(unedited)

Sidharth's felt a pain to see Shehnaaz subtly smile even though she was in a captive just like a zoo animal.

Keshov returns with fish and sea weeds for her to eat. Sidharth opens the packet and looks at the contents.

"Mineral water?", Sidharth looks at Keshov in an unamused expression.

"Woh khaane ke baad usko paani bhi chahiye hoga na isiliye leke aaya", says Keshov.

"Keshov, woh already paani mein hi rehti hai, usko alag se kaise paani pilaayenge?", Asks Sidharth.

"Udi baba, meine ye socha hi nahi. Woh pehli baar maine jalpadi dekhi hena isiliye..", he says.

Sidharth chuckles.

"Ek secret batau Keshov?", Says Sidharth gesturing him to come closer.

"Haan batao sir, maiy kisiko noi bataunga..", says Keshov going close to him

"Maine bhi pehli baar jalpari dekhi hai", Sidharth speaks in his ears. Keshov looks at him in surprise and then both laugh and high-five.

"I like your company already, Keshov!", Says Sidharth

"Me too sir, log mera chosma aur accent dekh ke mera mozak bonate hai. They coll me Chomu. But you are the only one appreciating my talents.", Says Keshov

"I can feel your pain bro kyuki mera bhi yahi haal hai.", Says Sidharth pressing his shoulders.

"This borld is only for Sundor lok. People are nice towards them and only they have right to decide.", Says Keshov.

"Even I thought so but it's not true. Problem isn't with beauty. Problem logon ki mentality mein hai warna Shehnaaz I mean Flora ko hi dekho. Itni sundar hoke bhi ek chidiyaghar ke jaanwar jaise treatment mil raha hai. Does she deserve this? Zindagi mein pehli baar I am feeling bad for being a scientist.", He says looking at Flora.

Flora was exploring her new home. She touched the air pump curiously from which the bubbles were raising. The machine vibrated a little scaring her. She stumbled and swam behind the rock which she for some reason assumed as the safest place in the entire aquarium.

Keshov chuckled witnessing it but Sidharth couldn't smile on her situation.

"She is so funny", said Keshov.

"She is curious just like a little baby born in this world.", He said admiring her.

"Hmmm..", hums Keshov.

"Chalo, dekhte hai apni Flora ma'am kya khaayengi?", Sighs Sidharth.

Sidharth takes the seaweeds and climbs up the ladder and drops it into the water. At first, she gets scared and swims away from the place where he was dropping the sea weeds. When he climbs down the ladder to get fish, she slowly goes near it and finds out a not so fresh food for her but since she was hungry, she gobbles it.

"Sir, se kaacche.. I mean she is eating.", Says Keshov pointing his fingers at her in surprise.

"Puff, yes!!", Sighs Sidharth.

"Sir, let's try maach now", suggests Keshov.

"Hmmm..", hums Sidharth and climbs the ladder again and dumps the dead fish one by one.

Flora looks up at the dead fish falling one by one around her and floating upward. Sidharth smilingly gets down only to find Flora had stopped eating her seaweed and sadly looking up at those floating fish corpses. She was mourning their death. She held the fish corpse in her hand and touched to her head as if paying her tribute to them. She then went back to her rock and sat with her back facing towards Sidharth and Keshov. Her head hung down to depict her sadness.

Sidharth rubbed his forehead tensed and for unknowingly hurting her sentiments. She was very sensitive and emotional. A pure heart who mourned death of sea creatures and felt pain of others around her.

"She doesn't like maach. Se ekjon niramish jalpadi (she is a vegetarian mermaid)", Said Keshov.

"She is mourning the death of fishes Keshov. We've hurt her unintentionally and intentionally as well.", Said Sidharth siting in his chair holding his head in his hand.

"Hmmmm.. atleast we know she is a vegetarian. Chalo sir, hum bhi lonch korta hai", said Keshov.

Sidharth nods no.

"Tum jao Keshov. Mujhe bhook nahi hai.", Says Sidharth.

Keshov shook his head in dismay and went out of the lab. Sidharth lifts his head and looked up at her. She was still facing her back to him. He got up and walked close to the aquarium and knocks on the glass to grab her attention.

She turns around and looks at him. He holds his ears again apologizing to her.

"I am sorry Shehnaaz. Mujhe nahi pata tha ki tum itna hurt ho jaogi.", He said with a sad face. She looked at his face and then at the dead fishes floating above. She then frowned by turning her back at him once again. He hung his head down thinking how to gain back the little acquaintance they had created before the dead fish fiasco.

He climbed up the ladder and took out the dead fishes using net.
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Entire day had passed and it was Sidharth's log off time. He checks if everything was properly functioning. He then puts some sea weeds into the aquarium and waves goodbye to her before locking the lab.

All the lights were off except for the blue light around the aquarium. She swam close to the glass and stood with her palms pressed against the glass wall. She was all alone now. She felt even more homesick after Sidharth had left. Her feeling was relatable to the kid being left by his parents at the school for the very first time except that she had no clue whether she would ever be able to get home again.

Being unaware that Sidharth had just logged off and would return tomorrow, she repented for behaving cold with him the entire afternoon. She stood there for a long time until she lost the hope of him returning. She went back to her rock and sat there quietly praying to the God she believed to either send Sidharth back or to unite her with her family.

She then quietly ate the sea weeds Sidharth had left for her and slept on the rock.
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Next day early morning, she got startled to hear the loud noise of the vacuum cleaner. She swiftly hid behind the rock to see an unfamiliar face ogling at her. The utility staff boy moved his head here and there to catch a glimpse of her. When he couldn't see her even after a lot of attempt, the boy shrugged and cleaned the lab before leaving the lab.

Flora came out after confirming that the loud noise and the ogling eyes were both gone. Keshov walked inside the lab and having found a familiar face she sighed but she missed the person with whom she got connected with yesterday.

Keshov climbed up the ladder and dropped some sea weeds. She picked it up and munched sitting on the rock post which she drowned her head down into her hands which rested on her tail.

"Good Morning Keshov", said Sidharth walking into the lab. His eyes were fixated on her even before entering.

Upon hearing the familiar voice, Flora lifts up her head. Her face brightened up when she finally got the glimpse of the person she wished to see since last evening. She swam close to the glass staring at him.

"Hi Shehnaaz", he smiled while waving his hand at her.

She looked at her hand and then imitated him by waving her hand. She flashed a smile as well.

Sidharth felt elated as she was the only person, after his mother who showed happiness on his arrival and presence around her.

He went close to the aquarium and stood infront of her.

"Shehnaaz, main tumhare liye kuch leke aaya hoon. Apni aankhein band karo.", He said closing his eyes with his palm.

She blinked her eyelashes and looked amused at his action. He raised his eyebrows and again showed her his palm and closed his eyes with it. She imitates him but soon opens them. He laughs and nods his head.

He shows her a box which he had got with him. There were few alive gold fishes in it. She looks at them eagerly.

"Keshov, main ladder par chadunga, tum mujhe yeh pass karna.", Says Sidharth.

Keshov does as instructed and Sidharth leaves the gold fishes inside her aquarium. She looks at them and swims up and down in excitement. She was smiling. She swims upwards and splashes some water on him by flapping her tail over the water.

He was extremely happy to find her happy. He observed her play with those gold fish as humans play with their pet cats and dogs.

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To be continued.. ❤️❤️