Ghosts Of Her Past - Part 1

“Leave me!!”

The desperate screams of a 16- year- old girl, clad in school uniform echoed in the dead silence of a desolate muddy road of a suburban town. It was about 3 o' clock on a mid-summer afternoon and nobody was out in the streets.

Before she could make an escape a man whose face was covered with the hood of his long jacket hurriedly arrested her within his robust arms and placed a damp cloth over her beautiful but agitated face.

“Breath it in and go to sleep baby!” The man whispered into her ears with a filthy smile.

Those words made her shudder as she became aware of the vulnerable situation she was trapped in. She gasped and inhaled the first bout of the obnoxious drug that he has placed on the cloth that was nearly choking her. She struggled with all her might and swayed her head to avoid drawing in the drug. But her lissome frame was helpless in the tight bondage of the strong man who was more than six feet tall. He tightened the grip of his left arm on her slender waist and pulled her up from the ground. She swayed her legs for a foothold but couldn’t get one.

‘No!’ she thought as her heart raced, ‘I can’t let this happen to me.’

She gathered all her strength and buried her nails into his flesh. To her dismay, he didn’t budge or moved his hands even for once. He seemed to feel no pain leaving her dazed. Now it was his turn to teach her a lesson. He again flashed his filthy smile and slid his left arm which was around her waist on to her baby breasts and groped them. She gasped again as his dirty touch on her virgin, young flesh sent intense shock waves that nearly ripped her apart. She screamed for help which was instantly muffled by the damp cloth and his giant palm that pressed it on to her. But along with her horrid screams, she inhaled the drug in, a substantial amount that took a toll over her senses. Her vision became blurred and she struggled to keep her eyes open which drooped every now and then. Her vigorous screams were rendered to pitiable moans by the action of the intoxicant drug. The oppression of her hands over his dwindled and her numb hands slid slowly down. He put her back to the ground as he noticed that the girl was no more in a state to offer any resistance. She was obediently inhaling from the cloth while he enjoyed caressing her breast without any oppression from her. She staggered to stand on her foot as he put her down on the ground and her slackened body sunk deeper into his arms which bore her weight. His eyes twinkled and his face parted in a triumphant nasty laugh as he saw the girl swinging helplessly in his arms. He ogled her voluptuous frame while still holding the cloth tightly pressed to her face. He took the cloth off her face as he ascertained that the girl has passed out. But she was still clinging on to the last bit of consciousness and felt him rubbing his colossal thumb on her luscious lips. He pulled her close to him and whispered into her ears.

“You are mine!”

His words gave her chills and had even more devastating effect on her senses that the drug he has used to put her to sleep. She wished to break free but as darkness took over her, she craved to have at least the liberty to scream her pain out.

“No…!”

Ashna woke up screaming. She was drenched in sweat and her breaths were laboured. She flashed her head to the adjacent bed where her mother was sleeping unperturbed. She heaved a sigh, rolled over to reach out to the bedside table and pulled out a tissue from the box placed on it. She wiped her face and drew a deep breath. As she calmed down, she got up from the bed and poured out a glass of water for her. She gulped it down and put the glass on the table as her concerned eyes turned again to her mother sleeping obliviously.

‘She has become a bit too frail after her last chemotherapy session.’ Ashna thought as a tiny drop of tear slid down her eyes, ‘Ma has toiled a lot to bring me up. And when it was time for her to enjoy the fruits of her hard work, cancer pounced upon her like a mighty beast.’

Ashna looked at the clock and sighed as it was only 4 o’clock in the morning. She still had a lot of time in hand before beginning the day at the office of Rathore Group of Industries as the personal secretary of the Managing Director. She knew she must get some sleep. But once she is jolted out of sleep by the nightmare that haunts her every night, she could never expect sleep to stop by her again. She picked up her robe, got up from her bed and made her way out of the room with quick but light steps. She closed the door slowly behind her as not to disturb the sleep of her old and ailing mother. She has shifted to her mother’s bedroom after her mother’s cancer treatment sessions began as she could not take the risk of leaving her unattended at nights.

She walked to the washroom and spilled water generously on her face. She pulled the towel and wiped her face. She took time to consider herself in the mirror. She was fair with a beautifully carved face with a pair of ebony-hued, doe-like eyes which added on to the charm of her face. Her frame was in perfect shape for a 24- year old, svelte and curvaceous. She earned well enough to support her family that consisted only of her mother. Her mother's oncologist has told her last week that she was responding positively to the treatment and her chances of survival were high. Overall, Ashna’s life was going on well except for some dark shadows from her past that were still following her. She drew a deep breath as she assured herself that she was no coward to give up so easily. She has always fought her battle courageously and will continue with her struggles with those demons bravely.