23

The evening pooja got over by five in the evening when Drishti saw another pooja going on

She soon realised it is not exactly a pooja ,but a mass prayer for deceased people.

Emotions swamped her as she thought of her Mum and Dad. She still loved them.

Abhay who saw the lost look on Drishti's face realised what she was thinking about. After ,he too had lost a family member. His little sister. They couldn't even do proper final rites for her, because her corpse was never found.

Washed away in the landslide ,the authorities had told them. The anguish is still fresh. He still remember when the

twins were born. He was four years old. Maybe because he was a boy ,he naturally felt more protective of his little sister than his brother ,though he loved them equally.

Abhay shook his head to clear those painful memories from his thoughts

"Come.." he gently nudged Drishti towards the priest who was leading the prayers.

Kiara and a clueless Shravan followed them

"Shradda. My sister" Abhay told t