~Aarohi~
“Ok so tell about your childhood of this birth,” doctor shetty said entwining her fingers and I smiled turning my face slightly with my eyelids down. “What should I tell? There are many phases of childhood which are painful, some I hardly remember, some people and sweet moments are lost forever and those sweet moments now make me cry,” I said getting tears in my eyes. “Have you ever tried to talk about it to someone?” Dr.Shetty asked me and I nodded in negative. “No I didn’t,” I replied. “Then try, I can help you overcome that deep pain.”
She said and I was short on words. “Tell something about your parents,” she said and I sighed and smiled with tears rolling down my cheeks. “I had a big brother and no sister, we had our parents too, later I had a sister in law and a nephew too, we all were living very happy life until that night came, we were coming back late night from picnic,” I said.
End of Aarohi’s POV for sometime.
~Writer’s POV~
Flashback:
Aarohi, her brother Manik, her sister in law Nandini, her little nephew Nikhil (nicknamed Niku), her parents Rishi and Tanuja were coming back from late night picnic in Corolla.
On the front driver seat, there was Rishi and on passenger seat there was Tanuja, behind them wereManik and Nandini and on the last seat were Nikuwith Aarohi. Rishi played a song for them to listen till they reach home.
Aasmaan tera mera hua
Khwaab ki tarah dhuaan dhuaan
Aasmaan tera mera hua
Saans ki tarah ruaan ruaan
Ho jaaye jahaan tu jastar Paaye mujhe hi paaye
Saaye ye mere hain tujh mein samaaye
Saiyaara main saiyaara,
Saiyaara tu saiyaara
Sitaaron ke jahaan mein milenge abb yaara [x2]
They all were enjoying the song but didn’t knew that the song will turn into reality the following moment and that they will now meet again only in the world of stars. Tanuja saw a shooting star. “Rishi look, shooting star, lets ask for something,” she said happily and joined her hands for a wish along with everyone else besides Rishi and Aarohi. “Beta Aarohiwhy aren’t you asking for anything?” he asked as he saw her not praying. “Papa do you know how much is its temperature? 3000 degrees Fahrenheit (1648 degrees Celsius), and if it touches the earth then it can destroy everything,” Aarohi said.
Suddenly a bright light came from the sky and fell on their car and it bursted. Aarohi couldn’t move from her place, she saw Niku hugging her tightly out of fear, all of them were out of car, Rishi and Tanuja’sfaces were destroyed, Manik and Nandini were moving a little but their faces were also damaged,Niku was numb and she also wasn’t able to move. Next thing she remembered was waking up in hospital. She sat up holding her head. A nurse came to check on her. “Ma’am are you OK?” she asked butAarohi was too numb to say anything because of the tragic accident.
She looked at the bedside table and saw a paper and pen. She picked them and wrote something and gave it to the nurse. “Your parents are no more, even your brother and sister in law died,” said the nurse and a tear rolled down her eyes. She signed him and asked about Niku. “There was no child over there,” said the nurse and Aarohi cried more. “I want to meet my family,” she said and the nurse helped her up and they walked to the morgue room.
She removed the cover from her parents face. “Ma papa, I need you, please don’t go leaving me, I need you, I told you they can destroy everything,” she said cryingly. Tanuja wasn’t yet dead and opened her eyes. “Aarohi beta, God haina, mumma papa tumharebhaiya or bhabhi se bohat piaar kartay hain,” she told her crying daughter. “Toh kya vo aapki Aarohi sepyaar nahi kartay?” Aarohi asked like a child clutching her head which was covered in blood. “Kartay hain na,bohat kartay hain, ab dekho jab itna pyaar kartay hainjabhi to humein apnay paas bulaya,” Tanuja told her and wiped her tears. “Toh aapki is masoom si laadliko kiun nahi bulaya?” Aarohi asked. “Dekho Niku kakuchh nahi pata, vo bhi zinda hai, tumko uski khaatirjeena hoga, I love you bacha,” she said and passed away. “I love u too mumma,” she said crying hysterically and then she uncovered Manik andNandini’s faces. “Bhaiyu bhabhi, you both too went leaving me, this ominous night took you all away, don’t know where Niku went,” she said cryingly to them but everything was going in deaf ears. “Noooooooooo!” she shouted and fainted and then for two years she was in hospital and had attacks every time she saw shooting stars.
Fb to be continued in the next chp.
~Aarohi’s POV~
“I understand, so now don’t you fear shooting stars?” she asked me. “Who said I don’t, I do, and Niku, ugh,” I said and started crying. “OK fine, don’t cry, for today, it’s enough, you can go now, and please send your husband inside,” she said and I nodded and went outside sending Deep inside.
~Deep’s POV~
I went inside to meet Dr.Shetty and greeted her and sat in front of her. “Your wife is very much disturbed, right now I only asked about this life, I will ask further later and about her previous birth too, just take care of her,” she said and I nodded and went outside and saw Aarohi sitting with a dull face. “Let’s go,” I said to her and held her hand and took her. She stopped all of a sudden and I looked at her, she was looking at a little boy. She had a smile on her face. “Deep, look Niku, I will get him,” she said and left my hand running away. I ran behind her.
“Niku! Niku, bua!” I heard her call the boy like this. “Aarohi, what are you doing?” I asked but she continued to run and got hold of the little boy. “Niku,” she said happily and the boy turned to her. “Yes? What do you want?” Asked the boy and as she saw it wasn’t Niku, smile faded from her lips. “Nothing, go,” she said and let the boy go. She fell on her knees and I held her. “Niku, where to find you?” she said and shut her eyes tightly. “Aarohi, we will find him, don’t worry baby.”
I said and helped her stand and took her to the car and she sat inside. I took her home and when we arrived and was walking to our home from the front door walking through the garden, we saw Deepika was coming back with Rashi. “Where you took her?” Aarohi asked. “She wanted to play with kids and so I took her to orphanage,” Rashi replied. “Mumma I made a friend today,” she told me. “What was her name?” Aarohi asked smilingly. “Oh I forgot to ask the name,” she said slapping her forehead. “Ask when you meet again.”
“OK mumma,” she said and we all walked inside. I went to our room along with Aarohi and asked Deepika to stay with her. She agreed and I went outside to talk with Rashi.
~Deepika~
I saw mumma’s mood wasn’t good so I brought some dolls to cheer her. “Mumma will you listen to a story?” I asked and she nodded. “OK,” I said and put up a Barbie doll in front sitting on desk. “Once there was a girl who was very pretty, and she had a happy family,” I said putting up more doll toys, one was a toy soldier, one was a policeman, two were barbie dolls. “But one day unfortunately everyone died,” I said removing all the other toys except for one Barbie doll.
I saw tears rolling down her cheek and wiped them. “Mumma, it’s just a story so don’t cry, Deepu hates tears, OK so then the girl got lonely but after a long span of time, a hero came in her life,” I said putting up Ken (Barbie’s boyfriend in Barbie’s stories). “As the girl was very beautiful and cute, he fell in love with her, and they married, but the girl wasn’t happy completely even after that,” I told her.
“But then one day, a little fairy came in her life who gave her all the happiness she needed at the moment and said that no one can stop this pretty girl to be happy because happiest girls are the prettiest girls and that no one can steal the magic God has gifted you and that is within you,” I said to her and took some powder in my small palm and blew on it and the fragrance made mumma smile. “Ha ha! Deepu my cutie pie,” she said caressing my face.
“Mumma, I just want to tell you that in reality, we are our own life’s angel, and if you try to find what you’ve lost then you will really get it, I don’t know what you lost, but if you ask God for it, He will surely give you that,” I said to her giving her hope. She smiled and hugged me. “That girl whose story you told me is me only, that hero is your papa, and that little angel is you,” she told me and broke the hug. “Go play,” she said. “OK mumma, but don’t thank me for this story, thank Tara aunty and Virat uncle for that,” I told her and continued playing with my dolls.
~Tara~
I was listening to Deepika and Aarohi’s conversation making myself invisible as I told a story to Deepika to tell Aarohi to make her happy. When I saw her smile and Deepika had broken the ice and was busy in playing, I made myself visible and she looked at me smilingly after a long time. I smiled back at her, Virat too appeared beside me and smiled at her. We waved at her and disappeared slowly from there.
~Virat~
As we went back to heaven, we held hands and walked on the glaciers near the waterfall. “We forgot what she did to us,” I said. “When I was born unstable, she too forgot about my bad behavior,” Tara said. “Hmm but who is she trying to find now?” I asked. “Niku, you remember our nephew?” she asked. “Oh him, but where will he be? I thought he wasn’t reborn,” I said. “But he was after a long time, but he didn’t come here with his family,” Tara said. “He’s lost,” I said. “But we aren’t so evil and will find him.”