25th June 2017
"My name is Hope." She started and smiled mocking about something which was not very clear till she continued further. "But that day, I realised how hopeless my condition was..." She paused for a moment to gather herself and control the overwhelming emotions that were choking down her throat. "It all started when I and my sister, Haley went to the mall for shopping. Haley was 6 years older to me. She was a rebellious teenager while I was a very obedient girl to our parents. She was 21 and I was only 15. She promised to take me with her for shopping. My breasts were still small and they never needed anything to raise them up until now. My Mom asked my sister to buy a pair of brassiere for me so that I don't draw other's attention. Haley had a good laugh teasing and mocking me but took me with her to the mall. She negotiated with the lady in the mall and the lady took me in to the trial room to check which size fits me well. And unfortunately, I ended up buying the smallest of all." She was not shy or blushed even a bit as she was explaining all these to the man who was eagerly listening to her, without interrupting or without any reaction on his face.
Hope continued speaking, "When I was ready for buying the elastic sports bra, I looked for my sister. She was not around. I asked the sales woman and she pointed her finger at a direction outside that shop and I found Haley talking to a man, a handsome man. I called out to her and she came back and paid the price for the bra I bought and we both walked out of the mall. But she asked me to wait for a moment and she went into a corner outside the mall with that same man. I could only stand there as an obedient sister and watched her talking to him, then allowing him to touch her chest and kissed her lips. I felt weird. Haley had good round breasts and he was happily squeezing them. I didn't like it at all. I looked away and walked ahead to the road. Haley came to me after sometime and asked me not to tell anything to our parents. I agreed but asked about the man, to which she replied that he was her boyfriend and he is very rich. He promised her to give her a job. We never had a good life as our father is a sick man and our Mom stays at home, looking after him and us. And I could understand why Haley wanted to freak out and make money. She fell into his trap and..." She paused for a moment as she gulped the saliva, licking her dried lips. She was almost choking of overwhelming emotions.
"Haley was very happy when she got the advance from that man as she started to work with him. She handed some money to Mom and she was happy to see her daughter taking responsibility. But one-night Haley didn't return home. We all were worrying about her. Our parents waited for a day and then decided to go to police. The police assured to have a look in to the matter. After a week or so, while playing outside with the kids of our locality, I saw that man behind the pillar. I rushed to her shouting at him and asking about my sister. He said, he came to inform me about Haley as she is not well and sick, she needed helped so she is with other girls where she works. The man asked me to come and see her. I made a mistake and trusted him as my sister did. When I went with him, I realised I was deceived and abducted as my sister. There were other young girls like me in that cabin. They explained that, the first batch of older girls were sold out to the buyers and we will be sent soon. I was crying as all others in fear. I was cursing Haley for brining such a state to herself as well as to me."
He offered her the glass to drink a little water. He didn't say a word but just allowed her to pour her heart as much as possible. She wiped her tears and started to speak again, "When they dragged me out of the cabin we were crying at the top of our voice. They beat us and man handled us as they put us inside a van. It was a closed van where we were kept. A very small portion of glass that was just against my face among all the goods and cargos inside that van. Luckily, I saw a face, a face with so much of compassion and hope. I saw him standing on the road. I wanted to shout but I know, I can't. I won't be heard even if I shout at the top of my voice. My hands were tied up and I could not wave them at him. His eyes met with mine and he smiled. But I could not smile back at him and just let my tears convey the message to him. It worked as I saw him stop smiling and start thinking at once but he went on getting smaller and smaller as the van sped away from him. I lost my hope again, though I had a feeling that this man might come searching for this teary-eyed girl."
20th June 2017
Being an undercover agent Robin always stays outdoor in a civilian attire. It was one afternoon, the sun was almost sinking down the horizon as he was on the 14th Street of Royce and Jack, he saw a cute little face through a torn glass window sticker of a van. But before he could react to her teary face, the van disappeared when the traffic light turned green. For the first time the green light filled someone's life with darkness. Robin could not note down the number of the van but he immediately gave the details of that van to his colleagues. It was a stolen vehicle as he suspected and he was sure that the girl had been fallen into the wrong hands. He asked the department to look out for the vehicle and it was only after two hours they could locate the van deserted behind a bush near the train station. Robin quickly reached the place and confirmed the vehicle he saw it on the road. He enquired in the train station and checked the CCTV camera and there’re clips that confirmed what he was suspecting. There were a group of girl children were being led into a train and the station master verified which train that could be. All the stations the train will cross were informed to look for a group of children and the clippings were sent to them as well. But it was not so easy to identify the group and block their ways. They missed it.
Robin was aware of the fact that if he doesn’t hurry and the group of girls were transported out of the country then it would be very difficult for them to rescue them. The face of that poor girl was troubling him at every passing moment. He was restless.
22nd June 2017
Two days passed without any result or without any information even when all were alert and waiting for some clues. But finally, he got a call from his informer about the stolen van. He went immediately investigating about the theft and he found a name who was involved in that. But to his disappointment he could find only the agents who have no knowledge of the people in the higher level behind this trafficking. But one information he could retrieve from them that the girls will be transported out of the country by a cargo ship. Robin quickly assessed where these traffickers could have got down from the train to board a cargo ship. He located the possible port and took the earliest flight himself to that place after he alerted the police and the port in-charge of that place.
24rd June 2017 Afternoon
She was a nobody to Robin but he doesn’t know why he felt there was a bond between that child who’s face he had faintly seen in that van. And that is why he took it personally till he could track them down. After two days in the afternoon, he and a team of policemen located all the girls at the port inside a shipping container along with their perpetrators. They were waiting for them for last 36 hours in the port, without food, without sleep. But to Robin's dismay the girl who brough him here was not found in that lot. He enquired those girls who were rescued by them and they informed that she was taken back by a man who actually killed her elder sister.
Robin had no clue about it. Her pale teary face flashed in front of his eyes. He was restless as he frantically looked for her around the port. Did he miss her? Will he ever get her? Have they killed her? Questions like these kept popping in his mind as he ran errands.
"Unccllleeeeeeeeee!!!" He heard a noise, a heart-wrenching scream... at a far distance. But that literally tore his eardrums and he hysterically ran towards the voice without knowing who called him. Within a second, he saw that same face as she was being carried on someone's shoulder with a few other men surrounding them. Robin looked for his team. But no one were there as they were with the big group at a different spot in the port. He had no time to think but to act quick. He ran to rescue the girl.
24rd June 2017 Evening
The girl was traumatised and shaken completely. She didn’t leave Robin but clung to him for almost an hour. She doesn’t feel afraid of him even after she was mistreated and touched inappropriately by every man, she met in this 4 days horrid journey of her life. The bond between them was established on that afternoon itself when Robin saw her teary face through that backdoor glass of the van. That torn piece of sticker on that glass, paved way to her rescue.
25th June 2017
Robin took that traumatised girl to one of his very dear friends’ home. Marcie, as she lives there in that place. Marcie cooked and fed both of them well as both of them were extremely tired, especially Hope, who was abducted. They both stayed at Marcie’s place without going anywhere. He felt it was needed after what she went through. He requested his boss to allow him to take care of the girl before bringing her home. Marcie left no stone unturned in taking care of them as Hope poured out her heart to both of them.
One thing she repeatedly said, “I have never lost my hope after my eyes met with yours, uncle… After all, my name is Hope”, She chuckled finally.
There are many incidents like this one takes place almost all over the world. And many don’t get the opportunity to find their way out. We all can only stay alert with our vigilant eyes open for something fishy happening around us. Our quick acts can save a life. An image of my model with a young girl prompted me to cook this fiction. I dragged poor Marcie into the story without her permission, again because of another image that I found having both of our models with two kids in it. Hope you enjoy it and never lose hope in life but always stay alert.