Those Naked Feet


                                   Those Naked Feet

She was playing with her friends then suddenly a sound came “chamki”. She turned her face. It was a brown face. Her clothes, suit-salwar with black spots everywhere. Messy hair with a ponytail where half of her hair out of the red rubber band. Her one hand full of green red bangles. It seems like she loves to wear all those accessories and fashionable things. Awkward is her naked feet. She looked fearless.

I used to go to my office where I saw her first time and then I frequently used that route for my office. She was like the young fashionista in her group. She used to play with her friends. I usually tried to find her house and other family members but I only saw her mother who sat in the corner of a pillar there. Chamki used to beg from everywhere and tried to collect money. I usually not give money to anyone but, I don’t know what strikes my mind when she came to me for some help. I gave her 10 rupees. She ran after taking that. I was curious to ask her about her family but she just ran and I was getting late for my work.
One day I found there are more than average kids as I have seen regularly. But she was not there. I felt weird. All of them are picking up money from everywhere. I left that place and went to my office. Next day, same kids but not her even her mother was there.  Where are they? Did she leave the place? This question kept striking my mind throughout the day. Then I thought, why am I worried about her? She was no one for me.
Next day, I kept doing my work as always. But somewhere in mind chamki was smiling. There was a local vendor who sold betel there. Suddenly he whispered something. I heard that he said “bechari chamki… now, what will she do without her mother”. I could not control and asked him: “why” what happened to that girl. He looked at my face surprisingly. He said…her mother is no more. She died past 2 days. I was stunned for 5 minutes. I asked him about chamki that where she is now, is she okay or not? He said: “no one knows where she went after this incident, no one is there to look after her mother’s death.

Maybe she left because so many kids have come to the same area and she might have thought how she would earn money. After all no one is here to give money to each and every kid. They all have the same story. “Madam ji…! You are not so strong to hear these kid’s stories. He said: “Chamki is a brave girl…I am sure her mother did something good that’s why she got a child like her.



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