As usual, I was checking her classwork copy and was surprised to find that she has not copied a single line from the board. I couldn't control my anger and went to her room.

Surprisingly she wasn't in her room. I was about to leave but suddenly heard the tingling sound of bangles. I looked keenly and realized she was sitting under the bed.

"Bondita bahar ao" I said in a serious tone. He crawled out and looked at me timidly. "Kya hain ye" I pointed out towards her copy but she remained quiet. "Barrister babu banna hain na?" I asked her to which she nodded her head. "Aise banoge Barrister babu??Agar firse blank copy ghar aya to mein tumhe nehi parhaunga" I scolded her and left the room.

I was scared. My whole body was aching. Today once again sir gave me the same punishment. After he went away I again crawled under the bed and sat there quietly. I wish maa was here to take care of me. I cried so much that my face was puffy and swollen. I was scared to go to school now.

I was having my breakfast the next morning when heard chaos from her room. Dada was again shouting at her.

"Shuru huya in dono ka natak firse, apne ziddi pati ka maha ziddi patni" kaka said and we both went to her room.

Bondita was holding the bed rest tightly, "mujhe school nehi jana" and dada was as usual bombarding on her and pulling her hand, trying to pull her away from the bed rest that she was holding tightly.

"Arrey nehi jana to thik hain na, isey konsi Barrister babu banna hain" kaka spoke out making dada angrier.

"Bondita tum agar school nehi gyi to mein tumhe boarding mein bhej dunga, bas 5 min mein ready ho jao" he warned her and stormed away.

I followed Dada to the breakfast table.

"Kya huya hain Bondita ko?" Baba asked dada but he remained quiet.

"Bondita school nehi jana chahati" I answered on his behalf.

"Shayad ek din ki chutti chahati hain bechari" Som dada said while nibbling his food.

"Nehi Som Bondita aur uske parhai mein mujhe koi compromise manzoor nehi" he spoke sternly.

Isn't dada overreacting? Maybe she wants a holiday, what's the big deal? Dada acts too hard on her as a teacher. If I were in his place of him, I would never make her cry like this. Wait what am I saying.....no it's wrong.

"Pata nehi kyu Aise bartav kar rahi hain, samajh nehi a raha" he said in a disappointing tone. "Samajh kaise ayega, apne kabhi usey samajh neki koshish ki hain?" I blurted out in anger, unable to control my tongue.

Dada's eyebrows creased as he looked at me, "kya kaha tumney?". "Jo apne suna" I said loudly.

"Wah" Sampoorna maa clapped suddenly. Kaka gave an irritating look by her sight so did Dada, "accha hain, Kamal ki ladki hain Bondita" she chuckled.

"Kehna kya chahati ho sampoorna?" Dada asked.

"Ek ladki ne ghar k dono mard ko larwa diya" she said with an evil smile.

"Sampoorna!" Dada yelled so loudly that his voice echoed the haveli. Koyli didi and Bihari kaka almost shivered.

"Apne had mein raho aur Zaban sambhal k baat karo, mein Bondita k khilaf ek aisa vaisa shabd bardash nehi karunga" he warned her.

"Kyu Binoy, dekhliya apne patni ki gandi soch aur zuban" kaka taunted Baba, "ek bacchi k baare mein ye sab bol rahi hain, chi....sharm ata hain humey....chi chi chi".

Sampoorna maa rolled her eyes.

Although nobody cares about her useless mouth shackles except baba but that day it deeply affected my tender teenage brain. Kahi ye baat bhavishya mein sach na ho jay?

Bondita came down with a gloomy face and we went to school.

For the first time before entering school she didn't bid him goodbye. Dada was going to wave his hand but she ignored him. I could see the disappointment in his eyes.

I can't take it anymore. Sir again hit me hard for not being able to do a sum.

"Do it fast!" He ordered me.

I tried to do it but had no strength. He took away the copy and looked at me with rage, "itni bar karwane k bawajood ek sum tumse nehi ho raha, worthless".

"S...s...sorry sir" I stammered.

He again filled my bag with bricks and made me stand on the bench with my hand in the air. I cried in pain but my cry remained unheard. My legs were shivering, tears rolled down my cheek and my palms were burning due to the wound caused by his stick. Those weights were cramping every muscle of my body. Many a time I couldn't answer correctly but pati babu never punished me in such a cruel manner. He scolded me, yelled at me but never caused me pain.

"Stay in this position and answer the questions, ek galti aur bag ka weight bar jayga" he told me and asked the first question, "who invented electricity?"

"Nicola Tesla" I answered him and sighed in relief.

"Ammonia is soluble in..." he asked me.

I couldn't answer him and he filled another brick in my bag. I groaned more loudly in pain and started crying loudly.

"Stop crying like a child, tum bacchi nehi ho...stop crying I said" he screamed at me and placed more bricks in my school bag. My tender shoulders were unable to hold the weight. My hands were numb by now as they were in the air. I felt like I had no legs as they were numb as well.

After a while, I couldn't hold the load and fell from the bench, on the floor.

"I asked you to stand up!" He yelled at me.

"Sir bohot dard ho raha hain" I told him while sobbing.

"No excuses Bondita, you are not at all studious" he scolded me.

I somehow with support managed to stand up.

"On the bench!"

"Sorry, sir!" I cried and stood up again.

Just then Prakash entered the room to submit his copy. He saw me being punished. I was so embarrassed that day. I, Bondita never in my life had got punishment in school but now...

I told pati babu that I don't want to come to school but he forced me. "Ap bohot burey ho pati babu" I cried.

He made me stand like that for the next half an hour unless the extra class ended.

As soon as I came out of his room, Batuk came to me running and with a wide smile asked me, "kaisa gaya class?".

Everything suddenly blacked out around me.

Anirudh's pov

The phone fell from my hand. It was a call from the school stating that Bondita fainted suddenly in the middle of the playground today.

I immediately rushed to the school where her teachers told me that she collapsed on the ground and is suffering from a high fever.

"Apne zabardasti Bondita ko school bheja dada, galti apki hain" Batuk looked at me with rage.

Indeed he is right. It is all my fault.

We brought her home and allowed her to take a rest.

I checked her temperature several times and found her burning in fever.

I was so angry with dada. Kaka scolded him a lot yet I was not convinced. Bondita laid on the bed and her face had turned pale.

Maybe she wasn't feeling well that is why she didn't want to go to school but Dada never ever tried to understand her. I know she will be really angry with him and won't even allow him to enter the room.

Kaka sat beside her and patted her head. I entered the room and sat beside her too, holding her hand. Dada was outside, talking to Som dada about her health.

"Pati babu...." She murmured in her subconscious state. I left her hand immediately understanding that I was wrong. Even now he needs him and only him.

Kaka called dada immediately and he rushed inside.

He sat in front of her and held her hand, "mein yaha hu Bondita, kaisa feel ho raha hain."

I couldn't sleep that night because she wasn't well. My heart was pumping faster. It was around 2 am and I decided to check on her.

I went to her room and peeped inside.

She was sleeping but Dada stayed awake. He dipped a piece of cloth in cold water and placed it on her forehead.

He mixed medicines in a bowl of water and made her drink it with a spoon while she slept peacefully.

I smiled at the view. Thank god he isn't yelling now. Hope she will be fine soo...

After 3-4 days of complete rest, she was back to normal and went to school again.

I forgot to complete my homework and saw the man moving his stick before a hard blow hit my palms.

I screamed in pain.

"You deserve greater punishment," he said and asked him to follow him.

"Sir sorry agey se nehi hoga" I requested him but he pulled me out of his office, through the corridor, down the narrow spiral staircase case with books and copies. "Tum jaise disobedient bacche ko sahi karna mujhe ata hain".

He took me to a storeroom and locked me from outside with my copy, "stay here unless you complete your work, once done, call me, I will open the door".

In an hour I completed my work and banged the door, "sir completed! Darwaza khol dijiye" but no answer came.

Raghav sir was supposed to open the door once she is done with the work but unfortunately due to other work he completely forgot the fact that an innocent child was locked in a dark storeroom.

The departure bell rang and all students left the school. Batuk thought maybe she is attending some extra class and so left without her.

Now the teachers started leaving. Raghav sir forgot about Bondita being locked and left the school too.

After the whole school was empty, the peon switched off all the lights of the school, locked the main gate that left too leaving the school completely vacant with one poor soul shouting for survival.

The room was dark and scary. "Koi darwaza kholo!!!" I screamed and banged the door but my voice remained unheard."sir sara homework kar liya hain maine, Shotti! Abh darwaza khol dijiye na."

After a lot of cries and screaming, I made myself sit at the corner having all bad thoughts. The vacation is going to start tomorrow, what if I remain locked here throughout the vacation? Won't I die due to hunger and thirst? Dugga maa please send my pati babu, please. Where are you pati babu?

I noticed a small window at a height. I tried to reach it by jumping but failed. So I placed a few cartons one after the other and climbed on it."Koi darwaza kholo" I again screamed on top of my voice in a hope that someone might open the door but nobody came to my rescue.

There were all junk and furniture in the room.

Suddenly a rat came out of nowhere.

I am terribly scared of rats.

"Chuhaaaa!" I screamed and jumped off my place. I started panicking and running in the room itself unless I fell on the floor and my knee started bleeding.

Soon it was dark outside as well as inside. I shivered in fear, "bhoot agaya to??" I thought.

I started panting in thirst now. "Darwaza kholo koi" I cried, "paani peena hain mujhe".

I saw a shadow in the room and my soul shrunk, "bh...bh...bhoooooot!" I screamed and cried, "darwaza kholo yaha bhoot hain!". I remembered my gaowale in Devipur used to say that there is a ghost called Chinu Chudail. Maa used to scare me whenever I denied listening to her. Chinu only used to abduct naughty children as maa once told me. Maa also said this chudail resides in peepal tree, she has long hair, nails and large ears. Her feet are in opposite directions and she abducts naughty children. Is it her, chinu? "Maine kuch nehi kiya, mein good girl hu, please mujhe jaane do please" I joined my hands and pleaded. "Mein kabhi bhi badmashi nehi karungi" I cried and requested her.

I sat at the corner, pulling my feet closer to my chest and chanted gayatri mantra. I was thirsty, hungry and scared at the same time.

"Mujhe parhai nehi karni" I cried. I was so scared that out of fear everything blacked out and I collapsed.

Bondita is too young to think of other problems like mental trauma and all. In such a state all she could think about is the ghost haunting her in dark. These things leave behind fear and trauma in young minds.