That sweet little Angel
When I was 17 years old, there was this little girl in our neighborhood. We never talked much with their family, but she along with her brother and some other kids from down the street used to come play in our frontyard.
She was a little ray of sunshine. Her smile was enough for me to go 'Aww...how cute'. Sania, that's what everyone called her. She was in 3rd grade. She used to play with little puppies that lived nearby. Her brother was afraid of dogs, but she, being the little Angel that she was, used to feed them little bread crumbs and biscuits from our kitchen. We were never close to that family, but I felt so close to her even though I haven't interacted with her much. I used to watch her playing in our frontyard with her group and those puppies. She procted the little pups when some boys were throwing stones at them for fun. She was a kind soul.
Then she went to spend her summer vacations at her maternal grandmother's place in another state. I also went to my Aunt's place and came back after a month. I didn't miss her or even noticed the absence.
Then one day suddenly I got the news that the little Angel was no more. There was a flood in the city her grandmother lived in and she drowned while exploring a field. Her brother barely survived. He saw her getting drowned and tried saving her by going after her but got trapped in the deep water. He was unconscious when the rescue team found him, but they couldn't save his sister.
I didn't know how to respond. She was the symbol of pure love and kindness to me and now she was just gone. I couldn't cry. I couldn't say a goodbye. I kept thinking of her family and her smile and her love for those puppies. I kept thinking of her brother who has lost his sister right in front of his eyes and who was just 12 years old back then.
A few years later, her parents had another girl whom they gave her name. I never got a chance to meet the little Sania. Her brother greets me whenever he sees me walking down the street.
For nearly four years, I had forgotten the incident and how i felt about all that.
Untill today, when I saw my niece playing in our frontyard. She was holding a white puppy in her hands, playing with it like it's the world to her; her hair looked exactly like Sania's. I am very attached to my niece and she is the ray of sunshine in my life. And I was the one who took her to the parlour for that haircut.
But today I saw a glimpse of that little girl in her for the first time. It triggered something emotional. I didn't cry at that time when I heard about Sania, but today I couldn't stop myself. Sometimes the fate is so cruel to the kindest of souls and we have no choice but to accept the fate. I wept silently as my tears washed away whatever foreign thing I was feeling. I hope that little Angel is now at a better place where she truly belongs.