GOVERNMENT OFFICE, GUJARAT.

"What is the name of the child?" The registrar inquired, staring at the family through his thick-rimmed glasses.

Raghav gently nudged the girl, who sat on Samrat's lap. "Go on, baada. Tell uncle your name."

She looked down, fidgeting with the hem of her dress. A faint scarlet blush appeared on her cheeks as she looked at the registrar. "A... Aarohi. Aarohi Shinde."

Her lips curved into a smile smile. She turned around, hugging Samrat out of embarrassment. The adults laughed as Samrat comforted her.

"Samrat, take her out. Your Aai and I will handle everything." Raghav insisted. "Baada hold your dada's hand and run around."

"Yes, baba." She said softly. Getting off her brother's lap, she dusted and adjusted her frock. Turning around, she held her hand out for Samrat to hold, a smile of anticipation on her lips.

Samrat, dusting his pants, held her hand in a firm yet gentle grip. "Don't let go of my hand. Or else you will get lost."

The girl put her free hand on his palm, holding him tightly. "Don't let me go, dada." She smiled. Hearing the sounds of bells and laughters she turned towards the window.

Her eyes opened wide as she saw the hustle-bustle outside. Samrat's careful nudge on her hand got her attention and she followed him outside.

"So, Mr. and Mrs. Shinde," the registrar turned towards them. "What are your plans for Aarohi? About her education."

"Actually, I will be transferring to another city in a few months. So, Mansi and I decided that Aarohi will go to school after the transfer. Till then, we will teach her at home."

"Okay, and then..." The registrar continued to question them.

"Wow, dada." Aarohi exclaimed, looking everywhere. The tree branches were covered in ribbons, bells and balloons of colour. Everytime the wind rushed by, the bells would chime and draw her attention.

The deeper they went in, the crowded it got. Aarohi frowned. Turning towards Samrat, she put her little arms around his waist and held him tightly.

"Kya hua, baada?" He asked, affectionately.

"Bheed. Aarohi kho gayi toh?" She looked up, her big black eyes filling with tears. "Aarohi ko dada aur aai-baba se alag nahi hona hai."

Patting her head, Samrat lifted her up in his arms. "Abh theek?" He asked with a smile, wiping away her tears. He kissed her cheek lovingly.

She nodded and, putting her arms around his neck, buried her face in the crook of his neck. Samrat smiled, walking around the stalls.

"Baada, woh khaogi?" He asked, his index finger pointed at the object in question. Aarohi's eyes followed his finger, curiosity sparkling in her eyes.

"What is that, dada?" She asked innocently, her interest piqued by the coloured sweet threads of sugar strung around on a smooth and small wooden stick.

"Buddhi ke baal." He answered, an adorable smile appearing on his lips.

Buddhi ke baal, also known as Cotton Candy, was a delicacy Aarohi had heard a lot about in her orphaned days. The stories, the popular myth - it's derivative from an old woman's hair - the taste, the recipe. She had heard everything about it, but never seen it.

Samrat put her down on the stone bench and, drawing his wallet, paid for two cotton candies. Travelling back to her, he handed one to her. Her eyes sparkled in interest, mouth open and lips curved to form an 'O'.

"Kabhi khaya hai?" He asked, settling beside her.

She shook her head, holding the stick tightly. Samrat, tearing a small piece from his stick, held it out for her. "Try it." He urged. Aarohi took a small bite, her body trembling in happiness from the sweet flavouring.

She beamed, her cheeks puffing up in happiness. She chewed softly on it, gasping when it melted in her mouth. Her heart beat rapidly in happiness, the blush on her cheeks intensifying. Breaking off a big piece from her share, she held it out for Samrat to eat.

"Dada!"

Samrat couldn't hold himself from smiling at her happiness. The soft, unadulterated emotions, radiating from her being, tickled his heart. He ate the offering, careful to not bite her little fingers.

"Tasty?" She asked, looking at him in anticipation. Samrat nodded, "It is very sweet, just like my cute little Aarohi," he complimented with a smile, poking her cheek. Having his fill he discarded the stick, surprised to see hers untouched.

Worried, he inquired, "Aarohi, why are you not eating it? Does it not taste good?"

"Nahi dada, accha hai. Par," she clenched the stick tightly, "mujhe yeh aai baba ko bhi khilana hai."

Samrat was touched by her innocence. He kneeled in front her, clasping her soft small hands with his large and warm ones, a tender smile on his lips. "But, gudiya, this will melt till then."

Aarohi's eyes widen in shock and surprise. "Sacchi dada?" He nodded, pursing his lips. She gasped. "Phir toh mujhe yeh aai-baba ko abhi dena hai!"

'I can always buy you another one, gudiya.' He wished to say. Instead, he dusted his knees, and lifted her in his arms. "Acche se pakad ke rakho usse. I'll take you to aai-baba." He informed, ready to take a run.

"Aree, kahan chali sawari?" Raghav smiled, breaking Samrat's momentum.

"Aai-baba," Aarohi happily flailed her arms at them. "Buddhi ke baal."

"Aree, wah!" Mansi smiled delicately, patting Aarohi's head after Samrat set her down to her feet. "My gudiya knows that I love buddhi ke baal."

Aarohi beamed, breaking off a piece of the cotton candy and feeding it to Mansi. The latter accepted, smiling in gratitude. Aarohi fed Raghav too, who kissed her cheeks in happiness.

"Aakhri piece?" Aarohi looked at the three.

"Baba ko milega." Raghav said smugly.

"Nahi. Dada ko milega." Samrat argued.

Aarohi and Mansi looked at the duo, shaking their head in disbelief. Aarohi, taking the last piece, fed Mansi.

"Aai ko pasand hai buddhi ke baal."

She answered innocently.

"Not fair! Mujhe chaiye tha." They whined. Mansi laughed heartily before caressing her daughter's hair in love.

Amidst the playful bantering and, happy moments, a dark conversation crept in from Mansi's memories.

'Aarohi helped us track a growing terrorist group. We confined the members, and destroyed their base, but the leader escaped.' A stifling silence filled the room, broken down with the gulp in Raghav's throat. His next words sent a shiver down her spine.

Mansi swallowed hard, the lump in her throat and the memories.

She will be fine. She will be safe. Raghav and Samrat will protect her. I know, they will.

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ARMY QUARTERS, GUJARAT.

The bell rang.

Aarohi, carefully, opened the main door and crept up to the mesh door a few steps far.

"Yes?" She asked, looking at the four men standing at the door. They were dressed in their army uniforms, their expressions stiff and a large wooden box placed between them.

"Is this the Shinde house?" One man asked.

"Yes," Aarohi nodded, feeling weird on seeing the box. "Are you baba's friends?" She asked, hesitant.

"Is there someone else at home, child?" He asked.

"Dada, dada will be here soon. Why, uncle?"

"That," he sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. He had come to deliver a bad news, but couldn't tell it to someone so small.

"Sir, what do we do now?" His comrades inquired, similar expressions of worry appearing on their faces.

"Uncle, is everything okay?" She asked, opening the mesh door. "And, what is that big box?"

Ambling towards it, she touched the top of the box. "Uncle," she held her fingers, a doubtful reality settling upon her little shoulders. "Is, is baba inside this box?"

The man gulped before nodding in agreement.

"Is he sleeping?"

"Yes, fo--"

"He's dead?" She interrupted, her tone steely cold and stiff. The weight of the reality crashed on her shoulders, sucking away all her emotions.

"Yes," his voice cracked, his conscience guilty from revealing the truth to a child so young. Slowly, he gestured to his comrades who picked up the box.

"Can we keep it inside?" He asked softly. Aarohi nodded, leading them inside.

Placing the box on the floor, they saluted the dead body, handed over his belongings to Aarohi and left her alone.

Her reality slowly began to break. A lone tear rolled down her cheek, a muffled sob escaping her lips. With trembling hands, she opened the box, her heart cracking at the sight of her father's dead body.

"Baba," she sobbed. With shaking hands, she wiped away her tears and picked up the phone, dialling a number.

As much as she tried, the image of Raghav's dead body floated before her eyes, the tears rolling down mercilessly.

"Hello, gudiya?" Mansi answered.

"Aai," she sobbed.

"Gudiya? What's wrong? Why are you crying?" She asked, packing her belongings with her free hand.

"Aai, can you come home?" She whimpered, the receiver slipping out of her hands. She fell to her knees, holding the receiver to her ears.

"Get dada also." She whispered. Mansi panicked. Cutting the call, she scraped up all her belongings and rushed out of her cubicle. Her colleagues watched silently, unaware.

Mansi's heart beat with remorse, a strange sadness filling her.

────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──────

ARMY SCHOOL, GUJARAT.

"Samrat Shinde."

Samrat looked away, from the board, to the owner of the voice. The teacher and students panned their gazes between a clueless Samrat and an grim-faced officer.

"Pack your bag and follow me."

Samrat wasted no time to pack his bag and join the officer outside his class. The latter led him down the empty corridor.

A few minutes of silence ensued before the officer spoke. "Your mother is coming to get you."

"Aai? But why, sir? Is everything okay?"

The officer stopped at the gate, Samrat joining his mother. "Aai, why are you here? Is everything okay?"

"Aarohi called. She was crying. Told me to get you and come home."

Samrat paled. "Is, is she okay?"

"I don't know. She said nothing."

"Sir," Samrat faced his superior, "I need--"

The officer put a hand on his shoulder, giving it a gentle and comforting squeeze. "Take your time, Samrat. Come back when you're ready."

The words of his superior, albeit supportive, didn't help reduce their worries. "Go home. Your sister has learnt something too big for her age."

Samrat bit his lips. The mother-son duo exchanged a glance before rushing out of the school.

"Aarohi!" Samrat rushed into the house. Mansi followed him inside, panting for breath. Her eyes looked everywhere for her lovely daughter of six months.

"Aai, dada." Aarohi whispered, her eyes filled with tears and nose red with crying. Samrat knelt down to hug her when she pointed towards Raghav's dead body. "Baba,"

Aarohi slipped into her brother's embrace, hugging him tightly as she cried into his shoulder. Samrat fell back, holding Aarohi carefully, tears falling down his cheeks.

"Baba? What happened to your baba?" Mansi denied the reality, shuffling to her kids. She wrapped her arms around them, trying to comfort them. "He is just... sleeping. In a box."

But instead, the reality she was avoiding, had started to hit her.

A few minutes later, she cried, and accepted the reality.

Raghav Shinde was no more.

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