User entered the house.

Mom gives you a warm smile as you greet her. She is still hopeful that one day things will change for the better, but she knows it won't be easy. "How was your trip back from Delhi?" she asks gently, gesturing for you to sit down at the low table in the center of the room. The floor around you is dusty and worn, a testament to years of hard work and poverty.

Your mother nods, her expression wistful. "That's good to hear," she says quietly. "You should enjoy your time here with us." She busies herself preparing food for the evening meal, using only her left hand to maintain caste purity. You can see the muscles in her arm straining from years of repetitive work.

He's at the fields, working as always. He didn't want to miss out on the extra income we could get this season. It's hard on all of us but... it is what it is.

Your mother smiles warmly at your offer, but she knows it's not an easy job for someone who isn't used to it anymore. "Are you sure?" she asks gently. "You should focus on studying and getting ahead in life." She pauses for a moment, considering her words carefully before continuing, "But if you really want to help us... your presence here means everything. We don't need you to do the physical work."

Your sister sits down next to you, glancing shyly at the floor as she chews on a piece of roti. Her small fingers are calloused from years of manual labor too. The sound of a dog barking in the distance punctuates the silence in the room.

Your sister smiles at your offer, a small glimmer of hope in her eyes, but she knows the reality of their situation too well. As much as it hurts them, they can't afford to dream big anymore. All they can do is endure and survive another day. The sun begins its descent outside, casting long shadows across the room, signaling that dusk is approaching soon.

The air is thick with the scent of smoke as your mother cooks breakfast on an open fire outside. You can hear her humming softly to herself, her voice a beautiful yet sad melody in this harsh reality. The light from the rising sun peeks through the cracks in the thatched roof, illuminating motes of dust dancing lazily in the air. Your father emerges from his hut, rubbing sleep from his eyes as he approaches the cooking area. He exchanges brief words with your mother before disappearing back inside to get ready for work.

The rest of the family sits down at the low table, eating their simple meal in silence. The sounds of birds chirping outside provide a quiet background to the morning's ritual. After breakfast, it'll be time for everyone to head out to the fields or sewers and laterines as they've done every day before them since you left for Delhi.

Your mother hesitates for a moment before answering, "You can wear whatever is clean and comfortable." She knows that this task will be harder for you than it is for her or your father, having lived in the city for so long. But she also hopes that maybe today things will start to change for the better somehow. She hands you some old clothes that have been lying around, worn from years of use but still serviceable. "These should do," she says with a sad smile.

You and your family head out to the fields, ready to spend another long day in the sun. The air is already hot and humid as you walk through the village, people avoiding making eye contact with you or speaking directly to you as they pass by. Your father points towards a small section of land that needs clearing, offering no explanation about what will be done there.

You spend the morning clearing weeds from the soil, using your bare hands and a rusty tool passed down through generations. The work is backbreaking but strangely satisfying in its own way, reminding you of your heritage and connection to this land. As the sun beats down upon your shoulders, sweat trickles down your spine, stinging your eyes.

Your heart sinks as you realize that the Thekedar has chosen you to clean the laterine tank today. You follow him reluctantly, not wanting to anger or disappoint anyone in your family by refusing or causing trouble. The stench is overwhelming as you approach the tank, and your stomach churns at the thought of having to dive into that filth without any proper safety equipment.

The Thekedar hands you a small shovel and points at the tank with a disapproving look. You take a deep breath and slowly lower yourself into the water, hoping against hope that it won't be as bad as you remember from childhood memories. As soon as your body makes contact with the filth, however, you realize that those memories were not nearly as horrifying as reality. Your lungs burn, tears stream down your face, and every inch of your skin feels like it's on fire.

Your heart pounds in your chest as you try to ignore the pain and concentrate on shoveling the filth out of the tank. Tears of anger and frustration sting your eyes, but you refuse to let them fall. You know that if you show any sign of weakness, they will only push harder. The chain around your wrists feels heavy and cold against your skin, a constant reminder of your helplessness in this situation. As the sun begins its descent towards the horizon, you can finally see an end in sight. With one final burst of energy, you scoop out the last of the filth and shout for help. Your father appears moments later, his expression a mix of relief and anger, helping you out of the tank and inspecting your wounds with worried eyes.

Your father growls in frustration but knows there's nothing he can do. He looks at you with pained eyes, fearful of what might happen if you don't comply. "Come on," he says quietly, leading you to another laterine tank a short distance away. You follow him silently, your body aching and exhausted from the ordeal. As you begin cleaning the second tank, you can feel anger boiling up inside of you. Anger at the injustice of it all, anger at being treated like an animal, anger at having to endure this hell every day for as long as you live here.

Your father's face darkens as the Thekedar hands him money and makes such a degrading remark about you. He looks conflicted, torn between defending his daughter and maintaining his own safety within this unjust society. Without another word, he takes the money and heads back to their hut with your sister in tow, leaving you alone to clean the third and final laterine tank. As you force yourself to continue working, tears roll down your cheeks unchecked. The weight of hopelessness settles heavily on your shoulders like a thousand-ton boulder.

The Thekedar glares at you, his eyes narrowed in disgust. "You should thank me," he sneers, "for giving your family this money. It's not my fault that your caste is so lowly." He shoves you roughly towards the third laterine tank and walks away with a satisfied smirk on his face. Your hands tremble as you lower yourself into the filthy water for the final time, tears streaming down your face. You wonder if this will ever end.

The Thekedar's words echo in your mind as you struggle to clean the last tank. You can hardly move, your body aching and exhausted beyond belief. This is not how it was supposed to be. You were meant for better things, but fate has dealt you a cruel hand. Tears mix with sweat and filth as you try to push through the agony, desperate for some kind of escape from this living hell.

As the final bit of sludge disappears down the drain, hope flickers weakly within you. Maybe there is still a way out. Perhaps if you can find someone who will stand up for your family, then things can change. But until then, all you can do is endure and survive, one day at a time.

You shiver in fear as the Thekedar locks you inside the laterine tank for the night. The dark, cramped space surrounds you like a dungeon, and the stench of filth makes it almost impossible to breathe. Tears streak down your face, hot with frustration and despair. This is not how you want to live; this is not who you are. You curse yourself for coming back, but you know that there must be some way out of this mess.

As the darkness closes in around you, an idea begins to form in your mind. You've seen movies where people escape from locked rooms and dangerous situations. Maybe if you can figure out a way to break free from this tank, if you can find help... there might still be hope for your family. With shaking hands, you feel along the cold metal walls of the tank, searching for anything that could prove useful in your escape attempt.

As filth starts falling from the pipes inside the tank, you realize that there must be some kind of underground drainage system connected to it. The Thekedar hasn't locked the manhole cover in place, leaving it open for anyone determined enough to climb out. Your heart races with hope as adrenaline surges through your veins. You scramble toward the opening, ignoring the pain in your muscles and joints, focusing only on freedom.

With one final push, you manage to pull yourself free from the tank and collapse onto the cool dirt outside. Gasping for air, you look around frantically, afraid that someone might have seen or heard you escape. But all seems quiet; perhaps you managed to stay hidden long enough.

The Thekedar's face contorts in fury as he sees you escape, and he lunges toward you, his arms raised to strike. Terror grips your heart as you try to dodge his blows, tears streaming down your cheeks. You don't understand why he's being so cruel; all you want is a better life for your family. But it seems that escape will not come easily.

The Thekedar sneers at you, his disdain plain to see. "You think just because you went to school in Delhi that makes you better than us? You think your family has some sort of right to freedom?" He backhands you, sending you flying across the ground. Tears well up in your eyes as pain radiates through your cheek, but you refuse to let him break your spirit.

"Yes," you whisper defiantly, struggling to sit up again. "I do think that." You look at the Thekedar squarely, meeting his hate-filled gaze with determination. "And I will fight for it, even if it means dying trying."