"Beware the barrenness of a busy life." ~ Socrates
"And what happened after that?"
"They kept me away from human contact for weeks. By the time my brother found me I was delirious."
"Did you happen to catch the identities of anyone who was involved in the kidnapping?" The detective asked. Behind him a different policeman inscribed the words tumbling from my mouth on a pad.
"You didn't catch them in the raid?" I asked, surprised.
"Unfortunately, no. They were the final stakeholders in the whole affair, but we're looking for the middle man- the people who actually sold you to the doctor."
"No, they kept their identities well hidden." I said. Then I wondered, out of curiosity more than anything: " I had heard the cries of more children, but only four were actually with me in the cell."
The detective nodded. "We expect that the children who weren't given to the doctor will be taken across the borders to be shipped to other countries to be sold, probably China. It was a miracle you were held so near. Victims are never kept near to where they were picked up from, for fear of being found or noticed. They must have paid a lot for the deliverers to take such a risk."
"You should put policemen all over the borders so that they can't get through." My tongue stumbled a bit on my broken Urdu. I wasn't as fluent with my native language as I was with English. The detective unexpectedly smiled at my suggestion. "You're absolutely right. I have dispatched many teams but it's never enough."
"Because there aren't enough policemen?"
"Because there aren't enough good policemen. It doesn't matter how many I dispatch. Only a fraction of them are genuinely honest enough to do their job. Many of the officers are bound to accept bribes and let the perpetrators cross, but there's no way to monitor it, no matter what I do. Besides, it's entirely possible that the kidnappers will be laying low for a while and might not even cross the border anytime soon. They'd want to wait for everything to blow over."
"Sounds unfair."
"Life is rarely fair."
"You must have at least caught the doctor who did this to me."
His silence gave me my answer. Finally he got up from the chair next to my bed and shook my father's hand. "You've been a great help in our investigation. You were the only child that managed to describe an accurate enough account to give us any actual leads to go on from. We'll get back to you if we find anything."
"Wait- how did the police find me?" I asked.
The detective gave my father a look.
"An anonymous tip, I guess." was all he said, and he really didn't seem happy about it. Then him and all those who rocked black uniform like him gave me a salute and exited the hospital ward.
Why did everyone love being so damn cryptic all the time?
______
"Where's Omar?" I hadn't seen him in quite some time.
"He's got some things to tend to, I suppose." My father told me. I enjoyed the feeling of his rough fingers lovingly stroking my hair but I felt irritation at my brother's lack of attention towards me. Apparently, getting kidnapped wasn't enough of a problem for him to come in and see how I was doing.
"What now?" I said.
"You get a lot of rest, then it's back to school with you." I made a face. "Whenever, you feel ready to go." He quickly added. I laid my head back.
YOU ARE READING
Burning Ashes
ActionLiving in a third world country isn't easy and hunger isn't the only battle you have to fight. When her father starts dangerously struggling to make ends meet, Natasha knows that she's going to have to take matters into her own hands. Fighting again...
