Introduction to Aster struggle

...Disclaimer:All the characters, places and events mentioned in this novel are fictional. No such places and people exist in real."...

"The sun seems heatless when the heart is frozen."

Month is July and time is morning. The sun, aligned at the corner of the sky was spreading its dazzling light all over the globe.

Shit! The sun is about to reach its peak yet I haven't watered my plants yet. They may die of thirst. As soon as my mind birthed the thought of my plants, I rolled up from my bed and tied my hair in a ponytail. I walked into kitchen and grabbed the sprinkler, filled it with water and rushed to my balcony. ''Oh my poor shrubs! summer is demon for you. Sucking your blood up. Don't worry your savior is here.'' I used my power vessel and gave the power tonic one by one to my little plants.

As my tiny shrubs were soaking up the water ,I was gazing at them.

From my childhood, I always liked decorating my balcony with different seasonal plants as looking at them makes me happy and in this summer, there is turn of yellow marigold, red roses and basil plant but among all the plants here what caught my eyes were some deaddried flowers.

I slightly touched the dried petals of marigold. my lips smirked a little . These flowers make me remind of best memories of my life. My sweet memories with my father. But they also brought back the sight of sour flashbacks. " Dad, my strength is about to die like these flowers " I muttered.

My mind is filled with a sea of thoughts

The ring of the phone reached to my ears making my whole body jerked out of thoughts . Straighten up , i picked the phone from a small stool residing in a corner.

As soon as ,she read the name ,her heart started trying to make its way out of the chest. Eyes which were empty a second ago filled with fear.

Inhaling a deep breath along with the courage, she picked up the call.

" Hello, Doctor Abhay,'' She asked, ''Is everything alright. Did my mom wake up.'' She clenched the cloth of her skirt.

The other side didn't gave a reply for some seconds.

''Aster, please visit me after your shift.''

Her heartrace increased. ''Why, Uncle. Is my Mom okay. ''She cried out, ''Is my Mom alright.'' Legs were about to lose their strength.

''Aster, please calm down. I have already talked to your grandfather. '' The doctor responded, ''But the final decision should be yours.''

''What decision.''

''Just come here.'' The doctor pleaded.

Aster pulled herself together and asked , ''I can't wait that longer. Could I visit now.''

The doctor hesitated. ''Aster I wouldn't be available for 4 to five hours . Atleast visit me after 3'o clock.''

''The spring is about to come....The spring is about to come.... '' While reciting these words , she packed her bag, filled the bucket of Richie ,her dog with food, took her keys and left.

Sitting on a chair besides a hospital bed, Aster patted the wrinkled forehead of a middle-aged woman who was in coma. Her body was pale and thin.

She took the hand of the sleeping lady between the palms of her two hands and pecked it.

''Mom, Please wake up now. It has been four years. Your daughter is so alone.''

''Aster , How are you doing

She rushed inside but what she saw contributed to her fear .

''Mom.'' She screamed.

Her mother was lying on the floor.

She put her hands on her back and slowly supported her to stand up and helped her to lie down on the bed.

''Mom.. '' She patted the old lady's wrinkled forehead like a mother who is worried about her sick child, ''why did you get up from your bed? Don't you know ,you hadn't recovered from fever yet.''

The old lady sighed and laughed.

''I am alright, dear. I just slipped. My fever is long gone.''

''Then, why your body is still burning.''

''My baby doll, it's because I was sleeping with the blanket and it's also hot here. What you expect ,a cold ice.''

''Mom...'' She groaned.

''Baby r

Inside the cafeteria of the college, sitting detached from everyone, Aster took a sip from milk tea and observed the students entering and exiting, sitting and chatting, eating and drinking.... in one word... enjoying the phase of youth.

She unlocked the screen of her phone and scrolled through the hamlet page(an online community).

"Such a wonderful world social media is. Who needs friends at all." She smirked first but after few seconds, her smile shrunk. While taking the last bite of her burger, she checked the time. "Oh! It's almost two. I need to leave now."

She packed her things, got up, holding the cane of milk tea in one hand and bag in other.

She was about to walk, rather a girl whose pear-shaped body was fit in a blue and white striped shirt dress reached to her table.

"Aster... Could we talk?" She said while placing some high-lighted strands of her hair behind the ears.

She was Roshni, the representative of her class.

Aster agreed.

They both grabbed chairs and sat facing each other.

Roshni was drop-head gorgeous. Her brown hair was long and curly, giving best match to her fair skin tone and dark brown iris. She gave poker face for a while, constantly biting and licking her lips, resulting in, Aster to take the initiative to speak first.

"I am pretty sure you didn't sit here to chat with me. We are not that close,"She asked in a low voice gulping her drink,"Looks like you want to talk about something really important. Go on, I am all ears.", continuing sipping from the cane.

Roshni turned away her glares to the other side, breathed a sigh wondering how to continue yet she mustered her courage up and spoke.

"Umm, yes, I want to talk to you about.... I really don't know how to say it."

Aster rolled her eyeballs and heaved a sigh. "As far as I can tell, you want to say something really offensive,"

While broadening a sad smile, "Great! Go on. You won't be the first one. But sadly I am in a hurry now so better make it short."

Roshni seemed shocked to hear this. How could she be so cool about it. Doesn't she afraid I might say something I shouldn't. -she thought.

May be her heart felt the agony of the girl whose heart she was going to shatter, but if it did, she didn't let it overpower her utterance.

"Aster, our project in charge is very impressed with your project. We all are aware, you are a genius when it comes to computers but you know, your face.... I don't want to insult you but......''

Unable to go ahead, so again her oval-face became expressionless.

"But what..." Aster hawked at her, "Just complete it." Her voice expressed bitterness.

"See, you know, this project is very important for our college. I am aware that you worked very hard for this project. But it is true that what appears is sold. And our cruel eyes only want to see beauty."

Roshni softly put her right hand over Aster's hand which she had placed on the table. However her hand, instead of supporting her, gave spiking in her stomach. She understood what was coming ahead was surely not good yet she let it come.

"I know this is harsh but this is the reality of our society. But I assure you that that you will get full credit and money if it gets selected by Cherry Blossom Modelling Enterprises. It is integral to all of us so please..." She paused for a second, exhaled and continued," please let Nina represent it. It will support you too, as I know, your family crisis because of... "

"Enough!" said Aster as she stood up. "You have no right to include my family to prove your point."

Her voice captured the stares of people over there.

"Please don't create a mess here. Sit down so we can talk." Roshni pleaded in a hushed voice.

"I am sorry but I am in a hurry now."

She picked up her black bag and walked away without giving a second look to Roshni. Roshni tried to stop her by holding her hand but she freed her hand with force and ran away leaving Roshni staring at her until she was out of sight.

Roshni puffed out. She took out her phone and called someone.

"Hey! Listen up. She is not agreeing and I am not going to convince her anymore. Please ask someone else to do this." She said to the person on the phone.

She had a feeling of resentment in her voice.

"Only you can do this. I trust your capability and skills." The person on the other line replied in a strict and commanding voice.

"But this is unfair to her."

"We are not here to talk about fair and unfair. Just do your work and let others do theirs."

"But how. What if she complain about us as we both know this is against the rule!"

"Just trigger her weak point."

"I tried that too but it was of no use."

"Then press it more cruelly without any sympathy."

"Hey! That's insane. Stop it. I am not doing it."

"You are! And you know this why."

That person disconnected the phone without giving Roshni any further chance to refuse.

"Apparently, I have to try one more time." She said to herself. She picked up her bag and walked out of the cafeteria.

..........

Aster was a second year IT student in Mount college. She was a genius in developing software applications and websites. But her qualities faded away as soon as someone saw her face. Her face was half-burned, the area of her left cheek to the neck had ugly blotches making everyone feel nauseated whenever they saw her face.

But nature had not been completely unfair to her. Nature had given her long - black wavy hair which, whenever opened, fell in flowing ringlets over her shoulders and back, and her deep sparkling orbit shaped eyes which were both black and shiny at the same time like a full moon night.

With agony in her shinny eyes, and running without any destination, Somehow, she crossed the gate of the college. It didn't take long for her pain to make its way from her center to her eyes.

Her eyes became watery and in an instance, tears were running from her eyes to her cheeks. She was running without giving as much as a glance to her surrounding.

Then, she tripped over a stone and fell down. Her hands were on the floor and her whole body was trembling. She was crying without uttering any sound but years of pain and sufferings were visible in her eyes.

A man who was nearby saw her on the ground, came to her and said, "Are you all right, miss? Do you need any help?"

"No, I don't.. don't ... need any help. You can go..go.. now." Her voice was shaking.

"But miss...."

She gathered her strength and held both her fists and stood up. She arranged her hair by placing them behind her ears making her ugly scars visible and as soon as the man looked at them, he wrinkled his nose bridge and raised his cheeks. It was obvious by the changes in his facial expressions that he felt repulsed what he looked.

It didn't take Aster any time to understand the meaning of his expressions as she had seen this look many times. She widened her lips to give a fake but grim smile.

"It's okay, I am well, you should leave now."

The man hesitated to leave her at first but then he went away. He was helpful only until he saw her face.

"Ahh! I know what he feels by looking at my face. I am not fresh to these wounds."

Aster laughed in an agonising way.

"I am fed up. I am really fed up."

She took a bus and sat near the window side, glaring and observing the lives of others. Some shopkeepers on the side road who were trying to sell their products. Some couples holding each other's hands with extreme passion. But her eyes locked the view of some cheerful and bubbly children whose heart were as light as a string of feather.

I wish! I could live as carefree as those juveniles. At least for a single day.

Questions for readers:

What are the traits of beauty?

What do you think about this kind of discrimination?

Why was Roshni doing this?

4.Who was the other person on the phone? Did that person have any bad intentions towards Aster? If so, why?

...In order to get all answers, subscribe to my novel and read it and please give me your valuable feedback....

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