Rudra's pov

We entered a forest. She is again jumping and dancing. She is looking at everywhere with so much curiosity. She is smelling the flowers, touching their petals, and smiling.

She is also watching the birds and making different sounds from her mouth. She is holding her frock and humming some songs.

"Do you know what they are saying?"

She asked me.

I know she is not waiting for my reply.

"They are saying that Sanjh look at us... Don't you think we are beautiful! Come and hug us"

I raised my brow in amusement.

"So, they want to hug you?"

I asked her. She smiled and nodded her head eagerly.

"They also want to see my dance....Do you think I should dance?"

This "do you think" will kill me some day for sure.

"No, I don't think so....i think you should walk faster"

I said as usual coldly. We need to reach the station soon.

"But I won't be able to see anything properly if i walk faster...there are so many things to see....look at that flower.. she is changing colours...she wants to surprise us...."

I stared at her for a while. She is such an innocent and naive kid. Her talks are amusing me continuously. At the same time, a different kind of fear is growing inside me.

Whenever I'm watching her innocent face, I'm getting too much compassionate from inside. It's feeling like i can never able to tolerate her painful or sad face. I want to see her smiling just like that. She is precious, very very precious.

We reached near a small lake. Her eyes widened in too much amusement. I didn't know that someone can able to get curious that much with everything.

"Rudraaa.....this is a lake....can we stay here forever?"

She held my hand and started to run near the lake. Suddenly she started to dance. She was singing and dancing at the same time. I don't know this song. I'm not fond of hearing music. So, i have less knowledge on this genre.

She is smiling and dancing around me. I was watching her with a gentle smile. She is an epitome of innocence.

Finally her dance got over and she bent dramatically just like some stage performer.

"Thank you, thank you for liking my dance.... it's good to dance infront of you all...thanks again"

This time i couldn't hold my laugh anymore. So, I started to chuckle after seeing her act. She also smiled broadly after looking at me.

"You liked my dance?"

She asked while walking near me.

"You are smiling....You look good Rudra when you smile....but why you always make a angry face?

Why everyone in the mansion stay unhappy and angry always?

Do you know,,,mom never talked to me politely....she always scold me...Mahi always make fun of me...she said I'm a crazy girl....do you think I'm crazy?

I can't dance in the mansion....mom and dad always scold me....mom said, good girls never dance...why Rudra? Dance is an art right? My headmistress told me that art has no boundary....."

Her words gave a sharp pang inside my chest. I have seen many times that her parents always scold her way too much. But I never bothered myself with those stuffs.

I always thought that she is a brat. But today I saw a different aspect of her life. She has built an imaginary beautiful world of art. And i don't want anyone to destroy her imaginative mind. I want her to stay like that always, smiling, dancing and singing.

I bent on my knees and stared into her eyes. She was also staring back at me innocently.

"I like your dance...never stop dancing and singing"

I said to her honestly.

Immediately her face brightens in happiness. She hugged me tightly.

"Thank you Rudra....and I'm sorry"

She said while breaking the hug.

"Sorry for what?"

I asked.

She held my little finger and suppressed a mischievous smile.

"You know I have made you a villain in my story..."

She said little shyly.

"Your story?"

I asked her with surprise.

"Yup....I have written a small story... actually i have drawn the story....The story of a princess who loves to dance and sing...she has a partner who is also an artist...they both likes to dance and sing....

but suddenly a devil appeared in their happy life and snatched the princess away from her dance partner..."

"But why the devil did that?"

I asked.

"Because he wanted the princess for himself.....He was a devil so he tried to lock the princess on his big castle...He doesn't like to share the princess with anyone....but the princess wants to go back to her dance partner...."

She said very excitedly. I chuckled again.

"Don't you think that devil has also a story? Princess should hear the devil's side too"

I said while moving towards the road. I find her standing with a deep frown. She is thinking about something deeply.

I stopped a bus and got inside with her. She was still thinking about something deeply. I'm sure she is thinking about the story. And i proved right when she finally speaks.

"You are right Rudra...i should also hear the story of the devil... afterall every devil is not bad...and after meeting the devil personally, i really feel that he is not that much bad"

She said again suppressing her smile.

"Wait!!! Did you imagine me as the devil?"

I asked her with a frown and she burst out in laughter. She nodded her head and kept on giggling like that.

I didn't say anything. I closed my eyes and leaned my head back. I know it's childish but I didn't like the idea of her making me the villain of her story.

But I didn't know at that time that Sanjh has written her fate unknowingly at her 10 years of age. I didn't know that one day our story will be changed like that.

I never knew that i will cross every boundary of madness with Sanjh.

......................................

I get down of the bus along with Sanjh. I will drop her at her maternal uncle's house and then I will go to Kashmir through the bus route. Dad has instructed me like that.

"Where are we going?"

Sanjh asked me.

"Your maternal uncle's home....you will stay there for a week and then Rajiv uncle will come and take you back to our mansion"

"And you?"

She asked me while stopping in her track.

"I will go somewhere else and return after one month"

I replied.

She stared at me with shock.

"I can't stay here alone....why are you leaving me?"

She yelled.

"You are not staying alone....your maternal uncle, aunt and your other relatives are here"

"No, no, no, no....i won't stay here...no..no.

...no..no...no...you... can't leave...me...like...this ..."

She started to cry and throw her legs and arms madly. She started to slap my torso.

I was angry. I caught her elbow and jerked her.

"Shut up.... don't show this tantrums to me okay....You can't stick to me like this"

I hissed near her face.

Her stubbornness made me to loose my mind. I can't take her with me. Dad will get angry if i do so. Also I can't risk her life.

"I will...how can you leave me Rudra??? You were so good to me...i thought we are now friends...but you are leaving me here??? I don't like them.....my aunt never treats me well...."

She was crying so much.

I felt a pang in my chest. Her crying face is shaking my heart but I can't take her with me. It's a risk to carry her all the way to Kashmir.

"I don't care how your aunt treats you....You will be staying here and that's final....now if you cry or shout, i will beat you Sanjh"

I threatened her.

She stared at me with too much shock and pain.

"I know why are you doing this Rudra..I made you a villain in my story and that's why you are taking revenge.....right?? I'm sorry Rudra...i won't make you devil in my story... please don't leave me... please Rudra...you can't do this to me"

Suddenly she hugged my torso and sobbed so much.

"Don't leave me please....please....Rudra"

I heard the beating of my heart. I felt something which I never felt before. She is making me weak. Her words are doing something inside me. I don't know what it is but I'm scared with this.

I slowly make her apart from me. I stared at her coldly. My father told me whenever something will make us weak, we should throw away the reason out of our life.

Right now, I want to do that.

This girl's company is not good for me.

I grabbed her elbow and started to drag her towards her maternal uncle's house. She was crying and thrashing but I didn't pay attention to her crying.

After reaching inside surprisingly her crying rate has stopped. She became silent.

Her maternal uncle and aunt welcomed me with a broad smile.

"Take care of her... I'm leaving...bye..."

I said to them and stared at Sanjh who is standing by keeping her head down. She is not looking at me.

I felt so sad from inside.

"Sanjh..."

I called her name but she didn't look up at me. She was standing with a rigid posture. I know she is hurt.

I walked out of their house.

I was shocked after witnessing my own state. I felt a strong lump forming inside my throat. Her innocent talks, her dance, her songs are replaying in my mind.

I kept on walking towards the bus stand. I'm feeling terrible from inside after remembering her cries and pleads.

I got inside the bus. I closed my eyes and leaned back in my seat.

"They are saying that Sanjh look at us... Don't you think we are beautiful! Come and hug us"

"Rudraaa.....this is a lake....can we stay here forever?"

"You are smiling....You look good Rudra when you smile....but why you always make a angry face?

I opened my eyes with a jerk.

Fuck my dad!!! Fuck his rules!!

I literally jumped down of the bus and started to run towards Sanjh's maternal uncle's house.

When I reached their door, i was breathing crazily. I banged the door loudly and got inside in hurry.

"What happened beta ji?"

Sanjh's maternal uncle asked me in shock.

"Where is Sanjh? I want to take her with me"

I said while looking impatiently inside.

"But Rajiv told me to keep Sanjh here"

Her uncle said.

Suddenly I found Sanjh walking down of the stairs. She was also shocked after seeing me.

A smile automatically reached to my lips after seeing her. I marched towards her and within a second I picked her up in my arms.

"Tell Rajiv uncle that she will be staying with me....we will return together after one month"

With that i straightly walked out of their house.

Now I'm feeling happy from inside. This is the first ever real happiness of my life.

"Put me down"

Sanjh said.

I immediately put her down.

"Why you came back?"

She asked me with a serious tone.

"I don't know.."

I said while scratching my brow.

"You are an idiot Rudra....I knew it that you are also scared to stay alone.... that's why you came here to take me...."

She said with a smile.

I chuckled again. She is such a pure soul because she can smile so easily, so effortlessly.

"So where are we going?"

She asked me.

"To Kashmir"

We both walked infront. She started her blabbering again and this time i liked everything.

"Do you think that we should walk like that fo

rever? May be we can reach Kashmir by walking like that....You know walking is better than bus....we can see everything by taking our own time...afterall we have lots of time....what do you think Rudra?"

I was right.

This "Do you think" will kill me some day for sure.