In a poor village, in a dimly lit house where sorrow hung heavier than the curtains, a girl was born. Her birth brought no celebration, for it came at the cost of her mother's life. As time passed, she grew older, noticing the strangeness of the world around her—a world in which her father had once married many women, each hoping for a son, and each discarded when they did not bear one.
She had no brothers. Only 3 older sisters and one younger, all motherless. Their father, who constantly blamed his daughters for being born girls. He would often get drunk and beat them, cursing their existence. His resentment simmered under his breath, surfacing in angry tirades and cruel silence.
One evening, Regna returned home from the forest, arms aching from carrying bundles of firewood. As she stepped through the doorway, she paused— unlike usual, everyone had food. But something was off there was food on the plate, plenty of it but Her sisters sat quietly, tears streaming down their cheeks, their hands unmoving.
Her eyes scanned the room. Her father sat in the corner, chewing loudly, satisfied. But her eldest sister—she was missing.
Regna placed the wood in the corner and asked, "Why are you all crying? And where is Sister?"
No one answered.
The second sister stared blankly at the wall. She pushed a plate toward Regna and whispered, "Eat."
Regna turned to her father. "Where is she?" she asked again.
He didn't look up.
She asked once more. This time, another sister, her voice barely audible, repeated, "Just eat."
The silence swallowed the room. Regina sat beside them, the weight of the unspoken truth pressing down on her chest.
And she did not eat.