Shhh!

"Abhishek" somebody called out from behind. Navya couldn't help but turned back to see who's been called out? Abhishek, a name and a silhouette behind it, whom she's been running away almost all her life. But the name has diligently followed her all her while. They say that the more you run away from something, the closer it gets to you. It appeared to her as if that silhouette has never faded beyond her reach, a bitter past, which has been haunting her and one which she wanted to forget, to never remember.

Navya, since childhood would spend her summer vacations at her grannies place, in their hometown. All the cousins would get together and live the happiest of times with each other. They'd sleep on the floor, with their beds right next to each other, cracking jokes, laughing at one another, how the vacations would go by none of them could fathom. Years passed and during one such vacation, one night, Navya could feel hands trying to lift her, she could slightly remember being taken to somewhere else. Some hand movements touching her inappropriately and by now she could differentiate that it was a bad touch! Which her teacher told her about. She cautiously opened one eye to see who it is, only to see her world turning upside down in disbelief, Abhishek bhaiya! (Brother) Her favorite cousin. Whom she was fond of and would love to spend most of her time with. Numb, She was. How to react? Should she shout? But then what would everyone think of her? Mature enough to understand what has just happened to her. She chose silence opposite to enrage, knowing that the revelation of this could be fatal for both of them and their families. She kept mum to maintain the peace of the family.

Today, even after years of this incident, it's even the distant of flash, haunts her. Deep down a war is going on within. She compromised her peace for the sake of her parents and their respect among the spectators of society, who prefer to often silence the voices rather than speaking up for the wrong. Her peaceful and calm outlook is loved by many but only she knows the havoc, the war going on within, whose bloodshed is nowhere to be seen, her soul is the war ground which has witnessed it all.