"Where is she? tell us now!""She killed my son!""Give her to us or you will be burned along with her!"What is all that noise? It's past midnight…. Why is everyone screaming? Has something happened? I hear my mother pleading. "She is just fourteen! just a little girl….like yours, deepali! our daughters have been best of friends since they were kids….surely you don't believe this nonsense about her being a witch?"Witch? Who's ma talking about? Who do they think is a witch? What's that crashing sound? Why are they wailing? What has happened? Did somebody get hurt? I should go see what is happening…. "You deserve to be killed for harbouring a witch! give charvi to us and we will spare your lives!"Me! They are talking about me! They think I'm a witch? Why? What have I done? What is going to happen to me? "Sanjay! you're a doctor! surely you don't believe that my daughter is a witch!"More crashes. More screams. Crying. "Charvi…."What's that sound? It sounds like somebody is whispering. It's coming from the window…"Charvi!""Dev? what are you doing here? do you know what is happening outside?""Charvi…you have to run away! these people are going to kill you if they get their hands on you! run away! now! your parents can't hold them off for much longer!""But what about….""There's no time! go now!"He forces me out the window. He takes me through the back and we tiptoe to the other side of the house. "Remember that trail we discovered yesterday? take that trail and go as far as you can! don't let them see you! be careful."Dev leaves. I run towards the trail. Me and dev had found it yesterday. It goes through the forest. I've never seen anyone else in the village ever use it. Where does it go? We don't know. But it seems to be the safest place to go right now. Another loud crash. I look back. Fire…they have set our house on fire! Ma! Baba! I want to scream but no sound comes out! I run! I run like I've never run before. I feel no fear. Just shock. Disbelief. I feel like I don't know those people even though I have lived with them all my life. I reach the trail. "There she is!""She's headed that way!""Get her!"They have seen me! I feel a surge of adrenalin…. I sprint through the trail! I see the light of torches in the distance behind me. They're chasing me. Oddly, I don't feel anything. Nothing. I just know that I hav to run. I have to get away from those monsters. I can hear the shouts and cries behind me. Confusion. They can't see me. I don't stop running. I can't stop running. I feel dizzy. How long has it been? It feels like I've been running for hours. So thirsty…need water. But I don't dare stop. My best chance at survival would be to run. But where do I go? What do I do? I don't know. My instinct tells me to keep running. So I run. I can hear the blood rushing in my ears. But nothing else. Have I outrun them? Seems so. I turn around. There's no one there. Not a sound. Only the leaves rustling. And the blood rushing through my ears. Yet I don't stop running. Sweat runs down my legs. My legs feel heavy. My chest hurts. I can barely breathe. But I don't stop. I don't dare stop. My throat burns. I need water. Dawn breaks. I see a glimpse of the sun rising. The ring on my finger catches my eye. It was given to me by my mother when I turned thirteen. Ma. Baba. What happened to them? Where are they now? Are they even alive? I am so selfish. I traded their lives for my own. They brought me into this world, took care of me, protected me from those inhuman beasts and I abandoned them. I feel guilt consume me. If they are dead, how can I live? I resign myself to my imminent death. I see an opening in the forest. It's getting closer. I rush through and come to a river. Salvation. 