First part

The rays of the sun sifted through the windows and fell on Supriya’s closed eyelids. Supriya woke up. She saw that the day had already begun. She got up, closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She picked up the newspaper lying beside her and started reading. She saw that on every second page, there was some news related to rape or molestation in the newspaper. But suddenly today she started paying attention to these news. Then she remembered her father’s words, when her father had told her, “Son, you have not yet faced the thorns”. Supriya is a very courageous girl, she is ready to put herself in danger to fulfill her desires, for which her parents have to explain to her again and again. However, she is not a child, she has turned 20 years old. She always wants to learn something new. Her mind starts asking questions after reading the newspaper. Why do we get to read so many cases of rape and molestation in newspapers? But when she does not get an answer, she closes the newspaper and puts it aside. She has come to the village just a few days back. Her grandmother was ill and this is the first time she has stayed in the village for a few more days. She lives with her parents in the city. Sometimes they would come to the village for two-four days only, but since Supriya has come, this has become her daily routine.She did not wake up in the morning, ate food, otherwise she would not have gone out for a walk. In those places which were covered by the veil of superstition by the villagers, Supriya’s mother was very upset with her habit. She used to say- “She is 20 years old. She is earning a name.” But she did not listen to her at all. As long as her father was ignoring this mistake.

Second part

Like every day, today also her day was spent in walking. It was about to be evening but she had still not gone home. But now she was going towards her house when she saw a girl who

Was practicing standing on her hands for hours. Although no one in the village had any interest in exercise. Supriya goes to that girl .
“Are you interested in exercise?”

“I don’t know what you are asking Didi?”

“Do you want to do this?”

“Yes.”

“You may not like it, but I like it.”

“When did I say I don’t like it?”

“No one here likes my exercise.”

“But I want to do it like those sports wala bhaiyas.”

“Which sports wala bhaiya?”

“Those who come there to play and for fitness.”

“There are many sports there.”

“Mummy forbids me to go, but I go.” “Will you take me there?”

“But Didi it is very far.”

“It is almost night now and even bhaiya doesn’t come to play at this time.”

“Mummy will scold me too.”
“Let us go secretly, we will not tell anyone. Even mummy will not know.”

“Really Didi?”

“Yes, let us go quickly.”

Both of them start to leave. When Supriya reaches there, she sees ahead, where there was a field, although it was not a green field but a ground was made for running by cutting the grass well, which was probably for high running races. There was a grill of three or four feet at places. Almost like an athlete stadium but inside there was a gym which was not fully built yet because many equipment for the gym were installed outside, which the girl used to call like playing. This was a way to connect the villagers with exercise, sports and fitness, but there was a lack of awareness among the villagers.

This is the reason that not the villagers but people from the city and outside used to come here, whom the children used to call Khel Wale Bhaiya.

There was a watchman who used to guard the place all night. He was very strong, aristocratic, well built and had a well built body, Supriya could not digest the fact that he was a watchman. He was still guarding the place.

The entire area was surrounded by trees. Many lights were lit because when the lights were switched off, it would become pitch dark and today was Amavasya.

“Come here Didi, see there is digital sports.”

“There is digital sports here.”

“This is what Bhaiya people call digital sports.”

“Do you think I am crazy?”

“Sports is a physical activity, for which there is no digital sports, yes, there are digital games.

Suddenly all the lights went off. Nothing was visible. The evening sun had been swallowed by the night, then Supriya heard a laughing voice which was of the watchman. The watchman had switched off all the lights by dropping the meter.

“Watchman Bhaiya why did all the lighting go off?”

“Are you scared of the dark, baby?” (The watchman says in a very absurd way.)

Supriya got completely scared after hearing this.

“I want to go home, Didi” (The girl started crying loudly.)

“Why do you want to go home? Right now we will play digital games.” (The watchman says in a mysterious way.) Supriya got even more scared, for that girl as well as for herself, it was very dark. Supriya and the girl were not even able to see each other. The girl held Supriya tightly. “It is very dark, Didi, I cannot see.”

“Just take me home, Didi.”

“Yes, it is very dark, how will you go?”

“It is so dark that you can’t even see the colour of your clothes.” Hahhhhh)))))))))))))) (He was laughing absurdly)

“But I am not afraid of darkness” Supriya says to boost the courage of the girl. (There were tears in her eyes.) However she was trembling with fear. Supriya was realizing the dirty intentions of the watchman. The watchman would pounce on her again and again in a mischievous manner and then go back. Supriya was unable to see anything in the darkness, but she felt as if the watchman was coming towards her, so Supriya started running holding the girl tightly, then she remembered her father’s words – “Son, no one ever gets lost in life, just keep walking in one direction and you will reach your destination on your own.” She started running in the same direction. The watchman was still jumping sometimes in this direction and sometimes in that direction as if he was trying to catch the darkness and was laughing loudly. As if he was achieving some victory again and again. Supriya was running. Then she collided with the grill and fell down, the bones of both her knees got injured. Blood started flowing from both her knees. The sound of her injury was not heard due to her panicked breathing. The girl who was on Supriya’s back holding her neck had closed her eyes tightly and did not want to open them. Then Supriya felt as if the watchman was coming towards her again. She started screaming (aah……..) with the support of both her injured knees.
She gets up and starts running with the weight of the 9-year-old girl on her back with her wobbly legs. Her face had turned red like blood.

Blood starts flowing from her knees to her soles and then she realises that she has been hurt deeply, but she does not stop. Suddenly she hits a tree. Just as if she has put her head in a mortar, blood starts flowing from her head incessantly. The girl was still crying loudly with her eyes closed tightly. Supriya was soaked in blood. Although she came out, she still had to walk 500 meters more to leave the girl. As Supriya walks towards the village, the light of some houses falls on the girl’s eyes, the girl opens her eyes and runs towards her house. As if she has found heaven. She did not look back or at Supriya even once; Supriya was staggering towards her house, covered in blood; the sound of the watchman laughing was still in her ears.

Third Part

The next morning dawned like every other day, the sunlight fell on her eyes and she woke up. But today she was in a lot of pain, yes less than the pain of that night, she woke up groaning. She regained consciousness.

She did not remember anything after getting injured. She picked up the newspaper kept on the table next to her with her weak hands and turned the pages, today also every second page of the newspaper had news related to rape and molestation. She did not have the strength to stop herself for long, then she put the newspaper back there, and took a sigh of relief and today she felt very lucky, who till the age of 20 had never faced any sharp thorns, although she had become disabled.

But it is very unfortunate that the person from whom she was so scared, due to which she is in this condition today, that person is mentally challenged. Actually, he had become mentally deranged due to a head injury in a serious accident. Sometimes he starts doing such things as he did that night. Sometimes he becomes sane and sometimes deranged, which even the manager there was not aware of. But it is very strange that a person’s fear can be so great that to escape from it, he accepts lifelong disability.

Both the legs of Supriya are tied with plaster and her whole head is covered with plaster, still Supriya is feeling very relaxed. She is smiling as if she has got all the happiness of life today.

* Many laws have been made for the protection of women but it is very sad that women still do not feel safe, rather they have started seeing a criminal in every person.