*Peeks* Hehehe...hello everyone!

Ahem...you all should know why I couldn't write in this site for a long time. Yes, studies and exams...I've been crazy...*Stares with bloodshot eyes*...Nonetheless, the leave of Eid has begun, so this should be a must (Shouldn't it? :P)

Therefore...a very very very...(very into ten to the power infinity XD) belated happy birthday to Simy aka CuteTyhil, one of my most favorite authors and readers. May Allah give you all the happiness and peace in your life (Ameen). Wait for a while, I haven't planned something for your birthday gift yet :P Sorry for that.

Besides, some of my readers wanted to read about the incidents happening in China (I was like...what? I haven't thought anything about in this regard). Leave it, and have fun!

"Thud!"

Receiving a heavy slap on his soft left cheek, the toddler fell on the ground. Perhaps, the torturer wasn't much satisfied with his action. That's why, grasping the hair of his son, he pulled the child up. Despite an arctic weather, the eight-yeared boy was sweating. Saline water droplets were trickling down from his forehead and lower nose, rolling down on his cheeks and chin. Already his cheek had got the stains of five fingers on itself. His dry throat was yearning for a single droplet of cold purified water. His lungs were craving for fresh oxygenated air. But, surprisingly, a single globule of waterworks couldn't be seen beneath his golden-colored orbs. His eyebrows were screwed, his teeth and fists were gritted. The little boy was trying his best to bear all the tortures on his small body.

"Motherfucker!" His alcoholic father thrashed him against the wall and clutched his throat, "Give me that necklace! Otherwise, I'll break your neck."

As his respiratory system was being hindered to work, the raven-haired neko-jin couldn't utter any word. Nevertheless, he shook his head, clarifying that he wouldn't hand the necklace to his father.

"Mannerless!" Taking a bamboo stick, Hal broke it on the back of his foster son, "Why do I pay so much money for you? You're wearing good cloths and having a good meal twice a day. Yet you're so ungrateful?"

Quite a liar the tormentor was. He was a farmer who had a few acres of own lands. Those lands provided him with some crops every month. Selling them, he used to earn a little amount of money. Had he wanted, he could have nourished his family very well with that cash. Well, a certain hydrocarbon is a bitch.

Then what? With a view to maintaining the family, both the mother and the son had to work hard from dawn to dusk. The mother performed as a housemaid in a few families of the rich people. Cleaning utensils and rooms, washing clothes, preparing meals, taking care of the children, old people, ill people, gardens, domestic animals and birds, and? And being the victim of the greed of the eyes of the housemasters!

Yet she was virgin. She had never worked alone in those manors. As she was an intelligent and well-educated woman, she was pre-informed of her upcoming danger. If she had wanted, she could have earned more money by selling her youth, beauty and seductiveness to those solvent beggars. Notwithstanding, spiritual virtues are greater than material wealth.

Noticing the torture being inflicted on her son, Qi couldn't resist herself. She rushed towards her son and husband, ending up clutching the bamboo stick that had been being used for compelling the little boy to give the necklace.

"Leave my son!" She cried, "He hasn't done anything to you. Why are you beating him?"

"Shut up, you bloody bitch!" The vinous man now clasped the throat of his wife, leaving his son, "Your excessive affection has made him mannerless and idiot! I am telling him to give that pendant to me. Why isn't he listening to me?"

The boy had been quiet. But when he saw his mother in that state, he couldn't help opening his mouth, "Dad, please, leave mom. I'll bring more money and wealth to you. But for that, I….I have to have access to our capital. If I reach capital once, I'll manage any job. In order to get permission to enter into the capital, I need to show this necklace to the guards. Please, try to understand, dad. Don't beat mom."

As he finished speaking, his father looked at him with a pair of eyes filled with disbelief. Leaving the throat of his wife, he asked, "Are you speaking the truth? Or are you trying to cheat me?"

"No, dad, not at all," Ray shook his head, "I'm not trying to cheat you at all. Please, have faith on me, I won't let your faith go in vain. I…I promise, dad, I'll give you whatever you want. But please, don't say anything to my mom."

"Alright then," Hal stood up, "I believe you and I'll let you go to the capital. But….if you fail to earn money, I'll drive both of you and your mom out of this house!"

Done with his words, Hal returned inside the house. Soon, Ray hurried towards his mother and helped her stand up. Cupping his chin, the pastoral woman sobbed, "Son, will you leave your mom in this way?"

"Mom," The toddler wiped the tears from the cheeks of his mother, "Who has said that I'll leave you? I can never leave you. Mom, once I earn money enough according to the wish of my father, I'll return to you. I know that my father is not a good person at all. But I can never see you being tortured by him."

"But son, you're still so young!" Qi patted his head, "Won't you be in any trouble in capital? I've heard that our capital is such a dangerous place. Women, disable, old, children-everybody remains under the unbearable cruelty of our emperor. Can you survive there without a family?"

"Don't worry about me, mom," Ray assured his foster mother, "I promise that I'll try my best to avoid all the difficult situations. If any difficult situation comes, I'll bravely confront that. Just arrange my cloths and other accessories, mom. I've to start for capital before the sunrise."

"My boy," Qi embraced her son, "Be careful. Don't be very daring. Watch your steps. And yes, don't forget to pray to God."

"I'll , mom, I'll," The neko-jin closed his eyes and leaned his head against the chest of his mother.

At that moment, at the opposite direction of the small hut, at the distance of hundreds of miles, a woman was tucking her face amidst her knees, wrapping her arms around them. The color of her dress had been faded. Her beautiful hair was no more attractive and gorgeous. Dark circles took place beneath her seductive orange-colored eyes. Her feet were tied with chains connected to a pillar. As the rays of moonlight fell upon her face, she raised her head and smiled a bit, staring at the full bright moon which was about to conquer the night sky. She felt something liquid on her left cheek. She wiped it with the fingers of her right hand. A single droplet of that fluid had access to her lips and tongue. It tasted saline.

Tears they were.

She almost giggled at the salinized globules. Waterworks! In the previous eight years, they must have been dried. She shouldn't have had a single droplet of tears stored in her eyes. In those years, eight rainy seasons had passed through the land. Lots of dark clouds had come, cried and gone away. But she hadn't shed tears. Now what happened? What filled the dried lakes?

'I had a dream,' She whispered, 'But the dream is dead now.

No, no, it hasn't died yet. It is sleeping now. One day, it will surely wake up from its slumber. Then, this eternal night will end. A new day will begin. A new sun will rise in the east, enlightening the entire sky. Fragrant and colorful flowers will blossom in the gardens. Birds will chirp, butterflies and honey-bees will again collect honey from the flowers. Cheerful waves will appear in the inlets, rivers, lakes and oceans. Fishes will play happily with each other. The ground will be covered with the green velvet carpets of grasses and herbs. Oh! When will the day come?'

She heaved a sigh. On the previous day, there had been an auspicious event. Eight years passed since her only child had come to mother earth. On that day, the castle had been illumined with thousands of crystal and silver oil lamps. Fragrant wax lights had filled the aura with an utter heavenly bliss. Perhaps, there hadn't been any flower in any forest of China. Garlands, floral bunches, crowns-what not? What hadn't been there? Hundreds of royal chefs had filled the kitchen with the perfume of the fried, baked, boiled and grilled, sweet, sour, savory, spicy, salty and bitter. Weavers had weaved the cottons, chiffons, georgettes, silks, satins and velvets. Jewelers had bejeweled rings, earrings, waist chains, necklaces, bangles, anklets, bracelets, tiaras, shoulder chains and headpieces from the bars of gold and silver, the baskets of diamonds and pearls and the bags of sapphires, emeralds, amethysts, moonstones and rubies. Gardeners had flowered the beds, chairs, tables, pillars, curtains, doors, windows and rooms. And she? What had she been doing?

She had been wearing a golden georgette qi pao, with the embroideries of the granules of moonstones and pearls. Her hair had perfectly be done with locks, trying to touch her peach-colored cheeks. Pearl clips had been trying to peek through her black hair like the stars trying to peek through the black sky of the night. Like the sun of the dawn, her forehead tattoo painted of vermillion had been shining despite the darkness of the dusk. The floral vines tucked in her bun had been reflecting the limitless daintiness of the nature. On that day, heaven-earth-hell- all the three worlds had forgotten everything, observing her beauty and embellishment.

The expression of motherhood can never be described in words. That day, she had been cradling her newborn baby in her arms, being surrounded with young and stunning maids who had been busy in distributing foods, cloths and gifts among the subjects. Although she had been supervising everything, she couldn't have returned her eyes from her newborn son. He hadn't been fair like the day or dark like the night. His complexion had been different. The closed eyes of him had been the closed petals of the lotus flowers floating on the surface of the ponds and lochs.

Alas! That day, thousands of lights had enlightened the kingdom. This day, a single oil lamp couldn't be found. Only the Luna was the one to be believed. That day, all the flavors and tastes had filled the royal kitchen. This day, only a pair of rotten breads and a spoon of bitter vegetables were enough to fulfill her hunger. That day, she had been wearing golden cloths embroidered with gemstones and pearls. This day, she had a piece of ash-colored top and a piece of grey-colored bottom to protect her honor. Let alone the ornaments, she didn't have a comb to tie her hair perfectly on this day. That day, she had an angelic child being cradled in her arms. This day?

While thinking, her heartbeats increased, her breaths became unsteady. Closing her eyes, she started meditating. As she began painting the images of her son in the canvas of imagination, she became pacified. Her restlessness escaped, she felt relieved.

'My son,' She mused, 'I know, one day, you'll come here and free me from these beasts.'

The little fairy in the avatar of a human being was peacefully sleeping on her bed. The bed was velvety and soft like the feathers of a white pigeon. On the slivery side-tables, a pair of crystal flower vases containing two bunches of pink daisies were kept. She was in a strapless lemon-green nighty made of soft and comfortable satin cloths. Her scarlet hair was perfectly braided. The aroma of sandalwood was coming from her moisturized skin. There was no jewelry on, around or in her body, yet a particular sign painted with vermilion was ornamenting her temple. It was the symbol of her clan. The emblem was representing her identity of a princess. The windows of the balcony were open. Calm, soothing and refreshing breeze passing across her room. The toys and dolls kept on another table trembled a bit, but didn't fall on the shining floor. For seeing her innocent and angelic appearance, the moon couldn't resist his greed. Slyly, he peeked at her through the balcony.

As the moon saw the moon, the moon couldn't sleep. Her delicate eyes felt disturbed. Rubbing her eyes, she got up from her bed and stood on the balcony, holding the railings.

"Stupid ray!" She pouted, "Don't you know that you're disturbing my sleep? Just go away from me and let me sleep in peace."

The moon didn't seem to listen to the princess, rather he elevated his luminosity.

"Mannerless!" The little girl rebuked, pointing her index finger to the lifeless, yet the alive asteroid, "I'm requesting you but you're listening to me? Huh, I'll never see your face!"

Drawing the curtains, she again went to sleep. Heaven-earth-hell-all the three worlds had been represented in only one sphere. Only the luna observed it, but he didn't tell anything to anybody. Smiling a bit, he kept dancing all over the sky until the clouds came and covered him beneath themselves.

Duh, it hasn't been better than a trashbox :P

Ok, do read and review. Pardon all the grammatical and the spelling erros. Take care.

-Misty *_*

P.S: Wanna know one thing? I'm coming to India on the 23rd of this month (Hey, only Darjeeling). I wish I could visit other provinces and cities like Calcutta, Delhi, Rajsthan and Gujrat (Sighs). But let it be, it will be in next time, okay? :*