"You know him?" Ellie asked, confused, wondering how her grandmother knew him. It was when Granny called his name that Ellie learnt his name was Kevin."Yes, I do," Granny responded in a low voice, walking up to Kevin, who was sitting on the bed."Where have you been all this time? I searched everywhere for you and your sister, but you both were nowhere to be found. I'm sorry I let go of you both that day; I shouldn't have," Granny said, touching his face, with sadness written all over her face. She observed Kevin and noticed that he was dressed in clothes that could almost be mistaken for rags. His hair looked rough and dirty, and he looked very unkempt. He was so thin that it was evident he had not been eating well. His state was devastating, making Granny tear up."If not for me and my family, you wouldn't have ended up this way. It's my fault this has happened to you and your sister. If I had raised my son properly, this wouldn't have happened. I'm sorry for all the pain we have c

On getting home that night, while lying on their bed, Ellie had decided to question her grandmother about the people they had met earlier that day. She really wanted to know the connection between them and so, she asked.“Granny, can I ask you a question?”, Ellie asked, turning over to face her grandmother who was rubbing her aching ankle with a balm.“Sure, you can go ahead. I am all ears”, Granny responded, continuing what she was doing.“The people we met earlier, who are they?”, Ellie asked and immediately she did, she noticed a sudden change of mood in her. Her face became pale, as if it was something she didn’t want to remember.“If you do not not want to talk about it, it’s fine. You do not have to do something that will hurt you”, Ellie said, upon noticing her grandmother’s mood.“It’s fine. It is when one talks about what hurts him, that he will be free of the burden”, granny said.“Do you remember me telling you my son and his family died in a car accident?”, granny asked.“

Carla had been frequently the hospital for her eyes, hoping a miracle would happen. Although the doctor had already informed them that she had to undergo an operation which would cost about $15,000 to $20, 000 but Kevin couldn’t raise the money. They hoped that a miracle would happen without her undergoing the surgery and so, they kept on visiting the hospital for check up.On one of such visits which granny had tagged along, the doctor dropped a bomb shell. The doctor had checked Carla’s eyes and after he was done, he had called both granny and Kevin to his office, making Carla stay with one of the nurses outside his office.“I am sorry to have taken out of your precious time but there is something I need to discuss with you”, the doctor said, facing granny and Kevin.“There is no problem but hope everything is fine, doctor?”, granny asked, feeling anxious.“I am scared to say that Carla might never regain her sight again”, the doctor said, with granny’s mouth wide agape.“What? What

Ellie was all caught up in fear and the only thing she could think about at that moment was an escape route. She rose up to her feet and ran as fast as she could but she didn’t run far before Clark’s friends got a hold of her. She was dragged back to where Clark was standing, with him laughing hysterically and bringing out a packet of cigarette from his back pocket, getting ready to smoke.“I am sorry. I didn’t mean to say all I said. It was just a slip of tongue”, Ellie said, pleading vehemently, while kneeling in front of Clark, who was now puffing his cigarette.“You are sorry? Are you getting scared already pumpkin? Thought you said you didn’t give a fuck about me, so why are you pleading now?”, Clark asked, trying to mock and ridicule Ellie, who he was aware that, she was anxious and scared.“Please, just forgive me for all that I said. I am sorry”, Ellie kept on pleading, hoping Clark would have a change of mind and let her go.“Forgiveness? That word is not in my dictionary. Yo

Ellie was quickly attended to and the bleeding was stopped. After having her arm stitched, she was taken back to the ward, with her granny and Kevin by her side. She was sedated and had fallen into a deep sleep, unaware of what was gong on around her. As granny watched her, she felt sadness and guilt within her and at the same time, felt anger towards the person that made her granddaughter this way. All she prayed for at that moment was for Ellie to wake up and narrate what exactly had happened to her. She promised herself to get justice for Ellie, no matter what it would cost her.Night came and Ellie still hadn’t woken up. Kevin who had briefly gone home to check up on Carla, was expecting to meet her awake on getting back to the hospital but he had met her, still sleeping soundly. In the process of the wait for her to wake up, both granny and Kevin slept off, only to be awoken by the yelling and cries of Ellie in the middle of the night. This cries of hers, woke the other patients