UNKNOWN WOMAN

       It was the end of May, the beginning of June. Despite being the first days of summer, the days were very hot. Especially when you stand in the middle of a field that has just fallen, you feel as if you are stuck in a deserted desert. One such day, my sister and I went out to plant corn in the field. Perhaps because of our conversation, we finished planting the corn in one go. The day when the sun was high was very hot. There was a mulberry tree at the beginning of the field, and in its shade we drank the water we had brought in a bowl and rested for a while. At that moment, a woman standing on the roadside twenty or thirty steps away from us asked us for water. Although she was standing a little far from us, it was clear that she was tired and exhausted.

Then my sister told me to bring her water, and I did. As I got closer to her, she was holding her little girl, about four or five years old, and she was looking at me with tears in her eyes. I went up to her, greeted her, and poured her some water. She poured the waterI am not a good person, I am not a good person.I greeted her and poured her some water. She took the water and gave it to her daughter, who was probably very thirsty, and kept drinking. I was amazed by the bruised face and hands of this strange woman. After she had finished giving her daughter some water, she drank some herself and then handed me the cup.You are tired from work too, you can drink it yourself, he said, and wiped the tears that were flowing from his eyes. I said, “Drink it freely, we were just about to go home,” and I handed the water to the stranger again. She drank all the water because she was thirsty. Then she asked me to call my sister, and with a single gesture from me, my sister quickly came to us.

At first, my sister was surprised to see her pale face and eyes. Then, sensing our surprise, the stranger began to tell us the story with tears in her eyes. At first, she asked us to carry her daughter, who was running a fever due to a broken arm, and accompany her to the main road. My sister carried the girl. I, the stranger, who was about twenty-five or thirty years old,We set off as fast as I could. As we walked, he began to speak softly.We were originally from the lower classes, my father and mother died when we were young. My brother and I grew up in the arms of my grandmother. My grandmother passed away after seeing my brother get married. Years later, my brother gave me away to the son of an ordinary acquaintance who was not rich.

After a while, their true nature gradually began to show. There were four of us in the family: me, my mother-in-law, my sister-in-law, and my boss. My boss was an alcoholic who had no education and had no work to do. My mother-in-law and sister-in-law would not let me go out. My mother-in-law would beat me badly when her son came home drunk. These disagreements affected my soul and one day I decided to leave home. I was packing my things when my mother-in-law came and took all my things, threw me and my daughter out of the room, and locked the door. I, unable to say anything for my daughter, led her to the field. The only reason my mother-in-law wouldn’t let me go was that she wanted to marry her daughter, who had returned from her sister’s marriage, to her son. When the day started to warm up, I returned home.

The thought of leaving this place, no matter what, was haunting me. When I went home, my mother-in-law would mumble something and tell me to her son who had come home drunk. After these words, I knew that there would definitely be a fight, so I left my daughter behind and went to them myself. I was more afraid of my daughter than myself. Because when my master came home drunk, he would shout at my daughter and shake his hand. Seeing my master’s eyes red with a hint of forgiveness, I would get more and more scared. No matter how much I tried to justify myself, it was no use. My mother-in-law’s mumbling must have touched my soul, and my master got up and hit me. Despite my screaming and crying in pain, he would beat me without even seeing me as a person. At that moment, my daughter ran to tell him not to hit my mother. I was hugging my daughter, but I couldn’t move one of my arms. My hand felt nothing, only pain.

When I begged her not to touch my daughter, she ran into the house with a scream. When she was drunk, she was like a mindless animal. My mother-in-law always tried to use it. My mother-in-law looked at me as if she was happy with it.He disappeared from sight as if relieved. My whole body was trembling with pain, and my hand felt as if it were crushed by a stone.As I stroked my face, which was already swollen, and wiped away the tears of my daughter, who was crying incessantly, I felt her heat radiating from her. I gathered my thoughts to protect my daughter, who was the meaning of my life, and slowly got up and set off. She really wanted me to leave.My mother-in-law didn’t stop me. While I was walking with my daughter who was running a fever, I kept crying and praying to God to heal her. I was so tired and exhausted from the long journey that I didn’t even have the strength to lift my daughter. Since we were far from the village, there was not a single living soul in sight. Oh my, my cries must have reached God, I met you on the way. You know this, you know, she said, and fell silent. There was silence. Seeing that she was getting weaker and weaker, we didn’t talk to her anymore.

Finally, we got on the main road and stopped the car. She put the little girl in the car and prayed for us.My mother-in-law didn’t stop me.While I was on the road with my daughter who was running a fever, I kept crying and begging God to heal her. I was so tired and exhausted from the long journey that I didn’t even have the strength to lift my daughter. Since we were far from the village, there was not a single living soul in sight. Oh my God, I think I met you on the road. You know what happened to you, you know. There was silence. Seeing that she was getting weaker and weaker, we didn’t talk to her anymore. Finally, we got to the main road and stopped the car. She put the girl in the car, blessed us, thanked us, and drove away. When my sister and I were returning home, we felt sorry that there were cruel and merciless people in the world like her boss, mother-in-law, and sister-in-law. Still, we returned home with our hearts lifted like a mountain, knowing that this stranger had left her home, which was filled with ignorance and evil, and was determined to fight for the happiness of her only daughter.

Sherdonayeva Ozoda Mahmarajab qizi was born on December 10, 2006 in the Gulbog mahalla of the Bandikhon district of the Surkhandarya region. In 2014, she attended school No. 20 in the Bandikhon district. She graduated from school in 2025. In 2025, she entered the Denov Institute of Entrepreneurship and Pedagogy. She received a C+ grade from the National Certificate in Native Language. In April 2023, her poem “Qadrdon maktabim” was published in a newspaper in the new Bandikhon district. She took part in the district stage of the young reader competition. She also took part in the public events, namely the “Readers among teenagers” competition. She took part in the Shariat section held under the slogan “Dillarda Vatan Mathi”. Her poems have been     submitted to magazines. Currently, she is participating in many competitions.