My Second Short Story

    

        THE BIRTHDAY GIFT                                                         

                                                                                        

            She woke up early and donned the same blue saree which she wore particularly on this day every year. It was the dawn of 17th April, one of the most extensive day of her life. So according to the statute created by her for this day, she visited the temple and returned home. She did not change into her regular clothes because today the newly recruited detective was supposed to visit her place at 10 am. She had heard about her commitment and efficiency towards work yesterday, in the evening, when she received a call from LKS Detective agency. A freshly joined detective had decided to help to elucidate her case . Waiting for the detective ,she poured herself another cup of tea and sat by the window, reading her favorite novel for the 3rd time. As soon as the clock struck 10, the doorbell rang. This detective is so particular about time, she thought.  

        “Good morning Mrs. Arora, I am Riya, from LKS detective agency.” Riya introduced herself to Mrs. Geetika Arora. Riya was a lovely juvenile woman in her early twenties, with hazel brown eyes and a slender body. Geetika looked in her eyes for a moment, smiled at her and said, “Good morning detective Riya, please come inside.” “Please call me Riya, ma’am” she told her. Geetika nodded and asked her to be seated. Riya settled in the chair facing the couch where her client sat, “okay, so without wasting anymore time, let’s work on the details of this case. Please tell me what had happened that day”. Geetika was tired of repeating the same incident. Every time she narrated the event ,she felt miserable. She still felt like it was just yesterday's occurrence, yet, she began, “20 years ago on the same day i.e.17th April, it was my daughter’s 3rd birthday. I was very happy. All the kids from my previous locality and some relatives, were invited for the birthday party. I was occupied in the kitchen and my daughter was playing on the kitchen floor with her dolls and toys, babbling something …,” it was poignant for Geetika to memorize her daughter’s cherry and innocent face which she recalled every second of the day. Riya rose up from the chair and went to sit beside her on  the couch.  So Geetika continued further, “ I heard someone calling me outside, so I headed towards the front door to talk to a waiting neighbor, which was my major mistake,” she started weeping, “and when I came back my daughter was missing and the backdoor was opened . We looked for her everywhere, but she was nowhere to be found. Even the police failed to find her, so I sought help from your detective agency but…...” she could not finish it. Years passed by and she made all the efforts to find her baby but was all in  vain. Riya placed her hand on Geetika's shoulder and tried to console her  "I am sorry Mrs. Arora, but don't worry, I’m going to try my best to find your daughter.” Geetika had heard this for the hundredth time so she just nodded. She had lost all the hopes of getting her daughter back. “Ma’am what was your daughter's name?”,  Riya asked. “Alia Arora”,  she replied. “Do you suspect anyone?” Riya asked, noting down all the details from what she told. “No”, Geetika was worn out by answering these questions. “Were there any identification marks on your daughter's body?” she asked. Geetika reminisced her child and replied, “She had a very rare heart shaped birthmark on her left shoulder, a mole on her back she even had marks of stitches on her right ankle caused due to an injury” and she looked out of the window. Riya felt numb from inside. She had already stopped writing. She could not process what she was hearing, so with a slight tremble in her voice, she asked, “Was the colour of her eyes hazel brown?” “Yes how do you know?” Geetika was totally surprised and nonplussed by her question. With eyes full of tears Riya asked Mrs. Arora, “Do you still love me Mom?"

 

-Shreya Mahabal.