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Monday, April 8, 2013

Foetus

The big, flat screen flickered into life.

As the cup-shaped thing probed into the depths of her body, she watched the whirls of black and grey solidify on the screen. Her eyes traced the outline of a tiny form, resting in its crib, curled up under blankets of muscle and fluid.

Not a girl, God, don't let it be a girl. Please.

'It's a girl,” the doctor said quietly.

She shifted her gaze to her husband, with one last futile plea for mercy. But his pitch-black eyes said it all: the death sentence for her child had just been signed.




The A-Z Challenge introduced me to a lot of lovely people, including Natasha at Coffee Rings Everywhere. I was inspired by her beautiful drabbles - stories told in exactly 100 words - to write this one.

A note to non-Indian readers: prenatal sex determination is illegal in India in order to prevent sex-selective abortion, which has its roots in the strong influence of patriarchy in our social framework. 

#AtoZChallenge2013 #CatchingUp

29 comments:

  1. Girls are always the most blessed ones in a family. :)

    Great post!

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    Replies
    1. I agree with that, but then I might be biased...

      Thank you :)

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  2. Wowa. What a coincidence! I picked up girl child infanticide as a topic for my poem with the letter G! Btw this is just awesome. Doesn't look like only a hundred words.

    Sania at Embracing Dawn

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    Replies
    1. I know, right? Soul sisters ;)

      Thanks, Sania. Glad you like it.

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  3. Excellent post. I've never tried to hit a specific word count.

    Dropping in from A to Z Challenge. It's my first year participating.

    Brett Minor
    Transformed Nonconformist

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  4. Wow. This is dark. It's good, but dark.

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  5. Great story. Very sad. I've done a 100 word story and really enjoyed it. Hmm. I might have to give that a try again. :)

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  6. This story made me feel so sad! I wanted so much my baby girl! Anyway you're idea for the AtoZ challenge is so nice, I'm going to come back to visit!

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    Replies
    1. Aw, thank you! Hope you enjoy my future posts as well :)

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  7. Sad! I wish we could understand the beauty of a birth...the miracle and stay away from prejudices. Nice work, here!

    kajalkapur.blogspot.in (Rainbow Hues)

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  8. This is beautifully written and infinitely sad. Many Eastern societies are guilty of this - stuck in their misogynistic patriarchal traditions. But when there are twice as many men as women, few can have children, and society pays the price for its stupidity.
    Thanks for standing up for what's right. :-)

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  9. So sad, girls are the bestest thing in the EVER!

    The Warrior Muse said you needed some love, so I popped on by ~

    thriftshopcommando.blogspot.com

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  10. We would have loved to have had a girl.
    We love our sons, but the daughter we never had will haunt me forever.

    --
    Tim Brannan
    The Other Side and The Witch
    Red Sonja: She-Devil with a Sword
    The Freedom of Nonbelief

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    Replies
    1. I know this won't make any difference, but... I'm sorry. I really am.

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  11. Very dark and sad, but very well written. That would be so horrible.

    From A to Z, Kristen's blog: kristenhead.blogspot.com

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    Replies
    1. Thank you, Kristen. It's indeed horrible and I wish this brutal discrimination against girls would stop.

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  12. Many blessings on your daughter..

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  13. Replies
    1. Thanks for popping by and reviewing. Glad you find this powerful.

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  14. But but but the father's the one who determines a baby's gender! No fair!

    Grover
    Inane Ramblings

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    Replies
    1. Normally, I would have retorted sarcastically "when is life ever fair?" but this is not the occasion. The selective abortion of female foetuses is NOT at all fair.

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