The Free Bird

Lily was sitting on a rock in the bank of the river. Watching the waves and suddenly the waves of her memory took her to the past. The past she wants to forget. The past, which has all her deeds as a record for twenty five years....

With a smile she travelled to her past through her memmory.

Lily K Singhdeo borned to Karan R Singhdeo & Purnima Devi, the most richest family of Rajpura. Her ancesstors were the rulers of Rajpura. After 1950 their rule was over, but the ego, the style, the traditions still prevails. Lily is the only child in the family. When she was born all were happy except her grand parents, who expected a grandson. As per the tradition all her teachings, classes, etc took place inside the haveli(the house of king). She was not allowed to go out and meet any outsider. She was not having any friends except the maids. She had her childhood, but charmless. She saw her youth without any spark.

She was just like a prisioner not in a prision. She was completely unknown about the outer world. She lost her mother, when she was ten years old. Since then she her life became more miserable. Noone was there to express her feelings. Time took a turn.

When she was seventeen years old he father lost all money through his bad hsbits. Even after some months she lost her grand parents. Now due to finance problem the servants & maids started leaving the haveli. Wnen she was eughteen years, only she, her father and one elderly maid were in the big haveli.

Still Lily was not allowed to go out. Even there was lot of chances to go, but her father had always restricted her.

Then oneday she saw her father was on his bed and unable to speak anything. She asked the elderly maid what happened to her father? Her reply made Lily dumbfounded.

She told that her father got paralysed and need medical treatment.

She had no idea about the finance and hospital. She took the help of maid and contacted the hospital. The cost of treatment was very high, but no surity of cure. But Lily never bothered for that and decided to give the best treatment to her father. She looked for finance and got it by mortgaging the haveli from a private financer. She signed the stamp paper without knowing the details written on that. She beleived and was not having any time or choice. She was not at all aware of the outer cruel world.

Lily took her father to hospital and his treatment started.

In the mean time the maid too had left them and gone away. Now she was alone and handling everything alone. It was very tough for her, but she was taking all cares. Lots of mistakes done by her during this time.Many people cheated her.

Though she had never cooked any food, now cooking on her own whatever it taste to feed hersBird.

She started understanding this selfish world. All her relatives, father's friend who used to enjoy in haveli during festivals, parties had vanished. Nobody came forward to stand besides her and her father. She decided to fight it alone.

While going to hospital daily she used to see the beggers sitting besides the road and begging. She had seen smile on their face and the hope for living. Sometimes she used to cursed herself why even the begger's smile and happiness was with in her face and heart. Something was missing, but she was not having any time to think and found the reasons. Her father's treatment was priority for her.

Again the time had given a big blow to her. After four years of treatment, when she was twenty five, her father had his last breath in the hospital. She stood there speechless and just stared at her father's body. Unknowingly tears rolled from her eyes.

She called for the priests and completed all the rituals.Then the call of the financer to repay loan with interest came, she was forced to sale the haveli to him and kept a small portion for her. She had cleared all bills of hospital, all other debts.

Now after one month she became free from all debts, free from the cage of haveli, free from the restrictions of tradition, free from the comments of people, free from everything. Even she could she her father is free and realise as if flying in the sky like "The Free Bird" and joined with her mother and grand parents. Now she could have the begger's smile and hope to live. She is alone... Completely alone. She is free.... The Free Bird.

The tears are rolling down from her eyes and meeting the smile on her lips....