He does not have any children so he tried to shower all his love to the only child in the house, Dushtu. Every evening he used to bring sweets after he returned from fields. He used to take him of his shoulders and take him to the fields.

One night he came to my room. I was reading my notes and preparing few papers for my next exam. He knocked on my door. I looked over my shoulder as I was sitting in front of the table with my back towards the door. There was a wooden box in his hand. I remembered that box, that box contained all the gold jewelries of her beloved wife.

I asked him---“What is this?”

“Your sister-in-law asked me to give this to you.” His looked at me and said.

He came near me and placed his palm on my head. He wiped the corner of his eyes and handed me the box.

I asked him---“What are you going to do? You look very sullen and tired.”

He gave a blank look at the ceiling fan which was circling at its full speed over head.

---“I have thought of something. I am waiting for your marriage.”

I bit the pen between my teeth and looked at his eyes. “What was he thinking?” I tried hard to understand those hidden pain and waited anxiously for his answer.

He smiled painfully at me and went away, leaving me in deep thought “What was he going to do?”



Days passed, Mom asked me every day about him. One day I asked her as why she was so much concerned about him.

She answered---“Why can’t I be? After all he is my best grandson. By the way, every time I ask you about him, you try to dodge the question. Where is he?”

I looked the other side and said to her---“He has gone to Delhi.” I was bit annoyed as everyone asked me the same question again and again. “How could I know, where he was? Even I was waiting for some news.”

My Mom said to me---“Ok, I have not heard his voice for a long, long time. Why don’t you call him? I want to talk to him.”

I held my breath “What should I tell her now?”

Very slowly, I turned my face; my Mom’s gaze was piercing me. I muttered some courage to answer her---“He is actually out of India.”

She touched my cheeks and asked---“You are telling the truth or hiding something.”

I calmed down myself---“No I am telling the truth. If he calls next time I will let him know your number and ask him to call you.”

Although I was not sure that time that what type of communication would I receive from him.

I thought to know the reaction of my Mom about my love, whether she would approve our relation or not. But I was skeptical about asking the question directly. If he would have been there, he would surely managed the situation and give me some hints as how to approach. Since he was not there so I started to think like him. I had to twist the query to know my mother’s reaction.



I took a deep breath; my chest was pulsating faster than usual. I sat beside my Mom and hugged her.

She asked me---“What happened to my Paree? Do you want to ask me something?”

I shook my head “Yes Mom”.

She looked at my face and said---“Tell me one thing, did your Babu had a fight with Abhimanyu?”

I was taken aback by her query. “Did she sensed something about us or did Babu tell her something?”

Suddenly my heartbeat stopped---“Why are you asking this?”

---“I asked your Babu about Abhimanyu. He did not answer my questions. He only said that Abhimanyu has gone to New Delhi for his job and he is very busy now-a-days.”

I held my breath, my ears turned red. I clasped my night gown in a tight fist to control my angst and anxiety.

I controlled my voice---“No Ma, they didn’t had any fight. He has gone for his job after his graduation.”

She put the beetle in her mouth---“He could have searched for job in Kolkata. Why he had to goto Delhi?”

“You won’t understand Ma.” I embraced her with my arms around her neck “In Kolkata there is no IT, I mean computer organization where he could find any proper job. That’s why he has gone to Delhi.”

She rubbed her palms on my cheek and asked---“You were to ask me something. What was that?”

I forgot what I was to ask, instead I asked her---“Ma, what did he told you on the last day. Last time he came with me.”

Her brows contracted and she looked at me as if asking, “Why do you want to know that?”

She pulled up my chin and her eyes pierced deep into my soul---“Tell me the truth that he has not left for Delhi only for his job.”

The bubble busted inside my chest. I could feel the tremble inside my heart and soul. My ears turned red and the nose tip fluttered. My lips quivered. No child can hide anything from their mother’s sight.

I bit my lower lips as my eyes got flooded. I closed my eyes to hear her reactions. She placed her palm on my head and pressed it to her shoulder. I hugged Mom with all my strength.

She understood everything as my tears soaked her shoulder. She let those tears flow. My back heaved. She pulled me slowly to her front and asked me to sleep with her that night.

I placed my head on her lap and she combed my braids with her old fingers.

---“Something is very hard to accept Paree. I wanted to see you happy. But that would come like this, I never dreamt of.”

She rubbed her soothing palm over my heaving back and continued---“There are many things that our society finds it hard to accept.”

I sobbed out---“What shall I do Ma?”

---“Time will heal. You have to accept what is to come.”

I cried out softly---“Why Ma, why? I accepted whatever came in life without any question. I never blamed you or my sisters, for being indifferent with me.”

She was quiet for a long time. Then she said---“I need some time to think, Paree. I am unable to think anything now.”

I almost screamed at her---“No ma I want to know now. What shall I do?”

She combed my braids and asked me to goto sleep. I could not sleep that night. Then my Mom was also aware of the whole fact. I was living in a shear anxiety as what would happen next. What if Mom doesn’t approve? What if she asks ChotoMa directly as what had happened? Several thousands of queries ran inside my chest.

I also sensed that my Mom was also unable to sleep. She turned and tossed on the bed.

The dawn was round the horizon. She turned towards me---“You haven’t slept for the whole night.”

“No how could I?” I answered in a calm voice.

“I think your ChotoMa and Babu is very much offended about the incident. They are furious as of now.” She sat up on the bed and looked outside.

The twilight of the dawn peeked behind those mango-groves.





She went on---“You finish your M.Sc. now. Let Abhimanyu contact you. Let me give sometime and give sometime to them also. Time heals lots of pains. Gradually you will understand and your ChotoMa will also understand. You need to understand her pains also. She let her only son to wander in this cruel world so that you could pursue your studies. Let the proper time come. ”

I wiped my face and spoke in a calm voice---“ChotoMa and Babu love me very much and that I know by my heart. But she won’t let down her prestige and her ego.”

She let out a deep breath and looked at my face---“Paree, there is no medicine better than time. Time heals every scar; internal or external. You promise me, that till your M.Sc. is finished you are not going to say any word about this. We can’t change our fate, but we can try. After you finish M.Sc. and he comes back to India. Ask him to meet me. Then I will see what I can do.”

I hugged my Mom with all my strength. She was huge pillar of support for me. I cried and cried.

Her eyes were also flooded. She sobbed out---“I should have understand that day only, when he came in my Puja room asked me for my doll.”

She patted my cheeks and kissed my forehead---“Now smile and promise to keep quiet till your studies are finished.”

I was very much happy after that day, my Mom approved our relation. I got the strength to fight. My heart was filled up with utter happiness. Lost colours came back on my face. I felt my creamy cheeks to turn rosy with every passing day. The huge vacuum was gone from my chest.

One evening I was walking near the fields adjacent to my backyard. The mango trees were full of ripe yellow mangoes and few green ones. Jackfruits were dangling from the tree trunk. The pink bulbous litchis were beautifying the trees around me. The mixed aroma of all the fruits were making me intoxicated. The cold breeze was blowing from the pond nearby. I walked slowly towards the mango tree he planted. My hair was blown all over my face as soon as I touched the tree. I felt his touch on my cheek. I looked up the tree; greenish yellow mangoes were all over there behind those leaves. I wrapped my arms around that tree and kissed the trunk.

I whispered to its trunk---“He is coming for you.”

After that response from my Mom, I was in seventh heaven. I suppressed my feelings very hard inside my chest. I did not want to spill those excitements to all over the place. I wanted the time to arrive.

Maithili also felt that my face had regained all those lost smile.

One evening I was on the roof, eating a mango. I felt a tap on my shoulder. I looked over my shoulder and found Maithili stood behind me.

She smiled sweetly at me and asked---“You are looking very happy.”

“Why can’t I be happy?” I contracted my brows “I have come to my house. So I am happy.”

She asked---“Seems that you have got news of Abhimanyu.”

I nodded my head---“Yes.” I lied to her purposefully.

---“I have something to ask you.”

I was anticipating that question from a long time, so I nodded my head “Ask.”

She looked towards her feet---“Your brother was asking about the tape.

Is that still with you?”

I laughed inside by observing her coy face---“No, it is not with me. It is with him.”

I touched her shoulder---“Why are you worrying about those.”

She smiled painfully at me---“I fear his arrogant nature.”

---“What do you want me to do?”

Her eyes were still at her feet, she was scratching the roof with her toes---“Ask him what does he wants from us?”

I looked the other way and said her---“He is currently out of India. Whenever he will call me I ask him. By the way, you remember what you were told.”

She nodded her head.

I assured her---“Next time he contacts me, I will give him the telephone number of our house. You can directly talk to him.”

A strong sense of courage was flooding in my chest after my Mom assured me.



Every night before I went to bed, Dushtu would come and ask me for a story. I used to read him those nonsense poems written by him. He used to laugh. He used to ask me as who has written those poems. I told him that his Abhi uncle wrote those poems and stories when he was young.

Days passed. The summer break was coming to an end.

In the mean time, ChotoMa called me and told me that she would come to take me back. Mom was bit sad on hearing that I had to go.

I hugged Mom and said her---“This time why don’t you come to stay with us?”



She gave a painful look---“You have Ulupi, your ChotoMa with you. But my eldest son has none. I have to look after him also.”

On the penultimate night, Dushtu came as usual to listen to stories.

In his usual childish voice, he asked me---“Promise me that next Puja, you will bring Abhi Uncle along with you.”

I smiled sweetly at him and assured him---“Surely I will bring him. But on one condition.”

He gave a queer look at me.

I ruffled his silky hair---“Tell me the story your Abhi Uncle told you.”

He kissed me on my cheek---“O, that story.”

He scratched his scalp and the laughed at me---“I don’t remember that.”

I gave a veiled displeasing look at him---“Then your Abhi uncle will not come.” And I started to tickle him all over.

He laughed and laughed---“Ok, ok. I will tell you that story.”

He took my left arm in his clutch, while I combed his silky hair.

He started to tell that story, once he told to Dushtu.

---“Long time ago, there was a fairy godmother who lived in a hut surrounded by huge trees on one side and green fields on the other side. There was a small pond on the backside of her hut. Her days passed by nurturing the flowers and plants that beautified her small garden in front of her hut. Then one day that fairy godmother saw a small lotus bud in a pond. The bud was not growing at all even after several days. So the fairy godmother plucked the lotus bud and brought that to her hut. She kept that bud in a glass utensil. She poured honey, dew, and milk in that utensil to grow that bud.

One beautiful morning, she woke up only to find that the lotus bud was gone. A baby fairy was lying in that utensil. The baby fairy was glowing in the rays of morning sun. Her skin complexion was of golden honey in colour. She had two little wings on her back. Her ten little fingers were rubbing the side of the glass utensil. She was trying to get out. Her hair was of jade black in color. Her pair of small eyes was twinkling in the soft rays of sun. She was babbling all sweet baby nothings.

Fairy godmother cried in happiness that that lotus bud bloomed into a baby fairy. She took out that baby fairy out of the utensil and wrapped her in a white and blue silk cloth. She fed her with honey and dew every day.

Days passed, the baby grew to a beautiful fairy. Her wings grew strong. Those were colourful. Colours of peacock and seven rays of sun were painted on her wings. However, she was not strong enough to fly. Because fairy godmother never taught her to fly. Fairy godmother always wanted to keep that young fairy with her, always forever.

She used to play in the sun, on the grass fields. She used to nurture those flowerbeds in front of her house. She used to drink the morning dews. She used to take fruits. Honeybees used to bring her honey every morning.

Her braids grew longer day by day. Those braids flowed on the ground while she walked. She used to prepare garlands out of the flowers and tied those in her hair and on her wrists.”

I was surprised to hear that story. I was speechless by his imagination.

Dushtu continued---“One night the fairy godmother was not at home. She was out for some work to finish, in the moonlight. The young beautiful fairy was inside her hut, looking outside the window to the dark blue sky and those stars twinkling over head. Suddenly she heard a noise. She looked around her, but there was no one around. She quietly opened the door and looked outside. She was very much surprised to find a milky white unicorn standing at her door and looking at her. The young fairy could not understand as what to do. She came near the unicorn and patted him on his neck. The unicorn neighed. The fairy got frightened at first. But the unicorn rubbed his neck on the fairy’s cheek assuring her that he meant her no harm.

She ushered the unicorn into her hut. She looked at the unicorn for a long time with her big eyes full of amazement. After sometime, she fell asleep.

The first light of the dawn touched the window of her hut, caressed gently on her cheek and face. The warmth of the morning sun woke her up. She was surprised to see a handsome youth sitting in the place of the unicorn. She was taken aback. She got frightened. She was about to shriek when the young lad pressed his hand on her lips and stopped her scream.

She sat there as she felt huge waves inside her chest. She was very much frightened and how that unicorn vanished and a handsome youth was sitting at his place.

The young lad spoke at last “I am a thief. I can disguise in any form. I came here to steal the doll from the fairy godmother. But when I saw you I forgot about the doll. I changed myself into an unicorn to get into the house.”

The young beautiful fairy was listening quietly. The thief asked her “Do you want to fly? Do you want to go beyond those woods? Do you want to hear how the rivers sing?”

Very gently, the fairy nodded her head. She was mesmerized on hearing his strong deep voice.

The thief wrapped the fairy in a huge cloak and dug the floor of the hut. They dug under the fields for few days and made a passage beyond the forest. After few days when they came out of the passage, the fairy found her beyond the huge forest. There were high snow peaked mountains in front of her.

The thief asked her “Do you want to fly?”

The fairy nodded her head “Yes.”

The thief scooped up the fairy on his lap and threw her in the air. At first, she fell down, but the thief caught her in his strong arms. Again, he threw the fairy in the air. This time she fluttered her huge wings. She floated in the air. She looked down. The thief was walking along with her on the ground following her shadow.

The fairy flew to the mountains and the thief followed her shadow to the mountains.”

I held my breath till he finished the last sentence and smiled at me.

He asked me---“Do you know the rest part of the story?”

I asked him---“Why? Does this story end here?”

He nodded his head---“Yes. He didn’t tell what happened next.”

I thought about the story, the story of the thief, who stole the fairy from her godmother and ran to the mountains. He taught the fairy how to fly. Moreover, after that day the fairy flew in the air, under the sun over the trees over the green grass. Once the fairy looked down but could not find the thief there. She thought that the thief might have gone somewhere and would return. The thief did not return for long time.

I gently pulled his chubby cheeks and nudged him---“Go to sleep now. Next time when Abhi uncle will come, he will tell you the rest of the story as what happened to the thief and the fairy.”