Some words can be disturbing. Your choice to read or not.

~~

Subhadra scored a 96 percentage in her tenth.

Parents were happy. But not as happy as when his brother had scored 80% in the same. Vaibhav congratulated her. Subhadra didn't even budge.

She almost ran to Sandhya's with the news.

Maanav opened the door with a wide smile.

" Congratulations Subhadra! " , he said before she could even talk. He came forward and hugged her. A soft hug.

Taken aback and a bit embarrassed, Subhadra came out of the hug and thanked him.

" Mom's not home. To hospital. You can meet her there. "

Subhadra immediately turned to go.

" Are you afraid of me? " , Maanav called from the back.

Subhadra stopped. And turned.
" Why? "

" Feels so. And hurts as well that a single incident with some bustard changed your notion towards every human on earth. "

Subhadra saw an unusually fierce expression on his face for a moment. Which disappeared instantly.

" It's not so.... It's just that I'm extremely introvert and I cannot begin a conversation myself.

" But you hardly converse even when I start one. " , Maanav smiled again.

Subhadra smiled back. One thing she knew. Maanav Hegde was cool. She had seen boys of her age plus boys elder to her. But this eighteen years old human held a huge understanding of life, almost single-handedly supporting his mother mentally till he could do that financially as well.

After his father expired just two years back.

Subhadra walked in and sat on a couch. Maanav ran to the kitchen and brought in juice, evidently pleased at her decision to sit.

Subhadra looked at a photo right on the wall in front. Of a man.

" Is that your father? "

Maanav nodded a yes.

" Heart attack? "

"Why? Mom told so?

No. He hanged himself. "

Subhadra's throat went dry.

She somehow uttered...
" W-h-hyy? "

Maanav settled in another couch and scratched his feet for sometime.

" Because my father was involved in a gang rape on BT road. No one was arrested in the incident because of lack of evidence. The girl was drugged. "

Subhadra horrifyingly stared at him.
He kept looking at the floor.

" But, there was a witness. A live witness. Myself. I don't know by what turn of fate I had decided to take BT road back home from tuitions that night, a road I never took.

My sixteen years old heart went numb, when I came to know, my father, a decent family man, was a rapist on road. All I could do was escape from the scene like a coward. "

Subhadra was finding it hard to inhale. She wanted to run away but her feet didn't move. A dreaded experience from the past was overpowering her.

" I couldn't eat, sleep, study nothing for days to come. The incident came to news. I got to know she was a subordinate at my father's office.

I told nothing to no one. I saw my rapist dad sit and sigh at the incident, along with mother, complaining how the country was going to drain.

All I could do was stand and curse myself. For not taking a stand for that innocent girl.

I only hoped against hope that the police knocks on our door, just once.

Subhadra? "

Subhadra had grown completely pale. She gasped.

" I need to go home. " , she stood up.

" Fine. You will go after I finish narrating the story.

Soon, news made rounds, that no one could be arrested in the incident because of lack of evidence.

That night I went into my father's room. With a knife.

Mother being nurse, and me having an interest, I knew quite a thing of anaesthesia. My plan was to anaesthetise him.

And castrate him.

You may leave, Subhadra. "

" You can continue. " , a firm voice replied back.

" There's no more to it.

The next morning, my father was discovered lifeless, hanging from the ceiling. Suicidal hanging. Autopsy reported.

Go home, Subhadra.

And remember, no rapist should live. "

----

" Nayanthara, did you have something to say? "

Hiranmay Ganguly asked, watching her stare terrified at the door that was  slowly closing after Subhadra Hegde left.

" Err.... Yes.... I mean, I.... "

The door was pushed open again.

Subhadra ducked her head in,
" And Sir, don't hesitate calling me in for any emergency. I'll be happy to be here. "

He reciprocated warmly.

Subhadra left again. But before leaving, threw a glance at Nayanthara.

That deadly glance.

" Some other time, sir. "
Nayanthara left the room picking up the resignation letter from the floor.

Subhadra Hegde knew of her presence now.

It would not be easy anymore, to leave silently.

---

He held her wrist.

She glanced into his eyes.

The leanest patient of chronic myeloid leukemia she had ever seen.  In his sixties.

" I don't want to live anymore doctor. I don't want to go back home. My family has given up all hopes on me. Till I'll live, I'll be a burden to our already dooming family. My son earns little. He can only feed his family. And maybe his mother. I don't want to go back home doctor.

Please, please.... " , he sobbed vehemently.

Subhadra could feel the corners of her eyes watering.

But she slowly withdrew her wrist from his hands.

" You'll die only when god takes you in.
No human is kind enough to reward you with death.
I have learnt with my life.

No one killed me, when I wanted to die......
No one did that mercy, to bring me death. "

" A little bit of mercy makes the world less cold and more just. "