The tragedy

"Archa! come and help me in  robbing, it's time you learn how to rob or, you will be the one suffering! I am telling you it won't be my probs..." said Suman, my father and he suddenly started hitting her"Don't you get it!".

I replied "AAHHHHH!  can't you stop asking for help? What is this word you use -probs?", Suman replied after a long pause " probs I really do not know its meaning but I just heard this boy passing by using this word, ha! ha!" "not funny"replied Archa. My father is not educated! He can not speak properly. He is 40, and he still DOESN'T KNOW A, B, C!!! OK, OK, you must be wondering how he knows how to speak, right? well he doesn't ! He has just heard some fast speaking American talking in that accent, and oh! here he goes, well he did not understand the words that good but.. well enough, right.. just good enough to speak.

So... here I am, trying to help my father rob a restaurant. We usually pick up the trash, so nobody cares. Once papa tried picking up a chicken biryani freshly made and.. and... well, let us not talk about that. Any ways, here I am trying not to get into trouble.. Perhaps, I think I am just jumping into deep sea.. mostly I will get into trouble.

So, I get in, jump into the dustbin. You must be thinking YUCK!!, but I  am quite used to it since I eat  from it at times. Now I should be saying YUCK! there is a mouse in here,but I cannot help, and if I scream... no food for today. So, my father passes me the bag, and here I am dumping the rat touched food into my bag.

I pass the bag to my father and there he goes running off without me, I am quite used to that also now, because I have often helped him stealing from restaurant, but he just acts like he is teaching me.

So, I quietly climb out of the dust bin, and while walking I just suddenly tripped, and I am like OMG's, what was that???

And here I find out "oh! it's just a purse I got so.. creeped out! I thought it was the same old-rotten-smelling-stinky-mouse.

I was very curious about this white bag so I.... opened it, and I saw $ 1,000,000, and that was a lot for a poor person like me, it is also worth a lot to a rich man, o-my-my, I could not even believe my eyes . So I ran to give it to my father, but oops! I hear the police siren! I was thinking what I should do, when I spotted a lane and I ran into it. There were police men at the other side too. I closed my eyes and thought not to think of the fact that I was going to get caught for something I have not done.

I closed my eyes and thought for a moment- how come as soon as I picked up the  white bag, the police men came? I had to get out of there, I looked both the sides. The right side looked narrow, dark, but there were a lot police men there and even if I thought of sprinting that side.. I would be dead.


As I glanced at the left, the side was less crowded, but it would be quite hard to get out, so I hid the bag behind the bricked wall.

When suddenly I spotted something.... it was black...it was running...it was fast...it was holding something. " What was it!" I thought. When she was busy in her own thoughts, a policeman saw her worried look and walked into the lane.

"Hey!"The policeman said "Have you seen a white bag ?". There was a long pause. I turned. The policeman repeated his question "Have you seen a white bag? I want an answer and I would not repeat my question.", from the right another policeman came and asked"Hey man! Kol, did you find anything?"

Nope Cal.

The man named Cal was chewing something while he turned towards me, and drew his gun and said"Hey! who are you da?" he spit on his hand and continued "have you seen this white bag with.. umm.. around...um...yup! $ 1,000,000!?". I was quiet shy this time, usually I am very talkative, friendly, and outgoing but this time I felt awkward and uneasy with this man. To me he looked suspicious. While I was lost in my thoughts, the police man drew nearer and examined me . 

Suddenly ,I started backing away.The police man said "Do not hesitate, I'll just need to take a check before ya leave...", I came to a sudden dead end where there was the wall where I had hidden the bag.

I slowly looked up and smiled. My only hope was to find a way around the police men, there was nothing else to do. I tried acting innocent though I had the bag. The thought which bothered her the most was the fact that she had a very big choice to make, either she gives away the bag or she uses it and lives happily.

Suddenly she remembered the sad life she had. She said in a low voice "I have something to show you..." she slowly walked towards the hole, where she had hid the money bag . She slowly pulled the  bag up. The police man named Cal snatched the bag from her. Meanwhile Kol walked up to them. Both the men looked at the bag full of money and were shocked. To me it looked like they were hypnotized, I cut in "Excuse me..." and both men's glances were at her ,as I continued"well it was not my fault as I just found this on the road and picked it up. I thought of returning it to it's rightful owner, but when I opened the bag I thought of keeping it as my father had told me to keep anything nice I found, since it would help me in life because I am poor, so..umm...I just took the bag."

Kol said "This bag has so much money !! Seriously Cal, I was just about to kill you and steal it, well man I am also from a poor family."

Kol said "you did good kid. It is a lot of money and it is very difficult to do the right thing when you have so much missing in your life. But I am afraid I have to arrest you."

Kol and Cal took me to police station and I had to spend the night behind the bars. Next day they asked me for my story. I told them all about the beatings my father gave me. Kol asked me "Kid there are two roads from here. One will take you back to where you were last night while the other can help you make a new start. It is your life and it is up to you to decide"

I said I want to make a new start but I do not  know how.

Kol said I will help you. Since your father forced you to steal, he is the accused, we are releasing you. I can get you admitted to a school for young girls and get you a job at a local eatery. You study there and earn enough to survive. It won't make you rich but with a lot of sweat and effort you will be on your way to a good and respectable life. Make your choice now.

With out thinking I agreed. Next day Kol got me admitted to school and introduced me to manager of an eatery called Nab's grub. He agreed to let me wait on the tables in the evening after school. It was hard work but I loved every bit of it. I was learning new things in school and in life. I had stars in my eyes and spring in my stuff. I promised myself never to go back in to the dark path again.

One night as I was returning from Nab's grub, I heard  footsteps approaching me. Little did I know that it was my past life catching up fast with me.

But I kept on walking oblivious of what was about to happen to me,

Somebody came close to me and hit me hard on back of my head. When I came about, I saw my father standing over me and shouting at me.

"Archa! Is this what I get after doing so much for you in life. You left me and vanished from my life. I looked for you everywhere and it took me more than 2 months to find out that my dear daughter has totally forgotten me and is happily wasting time in a school and waiting on tables. Is this life? Is this why I took care of you, only for you to abandon me when I am growing old"

A fury took over me. She shouted"It's wrong what you have thought for my life!!! This is the perfect life!!! I earn,  I learn, and also live respectfully ! this is perfect. I am not going to the same life again. You , you guided me to the wrong path! You trained me to steal!!!I almost ended up in jail because of your fail motto-steal anything nice. I have  found out how I want to live my life...it almost took me to Jail." I looked down with sadness. all of a sudden I felt a hard jab on my neck. I turned around too look at my father with a dagger in his hand. The last thing I saw before darkness fell on my eyes was the pool of blood around me.