12 Years Ago

"Major Sahab, you kept your promise to your mother land, But broke our vows.........." a middle aged woman said those words to a moderate sized photoframe of an army dignitary. The photoframe had a garland of fresh white crepe myrtles around it which potentially signified that the person in the photoframe was apparently dead. She sniffed and stared at the picture of her now martyred husband.
"You didn't even bothered about us. How will I raise our children alone??? " she broke down into soft sniffles, recalling her husband and his untimely death.
"You betrayed me Major Sahab........You betrayed me.....!!!" her heart clenched and eyes cascaded down rivulets of salty tears while she remembered her late husband. The emotions bombarded her mind and heart altogether and she slumped down the floor, sobbing as if to be seen. The pain of losing her husband was slowly tearing her away both physically and mentally. However in that intense overwhelmness, she heard feeble voices of general acquaintances, coming straight through the door behind her. She sniffed as she wiped her tears and looked behind.
"Lata, did you see it!!!!! " she found her sister's figure storming towards her and alongside her, her 6 year daughter Madhushree. She sniffed and stood up.
"Jiji, what happened?? " she asked in perplexity.
"Those boys down the street........fighting, ready to rip each other's flesh......." the lady stated a little short of breath. Lata looked at her in confusion.
"Over??? " Lata was anxious as she looked at her innocent little girl who was clutching to her teddy bear tightly.
"Over her...." the lady said a little loudly. Lata gasped at the sound of it and gaped at her daughter, terrified and bewildered. Madhushree innocently stared at both the ladies due to her tiny brain unable to process what was going on.
"What are you saying Jiji??? " Lata had tears of terror brimming in her eyes.
"I saw it with my own eyes lata.......this is going out of the hands now.......We need to do something...." she said with emphasis. Lata sniffled slowly staring at her daughter with giddy eyes. Her world had shattered altogether. A woman without a husband and with a burden of raising three kids with no support whatsoever, Lata was slowly tearing apart.
"And what should I do, Jiji.........what supposedly a woman without a man can do!!!! I have no one to protect me and my children........" Lata broke down in front of her sister. The lady embraced her.
"Why do you think like that Lata!!!! A woman is just as strong as a man. Major Sahab had always believed that even if he's not there, you would still be able to raise your children........At least for Major Sahab.....show some courage Lata!!!!" she softly stroked her head to comfort her wretched sister. However Lata wasn't a woman who falls for someone's words. She raised her head and looked at her beautiful daughter with her bloodshot eyes.
"I know what I have to do...." she stated as she stood up and stormed towards her daughter.
"Lata........Lata........What are you doing????? " shouted the lady as she saw Lata grabbing the little girl's wrist and dragging her inside. Little madhushree couldn't understand why her mother seemed so angry with her. She didn't do any mistake, besides she was trying to be a good girl just like her father wanted her to be.
"Lata..........wait..........it's not her fault........Lata........listen........" she shouted running behind her, but lata was fiercer and beyond furious at the moment. She had lost everything, her husband and even a basic sense of judgement. Lata took little girl into her room, released her wrist and began sliding and closing the drawers.
"What are you upto Lata!!!! " the lady panted while clutching the little girl tightly. Madhushree clinged to her aunt as her mother's new transformation had frightened her to core. Lata continued fumbling inside the drawers until a minute later when she produced a vessel of black ink from one of the drawer. She then stormed towards her trembling daughter.
"Your mother can't afford your beauty inviting monsters to you and to my home......." she muttered with tears building up in her eyes. Abruptly she grabbed madhushree's arm harshly and dragged her to a small stool. And then she started smearing her face with the black ink more carelessly.
"Lata what are you doing....." the lady pushed her hand away from the little girl.
"Let me do it, Jiji.........this is the only way I can protect her from the monsters outside....." Lata resumed painting her face with ink.
"This is pure madness......" the lady cried but lata was firm.
"So be it, this is the only way I can protect my family......" stated Lata while little madhushree silently bear her 'punishment'.

At present

Knock......Knock. Came the sound from the door. A young, handsome man attempting to fasten his shoe laces, heard the rapping on the door. He sighed.
"I wonder if human race is an example of retrogressive evolution......when you have a doorbell and opt to knock!!!!" he muttered striding to the door and unlocking it. He pulled the door open only to discover a familiar person beaming at the door.
"Deepali, do you have any idea that we have a doorbell installed precisely for the people outside...." Mohan said folding his decently muscled arms. Deepali grinned.
"But I like knocking......" she said grinning madly. Mohan rolled his eyes and ushered her inside.
"Where is my bestie??? " asked she fixing her glasses. Mohan stacked his files together and prepared his office suitcase.
"In her room....." he replied without even looking and she nodded. She strode towards her best friend's room and rapped fervently at the door. Within a second she heard her feeble reply and she went inside. And that's when she came face to face with her astonishingly beautiful best friend. She sighed at the sight of her. Although she sees her everyday yet she can't help but get surprised everytime she looks at her beauty, her pure milky white skin, small eyes, long pointed nose, pink full lips, waist long hairs, fragile figure and lastly that adorable innocence on her beautiful face.
"How are you my Cinderella, my Snow White, Belle, Aurora.........is there any other princess left??? " she said unsure and madhushree chuckled.
"Yes one, Deepali Senon!!!" madhushree said softly. Deepali giggled.
"Madhu, hurry up let's leave for the college already. It's our first day and I don't wanna be late........and you are not applying that nasty ink on yourself anymore. I don't want you to hide yourself from the world, you aren't a thief or murderer after all!!" Deepali told her. She smiled and nodded.
"Yes Deepu, I don't want to ink myself anymore. I will come like this.......the way I am, the way God made me...." madhushree said and Deepali grinned.
"Yes my lady and I shall serve as your bodyguard. I will protect you....." Deepali stated and madhushree giggled. Both the girls then helped packing madhushree's college bag.
"Well!!!! Well!!! Well!!! Is Cinderella leaving for college without her 'makeup'...." an abrupt voice startled the two. They turned back staggered to discover madhushree's elder sister standing at the door. Her eyes held hatred and jealousy which was a facet of her.
"Jiji, I was thinking to not apply that......black stuff and do that unibrow.......I want to go to the college this way......." madhushree faltered. Deepali stared at Malini in disdain, besides she deserved it. She had always been a covetous and envious person and had always tried to harm madhushree in variety of ways.
"Tch.......Tch......Tch.......Poor madhu is fed up of being ugly......" malini said with a brutal smirk on her face. Abruptly she grabbed madhu's arm harshly, madhushree gasped and looked at her elder sister in terror.
"You just have to play ugly for mere hours but what about me......huh!!!! What about me!!!! Just look at this face, madhu, look at this face........I don't have to use ink like you to be ugly as I was BORN UGLY..........I am scorned for being so unappealing when you play ugly, just think.....when you decide to show this beautiful face of yours to this world, my life will turn into a disaster. I will be humiliated for this hideous face or used as an ally for people who wish to reach you........." malini hissed through her gritted teeth while madhushree sniffled softly. Deepali clenched her fists as she stormed towards them and pushed Malini away.
"Enough malini di.......it's not your face but your soul which is tainted and ugly........" Deepali stated wiping madhushree's tears. Malini panted glaring at her sister.
"I will never let people know that you are more beautiful than anyone on this earth. I won't..........you will splash that ink on your face, forever....." malini laughed glaring at her in disdain and contempt.
"No she won't......." Deepali yelled back at the jealous girl.
"She will......." this voice belonged to her mother and it came from the door. The girls looked at the door to find madhushree's serious looking mother standing at the door.
"Mom, but I also want to live like other girls..........I want to be what I am..." madhushree pleaded. Lata's heart clenched at the sight of his daughter begging to her but she was helpless.
"Madhu, you shall always paint your face with ink......that's it!!!! " her mother declared and malini smirked. Madhushree sniffled and deepali stared at the mother-daughter duo in disdain.
"That's it.........that's all you have to say mother......" mohan stormed inside the room looking furious.
"Don't you have any shame.......what harm has she inflicted upon you ever, even a step mother won't do something as horrendous as you do to your own daughter.....!!!" mohan said hugging a crying madhushree.
"MOHAN" Lata yelled at her foul mouthed son.
"Don't shout mother.......Even I know how to shout and you would certainly not appreciate when I shout at you...." Mohan tried to sound calmer.
"For this day I raised you with so much difficulties..........You can't even imagine how much pain I bear after your father died.........."
"After your father died........after your father died......that's all I am hearing since I was 12. Why don't you tell the whole thing, after dad died you lost your sense completely. You lost your brain, mother. What did you do, huh!!! What did you do.......Dad left a hefty fortune for all of us and you faced no financial crisis, you didn't do any job, you didn't perform hectic household chores due to us having house maids, you didn't helped us in our studies because you either were always tired for no reason or suffering from bizzare headache. So tell me mother, what difficulties did you face!!!! " mohan was furious today and this scared his mother. Perhaps because she couldn't repudiate his alleged claims of her facing no difficulties while bringing up her children.
"Brother please.......she is our mother!!! We need to respect her.......I....I will do as she says....." madhushree said heartbroken and deepali looked at her shocked.
"But madhu......."
"Please brother.......I insist..." she whispered as she ran inside the bathroom to shroud herself in her cursed fate. Mohan glared at the two women.
"Now you are happy!!!!" hissed mohan storming out of the room.
"I am not her enemy Mohan!!!" his mother had brimming tears in her eyes which Mohan felt were fake just like her everything.
"Yes, you are worse than that....." he stated before marching off to his room. Lata cried and malini satisfactorily smirked.

Madhushree and Deepali were inside the college campus. Madhushree had inked herself from head to toe, created an obnoxious unibrow, hairs in a tight braid and lastly apparelled in some simplest clothing. Deepali was upset as her best friend had to again morph her beautiful face into an unappealing one. As they passed through the campus, they both heard feeble whispers and giggles which were obviously directed towards madhushree.
"Ugly.......Isn't she...!!!" a whisper came from her side. Deepali rolled her eyes as reality was known to her. If madhu decides to show her real self these stupid girls would be glaring at her in envy and jealousy. After all madhu's beauty was incomparable. They both somehow ended up finding the way to their classroom and thankfully were able to get to the class on time. Nevertheless the weird stares were still intact.
"Madhu let's sit here!!!" deepali gestured madhushree to sit near her in the first row. She nodded and took a seat. A nerdy boy passed a smile to them to which they humbly replied him with a short smile.
"Battery, you better watch out, if she touches you her ugliness may pass onto you.....!!!" she heard a girl yell from the last row along with her gang. Deepali wanted to punch her but madhushree pulled her back, she didn't wanted any fight. However Professor Sanjay was fortuitously on the door when Natasha (the class bully) scorned at madhushree. Professor Sanjay knew his duties and hence he resolved to confront the ill mouthed students in his own style.
"Good morning students!!!" said professor and the students stood up and greeted him.
"Please be seated.........So today my children, before teaching you about Botany, I want to discuss something more important with you!!" Professor said with a smile.
"You know students, nothing in this universe is permanent. Not you, not me or anything else.......it's all temporary. And you know the biggest lesson one should learn is that, that judging things is not something we are entitled to do. Who are we to say that this person is ugly or this thing is revolting......Am I right Ms Natasha Patel....!!!" Natasha stiffened when professor called out to her all of a sudden.
"Um......Yes.....Yes, Sir!!!! Judging people on the basis of their looks is wrong!!!" she said and professor stared at her blankly.
"Than who authorised you to scorn at Ms Chawla in this fashion and don't you dare say otherwise as I heard everything with my own ears!!!!" Professor said in a sharp tone which scared Natasha and her friends.
"Sir........I.......I........"
"Shut up with those I's ok, perhaps people like you are so unfortunate that they don't have any idea of what true beauty is. And until you discover the true meaning of beauty, you and your friends aren't welcomed in my class. Hurry up and get lost!!!!!" Professor stated and Natasha gaped at him for a moment, but later grabbed her belongings and left the class with her gang, promising retribution.

During the recess hours, Deepali, madhushree and that nerdy boy were having lunch together while Natasha and Co were blazing in fury. Nobody has ever humiliated Natasha in this fashion and the root cause for all this issue, she believed was that grotesque creature madhushree.
"Nuts, that girl strikes trouble to me...!!" her best friend Vinny said. Natasha yet was glaring at madhushree.
"Babes, I think we ought to teach her a lesson......" her rich boyfriend Mike proposed. Natasha smirked.
"I have a plan but we need to involve that jerk soccer team captain, AJ..." she smirked and the gang looked at her in perplexity.
"Ok but what's the plan....." Mike was curious.
"Baby, it's your birthday day after tomorrow. We'll invite the whole class including her and when she arrives, we shall splash a whole vessel of water over her humiliating her in the process....." Natasha said with a brutal smirk. The Co nodded and thence the plan was accepted.

Madhushree's day in the college was fairly great, excluding the Natasha drama. She even made a new friend Lakshya. Now it was late in the night and she was inside her house. She had wiped off her makeup and was leisurely walking in her room. It was pretty late in the night and therefore she felt it was ok to pull up the blinds, although her mother prohibited her from pulling up the blinds while not in makeup but then she felt it was late night and no one was looking. She pulled up the blinds and started doing her homework. Prakash, an advocate by profession, lived in the house in front of hers. Although he isn't a late night person but today due to some unfinished work he was up till now. He was standing in his balcony, staring blankly at the road and houses. It was all by accident, however, his eyes fell on the Chawla's residence. The window was open and he saw a vague outline of a girl sitting on a chair. He looked more closely and fell agape for she was a nymph, that's what he believed. Skin white like milk, hairs long and body fragile and beautiful. He clasped the railing tightly as his heartbeat increased. Years of living on this earth but he had encountered such a precious and mesmerising creature for the first time in his life.
"Beauty........" he whispered as he rushed inside his room, ran outside and climbed down the stairs in a haste and dashed straight to the chawlas. He rang the doorbell harshly as he wanted to see that beauty from up close, right now. Madhushree stiffened at the sound of doorbell as she had already washed off her makeup and she was afraid if someone might see her like this. She quietly sneaked to the living room and hid behind the door. Mohan opened the door.
"Where is she???" Prakash yelled as he broke into the house while Mohan yanked him with his collar.
"Who are you talking about???" Mohan intercepted him from going any further into the house.
"That..........that.......beautiful girl......." Prakash yelled as his eyes searched for the beauty. Madhushree gasped. He had seen her and if that's the case then she is ought to feel scared. Mohan gawped at him.
"There's no one........." Mohan tried to push him out.
"I know you have held her captive.........I will call the police.......you show me the girl!!!" Prakash yelled and Mohan pushed him out harshly. He fell on the ground.
"Go and call the police.......Scoundrel!!!" Mohan shut the door on his face while he was still blabbering stuff. Madhushree sighed in relief yet she had fear in her heart that if her secret comes out than what worse can happen.