Chapter 9: Night Two (Green)
Night Two. Green.
That evening, I was standing next to Mummy at the puja, holding the plate of flowers for her. Ananya came in, looked at me, and stopped.
“You’re not wearing anything green today,” she said. “Today’s colour is green. Wait.”
She went to her room and came back with a small green hair clip, with a tiny leaf on it. Right there, next to Mummy, in the middle of the puja, she clipped it into my hair, above my ear, next to my leaf stud.
I didn’t move. I didn’t look at Mummy. I just held the plate of flowers very still.
Mummy saw it. I know she did, because her hands stopped for a second over the flowers. Then she went on with the puja, as if nothing had happened.
After the aarti, she put the prasad in my hand, the same as every year. Then she turned, and looked at the clip properly.
“Nice,” she said. And she went towards Ananya with the prasad.
Just one word. But it was a yes.
That night, before sleeping, I touched the little green leaf one more time. Two nights done.
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