"Maaaaaa....!!!" Mithi's voice quivered as she ran down the steps, restless and tensed. "Ma, where is Sally? I left her on my bed before going to school."
Radha picked up her three-year-old, planted a long,noisy kiss on her cheek, and said, "Sally was old and tattered, wasn't she, Mithi? I'll get you a new one, a Birthday Barbie, I promise."
Mithi's brown eyes welled up with tears. Her three-year-old mind knew she would never see her dear Sally again.
A chunk of Mithi's childhood died that day.
