This is a short story that I had to write for my Creative Writing class. I had a word limit, so I tried to fit as much of the story as I could within the limit. Also, I edited it to make it more Bhutanese oriented.
I loved the rain just as much as I loved watching little puppies play. Yet, I had never played in the rain. I had never held a puppy. Because even though I loved the idea of those things, I loved Azha more. Azha didn’t allow it and he didn’t like it when I didn’t listen. He was far too protective of me but only because he loved me so much.
“Dema, Dema!”
Azha called me out from the house. I quickly rushed towards the house; careful not to spill any of the water he had sent me to collect. Azha didn’t like it when I was late or clumsy.
“Yes, Azha?”
“What were you doing so long? The pond is just five minutes away.”
I swallowed in fear. He only looked so angry because he had been worried. I braced myself for the punishment.
“I don’t have time for this today, Dema. I have to leave for the Market in…” he checked his watch, “two minutes.”
I let out a sigh of relief. If it were any other day, I would have surely been punished. Azha went to the Market every Thursday to sell the vegetables we grew in our backyard. He would come back with other household necessities. The Market was a good hour’s walk away, and Azha couldn’t handle being even a minute late.
I helped to lift the basket of vegetables onto Azha’s back. He gave me a stern look, still upset, “I’m off for now.” I watched him walk off, guilt seeping through me. I could not face Azha’s disappointment. It was my fault, anyway. Why was I playing with the little fishes in the pond? I suddenly wished Azha had actually punished me. At least I wouldn’t have felt so bad.
I was only about four or five when my own family had abandoned me on the streets. I still remember being hungry, wandering about alone. That was when Azha rescued me. He brought me away and put me in a safe place where no one could find me. He taught me how to read and write, and also everything he knew about life. He had also been abandoned and tortured so he knew that the outside world was not kind. But as long as it was just he and I, we would always be there for each other.
Thursdays were usually a little boring for me. With Azha off to the Market, my only work was to collect firewood and clean around the house. Sometimes, I stayed in the forest for hours, just watching Mother Nature at work. Azha didn’t know, of course. He thought I stayed at home after my work was done. But there wasn’t anything to do at home.
Once, I was so bored I had asked him if I could accompany him to the Market. The scars from that question still burn today. I had forgotten that the world outside was too dangerous for me. Azha had punished me that day because he wanted me to learn a lesson.
“Hi, there.”
I turned around to see a boy. Like every Thursday, I had been wandering about near the pond. However, I had never seen anybody else in our forest. I didn’t know how to respond. I hadn’t had contact with any human other than Azha for more than ten years.
“How… how did you get here?” I was completely taken aback because our house was secluded in the deepest of the forest.
“I was just exploring.” He pointed to the other side of the forest; “I live with my parents on that side. It’s nice to see someone my age around here.” He grinned, “I’m Sonam, by the way.”
I smiled, “Dema.”
I knew I wasn’t supposed to do that. I shouldn’t have introduced myself and I definitely shouldn’t have spent the whole afternoon talking to him. But there was just something about the way he looked at me. Nobody had ever looked so interested in me.
Azha didn’t trust anyone and had told me to steer clear of any other human. But after getting to know Sonam, I figured out that all humans weren’t the same. Sonam, he was special.
I reached home before Azha arrived and pretended as if I had been there all along. There was a part of me that felt so guilty for betraying Azha that I couldn’t even look him in the eye. But there was another part of me that was just as excited to see Sonam the next day.
Just as we’d decided, I met Sonam everyday for the next three months. Getting the firewood or fetching water was just an excuse to see him. I would teach him how to fish and look for edible berries while he told me of his family and friends and the huge world outside our forest. I had heard of the world from Azha before, but when Sonam told me about his nice teachers or his neighbor’s friendly dog, the world didn’t sound so bad.
“Dema!”
I froze in shock as I heard that all too familiar voice. I turned around to see Azha. I had never seen him so angry before. It was Thursday but Azha must have had returned earlier from the Market. I had lost myself in conversation with Sonam that I hadn’t even heard Azha coming. Guilt replaced my fear. I should have been more careful; I should have never talked to Sonam. Azha’s gaze shifted to Sonam and instead of anger, there was fear in his eyes. He held me by the arm and dragged me through the forest and into our house.
“How could you have done this to me?”
Azha struck me hard across the face. I cried silently as I realized that it was my entire fault. I deserved to be punished. I had never been punished for so long. As he continued, I noticed someone familiar peering through the window. What was he doing here? Azha would kill me if he knew that Sonam was watching us from outside.
When I could barely walk, Azha stopped. He treaded slowly to his room not even bothering to look anywhere else. I limped across the room to the window and saw a note stuck to it.
I’ll wait for you by the pond. Run away with me. I love you.
That was the first time I had been addressed with the L word. A feeling never felt before surged through me. A series of moments I spent with Sonam ran through my head. He was the best thing that had ever happened to me. With the help of the windowsill, I lifted myself up and headed towards the door. I realized that my decision could change my life forever and unlike ever before, the choice was completely up to me.
I took a deep breath. I knew what I had to do. With a heart filled with sorrow, I locked the door from the inside. I wasn’t going anywhere. Because even though I loved Sonam, I loved Azha more. Azha didn’t allow and he didn’t like it when I didn’t listen.