Radha- Complete the Story.

I was given this assignment when I was doing a course in creative writing. After reading it, you may want to end it differently. Think about it.

Write the opening lines of a story on a topic of your choice. Then write broadly the story line in a few sentences. Thereafter, suggest two possible endings to the story.


Opening lines:

The shrill sound seems to pierce and shatter through the peace and quiet of the morning. Radha woke up with a start. It was her bedside alarm clock giving out a piercing sound. It was still dawn and the sun streamed into her bedroom. Radha shut off the alarm and looked around her room with pleasure. Mama had done it exactly they way she wanted it, her favorite color pink with Barbie doll posters. It looked bright and sunny and cheerful as she felt. She threw off the blanket, went to the bathroom and splashed water on her face. She could hear noises downstairs. Her parents were up already and seemed to be having a conversation. Radha who was never an early riser, decided to join them for breakfast. As she goes down the stairs, her bare feet hardly making any noise. She catches her name, Radha mentioned in the conversation. “Maybe they are planning on a surprise” Radha thought. It was her birthday and she was going to be 10 years that day. Curious, Radha eavesdrops on the conversation. Her parents unaware that they are being listened to, continue their conversation. Radha listens in and freezes, shell shocked about what she heard. In a daze… Radha slowly retraces her steps back to her room as quietly as she had come down the stairs…

Broad outline of the story:

Eavesdropping on the conversation, Radha learns from her parents that she is adopted. They had decided to tell her very soon, on her 10th birthday which was the following week. Shell shocked by what she overheard, Radha rushes back to her room, packs whatever she can in a bag and manages to get out of the house. She wanders aimlessly and finds herself at the railway station, her thoughts in a jumble and her feelings and emotional roller coaster. Starved and tired, she befriends some curious urchins on the railway platform who are curious about her. Their leader sathish all of 14 years of age and too wise for his age, takes her with him and the other urchins to a makeshift shack a little off the railway track. She joins the children and soon learns their ways of life. Most do not have parents and once who did abandoned them when they were little. She hears horror stories of alcoholic parents who beat the kids and one boy whose parents even tried to sell him. Radha misses the luxuries of home and her parents, but the feelings of anger and betrayal of having hid the fact that she was adopted was too much for her to bear. She does bitterly wonder what her adoptive parents had wanted to do with her ultimately. She used to watch sathish and others operating from a distance though and this was a routine until one day….

ENDING # 1: Until one day..Radha accompanies the children to the railway platform. Her eyes taking in everyone and everything around her. She sees an old man with a little boy presumably his grandson and a lump forms in her throat. She sees another woman feeding her child. Then she spots a lady, her gait slow, her back turned to Radha. She seemed to be showing something to passers by. Many just shrugged and moved away from her. The man beside her was also stopping people and asking them something. He too seemed to meet with shrugs and shaking of heads. Radha goes closer and realizes with a start that it is her mother. She stood rooted to the spot. Around the same time, her mother turns and catches a glimpse of her. She is equally transfixed, her face looks lined with worry before letting out a wail of recognition and rushes towards Radha. No words were needed. Just mother and daughter embraced. The days of separation seemed to disappear and it seemed like Radha was never away. Radha goes home with her parents, does learn that she was adopted when she was only five months old. Her parents speak to her at length all about adoption and how much they love her more than life itself. Radha is home.

ENDING # 2: Until one day, she spots a lady, her gait slow, her back turned to Radha. She seemed to be showing something to passers by. Many just shrugged and moved away from her. The man beside her was also stopping people and asking them something. He too seemed to meet with shrugs and shaking of heads. Radha goes closer and realizes with a start that it is her parents. She stands rooted to the spot. Around the same time, her mother turns and catches a glimpse of her. She is equally transfixed, her face looks lined with worry before letting out a wail of recognition and rushes towards Radha. Her words are drowned out by the shrill whistle of an approaching train.

Radha wakes up with a start. It was her bedside alarm clock shrilling away like that of a whistle of a train and shattering the morning peace. For Radha however, it was a sound that was most welcome for but slowly realized that she had dreamt it all.

Readers: Give it a shot and try a different ending!