedded in her heart.

Tears ran down her cheeks which she quickly covered as soon as Karishma came out of the room.

Few hours later Karishma and Haseena dressed up in light comfy clothes for the lunch party next door. They rang the doorbell and Santu opened the door.

"Hieeee!" she sang, and proceeded to hug Karishma and Haseena.

Haseena treated her with a warm smile while Karishma tried her best to put up a wide smile but she was still shaken due to the nightmare.

Cheetah too greeted them. "I made tea for you Haseena Ji"

"Thankyou" Haseena said with a smile.

"And me?" Karishma pouted, shrugging off the nightmare and anxiety it caused and trying to fit in.

"Um.. Aapke liye Vyom has made special 'coffee' " Santu said with a smirk.

Haseena fake coughed slightly trying to tease her further. By then, Vyom came out of the kitchen wearing a brown vest and an apron on it. He had a cup in his hand which he was beating raw coffee in for Karishma, and in the other hand he held a spatula.

"Hey!" he said huffing.

Santu and Haseena stiffled a laugh looking at him. He was indeed looking funny, with messy hair falling on his forehead, and crumbs of biscuits and flour all over his clothes.