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prayers
The parcel that had arrived today, contained an old key and a list of instructions to use it, never had Mira ever gone to her grandparents village. She hadn't even met them ever. What was she supposed to do with the keys to their old home in some village? "I'm not going there!" She said to herself and shoved the parcel in the bottom drawer.
Mira's parents fell in love in college and got married, this didn't go well with her grandparents and they never met Suman and Suresh, Mira's parents ever since. She had only seem them in pictures.
The more Mira was trying to push the thought of the parcel and her grandparents to the back of her head the more it was haunting her. She couldn't eat, couldn't study and couldn't sleep a wink. Some inner voice was telling her she should go. But the thought of going was not very welcoming.
The letter said that her grandparents were both very old now and that there was no one to look after them. It also said that they wished to give their house and whatever little that was theirs to their granddaughter Mira. It had instructions on how to reach the village and where her grandma had kept her jewellery which she wanted to give Suman but never could, and now wishes to give it to Mira.
Suman used to send letters and pictures to her parents every now and then. But she never got a reply. She never showed her pain, but Mira knew her Mom missed her parents every single day.
Four days had passed. Suman and Suresh knew nothing about the parcel, and Mira had no plans to tell them as she knew it would make them sad. But, she also knew she had to go, she had to meet her grandparents and tell them how much her mom missed them every day.
Mira woke up next morning, her backpack was ready. She had told her parents at dinner last night that she was going back packing with her friends for a couple of days. With lots of doubt's and fear in her mind Mira got on the only train to Rampur from Delhi.
Mira got down at Rampur and asked the "tonga wala" to take her to Master Ji's house. Her mom had told her that, the first and only school in the village was opened by her father and ever since everyone called him Master ji.
Mira could hear her heartbeat as she stepped towards the mud and hay hut beside the river. She knocked at the door, and an old but strong voice asked her to come in. Mira stepped in a big room and saw an old man lying on a knitted cot. He was old and weak, but his voice still had the authority Suman always spoke of. On seeing Mira the old man slowly got up and started searching for his glasses. He put on his glasses and couldn't speak for a few minutes, Mira couldn't move either. Suddenly Master ji collected himself and called his wife, " Dekho Suman ki maa, kaun aaya hai, Mira, humari Suman ki Mira". These words hit Mira hard, and she couldn't control her tears, as she saw an old lady walking hurriedly towards her.
They spoke for hours at stretch, there was so much to say, Master ji told Mira how he wanted to talk to and meet Suman so many times, but could never find the courage, as he had been very rude with her on the most important day of her life, while Mira continued telling her grandma how at ever step Suman used to say "maa ayse kehti thi, maa ayse karti thi".
After a lot of coaxing, Masterji agreed that they would come to Delhi with Mira to meet Suman and Suresh.
It was 7:45 in the morning when the cab stopped in front of Mira's house in Vasant Kunj. As Mira opened the front door with her keys, she heard her mom doing the morning arti and singing the bhajan her Maa had taught her. Suresh was behind the news paper when Mira called him softly. He put down the paper and looked up to see Suman's parents standing beside Mira. Mira put a finger on her lips, so as to tell her dad to keep quiet and not react. They all went to the Mandir room and stood behind Suman silently. When the arti finished Master ji said, " mujhe bhi aati do Suman". Suman couldn't move, she had recognized her "babuji's" voice. Tears kept rolling down her eyes even when she closed them to thank God, for he had finally answered her prayers.

kiran :)