Tara was waiting for Anny at the gate. They crossed the road and after waiting for almost twenty minutes they were finally able to grab an auto to their house. The auto had only one passenger in the front seat. So the daughter could seat in the back seats in comfort. Anny was infuriated till then. Tara hold her hand into her own. Making the surrounding much more gloomy, Anny immediately took out her hand with a harsh blow. Tara stared blank at Anny for some minutes. There was a helplessness in her eyes. She only had one person by her side. And that too her own blood, her daughter, who was now going away from her just because some unpredictable circumstances and cruel game of destiny. Despite such ignorance Tara kept her head on Anny's shoulder. Though Anny hadn't denied but there was no talk the whole way. Anny was completely moan looking outside by the door of the auto. Along with the passing light stand, trees, shops, people of the road, Anny was remembering her past, which left her with time but kept its dark wound in her heart. She could perfectly remember there was chaos in her house just like this busy street. Specially at midnight, when that man used to return home drunken, Oh, sorry, that man means Kama, the one whom the society called as "Anny's father".
Often he denied to give money to Tara for buying rice and lentil grain, but he never missed having the desi liquor and then making a scene in their colony at midnight.
It had become a daily routine for him to come home totally drunken, and then thrashing the weak door of brick-asbestos made hut if Tara was one second late for opening the door. Then he used to yell at Tara in his highest pitch and threw the utensils in the small yard in front of their house. Tara used to collect the utensils without wasting any word for that drunkard. But Kama wasn't satisfied. He always craved for more mess. He then used to grab Tara by her hair bun and pulled her inside the hut. Finally Tara used to speak up. She used to try her best to free herself from the tight grab of the beast but always failed. Then Kama used to start his "doll-game" with Tara. He rammed Tara against the wall and furnitures, hit her by anything he found beside him and even sometimes kicked Tara's sensitive stomach with enormous force. The house used to become a nightmare to stay in by the shrill shouting of both. Tara screeched in pain and this slowly quell the rage of Kama, giving him a satisfied sense of his male ego.
All this hustle-bustle used to break Anny's nap. She used to hide behind the door and see her mother getting thrashed inhumaly by her father. Tear and panic used to change her little happy face into a pool of terror. She then rushed to the other room and locked the door in fear. She was terror-ridden as if there was a sound of footstep coming towards the room. Her father was a picture of demon described in the fairy tales for her. She waited sleepless for any sound of footstep just like the little princess of tales would hide behind the castle to get rid of dragon. But luckily there was never any sound of footstep. She would wait for long hours.
In the mean time, Kama used to wash hands and Tara served him dinner. After completing dinner, Kama would have gone to sleep. Anny's little eyes would get tired waiting for the demon and she took another cat nap sitting by the side of the door. Then her sleep was always interrupted by silent knock at the door, which was actually done by Tara. As soon as Kama was fallen asleep, Tara rushed towards Anny's room. She relaxed over-perplexed Anny by calling her name. After getting convinced by her mother, Anny opened the door. Then Tara would fallen her sleep with some bed-night tale assuring her no demon could touch the princess, she is ever safe in mother's lap.