Fiction: Satya flees to India after Partition and risks her life to secretly rescue abducted women

Satya turned to Preeto’s letter. Preeto rarely wrote, but when she did, she filled everything. Unlike her usual meandering missives, Preeto referred to the time Satya rescued her and let her return to Pakistan.

My dearest sister,

I rarely revert to my childhood name for you, but today my heart made me do it.

Satto.

On the day when our innocence was shattered, you ceased being Satto. You metamorphosed into Satya, shrugging aside the castaway skin of Satto. Ever since, you’ve been Satya. The one who endured, the one who fought back. The one who worked miracles.

When we met, I searched in your eyes for hints of my Satto. And I was happy to find some remnants behind Satya’s façade. I did liked Satya, but she was a stranger to me. I knew Satto. And this girl looked just like my sister, but spoke in an unfamiliar language, even if the words were the same.

Your reaction to my decision was clear enough. I hurt you when I requested to be taken back to Pakistan. But it wasn’t easy for me either. I had locked my previous life into a tightly sealed vault. Never thought about it, never thought about you. You, the chink in my...

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