*Lost Innocence

Lost Innocence

Rakesh smiled sadly at his younger sister Pooja as he entered into their home. 

"Pooja?"

The little girl who was trying to boil water was clearly startled and turned around. Rakesh was sad to see the fear in his sister's eyes. He tried, yet again to explain. "Pooja, its me. No one else is going to come here." No response. "I have brought something for you. You would surely like this." He closed his sisters eyes with a piece of cloth and placed something in her hands.

She slowly took away the cloth dreading to see what was in her hand. It was a bubble blower. She was dumbstruck as the memories she dreaded started flowing back to her. She was lost in thoughts. 

She was back in her home a few months ago watching Television. Her mother came home after work. "Hey Pooja dear. Hope you are fine? Where is your brother?"

"I am fine Mama. He is not yet home. He went out for playing." And she went near her mother and hugged her. Her mother hugged her back and gifted her a bubble blower. Pooja loved playing with it a lot. She smiled and took it from her mother and went to her backyard and starting blowing bubbles. She suddenly heard some noise from inside and went near the window to see what was happening. 

Someone was inside her home. Two men where arguing with her mother. "Look here, you have no choice. You are leaving tomorrow. They need workers there. We have sold you to them. They feed you. Then whats your problem?", a fat person whom Pooja recognized from her mother's work place spoke.

"I am not leaving my kids alone here.", her mother shrieked.

"Well then, take them with you. Let them work with you.", another guy teased her. Her mother said, "Then why don't you send your women and children to work along with me?" Pooja was scared to see her mother angry. She seldom scolds anyone. That guy looked her mother with an extreme anger and then beat her. And then he kept kicking and beating her. By then there was a lot of noise coming from their home due to the vessels and other things being damaged. A few people peeped inside. But as soon as they saw those guys they just left. Pooja was silently weeping as her mother was being tortured. 

After a few minutes, her mother no longer protested. But the guy kept beating her. The person Pooja recognized stopped him and bent over and felt her pulse and then turned around and shook his head. The other guy said, "What an useless thing she is? Lets go." And then they went.

Pooja stood there for a few minutes, after which she gained courage to step inside the wreck of her home. She moved like a lumber, scared to the core. She reached out to her mother, hugged her and started weeping. She was caressing her mother, wiping away the blood from her face, asking her to wake up. But her mother did not open her eyes. 

After a few hours her brother, Rakesh came home. He was shocked to see his mother and started crying. Pooja started weeping again uncontrollably not even knowing what has happened. Rakesh hugged his sister and comforted her. And the rest is history.

Now, Pooja was standing near her brother looking at the bubble blower in her hand. There were a few drops of tears that were silently coming out of her eyes. She turned around to face her brother, "Bhaiyya. Never buy me a bubble blower again. I do not want to lose you too." She threw the bubble blower and ran towards a corner of her home and took one of her mother's pictures in hand and hugged it. And she started weeping again.

Remember, things you do affect people more than you can ever imagine. 

Stop Human Trafficking. Let people live their lives.

Please Stop Human Trafficking

Written for Three Word Wednesday.
Image Courtesy: Link and Link.


Love from, 
*No one