This is my longest fiction ever.  Though it did not turn out exactly like I had planned, here is goes. I know it is very long, and is not much... but I hope some of you enjoy it. :)

Mallika opened her hazel eyes and saw the lights up in the ceiling. They were bright white lights which made the whole big gloomy room bright. She looked around and saw a nurse looking after a man in the other bed in the same room. She tried to call the nurse but drifted back to sleep… she woke up a few days later. It took her a few more days to recover and become released from the hospital. There was a nice lady who smiled at her and told her they were going to her house where she could live with the other children who would be her friends. She could not understand… where were maamu and baba?

            When she asked the lady, she frowned and asked “Don’t you remember sweetie?”

            Mallika tried to remember… she tried to recall what had happened on the trip, but nothing came back to her. She started to cry because she could not remember… all she wanted was her parents and they were not here for her.

            “Don’t worry sweetie,” the nice lady said. “Your parents have gone for a trip, they will be back later to get you. They want you to be with some friends for now so that you can have lots and lots of fun.”

            Mallika was too tired to argue. She just sucked on her thumb and clutched the brown teddy bear the nurse had given her at the hospital. She dutifully walked inside the old building with the lady and waited to meet the friends that were in this building.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

            Malvika and Ramesh were classmates in high school and fell in love with one another when they were in the ninth grade.  They both belonged to families that could never dream of breaking any laws of the Nepali society.  Though they belonged to the same caste, Ramesh belonged to a middle class family whereas Malvika belonged to a lower class, low income family who had to struggle to send Malvika to Modern Indian School. They had sent her there in hopes that she would learn something from the CBSE board education and would go to India for further education, where CBSE was widely accepted. Ramesh wanted his son to go to Manipal for MBBS after the completion of his 12^th grade. Both the family had high hopes for their children.

            They were both good at school and had high hopes for their future together. What they did not know was that they belonged to the same “gotra” which made them ‘brother and sister’ in the nepali culture. They were disheartened and did not know what to do when they finally found out about it. They went to school together in MIS till they finished school. They were applying to different schools in different places against their will when the miracle happened. Malvika’s name came up in the DV lottery winners and her parents gathered enough money to pay a sponsor who would write a simple sponsorship letter for her. With hopes for a bright future, Malvika’s parents sent her to the US with tears in their eyes. Ramesh convinced his parents that his future lay in IT, and they should let him go to the US for further education. Pressured by a teenage son who was set to go to US no matter what, Ramesh’s parents complied with his wishes with little fuss.

            Ramesh landed in the US on December  15^th 1995, and looked for a one bedroom apartment near his college. Malvika landed in the same city on December 20^th 1995, and settled in the tiny apartment that had a few spider webs. On December 21^st, they went to the college library and looked for the closest court where they could get married. Not only would marriage bring a green card for Ramesh, it would also give the two month fetus growing in Malika’s tummy a name. It had been a close call, and they had been lucky this time. They planned to inform their parents later about the wedding and then the baby. On January 5^th 1996, the two got married. Ramesh was wearing brown cotton pants with white stripes and off yellow shirt with brown shoes for his wedding. Malvika wore a pink dress that Ramesh had bought for her at Goodwill. Their only witness was the judge that married them.

            Malvika worked in a gift shop for the first five months and Ramesh worked in a gas station and also went to school. When it became obvious that Malvika could work no longer, Ramesh quit school and worked 60 hours in the gas station to support them both. Both their parents had cut ties with them, and they had no time to make friends. On July 15^th 1996, a tiny baby girl was born to the couple. They named her Mallika Thapa. Mallika had the most beautiful eyes the couple had lays eyes on. Though most Nepali people have either black or dark brown eyes, Mallika’s eyes were hazel…  a color that made her eyes look like wet amber when she cried. Her skin was rich, dark honey and she had pink lips that she often pouted even as a baby. Once she came into the world, she became the center of attention of the two child-adults that had mistakenly brought her into the world. Though she did not have all the good things in life that an infant could have, she did have a happy home. A home where she seldom saw her father, but when she did -it was a treat to both the infant and the boy.  When there is an infant at home, and the parents have to struggle to make ends meet… days pass like hours. Malvika was always taking care of their daughter and Ramesh was always trying to provide means to take care of the daughter. The couple had not had a single vacation for the past 4 and half years they had been in the US. They had decided to take their first vacation for Mallika’s fourth birthday.

            Ramesh had worked the night shift in the gas station right before they were to go on the road trip to Florida. He had pleaded his boss to give him the night off, but the boss had told him that there were no other employees who could work. The man of 58 years had offered to work himself all night for the 10 hour shift even though his old body could not take it, if taking the night off was so important to Ramesh. The decoy had worked, and Ramesh had guiltily agreed to work as his boss was not really a bad person and gave him bonuses from time to time for being such a hard worker. He reached home at 7 a.m. in the morning and found his excited daughter all dressed up for their trip. He got two fun hours of sleep before the little bundle of energy came woke him up. As there was no chance that he could sleep anymore, he decided to leave for the road trip after a quick shower and breakfast.

            It was a beautiful morning. The family was in a joyous mood, and it felt like the whole world was enchanted. Their Nissan Laurel Altima 1990 was filled with laughter and stories for a place unknown. The family was grateful to be together and to be able to afford to go for a vacation. After three hours on the road, Mallika had gone to sleep with a smile on her face. Malvika and Ramesh stopped their conversation because Mallika was a light sleeper even at the small age of 4. They had gone quiet for an hour when the silence was broken by a shriek of horror that escaped from Malvika’s throat. They were travelling on highway I-12 E, when Ramesh had become drowsy with sleep. He did not think that was a problem because he was used to the groggy feeling when he drove back from work, but nothing would really happen. Sadly, today was not the same case. Ramesh had fallen into a 5 second micro-nap due to exhaustion. When one in travelling in 73 miles per hour, a lot of things can happen in 5 seconds. The car had left the lane it was traveling in, and had gone to the far left and hit the overhead bridge. It had happened in a matter of seconds but it had felt like a lifetime for the terrified couple. The impact had been treacherous. The car was completely bent out of shape, and the glass from the windshield had shattered and ruthlessly stabbed into the bodies of the passengers. The couple took their last breath together, and before the cops arrived, the three were unconscious. Only one of them had a heartbeat, though the scars on her face and body were brutal. She was taken to the emergency room immediately.     

 When she woke up, she did not have any recollection of what had happened. It was not abnormal for a patient who had a blow in the head to forget about the incident. It was abnormal though for a patient to not remember the whole trip to begin with. The doctors suggested retrograde amnesia where the patient did not recall the events before the head injury; the only problem was that she had recollection of everything before that very day of the accident. Anterograde amnesia (which is a case of memory loss of all the events that occur after the head injury) was not a possibility as she had a very sharp short term memory and remembered every detail after she woke up in the hospital. One doctor suggested that she might have had repressed memory, a phenomenon which was very controversial indeed where a patient represses her memory to forget about a traumatic experience. There was not enough evidence to support the fact that memory could actually be repressed, and there was not enough money in Mallika’s account for the doctors to keep her in the hospital and conduct a series of experiments to test her state of mind. As no one had come to claim the girl, the closest non-profit orphanage was contacted to take her with them. After Mallika was said to be in a stable condition, she was taken to the orphanage where she met many people. Some made fun of the deep red wound on the left cheek, whereas some felt bad for her and became her saviors from the hostile children that teased her. Her lip was deformed a little as the left side of her face looked like it was lifted to the top of her face by an invisible hand. There was a big cut on her face that started from her left temple and ended right above her lip. Her striking hazel eyes were the same though, and whoever really looked at them could not help but fall in love with the tiny 4 year old who had lost so much in her short existence.

Part II

               Martha had never known her parents. Her first memory was of the Buckner Children’s Home- the orphanage that she had been brought to when her parents had died. They had died the day she was born and hence, Buckner had been her home since the first few days of her life. She hated the place with all her heart. She knew how to act in front of the adults, but when it came to the children- she loved agonizing them. No one believed that the star eyed, dimpled little Martha could actually do any harm to anyone, but no one knew the real Martha. The Martha that had thrown away children’s toys to see them cry, the Martha that would actually inflict pain and wounds on the kids smaller than her. She was big for a seven year old at 4’10”. The children were terrified of her, and normally kept their lips sealed about her behavior. Once a girl named Rachel had tried to complain about her and had met with dire consequences. She had to later report to the adults that she had tripped down the stairs and been wounded on the face. The lie had slipped easily now that she knew what Martha was capable of. She never felt anything for anyone else. She had no conscience and did not feel sorry for anyone. She had learnt the hard way that she was all alone in this world and that she had to fend for herself. And fending for herself meant doing anything and everything possible to get her way. She had learnt bu the time she was seven that it was a bad world.

 

            She had been adopted by many people but she knew that none of them really wanted her. An elderly couple had actually made her work in the home, and would not feed her if she did not do the chores. She never lasted anywhere for more than a week or two. She would do something to ensure than she was back in the orphanage that was safe and secure. She did not want to be anywhere out in the world where people were pretentious and acted like they liked her. She would make sure that she did something so bad, that the couple would not want her. The elderly couple had been the worst of them all. They believed that she was really a gift from god and would not agree to let go of her. They had told her that she was a part of the family and had to act like family now. The small things she did wrong on purpose was always forgiven. She tried to break the dishes, draw on the wall and even throw away the couple’s belongings. When none of this worked, she knew she had to do something serious. That was when she took a knife and engraved a wound on its back. The cat had tried to run away and had scratched her hands. The couple had known that Martha was evil, as they had owned the cat for years and not once had the cat been violent. Martha reported to authorities at the orphanage that the cat had attacked her and she had attacked him with a knife for self defense. Who would not believe a six year old when she had scratches all over her hands to prove it?

 

            She had been safe in the orphanage for more than a year now. Since the cat incident, no one was willing to adopt her. As soon as adoptees opened her file and saw her disorderly conduct, they would back off. The authorities at the orphanage tried to understand why Martha had been returned every time when she was such a nice little kid. Some feared that she had the worst luck when it came to adoption and some thought that she acted out because she was terrified of the parents and had been misunderstood. Whatever it was, they felt bad for the small girl because she might never know the joy of having a family. Though people suspected her ways, no one could really feel why she was the way she was. Martha grew up in the same environment for years and she was happy where she was.

 

            She felt no affinity for any of the children that were in the orphanage. In fact, she felt a deep loathing for everyone who was in there. She felt like they were there to make fun of her. She would look at the bullies, the push-overs, the sensitive and insecure kids and the ones that thought they were the best things in the world and she felt a deep dislike for them all. The children that she hated the most were the ones that had no self confidence and tried to please everyone else. She loathed Mallika for that reason, because she had no self confidence and no guts. Had Martha not had a weird sense of connection with Mallika, Mallika would have been dead by now. Martha had always thought it was her duty to take care of Mallika. Why? She had no clue. She knew Mallika was weak and could not defend herself and she had taken it on herself to protect Mallika from the world that would destroy anyone that was not strong enough to face hardships. She hated Mallika and yet felt like her guardian, this mixed feeling was sometimes too hard to handle. She felt like slapping Mallika when she stayed hungry and gave her food to the other kids to make them happy, and at the same time wanted to get some food to stuff Mallika’s empty stomach. It was a strange feeling indeed.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

            Mallika stood in front of the mirror and looked at the red ugly scar that had been on her face for the last seven years. That was probably the reason that she had not been adopted by any of the kind looking people that came over and took other children home. She was 12 years now, and had spent seven and a half years in the Buckner Children’s home. Though there were hundreds of other children there, she always felt all alone. No one really liked talking to her and acted like they were actually scared of her. She did not know what it was that scared them away… maybe it was the big red gush that was permanently on her face now. She had always tried to be in her best behavior and always tried to help people out. She even gave other kids her candies when she did not want them, and yet she had no friend in the orphanage. Maybe her skin color made everyone aware that she was not one of them. Maybe they always thought she was an outsider. The other kids with different skin tones were readily accepted in groups, but she was always left out.

 

            She had been adopted a few times, and she felt like it was out of pity rather than out of love and attachment the adoptees felt for her. Every time they had made an excuse to bring her back to the orphanage. She thought that they could not stand to look at her anymore, because she knew that she was ugly. She was ugly because the scar on her face made her whole face look monstrous. The left side of her lip was always open and her left eye a little deformed, as the scar pulled the skin on top of her eye towards it. The whole effect was astounding and scary. The sad part was that she did not even remember what had caused her to have that scar. She was told by various people that she had been in an accident, an accident that had killed her parents and apparently the only family that she had. She lay awake at nights to try to remember what had happened that day, but nothing came to her mind. She was not a dumb kid, she always got straight As in school, but the fact that she could not remember that single day made her feel like an inferior being who was not able to remember the most important day of her life.

 

            God had played an awful trick on her. Giving her an ugly face and making her forget her past. She even got these feelings at times that she could not explain. She would be doing something, and all of a sudden she would have a feeling that she was lost in her thoughts. She could not recall what she was thinking or doing, but time just passed. When she floated back to consciousness, hours would have passed and she did not have recollection of what had happened. She was too afraid that she would be labeled as crazy if she told someone about these occasions; hence she kept them to herself. This had started happening since she was seven years old. At first she had been scared, but later she was used to this strange sensation. Sometimes when she came back to reality, she would be shaking like she had just watched a horror movie. She would have a strange feeling that was between excitement and fear. She did not know why she felt this way but it sometimes scared her. Sometimes she would not experience this for days to come and when she thought that it had gone away, it would happen to her. There were times when she felt like this a couple of times in the same day. These experiences did not help her self esteem at all. It made her feel like she was the strangest little girl in the world. She understood why no one loved her, or wanted to be her friend. It was because she was so inferior to all the other kids in the orphanage that no one would want to befriend her.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

            It was 1 p.m., Saturday in Buckner. It was the children’s day off from school. They did not have any schedule for the day and were allowed to spend their time as they pleased. Some napped, some did their homework and most of them played with their friends. Though every other day had a strict schedule to follow, Saturdays were fun days where everyone could enjoy themselves. When most of the children were spending time with friends, Mallika was sitting on top of her bed, doing her homework. She normally finished her homework on Saturdays and read a storybook on Sundays during study time. She found it easier to indulge in things like storybooks when she knew that she had no homework to worry about. She could never indulge in anything fun unless she knew that she had taken care of schoolwork. It was a normal Saturday at the orphanage when she dozed off into one of her thoughts.

 

            When she came back to reality she was hiding under her bed. This was the first time something like this happened. She was shivering and she could feel sweat all over her forehead. She knew she was scared… not only was she scared, she was petrified. She had no idea why she felt this way. She tried to control her feeling, she tried to get out from under the bed, but there was something tugging at her. Something telling her that it was not safe to go out yet. She stayed in and closed her eyes, she did not know what was going on and she definitely did not like the feel of it.

 

            Someone came inside the room and shouted, “Martha you come out of wherever you are hiding right NOW!!”

 

            It was Mrs. Smith, the warden on duty on Saturdays. This was the first time Mallika had seen her so mad.

 

            “Come out right now Martha or I will not be responsible for the consequences!”

 

            Mallika got out of under her bed, “My name is not Martha, Mrs. Smith. Its Mallika, I don’t like it when people call me Martha.”

 

            Mrs. Smith’s temper flared at that comment as if somehow she was lying. “Martha or Mallika, I don’t care what you want to be called. It really doesn’t matter if you are indecisive about your name. What really matters is what I saw you do. I know now that all the things said about you are true. How could you hurt someone like that?”

 

            Mallika was shocked; she looked at Mrs. Smith as if she did not understand a word coming out of her mouth.

 

            “Oh, don’t give me one of those fake blank stare of yours, I can look right through it. Come with me, I am taking you out myself.”

 

            Mallika was so taken back that she did not know what to do. She followed Mrs. Smith out the door and into the car. She was curious about what had happened that had made Mrs. Smith so mad. She had a feeling that something very bad was about to happen and at the same time she was relieved that she would finally find out what happened to her when she seldom dozed off in the middle of the day.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

            Dr. Basco looked at Mallika through the one way mirror. Mallika was sitting in the other room and reading one of the Nancy Drew series, which was an advanced book for a twelve year old. There was no doubt that the girl was a very bright and intelligent student. Dr. Basco turned back and looked at Mrs. Smith, and Mr. Shaw, who was the Vice President at the orphanage.

 

            “So you say this is Mallika’s file and you think that everything in this file is true?” Dr. Basco addressed Mrs. Smith.

 

            “I have told you already doctor, it has to be true. Every adoptee that has ever taken her tells us that she did bad things. One even told us that she took a knife and attacked their cat. You should have seen her on Saturday when she was attacking Tommy with the rock. She hit his head, and did not even flinch. You should have looked at those hazel eyes of hers, it was almost like she was enjoying what she did. She looked completely different. And then she saw me and ran back to her room. When she came out of hiding, she was again back to her original self.” Mrs. Smith was telling the truth and Dr. Basco knew that.

 

            “Do you realize Mrs. Smith, that Mallika is not aware of any of the things that you say she has done?”

 

            Mrs. Smith looked bewildered, “She is lying doctor. I saw her when she hurt that boy. She is capable of anything.”

 

            Dr. Basco sighed. She knew what was happening, but was amazed by what she saw. “And who is Martha?”

 

            Mrs. Smith looked like she could not stand these questions anymore. “Look doctor, I have answered all of this three days ago. I told your secretary about all this, so I don’t know why you are asking me this again. Martha is just Mallika’s nickname. She likes being called Martha at times, and then other times, she hates the name with all her gut. I don’t know what’s wrong with that kid, and why she has to be a drama queen.”

 

            Dr. Basco sighed, “Does she look like a drama queen to you?”

 

            “Well, she is a good liar.” Mrs. Smith sounded like she already made a decision about Mallika.

 

            “We think we know what’s going on with the girl. Are you aware of DID- Dissociative Identity Disorder?” When she saw the blank stare on their faces, she continued. “It’s a disorder where the patient who suffers from a deep trauma develops another personality or another alter within themselves. The other personality is like another human being, there are two or more personalities trapped inside one body. They might not even know the other exists. They have different characteristics, different identities and different birth dates. When one takes over the body, the other goes into a state where she is unconscious and does not remember what’s happening. Seven years ago, when Mallika was in the car wreck and lost her parents, it was too traumatic for her to remember the details. Martha was born that day, so that she could remember that instance and protect Mallika from the suffering and trauma. Martha and Mallika are two different characters that live in the same body!”

 

            Mrs. Smith and Mr. Shaw were speechless. They had never heard of such a thing before and they had never suspected that something could be wrong with Mallika. “What going to happen now doctor?” Mrs. Smith finally asked.

 

            “Hopefully, with intensive treatment, she can be treated.” Dr. Basco sighed, but was well aware that she might never be treated because she had no financial backbone.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

            Mallika read her book in the small cubicle right beside the doctor’s office. She did not know what was happening. She could not wait to go back to Buckner because they were not telling her anything here. They were just keeping her in a room and giving her books to read. She was tensed about her coursework. She would be behind at school and would have trouble doing homework. She sat there waiting for her guardians to take her back to the home that she had come to know. Little did she know that she was not allowed to hope because fate had different plans for her- plans that she had no idea about.

Dear Rythm,

                  The portion of the story that you have put forth on the table is note worthy. This is the exact portion with tantalizing flavors which would make readers curious and wanna come back for more. Have you thought about getting into food business? The description you made about the toddler is quite unique and the way you narrate is very elegant. However, other components in the story so far has no meat on it. I am assuming the story is more about the toddler then their parents.

                  I really have this curiosity! Why do all and every (9/10) stories wrote or been written in sajha.com talks about a boy and a girl growing up in middle class Kathmandu and moving to U.S for their further studies? As I have talked about this in another story that's floating in the Kurakani area written by FortuneFaded which has the same base. And there are other large numbers of stories that are solely or partially based on that themeline. I am worried that so manny potential and capeable writers limit themself with this storyline. I strongly belive that if they can spend sometime researching a topic out of the mainstream and write about it, trust me we will witness miracles.




Ardent Gazer,
YekloYatri

YekloYatri,

Thanks for the fast reply. Let me assure you that the part that I posted is only the foundation of the real story. The real story has not started yet. I think the reason most writers write about first generation immigrants that come here initially for education is because thats the character most of us can relate to. There are other very skilled writers who do not write on this topic though, and my attempt this time is to write about the infant who was born here. I will post the rest when I finish writing it.  Thanks for reading.

Rythm,

As always very captivating. I am saving the rest of the compliments for the upcoming parts.

"The real story has not started yet". This makes me wonder ... Please, post the real story soon.

uh huh!!!! hazel eyes.....ani? :D

Thanks Norton and Loote for taking time to read my story and also taking some extra time to comment... means a lot :).

I am posting the second half of the story. its really long but I hope you find the time to read it.

Dissociative identity disorder...that's so cool! well not for Martha actually i meant for Mallika Thapa. :)
Rythm i love it so far and i know i don't even need to mention the quality of your writing. :) i wanna know what happens next, what happens in therapy? can't wait to read the third part!!

 

Dear Rythm,

 I know its takes time to write such a flawless writing but I am waiting desperately. Please post ASAP.

“Hopefully, with intensive treatment, she can be treated.” Dr. Basco sighed, but was well aware that she might never be treated because she had no financial backbone.

I believe there is a HOPE. I am your big fan now.

 

 

Very nice Rythm  jyu enjoyed every part of it. thanks for the story.

cheers

NN

Very nice Rythm  jyu enjoyed every part of it. thanks for the story.

cheers

NN

damn i was watching 'lord of war' on tv and enjoying it... and this adrenaline in me wanted me to peek at sajha during a commercial break. saw your addendum. started reading. got so engrossed in it that i didn't care what was going on in the movie hahaha...and now i realize that the movie is already over.
you owe me a ticket to a movie now :P

jokes aside, i am loving this story. i always wished someone could write a thriller - a scientific one. having read some of your previous psycho stories (which btw were just teasers for my appetite for this genre to be really honest) and knowing your major, i was always counting on you within myself and now you are coming out of your shelf with flying colors with this full fledged psycho thriller ( i hope and i wish it is one but don't worry about my wish if you're planning to write something different).

i hope you elongate this to until martha (mallika) is grown up and she's making guys shit in their pants with her psycho behavior hahahaha..

(damn hot scene going on in tv...:D :P...i bid you adieu for now :P)

Thanks Sijupanta and Nepali nari :) I am glad you enjoyed my writing..

Loote.. Your comment made me laugh. And I am thrilled that I got you off the movie.. haha, thats a huge compliment coming from you! About the elongation of this story... I havent thought about it yet!
I am going to wait and see until an idea pops to my head and I start writing again. This is going to do for now. Thanks for reading :D

fantastic piece of writing Rhythm,keep it up bro u gonna be a marvellous writer,cannot wait long for the rest of story so post it ASAP

Rythm,

What I like most in this story is, how you maintained two characters for two personalities and kept it secret for a while which parallels their unawareness of each others existence.

SunnyDev

rythm - where's the rest of this story?? i've been waiting very patiently for three months now!!