Lost her Doll

By the warm rays of the summer sun she was slowly learning to live her life. The chilling autumn breeze was no more and as the season is more glorious and the worn trees are regaining its charm she wishes the hurricane she is caught in also slows down. But it was her who was holding those disastrous memories and not letting it go. The weather was beautiful, the bright day and cool breeze. She felt like to relish the éclat of the day. She closed her eyes to feel the sun and breathe in the freshness of the air. When she opened her eyes her vision was blurred. Her eyes were full of tears and she was crying.

Sabrina was only six years old when her father gently handled her living doll-a tiny being who has just stepped into the world-her sister. She felt her as soft as silk and as light as feather. She still remembers how the baby held her finger by her tiny palm the first time she held her. She was nervous at the same time the happiest person at the moment. Her sister was her best friend and her baby doll, cute and adorable. At such young age she babysat for her sister, feeding her and taking care of her clothes and all. She gave herself up for her little sister. She kissed her as soon as she woke up, before going to school, back home and before bed. Her parents were amazed by the fondness she had for her sister.

They grew together sharing their room, bed, clothes and other accessories. Sabrina had motherly emotion for her little sister since the day she held her. They walked together under an umbrella during the rain, splashing the water collected in the puddles in the street, eating Pani Puri and chat and quarreling over the last piece of chat. As time went on they became the best friends sharing their secrets and standing for each other.

It was the day after the late night party when Arena, her sister was making excuses not to go college. She always did this, find reasons to escape the boring science lectures at college. Actually it was her decision to study Science as all of her other friends. Though Sabrina didn’t agree with her decision, she supported and helped her in every way to study. Most of the times, she bribed her to study well. That day too she was convincing Arena to go college. “I shall pick you after your classes today and shall go for shopping. What you say?” Sabrina tried to persuade her. “Ah di you always get good excuses to send me college, don’t you?”Arena woke up and got ready for her college. Arena loved to shop with her sister and so did Sabrina.

Arena’s classes were over by 4:30 pm, but today since her last class was off she called Sabrina to meet her outside the college at 4pm for shopping. Sabrina left home at ten minutes to four as she was convinced that she would reach there in just ten minutes. It was already 4 and she was stuck in a traffic jam. The traffic was usually heavy at that time of the day but today it seemed immovable. None of the vehicles were moving an inch. She got off the taxi and tried to call her sister but it was unreachable. Just then she heard news that the passengers of a micro bus were listening to- Three explosions within minutes just rocked Kathmandu at 4 pm killing two people and injuring at least 19. Three of the injured are in critical condition.

Sabrina lost her mind. She hurried towards Arena’s college. The unreachable phone call and the blast news made her fret. When she reached where Arena had been waiting she was traumatized by what she saw.

Everything was scattered. Crushed micro bus with its roof blown, casualties with blood stained clothes and wounds, school text books and pens scattered on the bloodstained ground everywhere. She looked around to see her sister safe at one corner of the street. She was terrorized to see wrecked bag of Arena’s near the bus stop stand. Not knowing what to do, she picked up the bag then somebody told her that a college girl was killed during the blast and her deceased body has been taken to the hospital.

She was numb. She didn’t hear anything. Her sister’s laughter was all she was hearing. She rushed to hospital. The body was wrapped by white cloth. Doctors told that parts of the body are yet to be found. These words of the doctor’s devastated her. She could not believe whatever happened. She was hoping that any moment she would wake up and realize that it was a nightmare. But that didn’t happen. Tears were rolling over her face endless and seemed everlasting.

Next day the headlines of every newspaper read - Three near-simultaneous bomb blasts killed two women and wounded 26 people in Kathmandu on Sunday. One of the bombs went off outside a school in the Tripureswor area, another went off outside some shops less than a mile away in the central Sundhara area, while the third was placed inside a mini-bus outside an industrial park in Balaju.

It has been more than three years by now. But the wounds of yesterdays are still fresh. Many lost their beloved one that day and so did she. She lost her doll.