Chapter 5

Amelia was an avid reader since childhood. She sat amid the stalks of golden wheat, holding her book. Few yards away there was a finely trimmed patch of field where children from the nearby houses came to play cricket in the evening. She could hear them scream while sitting on the ground but could barely see them through the needled stalks. She wasn't interested in their play. It was the struggling ant on the coarse bushes of the field that had attracted her attention. She leaned over to observe it closely and see where it was heading to. It climbed from stem to stem probably trying to find food or shelter. Amelia was engrossed in its effort to find destination. She was always mesmerized by small things. It was her inquisitive nature that compelled her to see things beyond superficiality.

After few minutes of struggle, she took a thin, dried stem from the ground and hooked it under the ant's thorax. It immediately clung to the stem as if wanted to be rescued. She raised the ant in the air and brought it closer to her eyes for a better look. It tried to hold the stem tightly with its limbs. Amelia slowly put it on the book that she had brought to read. She held it up and stared at the ant which moved rapidly to and fro across the smoothness of the hard cover. However, she was distracted by a towering figure that shadowed her, silently watching her actions which she did not realize earlier. She looked up at the boy who was standing with winged hands and gazed intently at her. The ant sneaked into the book away from her sight. She deliberately put it on the ground and stood up to face the boy.

After a moment of silence, the boy budged her on the shoulder and pushed forcefully. She lost her balance and fell behind. She was not expecting something like that from a person whom she was seeing for the first time. Without complaining she stood up and slammed into him with force too. But he managed to sustain the fall. She was panting with anger. "Why did you push me?" She lashed out amid her short breaths. "Why are you sitting here? Its not a place for you." She was surprised to hear that. Why would someone tell her which place was suitable for her to sit on.

She wanted to hit him hard but looking at his height and stature she could not dare to do that. "Your father was a criminal and so are you. You will leave this place." She couldn't believe her ears. It was the least she expected from anyone. She stared at him astonished. "He tried to kill people that's why he died too." The boy continued with repugnance. "If you stay here you will also die." He raised his voice to let other boys listen too. They stopped the game and came closer to them. They surrounded Amelia and the boy who was making things worse. "Isn't she the girl whose father was a bad man. He tried to kill people." "No," Amelia shouted. "He wasn't a bad man. He was a doctor. He saved people's lives." Unable to control the heaviness of her heart she burst into tears. "Why did he die then?" the boy asked frowningly. "It was an accident. He died in an accident. Mama told me that" she whispered and sobbed. The boy laughed sarcastically. "No, he was a criminal. He tried to kill innocent people that's why he got punished for his deeds." Amelia sobbed and kept murmuring "No! The other boys mockingly laughed and made fun of her.

David who was coming for the cricket too, saw Amelia circled by the boys so he instantly ran to her. "What happened? Why are you bothering her?" he asked surrounding his hands around her. "She is bothering us by sitting here. It is not a place for her." The boy replied without a hint of shame. "Why? What did she do?" David asked with surprise. Her father was a criminal and so is she and her mother." He continued unhesitatingly. "And how did you find that he was a criminal?" David threw an angry gaze at him. "My father told me that." "My father also told me that agreed the boy standing next to him." "My mother too said he was a traitor," continued another guy. All the boys surrounding them shook their heads in agreement to the former guy. "This is bullshit. David grew angry with their words." "No! this is true." they said in unison. Amelia sobbed helplessly.

She had always considered her father a hero. The only image that she had of him was that he was a compassionate doctor who helped people and miraculously healed them. She had never imagined him as a killer. But whatever the boys said sowed a seed of suspicion in her mind. David grew silent. He didn't know how to pacify the situation. Although he tried to prove it wrong with his own logic but the number of boys present and their loudness weakened his voice. Amelia wanted to run to her mother and ask her the truth but she knew that she wouldn't tell her anything apart from that vague story which she had been telling for the past seven years. Amelia had given in to the story which she has been listening but partially her mind wouldn't accept it. There must be something which her mother was hiding, she thought. But what did it have to do with killing people? She was confused and hurt but stayed silent. The boys didn't stop there. They nagged her and were adamant to chase her away. She looked at her book and bent to take it but before she could David picked it for her. "The Disappearing Spoon", he read the title. It was her keenness in the science of chemistry that developed those choices. David often was impressed by her interest in such books. When he was about to hand it to her, he saw tears rolling down her cheek. It made him equally heartbroken. He wanted to help her but the only thing he could do was to take her home.