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My daughters
#WritcoStoryPrompt38
The two girls jumped over the hopscotch they had drawn on the curb with white chalk. It was their favourite game and they would be at it for hours.
Ganga and Yamuna are my twin girls. They are good girls and always in good spirits. They create trouble like every other eight year olds. But what are kids if they don't create any trouble. Since the pandemic started I am mostly occupied with work and find little time to spend with them. They are not happy with me brooding over work all the time. They wanted to play with their friends but schools and parks are closed. There is only so much time you can keep two energetic twins locked up at home. As I was occupied with work most of the time I needed someone to take care of them. After a lot of searching I found a woman who agreed to take care of them while I worked.
The woman seemed very nice and amiable. The girls also got along well with her. But the caretaker could not replace me. The girls missed me a lot and started doing things to draw my attention. One day the girls broke a nice vase. I was a little bothered by that. I sat them both and preached about good behaviors and stuff. They were constantly doing mischief so that they can spend time with me even if it is getting scolded by me. The caretaker also complained about their troublemaking behavior and the nuisance of cleaning their mess. I assumed it was just normal complaints and did not bother to resolve it.
Another day the girls refused to eat and threw the food away because it did not taste the way I used to make it. This made the caretaker upset and angry. Friction began to increase between my daughters and the caretaker. This led to constant fighting. I couldn't play the mediator for long because of mounting work.
Then, things changed. The girls began to behave well with the caretaker but they started fighting a lot with each other. It is very unusual for them to fight with each other. Of course they do fight like every other eight year old but this did not look normal to me. I inquired about this with them but they did not respond well. I asked the caretaker and she dismissed it as just a phase that they are going through.
Soon the fights began to escalate. They started spending time away from each other. They divided the toys and played alone by themselves instead of playing with each other. They also had their food separately instead of eating together. They even tried to separate their room into two halves but it did not work for logistical reasons. Given the amount of work I was handling it was difficult for me to take care of these situations.
One day I fell ill and was bedridden. I slept most of the time. Whenever I opened my eyes I could see the girls sitting by my bedside. Again separately and not together. I gestured to them both to come to my side.
“What is going on? Why are you both fighting constantly?” I asked.
They both looked at each other.
“We know.” said Yamuna.
I was confused.
“What do you know?” I asked.
“She (the caretaker) told us,” said Yamuna again.
This was getting more cryptic. I decided to have a word with the caretaker. “What could she have possibly said that caused such a rift between my daughters” I thought to myself. I decided to get more information from them.
“Listen my dears, I don’t know what the caretaker told you. Whatever it is, I think it is not true. I wouldn’t do anything that will harm you both.”
“She told us that you are going to send one of us away because we are not behaving well."
I was shocked to hear this.
"I know it will be me because you always hug and kiss Ganga more." said Yamuna.
"I thought it would be me because you always appreciate Yamuna a lot." said Ganga
Soon they began to compare notes and list all the times I should favoritism for one over the other. Even though I had consciously made sure that I did not have a favorite among them they misinterpreted my actions and turned against each other.
I assured them that I would never do anything of that sort. After a lot of hugs and kisses they both made up for the fight. They promised to behave well from that day. I told them that it is ok to make small troubles as long as they don’t hurt anybody.
I called the caretaker and fired her from the job. She turned into the devil herself complete with horns and a tail. She laughed a long throaty laugh before vanishing into thin air. I realised how stupid I was to hire the devil.
I took the day off and spent it with my daughters. Late in the evening they suggested that I play hopscotch with them. We used to play the game often.
The two girls jumped over the hopscotch they had drawn on the curb with a white chalk. It is their favorite game and they would be at it for hours.
I am happy to see them together again. I was determined to stop anything that can cause a rift between them. Sometimes I hear that devils laugh in my dreams and it reminds me what is more important to me in my life.
© spacebar
The two girls jumped over the hopscotch they had drawn on the curb with white chalk. It was their favourite game and they would be at it for hours.
Ganga and Yamuna are my twin girls. They are good girls and always in good spirits. They create trouble like every other eight year olds. But what are kids if they don't create any trouble. Since the pandemic started I am mostly occupied with work and find little time to spend with them. They are not happy with me brooding over work all the time. They wanted to play with their friends but schools and parks are closed. There is only so much time you can keep two energetic twins locked up at home. As I was occupied with work most of the time I needed someone to take care of them. After a lot of searching I found a woman who agreed to take care of them while I worked.
The woman seemed very nice and amiable. The girls also got along well with her. But the caretaker could not replace me. The girls missed me a lot and started doing things to draw my attention. One day the girls broke a nice vase. I was a little bothered by that. I sat them both and preached about good behaviors and stuff. They were constantly doing mischief so that they can spend time with me even if it is getting scolded by me. The caretaker also complained about their troublemaking behavior and the nuisance of cleaning their mess. I assumed it was just normal complaints and did not bother to resolve it.
Another day the girls refused to eat and threw the food away because it did not taste the way I used to make it. This made the caretaker upset and angry. Friction began to increase between my daughters and the caretaker. This led to constant fighting. I couldn't play the mediator for long because of mounting work.
Then, things changed. The girls began to behave well with the caretaker but they started fighting a lot with each other. It is very unusual for them to fight with each other. Of course they do fight like every other eight year old but this did not look normal to me. I inquired about this with them but they did not respond well. I asked the caretaker and she dismissed it as just a phase that they are going through.
Soon the fights began to escalate. They started spending time away from each other. They divided the toys and played alone by themselves instead of playing with each other. They also had their food separately instead of eating together. They even tried to separate their room into two halves but it did not work for logistical reasons. Given the amount of work I was handling it was difficult for me to take care of these situations.
One day I fell ill and was bedridden. I slept most of the time. Whenever I opened my eyes I could see the girls sitting by my bedside. Again separately and not together. I gestured to them both to come to my side.
“What is going on? Why are you both fighting constantly?” I asked.
They both looked at each other.
“We know.” said Yamuna.
I was confused.
“What do you know?” I asked.
“She (the caretaker) told us,” said Yamuna again.
This was getting more cryptic. I decided to have a word with the caretaker. “What could she have possibly said that caused such a rift between my daughters” I thought to myself. I decided to get more information from them.
“Listen my dears, I don’t know what the caretaker told you. Whatever it is, I think it is not true. I wouldn’t do anything that will harm you both.”
“She told us that you are going to send one of us away because we are not behaving well."
I was shocked to hear this.
"I know it will be me because you always hug and kiss Ganga more." said Yamuna.
"I thought it would be me because you always appreciate Yamuna a lot." said Ganga
Soon they began to compare notes and list all the times I should favoritism for one over the other. Even though I had consciously made sure that I did not have a favorite among them they misinterpreted my actions and turned against each other.
I assured them that I would never do anything of that sort. After a lot of hugs and kisses they both made up for the fight. They promised to behave well from that day. I told them that it is ok to make small troubles as long as they don’t hurt anybody.
I called the caretaker and fired her from the job. She turned into the devil herself complete with horns and a tail. She laughed a long throaty laugh before vanishing into thin air. I realised how stupid I was to hire the devil.
I took the day off and spent it with my daughters. Late in the evening they suggested that I play hopscotch with them. We used to play the game often.
The two girls jumped over the hopscotch they had drawn on the curb with a white chalk. It is their favorite game and they would be at it for hours.
I am happy to see them together again. I was determined to stop anything that can cause a rift between them. Sometimes I hear that devils laugh in my dreams and it reminds me what is more important to me in my life.
© spacebar
