Hello, my lovely readers! As the show comes to end for us, here is the final part to this series; something we had penned down months ago, waiting for the right time to post it.

Now feels like a right time to do so, please enjoy the last of my works along with Sri, as we bid adieu to our beloved ShiVi!

.....

13 year-old Shiva was busy working on his art homework for the day, when the most annoying person he'd ever met ran into his room.

He was having a very nice day, and he intended on keeping it that way, except that he forgot to consider the hindrance in his life, that was Raavi Narayan.

She practically ran into his house, almost tumbling over his crayons and paints, holding something in her hand.

"Aye gadhedi, dikhai nahi deta kya!" Shiva exclaimed, pushing his paints and crayons to one side.

"Woh sab chod. Shiva, emergency ho gayi hai." Raavi panted, and he quirked his eyebrow.

"Aisi kaunsi aafat aa gayi, jo tu daud lagake mere ghar mein ghus gayi?"

"Aafat nahi, chidiya aayi hai." She said innocently, unfurling her palms to reveal a tiny sparrow in her hands, shivering and quaking.

"Dekh na, Shiva," Raavi said, almost in tears all of a sudden,  "Isko chot lag gayi, aur thandi mein kaap rahi thi bechari. Maasi isse ghar mein nahi rakhne de rahi thi, toh mai tere paas aa gayi. Isko bacha na, Shiva."

"Tu ro kyu rahi hai, chipkali? Kuch nahi hoga isse." Shiva said, much softly than his tone earlier. "Hum isko doctor chacha ke paas le jaate hai, theek hai?"

He took the tiny brown sparrow from Raavi's hands, and pet her gently to tell her they wouldn't harm her, finding a small comfortable box to put her in, and rushing to the vet 4 streets away.

The doctor cleaned and bandaged the little birdie's wings and legs, and told Shiva and Raavi to feed her well for 2 weeks, and she'd be absolutely fine. Raavi took out her little wallet from her pocket, and handed over whatever money she had in it to the doctor, who smiled and returned it back to her, telling her to stay as innocent and caring for others as well.

Shiva held the box close to himself, checking on the little bird from time to time until they reached home, and set the box on the balcony of his room, with Raavi skipping in joy behind him.

For the next 3 weeks of their winter vacation, Shiva and Raavi woke up in the morning to search for worms and food, with Raavi holding the grains because the worms were too 'yucky' to hold, and Shiva rolled his eyes, bringing a box of worms for the bird.

They fed her with tiny tweezers, kept her warm under the sunlight, and took her regularly for her check up, just so that she wasn't infected by anything else.

On one particular day, while taking care of the bird, Raavi has dozed off on Shiva's shoulder, and he sat there patting her head gently, not wanting to wake her up because she looked so peaceful, and tired from taking care of the bird all night long.

The little sparrow warmed up to her care takers, and rubbed her little head against their fingers every time they pet her. Raavi was so surprised to watch her grumpy Bhoothnath be so soft with the bird, cooing and talking to her that she'd be okay in no time.

He had always been soft and sensitive towards babies, although he would never admit it, but watching her grumpy best friend melt for a tiny creature warmed her heart, and she pulled his cheeks in adoration, earning a swat exactly 5 seconds later.

She even joked about how the little sparrow was like their adopted child, and Shiva grumbled in response. He didn't outright deny it, or make fun of her for saying that, so that was a win.

Soon enough, the tiny sparrow had healed of her injuries, and Raavi dreaded the day that she'd fly away from them. She had come to be very attached to her tiny baby sparrow, even giving her the cutest name; 'Tweety'

One such day, when Shiva had carried the little bird on his hand and walked to the terrace to set her free, Raavi clutched on his sleeve.

"Shiva," She said in a small voice, "Hum isse apne paas rakh lete hai na? Dekh, woh humse bohot pyaar karti hai."

Raavi gently scratched the tiny sparrow for effect, and her Tweety nudged against her finger in return.

"Chipkali," Shiva said softly, putting an arm around her shoulder, "Hum isse bohot pyaar karte hai, par yeh uski duniya nahi hai. Woh toh aasman choona chahti hai, hum toh bas zameen se qaid hai."

Raavi's face fell, as she took Tweety into her palms and hugged her to her cheek, her little birdie nudging against her cheek as if to say 'thank you for taking care of me, I'll visit you soon.'

Shiva held the sparrow in his hands, and kissed her tiny head, petting her for the last time before holding her up to open sky, as she took off and savored among the clouds and winds, nothing less than a tiny speck within a few minutes.

Raavi burst into tears and Shiva pulled into a hug, a gently kiss on her head, her tears dampening his shirt.

"It's okay, chipkali. Hum uski udaan ko nahi rok sakte the, kisi din toh usko jaana hi tha."

"Aur thodi der ruk jaati na? Itni kya jaldi thi?" She cried, and he hugged her tighter, promising to treat her for being so brave, which fixed her mood partly.

The open skies were a witness to the act; they had let their little bird go, to soar towards her life ahead.

....

She was absolutely sure she wouldn't be able to do it, his warm hand brushing away the hair on her face, his lips pressed to her forehead in a gentle kiss, telling her that he was right here.

Her palms clutched his tightly, her face scrunched in pain as she tried harder, and he only wished he could take away the pain, her discomfort and tears pricking his heart.

But it was all worth it, when the cries of a tiny human echoed in the room, the doctor announcing the birth of their baby girl to the anxious parents.

The slobbery baby being cleaned up and handed over to her mother, and he was sure that there could never be a sight or emotion that would overwhelm him as much.

Two of the most important girls of his life, one crying tears of happiness while the other crying to announce her arrival to the world.

That was the first time Shiva realised, they were his to protect, with all his life and soul.

.

He rushed to grab the first aid, his 5 year old daughter wailing in pain as she bruised her knee in a bad fall, blood oozing from the cut. He sat down next to their daughter, consoling her in words that could only mean she was a brave girl, as his wife gently applied the antiseptic while he distracted her with praises and promises of a certain dessert.

Kissing her head, she reminded her daughter what a brave girl she was, how strong her little baby was, and that mumma was very proud of her baby. Her daughter presented a toothy smile, only for her parents to realise she had also lost a tooth in her fall, to their utter shock.

That was the second time Shiva realised, his baby deserved to be protected from all the evil of the world.

.

He walked in to his 20 year old daughter's room, a crack spreading across his chest at the tears in her eyes as she sobbed against her mother's chest.

Her first heartbreak. His baby's first heartbreak.

His hands fisted at his side, wanting to punch the living daylights out of the douchebag who dared to bring as much as a tear in his daughter's eyes.

The first time she had told them, Shiva wasn't sure of the boy; he didn't seem like the type to trust your heart with, he and Raavi had discussed their apprehensions with her, from their experience and intuitions of life.

But when she had assured them confidently, he didn't push it further, leaving her to make her own decisions and take away whatever she learnt from it. After all, she had grown up, but she'd always be his baby.

Now, when he sat beside her and felt her sob into his embrace, insisting that he had been right all this while, it didn't seem as much as a win, more like an incentive to teach a particular boy a lesson.

If his baby girl was anything like her mother, he knew that a tub of mint chocolate chip ice cream would help ease the pain, if not get rid of it completely.

That night, for the first time in the last 15 years, their daughter wanted to sleep in their room; right between her parents, like she used to as a child, and he didn't say no.

His little girl snuggled as close as possible to her mother, her tiny hand reaching out to clasp her dad's, her own soft sniffles putting her to sleep.

That was the third time he realised, he wanted to protect his daughter from the kind of evil that existed on this planet.

.

He watched as she tossed the rice over her head, tears rolling down her face, just like his wife's; oh how similar his daughter and wife were!

He remembered the first time she had brought her boyfriend, now-husband, home to meet them, and he was quite impressed by the boy. He had no complaints whatsoever.

And when she told him that her partner treats her just like her father used to, his heart swelled even more; his little girl had but one wish, to find someone who would treat her just like her father did all his life.

It created a pang in his heart, knowing that his little one had grown big enough to create a new path in life, but this time was going to come sooner or later, and he had braced himself for it.

So when his 25 year-old daughter called them to surprise them with her engagement announcement, he was over the moon, knowing that she was settling with a good man and the love of her life.

His baby girl was all grown up.

Clad in her red bridal gown, she watched as the car marked 'newly-weds' approached the gate, and turned to look at her parents; her mom was a crying mess in her dad's arms, while her dad tried to keep his emotions in check, but wouldn't be able to hold on any longer.

She walked over to them and pulled her mom into a tight hug, kissing her head like Raavi used to in her childhood, when she'd get bruised as a child. She stood in front of her dad, and wiped his tears, straightening his turban before hugging him, feeling the most secure in his arms like she always would.

She promised to video call often, because no matter how many miles or countries away she was travelling, they were but a phone call away.

As they watched their little bird sit in the car, waving her parting goodbyes, the car soon into a far off distance, Raavi broke down in Shiva's arms as he kissed her head and pulled her close.

"Aur thodi der ruk jaati na? Itni kya jaldi thi? She grew up so fast." She cried, and he hugged her tighter.

"Meri jaan, humein chodke nahi jaa rahi woh, bas, ek naya raasta dhoondh liya zindagi mein. Usko kisi din toh udna hi tha. Hum uski udaan nahi rok sakte the na?"

This time, Shiva didn't feel the need to protect his baby girl. Because he knew, it was time for her to leave the nest and find a life of her own. He'd always look after his little bird, but he had to let her do it on her own this time.

As if in consolation, a little brown sparrow flew past them unnoticed, following the car as if to say 'thank you for looking after me, now I'll look after her.'

The open skies were a witness to the act; they had let their little bird go, once again, to soar towards her life ahead.

xoxoxoxo