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Sneha peeped outside the window fitted with rusted rods running horizontally across its width. She saw a little girl holding her mother’s hand, heading very fast towards the other end. “She seems new to this place,” thought Sneha.
“Sneha, it’s your turn now. Take this bag, and don’t return it until it’s full. Be careful with the station master.” shouted a shrill voice. Once again, it’s a new search, a search for little things from a hullabaloo of things lying hither and thither.
Sneha, a little one of 9 years old, was left on the railway platform 2 years ago. Her caretaker always forced her to extend her limits. She has targets to meet, and the food she got depended on her search. Luck is not easy, though; extreme searches were her fate. She heard the cries of the baby beside a railway station drinking water tap. Nobody knew who left her there and where she came from. But Sneha recognized her as she saw her running behind her mother an hour ago. She thought, “Another little one abandoned by her family. I hope her luck takes her in good hands.”
Sneha swiftly ran towards the girl to find out what the matter was. Her pretty pink frock adorned with rough dirt patches looked as though the girl came from a decent family. Is she from a family living in those high risers, or may she have worn a gifted frock? Sneha thought, scanning the girl from top to bottom.
Shall I extend my boundary and ask the little one mother not to make this grave mistake? But the thought of Hari shook her up. Hari, the devil in his life, made kids work for hours in the day and laborers at night, giving hardly any sleeping hours for little souls. Hari was a scruffy man who could hardly reach the drinking tap mounted on the platform. His blood-red, watchful eyes were set in deep sockets as though he hadn’t slept for many nights. He literally walked with a leg he could barely sense and living in a small tent, his chapri rumbled each time a train passed by. But he had a strong network of boys who would capture kids trying to escape his seize.
The little girl’s cry brought Sneha to reality: “Oh my god, help me decide. Shall I run behind her mother and take the risk of three days without food or just let her cry? Hari will anyway get her to their captive in some time, as nothing is missed from his eyes.
With her heart pounding, Sneha made a swift decision. She couldn’t let another innocent soul suffer the same fate she did. Ignoring the risk of encountering Hari, she rushed towards the little girl’s mother and the girl.
“Excuse me,” Sneha said, panting slightly as she caught up with her. “Please, you have to listen to me. Don’t trust anyone here, especially not Hari. He’s dangerous.”
The woman looked at Sneha with a mixture of surprise and suspicion, but Sneha’s urgency and sincerity broke through her doubt. She listened intently as Sneha recounted her harrowing experience and warned them of the dangers lurking in the shadows of the railway station.
Moved by Sneha’s bravery and compassion, the woman realized her mistake and promised to keep her daughter safe. With a grateful nod, Sneha hurried away, her determination renewed.
As she continued her search, Sneha kept her eyes peeled for any signs of other girls in distress. And she found them. One by one, she reached out to them, offering comfort, guidance, and a glimmer of hope in another vicinity as she crossed for the first time with courage.
But her mission had its challenges. Hari’s presence loomed like a dark cloud over the station, his watchful eyes constantly searching for his next victim. Yet Sneha refused to be intimidated. With each confrontation, she grew bolder and fiercer, channeling a strength she never knew she had.
Finally, the day came when Sneha had gathered enough evidence to bring down Hari and his criminal network. While picking litter, she one day found a card of the inspector of a nearby police station. With the help of local authorities and the support of the community, she orchestrated a daring rescue operation that freed not only herself but all the girls held captive under Hari’s tyranny.
As the dust settled and the sun rose on a new day, Sneha stood tall, her eyes blazing with determination. Hari looked on in disbelief, stunned by the ferocious avatar of the girl he once thought he could control.
In that moment, Sneha was more than just a survivor. She was a warrior, a symbol of resilience and hope. As she walked away from the railway station, her head held high, she knew that her journey was far from over. But with each step forward, she carried with her the knowledge that she was capable of anything, that no challenge was too great, and that she would always fight for those who couldn’t fight for themselves.
This story is a part of #Storytellersbloghop season 4 that we co-hosted with our dear friend Ujjwal Mishra.