The Shining Milestones

THE SHINING MILESTONES

 8-year-old Eiti wants to run away, after hearing the venomous discussions of Prema (Eiti’s mother) and Vishwa (Eiti’s father).

Prema said “It was a mistake to have a girl. My worship, penance and fasting for my second baby boy didn’t work out.”

Vishwa said “Yes, true, we have our first son Roumil already. Now What to do with a girl? I see families staying nearby us having only Sons. We are the ones in this area who have a Daughter. It’s shameful, I pray that either she dies or leaves this house.”

Prema replied “Roumil is 5 years elder than Eiti and our future expectations are with him. As he passes out of college, we will send him abroad for higher studies. But for this Eiti’s education has to be stopped.”

Eiti belonged to a middle-class family staying in a house on the mountain of Mandi city’s small village called Aran. Mandi is a major city in Himachal Pradesh where Vishwa worked in a textile mill for many years. Vishwa enrolled Roumil in an English convent school in town. Whereas, Eiti was enrolled in fewer fees Hindi medium school in the village. In spite of this, Eiti was a sharp-minded student who only concentrated on the school teacher’s lectures and teachings and passed with good grades without opening class notes. Whereas, Roumil was an average student in his school. 

Eiti was constantly tortured to do household work like dusting, cleaning the whole house, and grocery marketing. Due to this she never had time for studies and always slept on the kitchen ground with torn cloth sheets, ruffled pillows and torn cover sheets. Never wore new clothes, as torn old clothes were given always.

For the last many years, she lived the same lifestyle. The family did not take her to weddings or any occasions because they feel pride in taking Roumil along with them. Even Roumil hated her all the time.

One day, at the end of the tolerance, Eiti questions her mother, “Maa, why do you and papa always ignore me? Every time, Roumil is provided with good stuff, clothes, food and a room. I sleep on the kitchen floor always and am not even allowed to study. Why I am always threatened by you?”-Eiti asked Prema.

Chewing teeth with anger, Prema replied “Yes, you deserve this behaviour, because you are a burden and curse in our life from day one.” 

Prema twitched Eiti and pushed her to the ground. Eiti was shocked to hear this and cried in their heart.

 “I miss you, grandma. You were my support and caring person. Why did you leave me back here?”- Eiti missed her Grandmother, as she was her best friend.

At night, in sleeping time, a bit sweaty Eiti finds a dullness everywhere. Like she’s trying to feel through layers and layers of something un-feeling. In the dimness of the kitchen, just beyond the window Eiti looks up at the sky and recalls her grandmother’s bedtime stories memories at night before sleeping. Grandmother was Eiti’s tear wiper and finally decides to live with her forever.

The next day with determination, an 8-year-old Eiti plucked up to run away in the early morning hungry-thirsty. She took an oath to never return back.

After leaving home, she decides to stay In the village, as her grandmother resides in the village’s boundary area in a hut. Eiti knew her grandma’s address as she visited many times before.

Prema looked for Eiti in every corner at home for morning household work. Vishwa also came to know about her missing from home, but finally, Prema and Vishwa saw a note on a table that Eiti wrote “Goodbye, I am leaving forever.”

Vishwa happily took a sigh of relief and said “Huh! Finally this curse, Eiti vanished automatically.” Prema too agreed vishwa’s words. They didn’t even realise how well the little child Eiti survive. While leaving home, Eiti didn’t have a single penny in hand so she was tensed about travelling, sitting at the bus stop.

 “Oh god! Now how will I reach my grandmother? No source of travelling and no money?”- Eiti talking to herself.

After 10-15 minutes, a tempo of vegetables and fruits arrived next to Eiti. She thought “This tempo will help me to reach grandma, I need to find the space inside and I will hide behind any sack. Otherwise, I will get caught by this tempo driver.” 

She stomp in the tempo and thought “Now how to adjust inside?” looking around the tempo, an empty sack was luckily available. Speaking in their mind, Eiti said “Thank god! Now I can reach grandma safely.” She smiled and hid inside the sack without making any noise.

Tempo stopped at the vegetable market. With tempo breaks, Eiti thought that she reached her destination. With a slow smile, she rubs her eyes and peeps out of the sack. As soon as she got a chance to come out of the sack, struggling and hiding she makes sure that tempo’s driver should not catch her. Eiti finally comes out of tempo and got surprised to see the marketplace. In her innocence and unawareness of the way, she didn’t realise that she has crossed the village boundaries. The whole market area was surrounded by vegetables and fruit stalls.

“Where have I reached? Hidden inside the sack I couldn’t peep out of the tempo. My mistake was that I fall asleep and Grandma’s place got left behind. I am feeling hungry and reaching grandma’s place without money is impossible now.”- In a sad mood, Eiti cried.

Nobody was known in the marketplace to help her reach grandma. Eiti, a scared and innocent child, gets upset and moves out of the marketplace. While walking on the road she saw a stranger on a bike.

Eiti asked him “Hello, please help me. I want to go to my grandma’s place. From this here. I don’t know her address but grandma resides in my village Aran.” 

The stranger refuses to help and scolds Eiti “Please go away. Can’t you see that I carry a bulk of food items with me? Your village is one hour's distance far from this place. I am going to some other place and not Aran village. Cleared? Eiti gets more upset with strangers.

“Oh god! Please do some miracle or bring my grandma here to me.”-Eiti prays. Eiti starts walking in sadness and after some distance, she saw a crowd gathering on a small ground. Moving towards the ground, she saw some people holding mikes and the public in a huge crowd were listening to a person speaking on stage.

People are clapping for that stage person’s speech. Only his one line overwhelmed Eiti “Government support will ensure that our society can meet basic human needs such as food, shelter, education and a good job.”

Rest, the whole scenario went over Eiti’s head and she was circling around the crowd gathering and thought “I should ask anybody for help? Will they help me?” she remembered that strange bike person incident, still wandering in her mind. With a sad mood, Eiti steps back from the crowd. While moving out of the ground’s gate, she saw money 20 rupees fell on the ground at the gate’s corner. She thought “This money will help me to reach grandma.” 

With a smile, Eiti moved out and heard some voices of bus conductors shouting and calling passengers and called many names of villages. One of the name was Aran. Eiti ran towards t

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hat bus at full speed and gets inside immediately. The bus ticket charged 15 rupees. Remaining 5 rupees, Eiti kept with herself.

The moment when the bus reached their grandmother’s place, Eiti shouted with happiness “Stop! Stop! I want to get off the bus here.” Bus driver stopped braking immediately. Eiti got off the bus and desperately ran towards her grandmother’s house and reached her gate. She knocks ton he latch and grandma opens the door and saw little Eiti looking at her with an abutment. Grandma too was happy to see her. Grandma hugged Eiti and asked “My little angel, my eyes longed to meet you. Come inside.” Both of them with sighs of joy sat on a cot. There was no limit to the happiness of both.

Grandmother in a worried voice asked Eiti “How did you reach here alone my child? It's evening 7:30 pm and where are your parents? You always come with your mother to meet me. Is everything fine with you?”

Weeping Eiti said “No grandma, I left my parent's place forever. They called me a curse and my lifestyle is pathetic. I will stay with you now and never return back.” 

Eiti shared all her pains with her grandmother and after listening to Eiti’s condition, the grandmother felt bad and murmured “Eiti my child, you are unaware of the truth that the day when you were born, your parents wanted to kill you but I requested them that I will take Eiti’s responsibilities of parenting. Your father got aggressed as he wanted a second baby boy.” 

Grandmother went into depth about that painful day Two years back, Eiti was 6 years old. One fine day, Vishwa insulted and kicked his mother out of the house. As he couldn’t tolerate that love and affection towards Eiti, was more than Roumil. Grandmother requested him to take Eiti along with her, but he didn’t agree. She kept a stone in her heart and left that place without a single penny and came to stay in a small hut.

Eiti shook her grandmother’s hands and asked “What happened grandma? Where have you lost? Grandmother puts of the matter easily and replied “Nothing my angel, I was remembering those good memories and time we spent together.”

Eiti remembered something and asked grandmother “Grandma, I am going out to collect those shining milestones as I always do.” 

Grandmother asked “Sure my child, but what you do with them? For the last two years, we hardly met three or four times and I always observed your this activity. How much did you collect till now?”

 Eiti excitedly replied “I find them near your gate only and nowhere else. I bottle up those milestones, as I don’t have toys to play with. I didn’t count them but they shine from inside the bottle in darkness at night.”

Grandmother showed interest in Eiti’s wanting and said “Go ahead my child, collect as many you want.” Eiti collects 3-4 shining milestones in her little palm and puts them inside her pocket. Grandmother observed Eiti happily collecting milestones. She thought and murmured, “Under these painful circumstances if such activity gives Eiti happiness then she should carry on doing this.” 

Eiti was oblivious about the doll which grandmother bought for her, saved from little money over 2 years. Eiti was happy to see the doll and said “Grandma, you see with these milestones, I will build a small house where you, me and my doll will stay together.” Laughing at Eiti’s childish things, the grandmother said “Sure my child and at night our house will shine like sparkles.”

Eiti asked her grandmother for food “Grandma please give me something to eat since morning I am hungry.” Grandma offered a glass of milk to Eiti. She had it as if she hadn’t tasted it for ages.        

Grandmother asked in a soft voice, “Now tell me how you came here? Who dropped you? A whole day where have you been? You were hungry means you don’t have a single penny” 

Eiti tells her whole day’s incidents and while telling her she gives the 5 rupees to grandma that she saved 20 rupees.

Grandma asked, “From where did you get these 5 rupees?”

 Eiti replied with a smile “Oh sorry, I forgot to tell you about my bus journey.” Eiti explained the whole story about that 20 rupees incident.

Laughing at Eiti’s innocence, the grandmother said “My dear child, luck won’t help you every time. You have to be careful. If you would not receive these 20 rupees then what would have happened, have you ever thought about that?” Eiti got frightened and promised grandma that she won’t repeat this again.

Eiti insists on her grandmother for bedtime stories. Eiti said “Grandma, I want to hear those bedtime stories before sleeping. I missed them so much. Please grandma.” 

Grandmother agreed on Eiti with a smile. Grandmother lays Eiti down on a cot and puts a pillow under her head. After dimming the Lantern and in the dimness of her hut, she pressed close to Eiti. It was winter season, so grandma covered Eiti and herself with a quilt and started telling bedtime stories.

Hearing stories, Eiti slept with the belief that from now onwards she will stay with Grandma forever. But grandma speaking in mind “Eiti my child, tomorrow I will drop you back at your parent’s place because, in my small hut, I make my living by chopping wood and selling them. With less money, I can’t afford your dependencies. At least, you are provided with food and education at your parent's place. My decision is right for you my angel. ”

The next morning, before Eiti wakes up, Grandmother in the early morning gets the first bus and drops Eiti back at her parent’s place. When reached, grandma knocks on the door and Prema opens the door. She was aggressed looking at Eiti back.

“Why did you bring Eiti here? We thought that this curse is out, but you again came here to throw her on us?”  Prema shouted at grandmother.

Hearing Prema’s loud voice, Vishwa also came to the door. He was shocked to see Eiti again. More he was angry with his mother to bring Eiti back. Eiti was still in a deep sleep. Grandmother went inside the house and lays Eiti down on a couch.

Grandmother moves towards the door shouting at Prema and Vishwa “How cruel you can be with your daughter? What’s her mistake? The birth of a daughter is a boon. Looking at her innocence your heart doesn’t get melted. 

By interrupting in between, Vishwa argues with anger “Then why don’t you adopt her? You love her a lot then why do you again want her to stay here?” The grandmother replied with anger voice “Eiti is better than you. Since the day when I left your place, did you tried to know about me? Where and how do I stay? regardless of danger, this little girl came to stay with me.” 

After bickering, grandmother left her son Vishwa’s home forever. Vishwa and Prema were angry to see Eiti back home, as her return was never expected. 

“Now no more of this baggage and now I will send her to an orphanage.” Vishwa angrily shouted.  

 “Take a sigh of relief, I have something in my mind for Eiti.” Prema smiled sarcastically and replied.