The Dark Side

"Ask Nara to come back home," Zahir said to Nihala. Nihala was cleaning the house after the lunch duty. She had prepared the dough to make unniyappam, a sweet pancake like snack with rice powder, jaggery and coconut in it. 

"Don't you know she is studying and we cannot bring her back as we will?" Nihala said.

"She is a girl, don't you know we cannot ket her stay out for a long time, she wanted to go, we let now bring her back home,"

"She is doing her bachelors degree, she has two more years to complete, let her study and we will do what you will," Nihala stood up for Nara. 

"People are already spreading the rumours about her, that we don't care about and that she is a..."

"She is a what?" Nihala asked. Mother was well aware of the daughter's innocence and passion but being the slave of the patriarchy never let her be a woman who is free to do as she wills.