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You know those days when almost everything seems so unreal since you never expected anything that was happening....! I was having that kinda day a few years back and I've come to realise that , that day changed me....changed me to who I am from who I was!
So who am I?


Gosh , I didn't even introduce myself. * Stupid prick*


So I'm Janiena , I've studied in a convent all my life and now I'm an art student in india . And, If you're wondering how I ended up taking art being a dark haired brown indian bratt.....good going! ( Ya racist!)


Anyways, so when I was 12 yrs old , my convent teacher was Miss Catherhill . The thing she was worst at, was teaching me history! ( Apart from teaching , itself) She was quite partial though, when it came to marking our paper. Not that it ever bothered me , I always got great marks.
MouhahahahA!!


Although that really hit me back on the butt . I became soo confident that, I'm a great student and went to my teacher, the following year, to tell her that I'd nail the subject.( A different teacher)


Trust me, I barely passed!


So now basically I'm 17 years old and big enough to go to trips with my friend (so I thought) . It was all girls , so no hard time getting permission. Hehe. We all planned to leave on 15th October night and reach the next morning. I had always loved the idea of going to Ooty so I found some company and  I was on my way to the place I adored.


After we reached there , we took a jeep to drop us to the resort we were staying in.


The place was beautiful!!! I mean , the greenery , the forests , the birds , it was all so so peaceful! Me calling the place beautiful would have been an understatement!!! Aah , I needed this! Like BADLY needed it!!! Also it was quite early in the morning , so the dew was still there!
We drove over to the resort , the wind brushing through my hair and making me smile! We drove for about 20km and finally reached. Got off of the jeep with our luggage and went in.


The resort was nothing short of INCREDIBLE!!!! It had a nice cosy feeling to it. The rooms were all made of firm wood and very well furnished. The place looked quite exotic! It had a lovely view over to the fields nearby and then there was a dense forest behind us. Sandy and I were sharing a room so we got our keys and went to our rooms to fresh n' up and settle our stuff


There was a sudden knock at the door and it was quite feeble so me and Stacy were a bit startled! ( No we are NOT cowards !!! We're just people with overactive imagination!! Ya got a problem?)


I went to open the door and.....@

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I opened the door and there was this sweet looking old lady. She had a broom in her hand and her skin was wrinkled . He had thin grey hair and a very cute scarf over her head. She said ," Do you kids want some tea , the leaves are fresh from that farm nearby".


That voice sounded familiar , too familiar infact .


Something told me i had known her.


Sandy replied to her," I wouldn't want any , you Janiena??" . " Oh no ,me either , thank you " and we both smiled. The old lady gave us a sweet grin with her eyes closed!


Wait....is that.....no wait....it can't be........


I swear I wanted to KICK myself in the butt so hard that I never got up!!!!!!

THAT WAS MISS CATHERHILL!!!!!!! But how's that possible, I mean....she was a teacher at the convent when did she....?


I was so very confused but , I was sooo mad that I almost wants to kill myself for not recognising her! She looked soooo old and it have been only around 8 yrs.!!

I had been staring at the door after she left and Sandy looked at me . Said , " is she the one who killed your cosin in you last life?" And she burst out laughing!


I rolled my eyes at her


" No you crackhead that's....that's my teacher!"


"Ya whatever, so what are you wearing for the trek in the evening ? I think I'll wear a butt short , but do u think that would look slutty? I mean I am pretty hot and I wanna show off a bit , but like ,would that be too much......" And so she trailed away


"It's a freaking TREK you annoying bratt head!!!!"I was pretty confused and irritated . Bothered, if I can say , to see my teacher like that! I guess that's why , I got worked up and screamed at the ONLY person who was enjoyable there!!

"Gurrrrrrllll , are you ok? You don't need to scream the frackin hell out of me!?!"


"Sorry.....I'm just.....idk ,I think I'll go take a small walk" I said


" It's okay baby girl , I'll be in Ahana's room, kay?"


"Kay!" And I trolled off


I went straight to the reception and asked ," hello , hii, can you tell me where I'll find ma'a....the helper ?"


"Why, is everything okay ma'am?" She asked ,worried.


"No, just needed to speak to her , where is she?"I asked absent-mindedly!

She's in that little cottage over there , " and she pointed to a small worded house which was apart from all others!


I didn't know what to say to her when I meet her , but...I ...I just had to. I had to know what happened and why she wasn't at the convent and
was...well , here!?!


I went over to the door an knocked thrice....and.......

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I knocked thrice and waited, then heard a soft and sweet voice telling me to come in and that it was open. I slowly walked in to see her sitting beside the stove making herself some tea. She looked at me and got up hurriedly. She looked as though I had caught her stealing.


" I'm so sorry maam , how can I help you?" She said , her voice shivering.

" Why are you calling me ma'am, I'm the one whose supposed to be calling you that!!" I replied.


" Oh dear , what would possibly make you say that?", her look almost stupified.


"I don't suppose you remember me. I'm Janiena from the convent!!"

For a second she looked shocked , like someone had just abused her. Then she came towards me with her eyes filled with tears. I was so happy to see her ,yet sad because I knew she'd been through something rough! She smiled and held me in her arms.


"Oh good lord , Janiena how you've grown! Tall ,dark and beautiful,"she said with a tear falling off


I wanted to frown because, I wasn't tall and the "beautiful" part was plain LIE!!! Usually I scowl at people who call me beautiful , but I felt like I shouldn't right now.


"I'm great ma'am , infact quite satisfied.! How are you doing maam? Is everything good?  When did you leave the convent?"


She paused, her eyes dropped low and her eyes filled up again. I held her warm hands but then saw that the tea was about to spill so I went a turned the stove off. She felt uncomfortable to see me doing that so I reassured,


" It's ok ma'am , let me serve this for you , " and I made her sit on the chair , I poured the tea in a cup kept aside, and gave it to her.


"So tell me , why did you leave the convent" I said this as I sat on the floor beside her with my hands on her lap.


She was about to offer me a chair but I stopped her and shook my head to say that I don't need it , I'm comfortable!


" Oh dear , it's been a long time" she began , "but I still cannot help thinking about that every single day! After you batch left , the next year in about four months I got a call from my mother's phone to tell me that my mother had died!!! She was like the only lady who truly loved me and I loved her more than anything! So without loosing time I reached here , my hometown "


Ohhhhhhh ( with a longer stretch ) , so that's where I heard about this place for the first timee.......ahhh, that makes sense!!!!


Alright, snap out of it Janiena!!!


She continued , " when I reached here , the first thing I saw was my mother's dead body!!
I couldn't hold back my tears and weeped till I was on the verge to get my eyes swollen! We got all the rituals done , and then I went to my brother's house.


We were going to pick up some things required for the final ceremony but my fate had worse plans and so , My husband died in that car with an accident! I survived ,but he didn't!!! After his rituals and ceremonies were completed , another mourning was ready waiting for me! My brother and his wife were the only family left for me and they also threw there back at me , all my money and property were taken over by them!!! And I was left with nothing! I was left with only one option , begging!


I walked , barefoot , all day and all night! With barely any food! I....I lost everything!

Then one day , I guess fate had some more left for me , and so I met a man , and old and ugly man , who asked my hand for marriage!! It was weird ,but before I thought about it , I said yes , because he looked well to do and my life would get some stability! Who would have thought that his desires for lust were left ; before his wife could satisfy him , she died ; and now I was the one to complete his dirty desires. He came back drunk and thrashed me all night long with anything that he got in his hand"

I saw the marks on her face , I looked like he had hit her with his belt and her eyes....... she had stitches on her eyelids!! Tears flew out of my eyes!


"I was on the verge to die , but my fate didn't seem to like the idea! So I decided to run away! I stole some money and ran away , ran far so that no one could find me and reached here!! The lady who owns the place , was very sweet! She saw my miserable state and asked me if I'd like a job here and I was eager to do anything to get back to normal! To get back to not being treated like an animal! So I said yes! She gave me this cottage , some clothes , and made my life get back on track!

I'm happy now.....I guess! Atleast I'm better that how I was. "


I hadn't even realised that I had nearly dampened her apron with my tears! I hugged her and just stayed there , still crying. Guess I didn't know what to say , and I felt like comforting her! She had been through so much , and still look at her smile when she had come to our room!!!

Sandy helped me come back to reality.


" Where the HECK have you been!!!! You SCARED the shitt out of me! I've been looking everywhere and you just VANISHED!!!! IDIOT!!" she just broke in and started shouting.


" I'm sorry....I just.....I lost track of time...I guess"


" Sure heck you did!!!! Now move ur freaking ass!! Lunch is ready!!"


Wow!!! Did I just miss breakfast.....what the hell ? How?


Now I was grumpy because I missed breakfast .


" Oh I'm sorry for popping into your house , I was just very worried!!!" She apologized to Miss Catherhill.


"Nevermind dear " she said , smiling.


I asked her to excuse me and said bye! I hugged her once more before I left! And said ," here's my no. ,never hesitate to call me ! I'm your student and always will be! Fate doesn't always work our way , but it did land you somewhere you're happy!!! I'd love to talk to you again!"


She smiled at that and I smiled back!


I left the little cottage with an unsteady mind! I wasn't exactly ready for this! I didn't expect this as a reason! It was just too much to deal with and she had dealt with it!


A last tear dropped down my face and Sandy saw me wipe it.


"Heyy, sis !! Why is my sister crying? Is everything alright?"


"Nothing Sandy , I'm fine . Just wondering how life can take a whole new turn  , without a warning , and we end up missing
the past , old days!"




The END




© HennaG