What You Seek (Short stories That Speaks To You )

Shadows

People are saying things about her,
'She is mad'
'I never knew'
'Where are they taking her'
'You know, she created a scene'
'I feel sorry for her family'
'She looks normal'
'Oh! God, her family doesn't know what to do'

Human, a creature afraid of change. There was a time when homosexual people were imprisoned for being what they are. The time has not changed much. Just the criteria is different. Some things got acceptance, some doesn't.

A person who is this definition of change doesn't even know his or her crime. Along with that their families also struggle to face the face of social norms. So, they choose to be the victim. Even after knowing the, so called criminal's story they become ignorant. They bow down their heads in front of those who calls out to the criminal for their unknown crimes.

Whereas, She kept on asking herself What was her mistake?

Day 27, today she is more confused and frustrated then yesterday. After, being confound to these four walls for a while, she know why people are always shouting around her; however, she doesn't know how to handle it all.

Home, that's what she seek. But, what is home?

She answered her own question by remembering those last few moments with her family. They blamed her for how she is born, she is their shame. It's not just her who opted to be quite. It's the eyes of her father, cries of her mother and hiccups of her sister. They know what she goes through. They accept her definition of normal. Yet, they are disappointed. Although, it is unclear whether they are shattered by the norms of this society or her "abnormalities" ?

In that moment, her thoughts were again interrupted by a passerby. Who looked at her as if she can't see them.

She is just a plain 19 year old girl, from an upper middle class family. Her hooded eyes knows pain, her clean blue sleek suit knows boundaries and her crimson lips knows secrets. Her family, can afford this luxurious mental asylum for her. Here, her surroundings speaks the stories of those who were different just like her. As, a child she used to talk to her imaginary friends. She used to console them, wipe their tears, and makes them smile. Those were the happy days as her family used to hear all these stories of her adventures with her shadowed friends. They called her creative, that one day she can be a brilliant writer.

However as those childhood years passed away, people started to think she talks to herself. That wasn't such a bad thing only if, she is not doing that in front of others. Her father told her it's a bad habit, that she is not a child anymore and she should stop this. He was the only one who knew and she was the only one who knew. Whenever she took his hand in her, she saw into his soul the pain of his father's abuse, complications of a loveless marriage and disappointment of having an insane child.

The more people she met, the more devastated she became. So, she choose to be isolated. Everything was fine, but till one. That dreadful day came when in a family gathering, she touched her aunt and found herself locked with her in a dark attic. She knew her aunt was badly beaten and scared of something, she could feel it in her veins. This was not new to her because this was her power. By never touched just a person, she always made contact with the darkest part of their souls. This was her normal, although people have different definitions of normal. Her's was just not like them.

There is a fact, we all know there are consequences, always. So, when she told her bundled up the confidence and stood in front of her. Her instincts were telling her its not a good idea. She whispered her words out
"Aunty I know, please be strong
I am with you
Tell everyone why do you have this mark on your nose,
Tell everyone why you have become so weak"

Yes, she could visit people's nightmares. However, these people can only sense her presence, they can not see her. Her aunt who felt content with her presence in the attic then shouted with astonishment. That astonishment took the place of misery, which turned into anger. That anger rained down on her in the form of screams, arguments and disagreements. Those gossips which were burning inside the shell bursted out as hot lava seeping into her father's eyes. All this ended or rather started when She found herself in a cell which was shouting INSANE to her.

She is a good kid, that's what these nurses say. Always smiling, taking her medicines on time and most importantly cooperating. She wants to tell them
"Stay away from me, because I KNOW" The young guy who bought her in didn't know that she knows how he cries at night when his uncle rapes him endlessly. The nurse who always smile beats her children without any reason taking out her on them and then sleeps crying.

During the day she hides the pain of all of them and at night she returns to these shadows that haunts her with a resolution of making them smile. Sometimes she succeed and sometimes she just cries with them.

She knows this is her life because she is not their ideal normal.