" I've been searching all the roads for my life when it ends at a bookstore where all my life actually came to a meaning..... whom I was long waiting for...." 

Selena is a long haired ,brown eyes , Irish girl who lives in a small village of downtown east , a small but beautiful and peaceful place to live in. people here do  small works like farming, has vegetables shops, selling groceries ...

there  is only one school in the town which is reached at the downtown after passing a river called  Beasel which is the most fascinating attraction in the town. The river has a bridge on it, made of ancient grey stone and wood, through which one can see  a huge look of the town from. 

With brown hairy look, she likes to see the sunset from the bridge everyday....

She likes to wander around a lot.... finding new stones from riverside....collecting different kinds of leaves , Especially that mysterious forest which is the other side of the river...which is as old as the town itself , which people of the village makes ghost stories of.... always fascinates her so much….. 

apart from her curiosities,  she likes to help her mother a lot... whenever she asks....

 a good daughter so much…..

" I'm home,"  she said.  

       " Sel come to me, here. We have to unpack the things."  her mom said. 

" Alright, Sel  said , putting her bag back at her bedside." 

Sel is her nickname used by her mom, dad and friends ( a few she got )  

" there's so much dust this home got , Sel, are u coming ! " we have to clean it up so that no mice can dig in... "

" Yes... Mom, coming ".

" this table top is always so dusty...." her mom added. 

" Sel,  You can go to market later , I have to prepare dinner." 

Her mom,  is a strict lady, whose ultimate goal is to complete every task on time. She is used to this kind of lifestyle from her childhood,  probably because she is raised in a military atmosphere.. 

She wants Sel to be like her , punctual, and a good learner and but on the other hand Sel wants to be a violinist . 🎻  

       Sel who is obedient,  graceful and a good listener as she is used to listen to everybody,  her teachers, mother, and probably her friend's too whom are not many as well, also likes to enjoy music a lot, and is able to play instruments in her school. Also has played songs in her school anniversaries. 

" OK, mom " she murmured. 

" I have put the lunch at the table , come and have it." 

Today I have made porridge n tomato soup for you. It's good for your bones and teeth. 

" I know mom , u always says this.  It has stuck to my mind now ". Even my friends knows the benefits and advantages of porridge and tomato soup now, `` she said with a slight smile on her face. 

A good grade student of her school, 

Selena likes to ride her bicycle to the bridge..... when the rays just touches the water to make this river of another colour.....

She usually takes her bicycle to her friend, Millie's , home in the evening to spend some time alone, away from the minute hustles of day to day life. Both ride along the coast line , spends their time watching the narrowing rays of sunshine , who slows down to give the sky a blue color.....

They return with their groceries in the evening. It's a good way for them to have a chit - chat and sparing them some alone time. They usually do so. N gets scolded for returning late. 

"I've always been like this from the start...." Sel tell to Millie, " I like to roam like this around the whole town," while roaming in the market.

"Look we have reached aunty Ann's store, I have got a big list of groceries today by mom .I should hurry or I will get a good hour of lesson. " 

"You always get scared so easily , aunty is not that bad . You always talks like this. "

       "That's because my mom is sweet to you , Sel , she likes you ," Millie said .

"Let's grab the things and otherwise we will be late again." 

Here's your carrots and onions, Sel. Why didn't your mom come up, I have something to talk to her . 

"She will come up next time,  to talk to you aunty ." That is fine, but do not forget to tell her that I missed her,  OK ."

" Sure,  Sel said ." 

By the way,  Are you guys going to the paper origami festival arranged in our town. It's good and many people of our town are going. They say there are so many other cultural activities, games , competitions are being arranged for kids. There is a special show of puppets too. And a painting, poetry, music competitions are there too. It's worthy to go. And that too after you have done nothing special in your summer vacations. " 

"Yeah , I've heard about it too and I am planning to take a look. What do u say Sel !!" 

 " ah.... Yup ,I have to ask my mom , then we should leave now. Thank you Aunty Ann." 

    "Sel, would you come ?"  I don't know, I'll try to if I will be allowed then , Sel replied in a light tone , which is usually her tone almost all the time. Very well suited to her personality, calm, lost in her own world, she never talks much to anybody nor to her friends but Millie , whom she is with since when she entered the only school in the town side of their village. Millie is a joyful kind of person, who cares less, talks freely, and wants to travel a lot. There's downfall of almost everything and so with her is that she does not think much before saying anything, sometimes that's a thing to laugh on but sometimes it is like creating a trouble for the people around them, for both of Sel and her too. 

Sel is usually the one who have to act as a mediator and a peace  maker too when she get herself indulge in fights ,not all the time but when she sees anybody  wrongs someone or to say clearly then it is only Sel. 😅😅

"Oh ,come on, aunty will agree as soon as I will ask. "✨ There was a blink in her eyes, that's because everytime she comes up with her unique ideas ( which are lies sometimes ) to convince Sel 's mom and she gets done with her job almost each round.

She said to Sel confidently, with her winning thumbs-up expression .

"Then I have to help you one more time , haha, what would you have done without me."

"Come on, I will be more concentrated on my studies ," Sel replied sarcastically. By crossing the bridge ,they usually get stood up across the fences to get a serene look of the river, which goes to gather the look of the whole of the town in one's imagination. One can have an enough look of the  area around, from the bridge on standing on the cliff side of it which is their favorite spot to gather and have a look of the whole area they live in. 

It has become a special meeting place for them to share the day to day experience ,their short stories and to say more clearly anything that has no meaning. Talking without looking at the clock has had become their habit with the time of growing up. 

They stood up again at the bridge to look at the peaceful flowing water of the river and got into the dilemma of going home at time or to stay and spend some time to have a peaceful talk taken as a reward after a hard working day ....

" Do u like to take a break after a tiring day...."  🌿

"Sel , would you come to my home this Sunday to have a day out, Millie asked her with a dazey look as she somehow know that she is not sure and what her answer would be.

      " I will try to come, OK. You don't have to worry so much."   " U always says things like that and never really comes," Millie replied with her moody tone .

" Don't joke around, you know I always try, right. It's just like I am always get busy with something  and u don't ever get it. You moody girl. " Sel always try to give out her best explanations on everything that comes around and you can say that she has become too master in this, just like Millie. 💕

"Fine, fine. You won, how come I always try to argue with you and deliberately lose haha."

"Here, you come, your home come, " Sel tell Millie . "Yup, I know, you don't forget to ask aunty for the carnival OK. I will wait for you. Bye. "

"I will try my best,  you take care OK , see you tomorrow, bye" 

Millie's home is kind of not very apart from that of Sel 's home but it's like it's not very near either. It's that they have to cover up two or three streets down to reach their home but it's a fun thing for them to do cuz there lies many interesting things in the way of their homes ,one of them is Ollie 's home who is another mentor plus an interesting character in this story, generally considered as aunty Ollie by Millie and Sel. 

Sel made sure that Millie gets convinced because deep down she herself was in deep trouble for how to ask for the permissions. That's a kind of terrible feeling for her, not to know what to do and how to do. 

" I am home," Sel said in a rather slight voice as she knew that she is going to be asked where she got that late at . She knew that her mom would ask her that how she got late again. 

"Sel ,here you are, where have you been, I was waiting for you from an hour nearly. I have to make dinner to day not tomorrow. Don't tell me you and Millie went to your favorite spot to hang out again and forgot to look at the time ," she said by taking the grocery list and checking out all the things in the shopping bag.  "No, mom, we did not , you know that there are so many customers at the aunty Ann 's Store during the evening, they were so picky and that it took so late to get things home." 

( what a great lie )  

"You are right ,the people get so picky about vegetables.  You must be tired, go and wash your hands, I will go and get dinner ready. " 

"Thanks mom , you are so good ." Sel replied in an astonishing voice, that it seemed one has cleared a big sum of load from themselves and took a big sigh of relief. 

And with big enthusiasm, Sel went back to the room. 

 She lied down back on her bed,again took a big sigh of relief and closed down her eyes to take a deep relax of a tiring day. As she closed down her eyes, little things from the whole day started to roam in front of her closed eyes.....

As it goes, the Millie's words came into her sight and she got hit that she has to ask her mom for the upcoming carnival. She thought and thought and thought but nothing came to her mind . Finally got up and went back to the washroom , she open the tap, took down two hands for the water of hers , and just began looking at the swirls of water forming deep down , took a handful of cold water and  splashes this to give a fresh refreshing breathe to her soul..... 

"On passing the river, standing on the bridge alongside, one hears the eternal silence , in the minute droplets , gives a never ending song to the one who listens"~Vishali ☘️

Refreshing feeling and a dazey look, with  a sudden chill with in her eyes.... she fell down on her back and with the  mind got numb.....🌿 

Soon she woke up with the voice of her mom    " Dinner is ready ,come down Sel." Her mom's voice came down her ears , she stood up and came down ." Mom ,let me help , I will put the plates on the table ." 

 "OK , fine, take them they are on the cupboard above ." They sat down on the dining table ,her mom being  serving dishes. Sel was in a deep thought to what Miliie has told her. As to moving the dishes here and there and eating literally nothing, had bothered her mother whose been watching her from a while . 

" Sel why are you not eating anything huh…."   

  " Ahh…huh… yup, no I am eating. And she started eating in a fast mode. ``what are you thinking, huh…. One should not think or talk while eating ,how many times that I have told you this thing huh… " 🙄

"No ,mom,  I am not thinking anything. It is just that today was a tiring day and I did not rest well.  Mom, can I go to the Millie's home in the coming weekends for studies. It's just that our summer vacations are going to end and we have not prepared anything for the coming semester, so it would be good if we will do some advance preparations. " 

" You want to go to Millie's for studies… !!!!! Or you guys just wanna hang out again in the whole village. But it is not a bad idea to study during the summer vacations either. After all, you guys, have done nothing in your vacations but hanging out on the river side. 

OK, you can go, but be sure to study good and come home on time. " 

" Fine, thank you mom, I love you so much." 

"Yaa yaa, fine, just eat your dinner now, or I would not let you go and your friend Millie will be upset more than you would be. "

Laughs fell across the cheeks of both the faces as they both knew that they know the things they have in their hearts but not letting themselves to speak….. 

Her mom knows the things and desires a heart of a young girl like Sel would hold and can understand what she wants to say but never really says… but she always reads her inside out of her mind… ..but can not let herself show so easily 💕

" I am done, mom thank you so much. Mom when dad will return home. " 

Yup, he said he will return by the end of the month.  OK, I will go and do the dishes then. 

All smiles spread across her face … that she not only got the permission and can go out to Millie's home but the dad would be coming soon too. 

" I do not know how happy would be Millie when she would know that I got mom's approval with out her help. I really want to see her expression. " 

All enjoying on her own, her lips started singing her favorite song …..tuning the rhythm with the soul of her voice… mixed with a blush of her happiness…..

 Sounding to her own ears like…..  it's the best music in this era. 🎶

"All done mom, I am going up stairs."

" All right ," her mom replied. 

switching the lights down but pulling on the curtains, all set her to have  a look of the outside window….

The cool and calm view of the town , gave her a sense of realisation that the place she lives in can be so rushed at day time but at night , all seems to become so serene. That they are all just the same. 

" Sel , a sound came out from behind… that just blurred the inside thoughts that she was indulged in. 

" what are you doing there, go and take off your blanket before going up stairs. It's cold during the nights, you may catch the cold ."

" OK, mom, I will take the blanket before sleeping. " 

She went up stairs, closed the door and starts to make up the bed , all by thinking on her own that what if this will be calm like this for ever , just like It is during nights. 

" How would it be  if it is always like this ….. So serene….. So tranquil …. It is…" 🍃

She got lied down on the bed ,wearing her thin pink dress which she finds the most suitable to sleep in.

               The cool and cold winds of air, throwing down the window and all she can do is to hear the loud noise of the harsh winds and sound of the dry leaves….🍃

        She wrapped herself in the blanket, and gazing the winds with a thoughtless mind……

  the cool breeze of the night started to  make every inch of her numb…. Slowly taking over the thoughts and then the mind suddenly began to become numb….. To give her a dreamy and sounded night. 🍃

The light got ruled by the dark , birds began to return home and the breezy feathers folded up the entire town…..

*morning chirps…. 

Birds again began to chirping , Flowers started to bloom , chickens covered up the farms, the people of the town started to come out from their homes, and as soon as the rays of the sun rains down in the tiny town, appeared as to show off his ability of spreading love…..🌷

At Sel 's home 

Bird's chirping woken up the eyes of Sel. Soon started without even being totally conscious ,Rubbing her eyes off. "what time is it ? " , she asked herself. 

" Sel wake up, how long are you gonna sleep like that … the sun has risen , I do not know when this girl will be disciplined " , taking a sigh deeply. 

" Yaa, mom,  I am awake, " she said by getting off the bed in an instant and looking at the alarm clock.

 Taking a big relief from the panic, she said to herself, " thank God, only seven o'clock. 

What would I have done if I got late to meet Millie . She would get extremely angry at me. I do not know what she would be doing. 

*Millie's sleeping on the other side

" I should hurry and get dressed or I will get late to meet Millie. "

Soon after some time, after she gets dressed and comes down. " Here you are, come on, have some breakfast."  Sits down on the dining table for breakfast , being initially in a thoughtless state and looking at just the crockery, being finely made by her mother . 

Usually it is her mother, who does all the refinements in the house. She also likes to do it but not really able to do like her mom even after trying and learning for quite some time. 

Being a good learner , she likes to do new things and works like her mother do, like the household cutlery, how to manage it and doin flowers at the hall. It's kind of embarrassing for her to not do it nicely. 

" BTW, are you gonna go to see Millie early this morning. " 

" Yes, mom, I promised to meet her this afternoon and for studies as well. You know right. 

" Hmm,  yaa, you said yesterday, So go to Mary Bakery as well, to get the morning milk from their Dairy farm. They didn't deliver it today. I do not know what happened. "

" Yaa,  sure. "

She soon finished off the breakfast to meet Millie in a hurry. Went off the house saying , " I'm going , bye ." 

Went by taking off her bicycle from the backyard , inhaling a breath of fresh air in a new day , is definitely one of the most wonderful things one can have in a day.

" it would be better to go to Millie's home first and then would go together to the dairy farm. Let's see what she is doing. " Millie said to herself , by riding off her bicycle with full speed towards the Millie's home. 

" I get there ," stopped by her house and looking up the window ,she shouted, " Millie,  are you there, come out. " probably thinking that she might be getting dressed. 

Got no answer. She shouted again, " Millie I'm here, where are you, come out, I am waiting. " wondered if they is no one in the home. 

Soon the door opened slowly, and came out Millie's mom,  " Hi, dear, Sel, you are here I wondered who is so early. I did not think it would be you, " she said. 

" Good morning, aunty, I am waiting for Millie, where is she. " 

" Come in first, let me take you to have some breakfast first." 

" No, aunty, thank you so much, but I had breakfast already, I go to see Millie first. "

Sure, her mom said. 

She went upstairs to Millie's room , hastily and found that she's still sleeping. " Millie wake up. OMG  she is still sleeping. Millie wake up. " 

" who's there, don't trouble , go, I want to sleep . " 

" you brat, you are the one who called me here, and now you are sleeping. Come on wake up. Or I will pour water on yaa. " 

" huh… who… .who is… Sel,  you are here, how, I thought I am sleeping in my room. "

" Yup, this is your room and this is your home ." 

" So what are you doing here.." 😅 Millie said, without even realizing that she is the one who called her. 

" You called me…. right,  to meet you at your house." 

*Suddenly attaining her memory   " Yaaaaa I remember….. I remember….. So you…how you convinced aunty to let you come here. " 

" I did,  you get up first. " 

" Yaa… I do now ...hurriedly coming off from the bed and asked " how did you appease her tell me, I thought you would barely come like you always do but I did not think you would be so smart. "

" You get dressed first then we will go to Mary's Bakery , she said, tell me what would you wear. " 

" I'll get dressed, you wait and I will just come in seconds.  BTW why do we have to go to the bakery. Is there any party, " saying from the restroom. 

" No, there is no milk delivered today so I have to fetch it. You hurry fast or I will be late again….." 

" Yep, ready, let's go…. I am ready. " 

   "  No wait, where are you going, eat your food first, a sound came from behind as they were just about to leave the home. 

" Sel, Millie, you two have breakfast first."

    "Chill  , mom , I will have something outside BTW we are going to the bakery, I will have something there. " 

But be sure to eat something first, Sel you make sure she eats or otherwise she will have a whole day without having anything. "

" yaa, sure aunty, I will get Millie something to eat. You need not to worry. " 

" fine.. Then bye. " 

" Millie, I got the permission to go ,we can spend the weekends together. I thought we will talk through the whole night , and do star gazing. It will be a lot of fun. What do you say. " 

" yup , but don't you think that we should do something else. Like go to the origami paper carnival that aunty Ann told us previously. "

" We talked to spend the weekend together at your home and not going to the carnival. Forget it. "

   " Don't you say like that Sel, you heard aunty Ann right, she said there are so many games and competitions. Do not do that, it can be good right. 

  " We will enjoy ourselves. " 

" I can not say , I am not sure, we will talk about it later. " 

" Here, we come, Hello aunty Mary . 

   " How are you ? " 

" I am fine, Sel, how are you doing. "

" I'm fine aunty Mary,  but why you did not deliver the daily milk today…" 

" Ohh… yeah… we didn't do the deliveries today at all…. coz our worker didn't came out today at work . 

" Oh  , that is why you could not deliver the things  , Sel said. 

" Yup,  we could not do the deliveries of most of the houses today , " she said. 

" But , didnt you know that he would not come to work previously  ? `` Millie asked.

" OH,  no, we didn't know it previously and he didn't tell us before,  usually he doesn't do this. I don't know why he didn't come today. " 

" It's okay aunty Mary,  it happens when you work continuously. And today it's raining  too. By the way, can you give me the morning milk of today, mom has sent me to get it from here,  " Sel said. 

" Ah,  yaa, sure,  you wait, you just wait for a moment,  I will get it for you," Aunty Mary went to get the things back for them. 

Aunty Mary is by the way a German by birth, having golden hair and whitish look but old like in her forties by appearance. She moved here with her country men husband who went far for the business,  and later get settled here with him. She is intellectual, bold and speaks many languages. 

        He also runs the farm here, produces dairy products in his own farm and make a small living ,  although they two just lives alone here. 

" Here is your milk and the change is in the bag itself. "  

 " thank you, aunty Mary. Have a great day."

" You too. " 

They took off the things from the dairy shop and went back to the way of her home..

Riding on the streets , not the thing that they never did,  they are doing it since childhood together and now that it has become a habit to pace down in the streets. they are really good at it… n habitual…  talking like this by making a sync with each other, not just with lips ... but with the mind ... but with the hands as well…. 

" So, what are we doing after you deliver the things to your mom, where will we go…. " Millie asked her excitingly. 

" let's see I have not thought about it yet. " 

" come on, Lacy,  Do not say like that. You know I do not like to be bored. " 

" Ha ha….  Well let us see… ." 

*Two villagers talking …..

" Did you hear…about that guy… he said he heard screams  in that abandoned forest near the bridge, early morning , when he was going for the work…..

" Yup , I did …. I have heard many people around there , near the river , telling these kind of things a lot …..   Some say that they saw someone and some say they heard screams of someone during the nights …." 

" Isn't it so chilly… " ? 

" what do you think , would it be true  ? " 

     " I don't know but I do not believe this kind of rumours very often … " 

" Yep, no one really knows anything about that forest . " 

The two girls listened to their conversation…

" Sel , Did you hear them. " 

" Yaa,  I heard them… and it's all fake… C'mon , people like to make these kind of stories a lot in our village … we are listening to these kind of  stories from when we were children….." 

         " Come on,  we are listening to these things since we were young,  how could it be that everything's fake… " .

 Millie likes the mysteries and adventures a lot  , so she is very interested in these type of things , related to ghosts and mysteries . So she always tries to investigate the things in her own ways. 

" right ,  you are always right huh , but could it be that this is the same man who works for aunty Mary.. This is possible , right… " 

    " you think so much… what it has to do if he is the same person who is aunt Mary's worker… . We got nothing to do with it.. " 

" yaa… but… " 

" No Buts ….  just stop thinking so much… " let's hurry home…and it seems to be raining a little today  too . " 

   " OK , you are the boss… " 

reached Sel's home 

" Here we are at your house,  let's go get the things first... " Millie gets in the house by taking the things in a hurry. More excited than the Sel  was herself. 

" Aunty, we are home , we bought your things, " Millie said. 

" oh, you got my things back , thank you so much , " Hello Millie , " her mom said. 

" yes , Good morning,  aunty, we got your things from the store , you hurry check the things first, then we will leave,  " Millie said .

" Wait, you guys  reach out just now and now want to leave… what's the hurry…why don't you guys go ,  after having the afternoon lunch … what's say Millie ," her mom said with the intention of letting them stay till the afternoon. 

" no , no,  aunty it's no need ... we can have lunch at my place ...what's say Sel….. " 

*Sel Unable to say anything…. 😅

" Sel is having lunch here….. You stay too. Come on in. " 

*Restricted to the Sel's home by her mom..

" You guys can wait in the Sel's room upstairs or you can play something until lunch gets ready…. Okay…", her mom says by leaving for the kitchen with her things. 

They both went upstairs and with blank faces, looking to each other. They have to spend the time till the afternoon lunch gets ready in the Sel's home. And it's not like they do not like being here but it's a kind of uneasiness they feel when they are here. 

*Meanwhile it started raining in a while .. ☔ 

" Look,  we have been trapped here, by your mom, and we can not do anything now. We are supposed to spend the time at me home.. my plan is ruined.. " sobbing down with the genuine tears of helplessness…..

poor Millie ….. 🙄

" tell me why didn't you say anything there … you could just say a yes when I asked  hmm…." 

" come on, how could I say like that… I can not refuse mom.  You know that right …" 

" tell me, what do we do now that we are being trapped here… just because of your foolishness… ." saying loudly by making an angry face .

" it is OK, we are here for the lunch, do not act like we are trapped in by  a ghost or something, it is absolutely fine, " Sel said, sitting in a corner in her chair and trying to read a book. 

" Oh, I don't  really know what to do now , I am getting bored ,"  complaining by rolling down on the bed.

      " Come on Millie, Do not bore yourself like this, you can try like reading a book or maybe you can play with my doll or teddy… or you like to play something until we get outside to hang out. "  trying to distract Millie and not getting her bored , thereby suggesting different ideas, the whole few she can get. 

" yeah….  We can play something…  right… so let's play… .what should we play… , getting excited instantly she asked Sel. 

" Well,  we can play anything you say… you suggest… what to play…" Sel said. 

Sel does not really like to play anything , like adventures or which involves Risks  … she has had her reasons for it…. may be coz she thinks she is not bold or that she has not enough courage ...   She does not know her real self till now and what her capabilities are..... ✨

May be Coz she hasn't given herself a chance yet.....