After listening to their conversations, Hrida realized that she needed to re-visit the orphanage to check Aaban's well-being, Tapish let out a hungry 'meow', Hrida smiled and fed him biscuits till he was full and she ate some biscuits as well.
The sun disappears behind the grayish clouds, cool winds swirling in the atmosphere, making playful noises, Hrida giggles upon witnessing leaves attracted to Tapish's face, all the leaves sway and get stuck on his face. Tapish meows in an annoyed tone.
Hrida teases Tapish, " Tapish, looks like they have fallen in love with your face. How a cute couple! Pfft...Hahahhh.. If you are finished doing your catwalk, shall we go ?"
Hrida wears the backpack; Tapish leads in the front guiding her the way like a brother. Hrida follows Tapish's direction although she knows the way because she had already memorized the way to the Orphanage yesterday night still, she finds it adorable when Tapish doing his big brother's duty.
They gradually landed at the Orphanage, she saw some kids playing, some teenagers playing outdoor sports games and a few adults having a conversation with others, the caretaker lady noticed Hrida and welcomed her with a warm heart.
But she asked Hrida this time, why couldn't she stay with us and Hrida answered that she didn't know yet but she would soon find the reason why she couldn't stay there. Not that the place was bad, it's just that she doesn't think she should stay here.
Hrida then asks about Aaban, his activities, etc, meanwhile, Tapish strolls around the garden. A few kids cuddled him and he let those kids because they were innocent but at some point, he felt someone following him. He was well familiar with Hrida's scent, so he knew it was someone else and he sensed some darkness from the person behind him, he was going to escape but that stranger caught him in his arms.
Tapish tried to forcefully cuddle him and started blabbering in a possessive tone, " You are a wonderful black cat. I think black cats are awesome. We both will be a great duo 'The Black Brothers', doesn't it sound excellent!
I always wanted to have a black cat as my pet and now you will be my pet and no other kid/children here will come near us or take away from me. Okay!"
Tapish growled and bit his hand still his grip didn't loosen, Hrida heard his growl and found Tapish being clutched tight in the grasp of a strange boy, she rushed to that boy and took back Tapish from his clutch, he glared at Hrida with upset gaze, he confidently challenges her, " Give back my pet, he is mine. I won't let anyone take away someone from me again. I found him and he also doesn't mind then who are you to bother my brother, silly girl."
Hrida rebukes, " Excuse me! He is not your brother, he is my elder brother and I am his younger sister, which gives me the right to not bother Tapish. Just because you saw him, that doesn't mean it is yours. Did you get that, silly boy? Hmph. And, stay away from Tapish."
That boy snickers with a mischievous tone, " Tchhh. I am not a Silly boy. I am Divit. And, I will steal him from you, just wait and watch what this 16-year-old boy can do. The black cat will be mine." Hrida funnily imitates his words while he walks in another direction.
Hrida joins the children and plays with them, she is having fun after such a long time, she also keeps glancing towards Hrida in between the games, and Tapish peacefully sleeps on the bench. Hrida observes how these kids, children, and adults are trying their best to be optimistic and enjoying each other's company and what they have unlike her, who left her loved ones searching for her like crazy, but she doesn't feel ready yet to face them.
Suddenly, she felt the familiar feeling whenever he was near, and his presence always brought chaos and danger to her near ones, she scanned around, and everything looked normal but she didn't see Tapish anywhere. She called out his name and asked the lady, the kids, and each person present there but nobody knew where Tapish went. Her hands started shaking, she felt cold shivers on her spine, and she rubbed her palms to calm her mind and to be able to think properly.
She took long deep breaths and then started humming to calm her body, then Divit's words popped into her brain, and she knew the reason behind Tapish's disappearance. She immediately plunged into the orphanage house, she checked through all the rooms, but she didn't find Divit or Tapish.
Hrida lands at the baby's room filled with a huge number of cribs where small babies (some 1-month-old, some 2-5 months old, and a few are just weeks old ) asleep, unaware of how they ended up there. Hrida's heart twisted and squeezed in pain but she felt thankful that these babies were in a safe environment and not with their unloving parents or relatives.
A few memories knock on her memory door and she lets the door open, and a particular memory made her realize something;
Loud sobbing sounds can be heard, then a 6-year-old Hrida is clearly seen wiping her tears, torn and shredded pieces of shirts, pants, and jackets lay at her feet while her body is shaking due to fear, heart-broken, vulnerability in her eyes.
Her mother stood with a firm posture, cold eyes, and a disappointed look on her face whereas her father supported his wife and scolded Hrida lightly," What is this, doll? Why did you borrow these clothes from Shashi, these are boy's clothes and it doesn't suit girls. Now, don't cry over it and throw these clothes into the dustbin.
And about your friend, I will buy him new clothes and send them to his house. Now, be pretty doll, and apologize to your mother for going against your mother."
The 6-year-old Hrida innocently objects with a hurtful tone, " I didn't do wrong, Dad, Mother. I wanted to try out shirt-pants-like clothes, they look cool and beautiful and, even these types of clothes are also available for girls as well.
I have seen a lot of girls of my age wearing these types of dresses and they look kind of cool. I just wanted to try how it would look on me, I didn't mean to hurt you or your mother either. I think these types of dresses will look good on me as well although I like frocks and gowns but shouldn't we explore good things out there?
And, didn't you say, I am pretty, then it will surely look pretty on me. I know you don't like Shashi but Mother, you shouldn't have damaged his clothes, these were his favorites, he let me borrow them for a day because he trusted me and you hurt his sentiments."
Hrida's mother shushes her and lectures her in a harsh tone, " Shhhh! Are you talking back to your mother because of that stupid boy, I am just concerned for you, he isn't a good influence for you, look what he has done to my pretty obedient doll. Look-"
Hrida mumbles in a faint angry tone, " Shashi is not stupid, he is a smart and cool best friend of mine. You did wrong, mother."
Hrida's mother turned rancid and spoke with a dangerously cold tone," Now, you started thinking your mother could be wrong. Tchh..Tch.. Very bad. You are not a pretty doll, actually, you never were a pretty doll, I made you a pretty doll, otherwise, you were just some ugly normal girl but now, you have forgotten everything that your mother and father did for you.
Did you see, how our pretty doll is behaving like a useless stupid girl? Let me remind you, pretty dolls don't wear these ugly clothes and pretty dolls don't look cool and clumsy rather the pretty dolls are pretty, elegant, docile, and obedient.
And that stupid boy's clothes were too ugly to exist, so I cut them, and I will tear apart anything that ruins my pretty doll. Still being a mother, I will keep a big heart and let you have a friendship with that stupid boy but for that, you need to be an obedient and pretty doll of ours.
And, you can have anything you want in this world, we will bring it for you. Come now, hug your mother." Hrida hugs her mother and whispers with a dull tone, " Okay, Mother, I will always stay like a pretty doll."
Hrida's mother is satisfied by her reply and hugs her back. After her parents retire back to their room, she collects the shredded pieces and gathers them in a polythene bag and is going to throws them in the dustbin while tears rush down her cheeks silently.
But her heart didn't want to do this, so she decided to not throw it away and took the polythene bag to her room and transferred those pieces inside the last section of her school backpack.
The next day, at school, during recess, she narrated the whole incident, Shashi became sad hearing how they treated Hrida but she ignored the topic and asked him to not throw away these fabric pieces and also asked him to request his mom to make a small stuff toy out of it, he agreed.
After a few days, he gave her a stuffed toy as a gift and this is the same stuffed toy that is beautifully woven from those torn pieces.
Hrida snaps back from her memory world and mumbles in a painful tone," I was exposed to the poisoned truth from earlier age still I couldn't realize at that time and now all this makes complete sense….Let's focus, I need to find Tapish... I hope you are safe."
Hrida exited the room and went through every room. Her feet stopped when she heard a low meow coming from the last room, she was going to check, as she crawled closer and closer, the meows were audible, she could feel the pain in his meows.
She pushed the open door silently and peeked inside, she saw Tapish trapped with Divit's arm, and through his other hand, he presented lots of biscuits, chips packets, and other items on the ground, he spoke with a dominant voice," See, if you become my partner, you will be offered these many foods and items. Become my pet, I will never let you go and will bring whatever you want. Okay?"
He knelt on the floor and let Tapish choose whatever he wanted to eat, Tapish growled and let out an annoyed 'meow, he tried to escape but Divit caught him and pressed him against his torso.
He started rambling with an anxious and demanding tone, " I won't let you escape. I won't let you run away from me. My…..family did the same to me…they left me here that I am here on camp and they would come back to take me but they never … came back..They left me… Then I even contacted my Friends but they don't want to befriend a loser they say.
They said that no one would ever stay in my life not even...not even animals. The kids here…fear me…they think I AM OBSSESIVE...THEY THINK I AM CRAZY…..I just want to have friends.
I want someone to call mine, who would stay with me…..I won't let you go. We will become best brothers...I won't… I am your only friend and brother and nobody else…." Hrida heard him speaking in controlling and dominating but his words and the real voice sounded desperate and devastated. She could sense the flickering hope radiating in his wild grayish eyes for wanting to be saved and to be cared for by someone.
She could feel Kali near him, hovering upon his mind, feeding him fears, desperation, and anger, he was clearly the next target of Kali, and she felt sympathetic for him as he was being used by Kali for his own insecurities, fears, and traumatic experience. Even though she knew Kali and how to counteract him she couldn't help but experience the same cold, tense, and restless atmosphere forming thick layers of pain pricking their skins.