A kernel of truth

"Was that the end?" Megha asked,

"Was that the end?"

"Do you have the actual?" Megha moved forward,

"Wow, that's the actual one you have?" Megha broke down,

"A treasure you hold."  chocked as tears rolled down her cheek,

She took the note and read,

"She smudged the date on the calendar and knew the day had come. No hunch left to stay. She started her day, as usual, and moved so smoothly that no one could even doubt her for a second. The same cold face she dragged all over the place. Sucked out was all the joy from her, once crowned beauty queen repressed underground, all her fortress torn from her, left to be fed under the tower watch. Anyway, she had no regrets as she knew everyone hoped for the same, that one day she would escape from the world of abuse around her. The news that was the talk of the town long back, yet no one could even lend a help, was the truth. Long gone was her fondness and years under the supremacy of the head of the household. Her dream of love all collapsed and drowned to gasp for breath. Enough was a spell she heard through dawn and dusk that stung an urge to escape, an escape to a town of the unknown and unheard. She started to work around and get overly prepared for the schedules. Her last four months have been busy and wretched, but her perseverance lasted, and she hoped she would never get caught on her way as there may be no plan B. She knew the day had come. When he left for work, she prayed to the lord, had her chores done, and exchanged a few gestures just for all the people who eyed from the back of the doors. Not a word about the travel, she started to cross over each one of the bookmarks, utterly unaware of what holds the future. Every move was perfect, flawless. She stepped out to the outer world, past the held borders, beyond the known colony, and stepped out to run.

- The rush to flee.

- Feb 3, 1982

She stood on the path to fly. She wasn't sure she could complete the whole journey. Overwhelmed and confused at the board among the group of people, she stood by the corner for the clock to knock four o'clock. As soon as she heard the bell, she ran to the platform and forced herself through the crowd to get a space to breathe. Unaware of the system and unprepared for a solo travel, she was scared to death. The boards, the letters, and the announcements all made her ruffled, and then the doors opened. She knew she couldn't lose the chance, so she jumped and stood by the corner of the room.

A wave of comfort swept by her as she could hear the sound from the tracks, but a sudden jerk, and she felt a snap on her buttocks. From an angle, she saw the faded, torn, worn blue turtleneck sweater that had followed along. Annoyed and bothered, she moved and changed her spots to check that face, to see and ensure about the flashy goggles. The one who stood out from the crowd as she observed. Assured of the presence, she wanted to run from the same and saw a room full of women, and she shoved to the women's compartment for safety, but to her wonder, there was no wall to separate the two. Troubled, she had her eye all over the place, and there he was among the people, the nerve to cast how great of a hand he had. Devasted at her state, unaware of how to react, she stood by the door to escape as soon as the next stop reached. The door opened, and she jumped and ran out of the place for breath. She was not ready to lose her heart, though she found her journey to tumble under fear. She knew she had help. She wandered along an unknown road, shops, autos, and cars. She dragged herself through the busy streets and somehow lost track of anyone she doubted. 

Lost and alone, she found the street dark and endless. She walked past and searched for a phone booth. She called for help, her once schoolmate, roommate, best buddy, and partner. She wasn't there, but her dad answered. Then, she stayed calmly below the shades of a tree. 

He came, leaned forward, lent a hand, opened the car doors, and she was full of tears as she sat. She rested through the cool breeze that flowed past her. She saw the beauty of the trees that leaned towards the road. And suddenly, a thought struck her, and she observed that the road seemed too empty after the chaos. She looked to react but was too late. He grabbed her, pushed her to the ground, and stopped near a valley. He touched, threatened, shamed, and she caved. She begged to let her out, and he dropped her under a shady overpass. Her desperate cry was to be over and done for the day. She regretted her day, plan, trust, and her god. She lay down on the stagnant muddy water that flooded the gutter. She mourned and roared to put an end. Then the sunset rays struck, and she closed her eyes and rose to the shadows, and allowed herself to walk through the dark, and her soul followed. "

"And Cut!" Ellanora gradually paced a breakthrough to the end, 

Megha looked at Ellanora and asked, 

"Was that the end?" Megha asked, "Was that the end?"

Confused, Ellanora wasn't sure of what or how to respond. 

Megha clasped Ellanora's hand and stated, "That's my mother, my mother's note."

Megha marked the "She" on the note and slowly mellowed down, "That's my mother."

Shocked, Ellanora couldn't speak a word. Her throat felt choked, and her body froze to the moment. Ellonara took a deep breath, held Megha's shoulder, struggled, and asked, "Who are you?"

Megha touched Ellanora's feet and wept, " Daughter, her daughter,"

Startled, Ellanora couldn't process the truth, 

Megha couldn't acknowledge what had just happened.

But somehow, Ellanora couldn't doubt but accept.

Ellanora leaped and embraced. She squeezed and mumbled to her ears, "Been few years, our mother has taken a heavenly abode. We were sent these notes from an unknown source and couldn't crack who the source was. A dream knocked on my door, and thereon started to narrate the story to the world. But "

Megha, taken aback, held a glass of water to Ellanora and uttered, "But, but never even left a clue about a daughter, remember! She wanted to run. She wanted to flee,"

Megha laughed as she remembered her pledges, "The whole plan was to leave me at a convent."

As the sunset rays slowly struck the study room, Megha and Ellanora walked towards the deck that opened to the beachfront. 

Megha stepped out towards the beach and let out,

"She was too young to have me. All her aches sucked her world. Throughout the journey, a convent journey as she called, she had me. The cloudy sky seemed to clear out now. The trauma haunts me. The sunset haunts me. The sound from the car haunts me. She slapped that monster to her fury. She fought to unlock the door and begged, and pushed out from the back door was me. That was the start of Megha, who dropped wounded at a strange gate and never made her way back home. "

Ellanora murmured, "Even our mother never made her way back home."

Megha handed Ellanora a note,

" She and her daughter are out to see the sunset.

A feast on the table.

Dad, don't search.

- Feb 2, 1982"

Megha added, "The note was never on the coffee table."

Ellanora remarked, " Look at her style. She always suggested pen down as someone else's story, then the ache flows, evolves, and deepens to ease the heart."

Both looked at each other, laughed, strolled through the beach, sat through the dark, and gazed at the stars.

And slowly, the theater drape falls, and Danny smoothly anchored,

 "The End."

"AND CUT!"

Speechless, the whole floor bore the hush and suddenly ascended a loud applause. But the producer announced, "Danny, your story won't work for the crowd."

After a pause to breathe from the response, Danny thanked. But before he walked out for a puff, Danny conveyed, "You're my twelfth, and yet you, too, forgot to ask the play's name."