"Ouch! My poor b.u.t.t!! It seems like I fell on my b.u.t.t. Ah...now where am I? But wait this place somehow looks familiar...." She turned her head around looking here and there."Oh...Maybe I am back??"
Seetha looked at the sky above. It was not as clear as the sky she saw back there. She was surrounded by huge buildings and not trees and bushes. The beautiful chirping of the birds was replaced by the sound of car engines. Even though night has fallen, the whole city was well lit.
"Sigh....I am finally back." Seetha sighed. Even though Seetha loved the scenery back there, she felt relieved when she saw something familiar.
She was in an park near her home. Her things were scattered on the ground. She picked up her school bag and dumped all the stuffs laying down into it and paced towards her home.
Seetha panicked that her family might be worried about her. She reached her home and swiftly opened the door, "Sorry for being late. I"m home."
Her family was shocked to see her at the door. One of her younger brother questioned, "Are you Seetha?"
Seetha grinned, "Then who are you expecting so late at night, Arun?"
Arun baffled, while Arjun chocked on his water.
Arjun turned the house upside down upon her arrival. He ran up quickly and informed their mother and grandmother.
"Why are you guys looking at me like you have seen a ghost?" Seetha whined with a frown on her face.
Arun didn"t say anything. He let her in and closed the door.
Seetha was puzzled with their reaction. Her mom and grandma came to the living room following Arjun.
She was horrified when she saw her mom and grandma. She didn"t know what she was seeing. She can"t believe her eyes. They both looked like widowed women.
As per the culture of India, the married women will were their wedding chain on their neck, a toe ring* on their second toe and k.u.mk.u.ma* on their forehead. Indians are very particular about culture. She has never seen her mom or grandma without these. But today.....they both didn"t wear these.
She feared something has happened.
She noticed her dad, grandpa and her aunt missing.
"What happened? Where is dad, grandpa and aunt?" Seetha looked worried.
Arun busted while hitting on the table hard. He grinded his teeth so hard that they might have been grinded to dust and tried to control his temper. While his brother Arjun spoke, "Where do you think they are?"
Seetha lost her senses and didn"t react for a while.
"What do you mean by that?" Seetha panicked while her mother and grandmother wept sorrowfully.
Arun comforted them, while Arjun walked up to her, "It"s all your fault! If only you didn"t go missing that day this wouldn"t have happened. I don"t know whether to laugh or cry now. Where were you?" He sounded so cold and threatening. It felt like he was no longer her brother.
She jolted, "Arjun please explain. What happened? You are making it sound like I was missing for days. What in the world happened?"
Arjun sat before her and a.n.a.lysed her from top to bottom. She was wearing the same dress she wore that day and she even had her school bag with her. Her clothes were neat. Looking at it, the worst case scenario he thought didn"t happen. She looked well, without any wound on her.
With the last bit of rationality in him he sighed, finding out that his sister was well.
"You have been missing for a month now."
Seetha was baffled and widened her eyes.
"I mean YOU WERE MISSING FOR A MONTH!!" He shouted at the top of his voice. Seetha was startled by his tone.