CHAPTER 5: THE LIFE OF BRENDA BAY
The Brackwells and George had silently witnessed the whole scene and the veiled woman, Brenda's outburst with confusion evident on their faces. No sooner had Brenda slammed her compartment door closed, than Lily and John came back, with dejected looks. Lily sat down heavily on her seat and looked out of the window, her face blank. John was sitting quietly, his head hung low.
"Who was that woman, Brenda? And why was she so much aggressive? She looked like she would chop off your heads, if you said another word!", Alice asked.
"Brenda Bay has been a regular visitor here, since Eddie, her little brother, was two years old. She had lost her parents around that time. The poor girl has had a pathetic life", John said, sighing and shaking his head in sympathy.
"No John. Her life wasn't pathetic. Her life had been made miserable by some bastards who ruined her life. Eventually with time, she became very depressed. Especially after her parents' demise, she was burdened with the responsibility of being the lone guardian of her little brother, Edward. Ed was just a year or two old, back then", Lily continued, from where John had left off.
"Who were the people who ruined her life, then? And why does she cover her face with a veil?", George asked. All the four teens, were keenly listening to John and Lily.
"Quite a few people, actually. Her parents had entrusted her in the care of her paternal uncle and aunt. They sent her to them for higher studies. But, who knew, under the pretense of providing her shelter, she was being treated as a slave. She was made to do all the household chores, her needs were ignored. And on top of that, she had to face verbal abuse. She wasn't even being able to study properly and as a result, her grades fell and she performed poorly in her exams", Lily paused here, taking a deep breath, trying to subdue the anger that had built up inside her.
The four youngsters heard this narration in utter silence, wondering how someone's own family members could do this with them.
"And it doesn't end here. She was treated like an object, there. Fed up, she finally went back to her parents and told them everything. Bitter words were exchanged between her parents and her aunt & uncle that day. That fight and that confrontation was expected, with the way those people treated her. And then comes her cousin brother, who was no less than a demon. He was a devil reincarnate!", Lily said with such venom and spite in her voice, it seemed that if she saw those people, she wouldn't hesitate to kill them with her bare hands.
"Her cousin brother abducted her. But she somehow managed to almost escape. Almost escape. Alas! He caught up to her, and in his rage, he tried to burn her alive, and escaped from there. The nerve of that bloody moron!!", Lily narrated aggressively. A few tears escaped her eyes which she angrily wiped away. Even John dabbed on his wet eyes, with the sleeve of his shirt.
The others were no different. They listened to all of this, sitting mum, not being able to utter a single word. Everyone's eyes were brimming with extreme sympathy along with anger and resentment towards the relatives of Brenda. She had been subjected to so much pain! So much anguish! And yet, she was here, taking care of her little brother, all by herself, with no one to support her.
Lily continued, as she gained her composure, "Brenda somehow narrowly escaped the clutches of death. But so much of that innocent soul had been marred by the flames of fire ignited by the most wretched incarnation of devil itself. A monster had devoured the outside beauty of an angel, who was beautiful inside out. Brenda is a fallen hero. She is the epitome of courage. And not because she fights the people who condemn her, but because she is not afraid to step out, even when she knows that the vultures named society may attack her. She wasn't like this; aggressive and rude. Her miseries; the pain she went through, made her like this. Life has created this version of Brenda", Lily finished.
Yes! Brenda Bay was an epitome of courage; strength and perseverance. It was like she was reborn from the fire. The fire had been successful in killing Brenda, but only a version of her. The Brenda who quietly endured her uncle and aunts pathetic treatment. But, the Brenda that emerged from the fire, had fire within her. She didn't let anyone or anything affect her determination. This Brenda was a powerful survivor. She was like a mythical phoenix, who is reborn from the ashes of the fire that burn it.
A long silence ensued. This silence was filled with the unheard cries and shrieks of anger and resentment for Brenda's culprits, and sympathy, respect and admiration for Brenda.
"She likes to stay aloof. She has a good life here, in Tinworth Highland. She has her own home and her citizenship pass. As soon as Ed turns 14, he too, will get his citizenship pass", John said, breaking the silence.
"What's a citizenship pass?", Molly asked.
"That's a pass issued by the B.L.E. for those people who are willing to stay here or visit anytime according to their wishes and own a house here. This pass is provided to people who are above the age of fourteen", John explained.
"How do you know about Brenda?", George asked. "She told us, once. Although, I would say, that she ranted it all, in anger", John replied.
"What about her aunt, uncle and cousin?", Alice asked. "Brenda fought back their violence. She got them arrested by the cops", Lily answered.
An hour and a half had passed since the journey had commenced. It was then that the train halted once again. Soon, they were facing a young man who seemed to be less than twenty years old.
"Hey! Hi Eric. Nice to see you once again. I didn't think you would be returning this year", John said, greeting him enthusiastically.
"Hello Eric!", Lily greeted. After greeting them both, Eric took the chocolate bar offered to him by John.
"Hi! You all new visitors?", Eric asked the four youngsters and after getting his reply, nodded his head and proceeded to enter the compartment and take a seat.
"Eric! Get up! Can't you see? There's not enough space here. These seats are for six people", John admonished him.
"Oh come on! We can manage, John. None of us are obese, you know. Just squeeze in, and we'll have enough space. I don't want to sit alone", Eric replied, exasperatedly. It was evident that Eric had visited here before.
Throwing him a sarcastic smile, Lily said, "Why, Eric? You won't have to sit alone. There's Brenda and Ed in the next compartment".
John silently laughed, while Eric glared at her, and said, "And THAT is why I am not in that compartment. I don't want to ruin my second journey to Tinworth. Kids, you know..."
"We are NOT kids", Alice interrupted him, with a frown upon her face.
Rolling his eyes, Eric said, "Yes, yes, my dear grown-ups, have you seen the veiled lady in the other compartment? She is SCARY! She threatened to break my nose and push me down the train, just for trying to talk to her!", he exclaimed, exaggeratedly.
"Please! You were irritating the poor girl", Lily said.
From there, their conversations moved on to light-hearted topics. Soon, John went out and brought some food and candies for everyone. After delivering a portion of it, to Brenda and Ed, he came back and sat down. All were pretty hungry and quickly ate the delicacies served, saving the candies for the last.
"I have a question in my mind. Is this citizenship pass, really easy to issue? I mean, these legal things are really complicated aren't they? And are there any stringent rules that one shall follow? Is it some sort of contract or, like a passport or something?", Molly unloaded her barrage of questions.
"Actually, it's a very complex process. I really don't know much about it. But I do know, that you have to hire your own law officials or lawyers or barristers, who help you attain your citizenship pass. I know that Brenda had faced difficulties in the process. But, she had a great source of support and encouragement", John said, smiling.
"Yeah, well, that man is a great source of support for everyone", Lily affirmed.
"Who is that man?", Fred asked.
"He's Robert McAdams. A great wise man. And the best thing about him is, that he is very friendly and humble. He's one of the greatest and most influential personalities of Tinworth Highland. And you know what, he's the one, who will be teaching you, how to use a magic wand", Lily answered.
"But who said we want to learn any such thing? We just want to go home", Alice firmly stated.
"Yes, you had said that the way back home, was from Tinworth. So, when we reach there, we don't want to stay here any longer. We just want to go back", George said, agreeing with Alice's statement.
Lily laughed amiably. "No one, but Tinworth Highland's charm is going to stop you. Tinworth is going to have a festival soon. The Foundation Day Carnival. At least stay back for that, if possible", Lily said.
"Yeah, yeah, let's see what we shall do", Fred said, offhandedly.
Soon, the train halted. "Another visitor?", asked George.
John grinned. "No. We have reached our destination. WELCOME to Tinworth Highland!".................
TO BE CONTINUED...
Author's Notes (A/N): Hello lovely readers!😇... I hope you are all fine... Did you like the chapter? If yes, then comment. If no, comment then too😁... Just let me know your views and opinions. If possible, do give your valuable suggestions ☺️
So, how was Brenda Bay's backstory? I was so emotional while writing it 🙃🙃🙃... And before you wonder, let me tell you, that, no her life story is not inspired by the real life situations of mine or anyone that I know. It's all my imagination 😇😁... What about Robert McAdams?😉
So, finally they've reached Tinworth Highland 🤩... So, what do you think? Are the teens going to stay back or go back home?🤔... What will happen next?😉...
Love you loads 💙💛...
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