The jinxed fate

       The acrid smell of fumes coming out of vehicles and their honking horns woke her up. This had always been her morning alarm. The dusty, frigid ground felt punishing against her back. But she was grateful. It was the only shelter for people like her. And obviously, bitter gourd would not taste bitter if you don’t know the taste of sugar.

       She woke up amidst the din of traffic around her on the footpath of a chowk. It was a sunny day and she squinted as the broad sunlight hit her eyes. It was just like any other morning. People wake up in the morning to chase their dreams. Each day brings something new to their life. But people like her; they just live because they have to.

She sat on the road divider staring at the usual chaos around her. The Gandhi chowk was full of people like her. Watching the happenings around her was her favourite pastime, rather the only one she had. The beggars had already started their only chore of begging. Her gaze was broken by a baby’s cry somewhere near her. A beggar, a girl slightly older than her was feeding her child. The baby seemed hungry but the woman had nothing to feed him. She wondered why people like her even marry. They bring a new life into the world and leave them to live a life of misery. Probably, the similitude of their problems brings people together. Devoid of happiness, they try to lessen their grief by sharing it with people who experience the same pain. She was born in a similar way. But as if her fate wasn’t done screwing with her life, her parents died before she even learned to talk.

       She hated what she had to do every day, living a life without dignity and meaning just to get enough money to keep herself alive. In spite of this, there were times when she had to go on without food for days. At times, she felt alone and scared. She wept for hours at nights but there was no one to console her. Finally, when her tears would dry up, she would go to sleep.

        She saw a car stopping at the signal and went to the car. As soon as the driver saw her coming, he shut the windows of the car. She hovered there for some time and then moved to another car. At the end of the day, all she could gather was a rupee. It had already been 3 days since she had eaten anything. She begged a small chaiwala for a biscuit but he angrily pushed her away. A group of young lads were watching the scene. One of them called her over. She went there hoping for their sympathy. The guy who called her was looking at her intently. There was some evil perversion in his eyes.

“Are you hungry sweety?” he asked. He held her hand and pulled her closer. 

“Well, I can help you. But you see, I am hungry too. How about we both help out each other?”

The girl stared at him in horror and tried to free her hand. But his grip was tight.

“Let me go, you rascal.” She spat on his face.

       He slapped her twice. He motioned other boys of the group to hold her tightly while he started undressing her. She cried and begged but it was of no use. She cried for help but there was nobody around her to hear her wails. It seemed even God had turned deaf ears. She tried using force but could do nothing. After a while, they left her on a corner badly abused and unconscious.

       When she woke up, desolate and got her senses back, she started crying hysterically. What had she done to get a fate like this? She could not take any more of this. She went to a lake nearby and plunged into it. As the water flooded inside her body, she slowly closed her eyes, finally free from the shackles of this ruthless world.