When help is at hand
ROSALIND HERBERT
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Miss Philip found it strange that the two young girls in the house opposite hers never went to school.
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Miss Rita Philip was a government social worker, dedicated to her job — that of putting a stop to child abuse and rehabilitating the children.
One day, she noticed that the children in the house opposite hers were waiting for their auto to go to school. Ramu and Priya were eight and six years old respectively. They shouted, “Fanny, bring my bag!” “Fanny, bring my lunch box.
” And Fanny came running out with the bag and the lunch box. Fanny was 11 years old.
Just then a fat lady came out and boxed Fanny’s ears because she had delayed in handing over the lunch box and the bag. Fanny began to cry, and the fat lady hustled her into the house for a second beating. Soon Miss Philip discovered that there was another girl — a 14-year-old, in the house. Two young girls, who should have been in school, were being made to work! She was dismayed.
Punishment
A few days later, the lady came and spoke to her. Her name was Amini. “These two girls are my brothers’ daughters. He met with an accident and passed away. He was a nice fellow. But his wife is a good-for-nothing woman and she is illiterate too. I brought these two girls here so that I could send them to school. But no school will have them. What to do?”
One day, Anu, the older girl was consoling Fanny, when Amini walked into the kitchen. “You miserable wretch! You ungrateful girls. Here I am feeding and looking after you, which your worthless mother could not do. So much money I have given her and both of you, and you sit and cry! As a punishment for your ungratefulness you will get no dinner tonight.”
So saying, she switched off the light and went into her room to relax. Unable to see her sister starve, Anu took some rice and forced Fanny to eat. Hearing voices in the kitchen, Amini came back. “Oh, so this is what is going on is it? You are robbing and eating my food.” She pulled the plate out of Fanny’s hands and threw the food out of the window. Then, she lit the gas stove and held Fanny’s hand over the fire saying, “You will not do this again, will you?” Fanny screamed in pain. Fanny cried all night . Anu consoled her.
“Fanny, I will never let this woman do this to you again. Don’t cry. I have heard that the lady in the opposite house helps children like us. I am going to write to her and ask her rescue us.”
Anu wrote: Please help us. We are being beaten and my sister’s hand was burnt tonight. We do not get food. We want to go to school. We live in the house opposite (No.5). Anu and Fanny.
She dropped the letter into Miss Philip’s mailbox. When Rita Philip found the letter she walked into Amini’s house.
“I want to talk to you. Who are these children?”
At first Amini tried to bluff her way out, but finally the truth came out. “Well, I bought them from my sister-in-law for Rs. 500. I said I would educate them but I had no servants. What is wrong? I have paid for them.”
“What is wrong?” shouted Miss Philip. “You cannot employ a child. Shall I call the police?” “No, no don’t do that. Let the two devils go and die. I don’t want such ungrateful girls in my house.”
The two girls hurriedly packed their things and left. They were very happy as they got into the jeep that would take them to their new home and school.
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