The sky outside was a soft shade of grey, as if the clouds were too tired to rain. Sulochana Chaturvedi, a woman of quiet warmth and open arms, stepped out of the orphanage's side corridor. She paused as her eyes caught a small figure by the gate.
A little girl — barely six — stood on her toes, peering through the window, her fingers gripping the rusty bars, her big eyes lost in something distant. Her clothes were dusty, her cheeks stained with dry tears, and her silence louder than any scream.
Sulochana stepped closer.
"Beta… are you lost?" she asked softly.
The girl flinched a little but said nothing.
"Where are your parents?" Sulochana crouched down, leveling herself with the girl's gaze.
The girl shook her head, slowly.
"I… I don't know."
A lump rose in Sulochana's throat. She didn't ask more. Instead, she held out her hand.
"Come. You don't have to be out here anymore."
That day, the little girl walked into the orphanage — and into a new life. She was given a warm bed, soft food, and the love of a stranger who slowly became a motherly figure to her.
Her name was Yashika — the only thing she remembered. And to Sulochana, that was more than enough.
A few months later, Sulochana brought her son along to the orphanage — an 11-year-old boy with sparkling curiosity and a kind heart.
He spotted Yashika sitting alone under the banyan tree, fiddling with a broken crayon. Without hesitation, he walked over.
"So… you're the girl my maa keeps talking about?" he said with a grin.
She looked up, surprised.
"You're cute," he added matter-of-factly. "I'm Chirag Chaturvedi. And you?"
"Yashika," she replied softly. "It's the only thing I remember."
Chirag smiled and extended his hand.
"So, friends?"
Yashika stared at his hand, then placed hers into his.
A silent promise was made in that moment — the kind that even time can't erase.
Years passed.
Laughter echoed between them. Secrets were exchanged. Festive lights, shared dreams, stolen chocolates — their friendship was the thread that kept them whole.
Until...
3rd September.
The world shattered like a mirror.
Sulochana Chaturvedi — the heart of both their lives — was gone. A sudden heart attack. No goodbyes. Just silence.
Yashika stood at the threshold of Chirag's home, her hands trembling as she stepped into the grieving house. The walls felt colder. The air heavier.
Chirag's father sat frozen beside the still body of his wife — eyes wide open but lifeless, staring at the woman he had loved beyond words. His hands trembled, resting on his knees, as if he was waiting for her to wake up and scold him for not drinking enough water.
And Chirag, who was still fifteen — his sobs echoed in the corners of the room. His body shook as he cried, kneeling beside his mother, whispering "Maa" again and again like it could bring her back.
Yashika couldn't hold herself back. She rushed forward and wrapped her arms around him from behind.
"Stop crying… please," she whispered, her voice breaking.
He turned and fell into her arms, holding her like she was the only anchor left in his sinking world.
"She's gone, Yashika. Maa is gone…"
"I know…" she whispered back, her eyes swollen with tears. "But I'm here. I'm right here, Chirag."
He tightened his grip around her.
In that moment — among death and despair — two broken hearts held each other, clinging to the one person who still remained.
Time flew everything went back to normal, as we all know the world doesn't stop for anyone things had to go normal one day. All of the still had a kind of emptiness in their heart for Mrs. Sulochana Chaturvedi.
Things changed Chirag now 17 and Yashika 12, they started living their lives without Sulochana. Everything was well cause they still had eachothers support, no matter what the situation was.