In Sundown. On the empty streets of highway. Wind going in flow making atmosphere cool. Because of wind, trees are dancing making happy tune. Beauty of surrounding looks orangish yellow as sun is bidding bye to his duty. Big giant, green trees are like cheer on top of cake. A beautiful and calm atmosphere was on street to fall in love with nature.

But for a girl all this seems nothing. She was running and running, trying to catch her breath, hiccuping, sobbing violently, tears rolling down her puffy, red blood eyes. Her little button nose looks swollen, Her messy hairs, muddy clothes. Her looks were exactly opposite of surrounding.

After a lot of running. She reached near a sea. She stood there and look down to see dusty orange water because of sunset. Water flowing in a direction with good speed. Cold breeze touched her wet cheeks. Hair flowing with air. Sound of water waves, air echoed in her ears. "Come to me. Come to me. You don't deserve this cruel world. Come to me. You will be safe with me" seems like air and water were screaming these words for her. She took deep breath and ran towards bridge. "Just one last breath. This won't hurt anyone, right? I don't deserve these breaths. I am just wasting these breaths. Maybe someone can use this on my behalf. Someone who is deserving, someone who is fighting between life and death. Someone who deserve this. Not me who is just waste on this. Not me who is just burden on trees, earth and on everyone" she said to herself as her heart ached. Her lungs giving up with her. "Few more minutes. Then we will be in peace. Just support me for few minutes" she mumble to herself as if begging her brain to continuing working for few more minutes.

Once she reached on bridge. She just closed her eyes."You need to do it. I know you are Acrophobic but this is gonna be end. Come on do it. Come on" she mumbled her herself. She opened her eyes and held railings of bridge. She didn't look down. "Oye darpok last moment par khud ko mat dara. Just do it yaar" she encouraged herself. She stood up on railings and shut her eyes tight not having guts to look down. She was clutching on railing to tight.

Slowly she left railings with one hand and loosen the grip from other hand. "Three.... two....-" she was counting last few seconds but stopped before one as she heard a yell. "Stop it Avneet. Don't give up like this. Stop it. You are no one to decide. You didn't gave me birth but my father did. He never gave me this life to see my dead body floating in water. Stop it right now. Back off from this right in this moment" screamed her inner soul. Her eyes shot open. She looked at surrounding. Speed of air decreased, so spreed speed of water flow. Few moments ago she felt everything is in her support but now everything is so calm and peaceful. She look down at water. This was the first time she don't have any fear of height. She stared at water for few seconds.

She let out a deep breath and again clutched on railings with tight grip. "What I was going to do? Was I in my senses? What mess this was?" She thought. She jumped back on bridge and clutched on her forehead, shut her eyes tight as a sharp pain hit on her mind. Flashback of few minutes ago played in her mind. She pulled her hair trying to get rid of pain but pain was not ready to leave her alone. She sighed in pain and rubbed her temple.

"Princess for now please play with this small doll. I will bring big one for you as I will earn more" said her father when she was 5. "Pomish papa?" she asked with cute pout, forwarding her pinky finger. "Promise my doll" said her father connecting his pinky finger with hers. He kissed on it. She grinned.

Tears again roll down on her cheeks as both the flashback played in her mind. She laid on bridge, closing her eyes, massaging her forehead. Trying to ease the pain.

After a few minutes. Pain disappeared. Nerves calmed little. She opened her eyes slowly and stood up. When again a voice hit in her ears. Voice of crying, screaming of a girl. She looked in direction but there was no one. So she followed the voice and found a little girl of 5-6 years crying and screaming on the other side of bridge. She slowly walked towards the girl. She sat beside her.

"What happened baby?" asked Avneet. Girl saw Avneet and moved away. "Arey! Calm down. I will help you. You calm down and tell me what happened?" said Avneet with concern and held her hands. Girl pointed towards water and mumbled "Mumma" while sobbing violently.

Avneet snapped in direction to see a lady floating in water lifeless. Her heart skipped a beat. "Just once imagine yourself as that lady and your papa on the place of girl" Avneet inner soul screamed.

Imagining this scene, Avneet gulped fear. She went numb. Goosebumps aroused all over her body. She took few seconds to come back in senses. "Come baby. I will take you home and drop you to your father. Come." She took baby and started walking towards her home. She don't have guts to look at lady again. She felt weak. Her soul felt weak. Baby was crying all way but Avneet was not in her senses to calm her down.

She reached home. She found her father, elder brother and sister in law were looking worried. Abhishek (brother) saw her. "Avneet" only words came out of his mouth. "Her whole family saw her and rushed towards her. "Avneet are you okay?" "Avneet where you were baby?" "Avneet who is this girl?" "Why your condition is so mess?" Everyone bombarded with questions. Tears of guilt again brimmed in her eyes. She looked at three of them and shook her head with teary eyes. "Kya hua bacha?" asked her father as he pulled her in a hug. "I am sorry" she mumbled sobbing. "But hua kya Avneet? Or ye bachi kaun hain?" asked Vaishnavi (her sister in law).

"Let her come in and calm down. We can talk with her later on" said Abhishek sensing her situation. Everyone nodded. Vaishnavi took baby from her arms and found her sleeping. Vaishnavi took her in room and made her sleep properly.

Avneet took few minutes and then calm down. Till then her brother aided her wounds and her father made her drink water and cleaned her face.

"Now tell us what happened? Do you have any idea how much we were worried for you?" scolded her father. "Papa... papa Siddharth is married" wisper Avneet as fresh tears brimmed in her eyes. Everyone got quiet for few minutes.

"Okay? But who is that girl and why your condition is like this? You went for party at your colleague's place, right?" asked Vaishnavi. "Hmm.... There I met Siddharth and his wife. I was hurt. So much hurt that I didn't realised what I was going to do" explained Avneet with guilt and fear in her eyes. "And exactly what you were going to do?" asked Abhishek with fear. Everyone understood but was not ready to accept it. Avneet got quiet. She looked down not having guts to meet there gaze or reply.

She got a tight slap on her cheek. "You know Avneet always you made me proud and I always rewarded with you something special. Today this is your reward. For the thing which you were about to do" said her father coldly and went from there. He was hurt and angry. His emotions and anger is what she deserves. "Till the time papa isn't talking with you. Don't you even dare to talk with me" said Vaishnavi, anger was dripping from each and every word of her. She left from there in anger.

"I am sorry bhai. I don't know what took in me. I seriously didn't realise any thing." explained Avneet joining her hands. "It's Okay. I know you did wrong but I am happy at least you understood your mistake on correct moment. Now don't cry. Everything will fine. I am here with you" said Abhishek as he hug her. "Actually why I am crying? He don't deserve my tears. He just... just-" said Avneet wiping her tears. "Again you are wrong Avneet. He isn't at fault. I agree you guys were best friends but you had feelings for him. He never said he loves you. He never said he will marry you. He never gave you any clue that you are his love life. It was you Avneet who was, is in love with him. It's you who is living in strawberry world. It's you who is waiting for him. You can't blame him here. For him you were his best friend only. Today he is married to someone else. That doesn't mean he is at fault. There is a huge difference between love and friendship. He considers you his friend not love. So he isn't at fault. Got it?" Abhishek stated a fact.

Avneet took sometime but at last he understood Abhishek's words and nodded. "Baby kaun hain?" asked Abhishek. "I don't know. Near bridge she was crying and her mother's body was in sea. Her mother was dead. Abhishek nodded

Family called police and handed girl to her father safely. They found that girl's mother's fell in sea as her activa's brakes failed. She pushed the girl on seashore to save her.

THE END

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MONDAY 22ND AUGUST, 2022

1650 WORDS

Signing off ✍