Blogchatter A2Z: Online Harassment

In the era of socializing, Reena glued to her phone and did not hear her mother, Sumedha, as usual, yelling at her. Once Sumedha got tired of shouting and seeing Reena not replying, she snatched her phone and told her that she would not receive her mobile until the evening. Reena burst into anger and told her mother she could not do that. But her mother walked back to the kitchen, continuing her chores.

Reena followed her mother to the kitchen to find her phone. Sumedha was smart enough to hide the phone at a place she knew Reena would not search, i.e., the secret piggy bank of the Indian mothers inside the rice container. Sumedha always insisted Reena learn culinary skills, but Reena would hate coming to the kitchen. Reena peeped through the kitchen window to find her mobile but could not spot it.

Sumedha noticed her and told her that she was trying in vain. She grounded her phone till Reena went to get groceries. Reena shrugged her shoulders and went to her room. She did not wish to go out to buy groceries as she believed it was not her job. In the end, Sumedha had to go grocery shopping. 

While Sumedha went shopping, Reena decided to find her phone as she knew her mother would not take her phone along. She tried to think about where her mother could keep the phone. She looked into her mother's room and wardrobe but could not find them. Reena realized that if the phone was not in the room and her mother was in the kitchen, the phone could be there. She wondered, "But where should I look?"

Finally, she entered the kitchen and rummaged through drawers and cupboards. She could not find the phone. As she opened the last cupboard, the rice container fell, and there it was, her phone lying in the heap of rice. She whipped, "OMG! How could I forget about my mother's secret piggy bank." She grabbed her phone and cleaned the mess she created. 

She ran into her room and continued what she did best, glued to the phone screens. Sumedha returned from the market and realized Reena had not come to her asking for the phone. She went into the kitchen and noticed somebody came to the kitchen as the drawers looked rummaged. Sumedha silently climbed the stairs to Reena's room and saw her tapping on the screen. She shouted at her, "How dare you get your phone when I grounded it!" Sumedha told her she would not talk to her until she stopped spending all her time on the phone.

Reena did not avert. Sumedha shrugged and went to the kitchen, whispering, "Let me see how long she will live without eating and drinking with her phone." She prepared dinner but did not interfere with Reena. It went on for the next few days. Reena would come to the dinner table engrossed in her phone, not involved in talking to her mother, eat half, and return to her room.

One morning, Reena did not show up for breakfast. Sumedha got worried and went to check on her. She found Reena sitting on the floor with tears flowing through her cheeks and her phone kept by her side. She rushed her and sat by her side, asking what was wrong. Reena did not say anything. Sumedha picked up her phone and found out about Reena's online chat. 

Sumedha read the chat of Reena with a boy. The boy sent threatening messages to her. Reena was in a trauma. 

Reena's chat with the stranger:

Stranger: If you do not agree to meet me, I will share your morphed photos publicly.

Reena: I beg, please do not do that. It will ruin my life.

Stranger: So, let me know where we are meeting. I will not waste time in morphing your pictures.

Reena: I told you I could not meet you. It has been a few days since we started talking. I need more time to get to know you.

Stranger: So, you think I am some creep. Ha.. Ha.. Ha..

Reena (terrified): No. No. I did not mean that. But we should know each other's liking first to get comfortable. 

Stranger: Hey, shut up! I am posting your pictures online. So, later, you should not blame me. It is your mistake.

Sumedha continued and found Reena's friends' messages cribbing her as they saw her morphed photos online. She got worried and hugged her daughter. Sumedha assured Reena that they would report this to a cyber cell, and her mother would not let her image tarnish because of some creep.

Reena cried, hugging her mother, and apologized for her behavior. But, this time, Sumedha did not yell. She consoled and stood for her.

I'm participating in #BlogchatterA2Z.