The Leeches

It was a usual day. Rehanna got up early in the morning at about 5 am. They live in a slum. In such places even the youngest member of the family has some responsibilities on his/her shoulder, so does Rehanna has, she is the only earning member of the family, her mother is disabled, bedridden. She is suffering from tuberculosis, counting her last days, for a call from somewhere unknown, where there will be less responsibilities, less toils, and off course less poverty, Rehanna’s father is an alcoholic, the only job he does is to torture her sick wife n daughter, n clinch even the last pennies from them, he’s like a leech that sucks every traces of blood from one’s body, the only difference is that you can’t shake off this kind of leeches. You’ll have to bear them with you as long as you live..like a chronic ulcer, that pains n never heals. However we seem to get a little diverted from the main topic. She wake up before there were any light, all the birds were chirping like it’s the end of the creation. A sweet smells surrounded Rehanna, the smell of virginity, virgin dawn was there. Much like a child Rehanna does not want to work n earn money, she wants to study or to do something else. But the circumstances compelled her to get engaged in this profession, she works as a maid in houses, doing their works, helping their children to get ready for school n everything that an usual maids do, nothing extraordinary, but sometimes it appears a little bit difficult for a 8 year old girl,

This day Rehanna’s body was not permitting her to work, a mist of something was surrounding her, as if she was getting choked under it (she was having a sore throat n fever yaar). So she came to her father. “Abba, I’m not feeling well!! Please lemme take a break today”. ” What!!”Her father shouted” you little bitch, you r***y, you have gone after your mother!! You dirty bitches always find some lame excuses to avoid labor… m not gonna listen, what will happen if the Babus expel you…. No no!! I’m not gonna listen, you must go to the work…whatever be your condition.” A feeble moan came from her mother’s side, which ceased at once when her father gave her an elbow…” now get ready… the last day you were late… n the Babus complained me of it…. Get ready quick…. F****n w***e”. Rehanna realized that there is no use. So she started to get ready. She was really feeling sick… as if something is gonna happen… something bad… worse….worst.. but whatever be the situation, she had to go for the work unless she will get punished by a strong beating possibly with a whip or something resembling that.

It took just about 15 minutes to get ready….” You nasty little minx… do you have an appointment to sleep with someone… you are going to work… you need not such make ups… do u follow”. its about 30 minutes of walk from Rehanna’s house, her hut better to stay… Rehanna started the daily journey… but today she was dragging her feet… her body was willing to go to the bed, or to the lash green fields with blue sky touching its edges… she was a small girl not accustomed to the world…

Rehanna reached the crossing that she has to cross daily to get to the other side of the… it was an usual day like any other… but it was not an usual day like any other…her organs were not co-operating her… but the usual traffic was there… she did not noticed the green signal… it was an usual day… but it was not an usual day… the bus driver ran his bus over her… finally the organs won..they are now free to go to anywhere they want… some other vehicles followed that bus… n Rehanna turned into a lump of raw flesh smeared with blood just like we smear the ham with butter when doing a barbecue. Her brain scattered on the roads… none noticed… the pedestrians halted for a while, some sympathetic words, some “how did it happened… n everyone followed their way… it was a usual day for others…they had to go to their work, otherwise their bosses will penalize them.. none has time..

A hearth came… there was no need of an ambulance, you may treat a wounded man but not a wounded soul, a lump of meat n some cerebral juices. But the blood refused to follow others… for him the dusty roads was a very comfortable place. In Kolkata there’s no arrangement for washing streets… so the street remained brown for a while n slowly started to turn into black…. Usual.

“Now why did that silly girl made an absence today!!” the Babuma was thinking. She had to work herself to make little Aryan ready fro school. She was wondering all these while walking on the footpath n holding Aryan’s hand.. Aryan was enjoying a lollipop… the same crossing came with the streets showing some signs of brown till then..” It’s red! Lets cross the road” Babuma said. While crossing the roads suddenly the lollipop fell from Aryan’s hands on some brown portion of the road n before Babuma could say anything Aryan picked it up n started licking it again. “What the heck!! Don’t do this again.” Told Babuma” n by the way!! Why the hell is the road brown?? Oh I understand!! It must be the soil that the lorries carry… silly drivers… destroying the beauty of the roads”- Thought Babuma.

Leeches are there; some intentionally, some unintentionally. But they all do the same job ; they suck BLOOD.