BURIED LIVING: A Cup of Short Stories

On the edge of a street

Her eyes were caught up on the shopkeepers who were shuttering the shops. Dark face, still filled with amity. Glowing eyes. Slightly brown curly hair tied with a piece of rope. She turned her head towards her mother who was sitting next to her setting their carry-bag as a pillow.
She, the mother, gazed her daughter. Dark face filled with depression. Eyelids hanging down in hopelessness. Slightly fat body, with an empty stomach. Old and slightly torn saree wrapped her body which hasn't had a bath for the last few days. She smiled at her. Pale smile, but containing consolation. The girl smiled back. Pleasant smile from the valleys of hope and joy.
The lady stroked her fingers gently over her head and brought the head towards her to loosen the rope. She chanted in herself while she re-tied it firmly: This will be the last time that I will be tying this for you.
She didn't say that to the girl. If said, she-the girl- won't sleep that night. The lady's eyes became wet. The girl didn't notice the light from a car that passed through shining through the wetness, as her thoughts were caught up on the sound of the train which passed through the railway line a few blocks away.
The girl leaned against the lady. The lady's hands encompassed her body like a shield. The girl's botherings stood out of the hands, in thirst to overcome the barrier- the hands. She felt asleep. The lady laid the girl next to her and rested her body down to sleep.

Hours passed. The night slept. The sun and moon exchanged their positions. The chirping of the birds opened the girl's eyes. She was not bothered about the shopkeepers who were de-shuttering the shops. There was a serious thing for her to worry - her mother. She was not there. The girl circled around with her eyes. She shivered in consternation. Breathing accelerated. Eyeballs ran all over the eyes. She wanted to run afar and search for her. But, the lady's words of restriction fenced the area. Slowly, her breathing retarded. Eyes started to gain a focus. Shivering stopped.
She observed people running towards the railway line, as if to encircle and witness something grave. She wanted to know what was there. But her legs lacked the power to bear her body; rather her mind's weight. She sat there down. Two streams of water divided her cheeks.
She listened to a conversation between two people near to her that was about the incident that took place on the rail. A lady in an old saree lies dead hit by a train. She is a bit fatty. It is suspected to be a suicide.

She couldn't bear the news. Her heart over weighted in grief.

"Why are you crying, dear?" She asked from behind.
She turned her head towards the sound. Her eyes opened wide. Lips pursed.
"For not seeing me, uh?"
The girl hugged tight her mother. The lady removed the rope from her hair and put a hair tie to it. The girl touched it with one hand and smiled at her mother.

She always hated tying her hair with rope. The mother smiled in joy of fulfilling her daughter's desire of a long-time.