Rani and red bangles
Parveen was an old bangle seller. Every morning, he took his basket full of colorful bangles and walked through the streets of the town. The bangles were beautiful—red, green, yellow, blue, and golden. Women and girls loved buying bangles from him because he always sold beautiful designs.
He would walk from one street to another, shouting, “Bangles! Beautiful bangles! Come and buy!” The streets were noisy, filled with people buying vegetables, fruits, and clothes, but his voice stood out. Parveen enjoyed his work and loved seeing the smiles on his customers’ faces.
Among his customers was a girl named Rani, who came to him regularly. She had long black hair, bright eyes, and a sweet smile. Whenever she saw Parveen, she was filled with joy. Rani loved bangles, especially red ones, and always bought them from Parveen.
Every week, Rani would come to buy bangles, but she never chose any other color. Parveen often wondered why she only bought red bangles. When he asked her, she would smile and say, “Red is my favorite color.”
One sunny morning, Parveen set up his basket on a busy street corner. It was festival time, and the streets were crowded. Women quickly gathered around him, looking at the bangles and chatting loudly. By noon, all his red bangles were sold out. Parveen thought of Rani, “I need to bring more red bangles. They sell so fast.”
In the evening, as the sun began to set, Rani appeared. She was wearing a simple yellow dress and looked cheerful as always. She walked up to Parveen.
“Parveen Bhaiya, do you have red bangles for me today?” she asked.
Parveen looked at his basket. There were no red bangles left. He felt bad. “Oh no, Rani. I sold all the red bangles earlier today. I only have green, blue, and yellow ones left.”
Rani’s smile faded, and she looked disappointed. “I don’t want any other color. I only like red bangles,” she said softly.
“Come back tomorrow, Rani,” Parveen said. “I’ll save some red bangles for you.”
Rani nodded slowly. “No, I needed them today,” she said sadly. Without another word, she turned and walked away, she looked heartbroken.
Parveen watched her leaving, feeling sorry. He whispered, “She really loves red bangles. I should have saved some for her.”
That evening, Parveen felt uneasy. He went to the market to buy more bangles. He picked the brightest and most beautiful red ones and packed them carefully. “These are perfect for Rani,” he thought with a smile.
After buying the bangles, he decided to give them to Rani. He was happy, imagining her joy when she saw them. The streets were quiet now, most shops were closed, and only a few people were outside. Parveen asked a passerby where Rani lived. They pointed to a small house at the end of the road.
Parveen reached the house and knocked on the wooden door. After a moment, an elderly woman opened it.
“Who are you?” she asked.
“Namaste, Maaji,” Parveen said politely. “I’m Parveen, the bangle seller. Rani buys bangles from me. She came to me today, but I didn’t have red bangles. I’ve brought them for her now. Can I give them to her?”
The old woman looked at him in surprise, her eyes filling with tears. She held onto the door tightly and said in a trembling voice, “Rani? My granddaughter?”
Parveen nodded. “Yes, Maaji. She often comes to me. She loves red bangles. She was sad today because I didn’t have any, so I brought these for her.”
The old woman began to cry. “Son,” she said, her voice breaking, “Rani… she passed away… a year ago.”
Parveen froze, his hands turning cold. “She passed away?” he whispered in disbelief.
The old woman wiped her tears and continued, “She was going to buy red bangles for her wedding. She loved bangles so much. But there was an accident on the road. A speeding car hit her. She couldn’t survive.”
“But… I saw her today. She comes to buy bangles from me,” Parveen said, his voice shaking.
The old woman looked at him sadly. “That’s not possible, son. Maybe you saw her spirit. Rani loved red bangles, especially for her wedding. Perhaps her soul still wanders, looking for them.”
Parveen felt his heart ache. He thought about the times Rani had come to him, her smile, her laughter, and her love for red bangles. Was she really a ghost?
He looked down at the red bangles in his hands and slowly walked away. The streets were silent now, sometimes, he could hear the sound of bangles jiggling while walking.
The next morning, Parveen went back to the street where he sold bangles, but it felt different. He looked for Rani in the crowd, but she never came again.
Days passed, and Rani never appeared. In the quiet streets of the town, some people claimed to have seen a young girl in a yellow dress with bright eyes and a gentle smile walking past the bangle seller. Her wrists were empty, but her heart was full of love for the bangles she could never wear.