Tiger Tales

                                                         Haunting of the man-eater

The telegram said, ‘Another man killed by a tiger. Come fast Johnny’.  It was one of the urgent telegrams sent to Johnny, the Colonel, and the hunter. It was sent by his friend, Matt, and he was posted at Jhansi as a Circle Officer.  It was an unusual telegram for Johnny. However, the most unusual telegram ever was sent by the station master of Kima, Africa. He sent the telegram when he saw the big lion over the iron sheet roof of railway station building where he worked. The lion was ‘man-eating lion of Kima’. The telegram stated, ‘Lion fighting station’. This lion of Kima had a special preference for railway employees and he had already included a wagon driver and a station master in his list. However, the story that I am going to discuss was set in the year 1935 in India.

Johnny, the hunter never found any thrill in shooting the tiger from the safety of the machaan in a tree. He hated sitting idle for hours in the machaan and above twenty feet from the ground. Therefore, he mostly followed the tigers on foot, took them head-on and shot them from the ground. However, the brave Colonel only shot the man-eating tigers and it is believed that to follow a man-eating tiger on foot is nothing less than a suicide.  

Without any delay, Johnny took the next train from Bareilly and reached Jhansi. His friend, Matt was relieved to see Johnny and arranged a room for him at a government bungalow. It was located few miles into the dense forest.  The forest was miles away from the main city and though Jhansi had a rocky plateau, the forest was dense with loads of green trees and patches of scrub jungle. The scrub jungle had plenty of long grass, low woody plants that make an ideal place for a tiger to hide its stripes. The tiger generally prefers open ground to hunt and rarely go deep into the forest. There was plenty of game for the hunters in the jungle and enough food for tigers from wild boars to deer. It was difficult to understand why this tiger of Jhansi preferred humans instead of its natural prey. Why this tiger turned into a man-eater, we would know later?

‘Ah! I am relieved to see you, Johnny,’ Matt said.

‘You sent the telegram instead of a usual letter. I realized that it must be serious and the tiger was getting worrisome for my friend. What is this story of the man-eating tiger?’ Johnny asked.

‘Well, Johnny, this tiger appeared a few months ago. It took a long journey of around hundred miles from the jungles of Central Province. At first, we did not notice much as it was natural for a tiger to change its habitat in the course of time due to a challenge from another mighty striped beast. At first, this tiger hunted its natural prey and then started lifting the cattle from the nearby villages.’ Matt explained and paused for a moment.

‘Hmm… go on,’ Johnny said.

‘However, on one occasion, the tiger lifted cow from the group grazing near the forest. The tiger was hungry enough as it started to devour his meal in front of the herdsman. With the violent fury, the herdsman charged towards the tiger with his stick. Instead, of shying away into the jungle on seeing human charging, this tiger laid down the cow on the ground and charged back. When the man saw that a tiger was running towards him, he turned back and ran quickly towards the village. What could the poor man do with a stick! The tiger struck the man on the shoulder with his forepaw and as the man tasted the wet smell of the earth, the tiger pierced the neck of the unfortunate man with his canine.’

‘Indeed, it was foolhardy of him to run towards the tiger. I believe that the poor herdsman must have disturbed the tiger that was busy eating his lunch. So what happened next?’ Johnny asked.

‘The tiger came back to his meal, but the opportunist hyena and vultures had already taken their share from his meal. The tiger stood there for few minutes and then looked towards the place where the poor herdsman’s body was lying. All the cattle had already dispersed and ran towards the village. The tiger took few steps towards the herdsman, lifted his body from the neck and vanished into the jungle. This was how this man-eater of Jhansi was created. While we talk at this moment, he has already killed twenty people.’

‘That’s quite a lot of people, Matt.’

‘Yes, of course, Johnny.  It’s quite a lot of people that he had devoured. I want to tell you that the government’s reward of hundred rupees would be yours if you kill this tiger.’

‘Are there any other hunters in the area to shoot this tiger?’

‘No, I am afraid that few tried to grab the prize, but the tiger was too smart for them.’

‘Umm… I will shoot it for you, mate. Next morning, I will search for its trail thirty miles to the North. Its summer and he would be lying in some ravine near the water. Will it be okay to start from North?’

‘That will be great! A very wise decision, I must say. There have been quite a few killings on that part of the district.’

‘What is his range in the district?’

‘He rules eighty miles down south, few miles to the north and the east,’ Matt said as he showed the map.

‘Where was the last killing?’

‘It happened few miles from here. A herdsman was returning from the fields and he took a short route through the scrub jungle. This being the hottest season of the year and the whereabouts of man-eater beast were still unknown. The tiger was probably resting in the shade near a small pond and noticed him. Though he had a full belly, it could not resist the meal coming his way,’ Matt explained.

‘Hmm….and the tigers are different from panthers. They hunt any time of the day.’

‘Yes, they always look for the wanderers and travelers to grab their meal.’

‘Is there anything else you want to share about this tiger?’

‘It is big, with a lot of mane around its head. It is around ten feet. Like other man-eating tigers, it is also cunning, hunts with his instinct and a continuous stalker,’ Matt explained.

‘Haa…. It’s a different kind of a beast and a scary one. The hunter may get hunted this time. Isn’t it? I’m tired and would call a day. Good night, Matt.’

‘I hope it doesn’t happen, Johnny. You are the best we have got in the district and you are a friend. Good night, Johnny.’

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Hunters usually buy a goat or a buffalo and use it as bait for man-eating tigers. All man-eating tigers get attracted to the bleat of a goat and other than bison and a samba, all tigers prefer goat for a lunch or a dinner. But this tiger was not an ordinary tiger. It was a furious man-eater and as plenty of villagers were available on its plate, it was a bleak chance that it would be attracted to a goat unless it is very hungry. It was impossible in the large district to keep villagers locked behind their huts and make tiger hungry.  So the question was how to locate this tiger or to make him look for a lunch. To follow the man-eater in the scrub jungle to hunt it down is not less than a suicide. So quick is the charge of the man-eaters that many hunters on the ground do not get even a chance to bring their guns to the shoulders. Once an inexperienced hunter descended from the tree to fetch water in his bottle and casually lifted his gun in one hand and the bottle in the other hand. The tiger had watched the hunter coming down the tree from long grass and stalked him. As the man rested his gun on the ground to fill the bottle from the pond, the tiger charged with a loud roar and slashed his neck. Not a bush moved when the tiger charged and the hunter got the time only to scream.

Johnny carried a .400 Winchester rifle and a shotgun when he began his search for the man-eater. Tigers can be found in a variety of places in summers. They prefer caves or dense bushes to escape the heat or a small ravine that has a little bit of water. They are rarely found in the open ground when the sun is hot. Johnny eyes cautiously scanned left and right though occasionally he turned his head to look to tackle the surprise charge. An ordinary tiger that becomes a man-eater also becomes a little coward. Very rarely the man-eater charges a person head-on. The tiger will never charge if a group of people. Even in some exceptional cases, the tiger has withdrawn his charge in the middle. The man-eater tiger mostly goes for the person who is leading a group or a person who is walking last. On one occasion in Mysore, the tiger snatched a person from the cart. The cart was last in the group. But, Johnny was alone and the jungle was unusually quiet. There was no sound of a bird or a languor or a samba.  The Languor is called as the watchman of the jungle. The head Languor carries a great responsibility of safeguarding his clan. It sits on the top of a tree and his eyes scan the vast jungle. He usually alarms the jungle with ‘Khar…khar’ if he sees that tiger is on a move. Johnny guessed that the master of the jungle was resting somewhere and was in no mood to hunt. However, he could not let the guard down.

Keeping his foot cautiously on the ground, Johnny cleared the thick scrub jungle to reach the pool of water and he could see that the next village was few miles from this pond. Johnny was alarmed to see a light-skinned girl sitting behind the small rock near the pond and bathing herself in the hot sun. It was an unusual sight. It was a foolhardy decision of her to sit in a full view when the man-eater was lurking around. The girl was at twenty yards from him, but Johnny could notice that she had big and round dark black eyes. Her figure was petite. She also had a deep red scar near her eye which hinted that she was hit badly. It looked like a recent wound. Overall, she looked like a fine young lass. Johnny coughed deliberately so that the girl could notice his presence and cover herself with the loin cloth that was lying near her. The girl immediately looked back and with nervous hands went for the cloth and wrapped it around her. The loin cloth though covered her partially and revealed her thighs that also had few scratch marks.

‘My name is Johnny, a British Colonel, and a hunter. I was looking for the man-eater tiger in the jungle,’ Johnny said with broken words. He spoke the local language with the British accent. The girl remained quiet and did not reply. However, it was clear that she understood what he said.  Johnny could notice that she could barely open the eye that had a red scar.

‘You don’t need to be afraid. I will leave if you want. I just want to dip my hanky into the water. It’s very hot, isn’t it?’

‘We are afraid of white men, especially the hunters Sahib. They bang on our huts in the night and ask for dirty favors,’ the girl said in a native dialect.

‘See, I don’t want to discuss about that. I am not one of them. I am here to shoot a tiger. I want to know about the tiger that had killed many people in this district,’

‘Yes, the devil tiger resides in our district Sahib. It is very intelligent as it seems to know the every move of a hunter. Last month this tiger pulled down a white hunter from the tree and killed him. The white hunter was hiding in a machan that he made in a tree to shoot him,’ the girl explained. The girl was now more comfortable knowing that Johnny was a genuine white man and is here to shoot a tiger only.

‘What did you say? Pulled down from the tree! You must be joking,’ Johnny asked the girl with widened eyes.  

‘No, it’s true Sahib. Bhura, the village headman saw it from another tree. Maybe, the tiger forgave him because he was not armed. Also, being unarmed, he was sitting on the higher branch of the tree,’ the girl replied.

‘How did it happen?’

‘Do you believe in supernatural, Saheb?’

‘Haa…. No, I don’t believe in it. But why you are asking it. Was the tiger some ghost?’

‘No, it was not. But you must have heard what the providence says about the master and the servant. I hope you have heard the story. The victim becomes the servant of its killer,’ the girl asked.

‘Yes, I have heard the story. It says that the soul of the person, who has been killed by the tiger, haunts the tiger and sits on its head. After that, it guides the tiger through another victim and also warns the tiger of the dangers of the jungle. The soul becomes the servant of its master, the tiger who had killed him,’ Johnny explained.

‘Yes, the same thing happened with the poor white hunter,’

‘I am curious to know about the incident. Would you tell what happened?’

‘Yes, of course, Sahib.  A few days back, the post office runner in the office of this white hunter was killed by the man-eater. A white hunter occupied the tree with his gun over the unfortunate man’s corpse and Bhura occupied the other tree. The jungle was quiet and not a bush moved. The moon shined brightly at night and the hunter remained seated on his machan quietly,’ the girl continued, ‘it was pitch dark in the scrub jungle, but the place where the corpse lied was a small ground and it was surrounded by trees. The hunter had dragged the corpse near his tree on which he had made his machan.’

‘How high the machan was?’

‘It was high, much far from the ground,’

‘You know, once I lifted the corpse up to thirty feet from the ground and hide it in the branches to keep it away from hyena or panthers. I was worried that they would finish tiger’s meal before his arrival. But tiger came early than I anticipated and after numerous attempts, it descended its meal from the tree.’

‘Yes, the tigers can climb trees Sahib, if they are hungry,’

‘But, here the tiger had its meal in front of it. And the tigers do not have a sense of smell; I mean the airborne smell.  How did the tiger found the hunter in the tree?’

Yes, Sahib, the tigers have a poor sense of smell. When the tiger came for another meal, Bhura said that the right hand of the corpse moved and pointed it to the tree where the hunter was hiding. The tiger saw the hunter and vanished into the scrub jungle. Bhura took an oath and said that he saw the hand moving. Even the hunter had seen it.’

‘What did the tiger do after that?’

‘Sahib, it escaped into the scrub jungle, behind the lantana bush.’

‘Hmm… the man-eater is usually a coward and runs away if discovered. What happened after that?’

‘The hunter could not believe what he had seen. He descended down the tree and tied the corpse right hand to the shoulder so that it could not move. Hurriedly, the hunter settled on his machan again. After few minutes, the tiger returned to its meal. However, this time the left hand of the corpse moved and pointed it to the tree where Bhura was hiding. Bhura was terrified when the tiger turned his head to look at him. The feeling cannot be described when the tiger locates you and is aware of your presence in the quietness of the jungle. There was no sound whatsoever. It looked that each and every living species had gone into hiding on noticing that the master of the jungle was on move.’

‘This is scary!!! Though I had shot many tigers, still any sort of meeting it would raise hair on my neck. Go on…’

‘With a loud and earth shattering roar, the tiger rushed to the tree where the hunter was hiding,’

‘Man-eater is fearless and deadliest when it loses all its fear of humans. Probably the tiger had gained his courage back and now meant business,’

‘Yes, Saheb. The tiger crushed the tree with its claws, took few giant steps and with its front forepaw tore the machan. The power of tiger crashed the machan and with it, the hunter fell on the ground. With a lightning speed and before the hunter could lift himself on his knees, tiger sprang on him and caught him by the neck. It was over in few seconds. The hunter had a calm look on his face when the villagers saw him.’

‘How did Bhura escape?’

‘He did not escape. The tiger spared him. I believe the tiger knew that hunter was a threat and Bhura was not. Maybe, the haunting on tiger warned him about the hunter. The tiger did not eat the hunter.’

‘Does anybody know who the hunter was?’

‘He was Captain Smith from Cawnpore.’

‘Oh! What? Captain Smith. I don’t believe it,’ Johnny said with a surprised look on his face.

‘Was he a friend of yours?’

‘Not exactly a friend. But, we hunted together few times. We had the same regiment,’

‘Hunters are brave. But, without rifles, the hunting stories would be different.’

‘Haa…Haa… you are correct. What is your name girl?’

‘Laxmi, Sahib. I am from the same village as Bhura, the headman,’ she continued, ‘why don’t you tell me a story, Saheb? Why do tigers become man-eaters?’

‘I don’t know many stories. But, I would tell a story to you. You will know how the first man-eater tiger evolved.’

‘I want to hear the story. It would raise the hair on my neck. Will it?’

‘Yes, because it certainly raised mine. It is said that long time back there was a bunya who ran a daily needs store in the village. It was a small shop. The bunya used to visit the city and would bring items from the city to sell in his shop. Once, a big tiger emerged from the forest, near the road that connected the village to the city,’ Johnny continued, ‘this tiger gained courage and now used to take cattle and a goat from the village. Many times it sat on the road and the travelers could not move. The bunya could not visit city many times and the business went into losses.  He went to the old priest who lived in the different village and the priest gave him some powder. He asked bunya to keep this powder in his pocket and if he sees tiger near him, he should consume this powder. The bunya would convert into a tiger and then he can either kill the other tiger or frighten him away.  Later, the bunya needs to consume a bit of powder again to get back his human form.’

‘Oh! It is an interesting story. I never heard about it,’

‘Once bunya and his wife were going in their cart, they saw the tiger on the road. Bunya took a powder from his pocket and explained everything to his wife. The woman was obviously terrified and pleaded bunya to go back. However, bunya did not listen to her. He took a pouch of powder and asked his wife to keep the remaining powder with her. The bunya said to her that when he would return, he would consume the remaining powder to get back into human shape.’

‘I would have run back, no matter what. It was brave of that woman to stay there. What happened after that?’

‘The bunya went few meters from the woman and consumed the powder. He did not want to terrify the poor wife. The bunya took the shape of a large tiger and went after another tiger. The whole jungle listened to the terrifying roars of large tigers fighting each other. The tiger bunya won and he returned to his wife.’

‘The wife would have passed out seeing a large tiger in front of her.’

‘No, she didn’t. The woman on seeing a large tiger in front of her screamed loudly and ran towards the village. The powder from her hand slipped into the small stream of water that descended down from the low hill. Now, the tiger bunya did not have any powder with him that would turn him into a human. He was now to remain in the body of the tiger. In fury, he killed his wife and vanished into the forest as a tiger. Later, since he had a body of the tiger, but the mind of a human, he knew all small details about humans. He started hunting down humans and turned into a man-eater. That was how the first man-eating tiger emerged and the taste transferred to the generations.’

‘This is an unbelievable story. Do you believe it?’ the girl asked.

‘No, I don’t. I am a hunter and I had never seen it.’ Johnny replied. The girl remained quiet. Johnny lifted himself from the rock and washed his face. It was very hot and the discussion on a man-eater had unnerved even a hunter like Johnny.

He settled himself on the rock again and turned his head towards the girl. The girl was not there. Maybe, the girl got scared, Johnny thought. However, it was very brave of her to walk down the village alone through the jungle after listening to the story like this. Just when Johnny went down to take his rifle; the faint roar of a tiger terrified him. The voice was not hundred yards away from him and neither had it come from the jungle. It came right behind the rock on which he was sitting. The poor girl had been killed and she didn’t even get a chance to scream. These thoughts occupied Johnny as he lifted his head a little over the rock to look at the tiger. The tiger at once jumped on Johnny. He could only notice the deep red scar mark on the tiger.

                                                                                             

November Rain blurb and cover page

Blurb

Amazon launch in January

Ashley Coleman, an Anglo-Indian girl lives in Delhi, where she works for an NGO. She dates her colleague, Sammy Butt, a young guy from Kashmir and their love starts to blossom. But, on one thunderous November night, a stranger rapes her. The incident alters her life. Hatred, shame, and guilt overcome Ashley. Her heart wants vengeance.

However, God miraculously heals her. Unwillingly, Ashley gives birth to the child of her tormentor. She rediscovers her faith in Jesus and discovers the Holy Book, the ‘Bhagavad Gita.’  It is believed that the ‘Bhagavad Gita’ contains the direct message of God. They lift the guilt and shame that troubled her. But she had questions. Why her? Why was she punished when she had never harmed anyone? Was she punished by God for her past-life Karma?

The answers to her questions would only set her free from emotional and physical damage. Did she find her answers? Did she find the man who assaulted her? Did Sammy support Ashley through her struggle? Be a part of her journey in “November Rain” to find out.

Tiger Tales : Hunter got hunted!!!

A true story......

In this edition of #TigerTales, I would like to discuss the terrible incident in which an African Lion stalked and hunted down the young and enthusiastic Railway Superintendent of Police, Charles Ryall in the year 1900 at Kima Railway Station, Nairobi, Kenya. Yes, it is a true incident and please see the picture of the train compartment in which it happened. The train compartment is rested in Nairobi Rail Museum and the remains of a young officer were also laid down in Nairobi, Kenya.

Here goes the story……

When people of Africa thought that they were safe and Mister Patterson had killed dreaded Man-eating lions of Tsavo who had killed 130 people, emerged Kima man-eating lion which already had killed 30 people. The Kima lion was unique as it had a preference for railway workers from station master to engine driver to the linesman and later it killed Superintendent of Police, Charles Ryall. The young officer was going to Nairobi with his two friends Parenti and Huebner. When they learned that an adult lion had been hunting down railway workers, Charles agreed to spend a night at Kima in his coach and hunt down the lion. He and his two friends took the position in the railway coach in the secluded area of the railway station.

It was decided that Charles would take the lower birth and Huebner would take the upper birth. However, Parenti decided that he would lie down on the floor next to the sliding door which they had already locked. Charles decided to keep the window open so that he could shoot the lion as it would certainly try to enter the coach through this window. Charles was mistaken!!! The horrible judgment from the officer. Charles and Huebner went to sleep while Parenti stood guard. When his turn was over, he asked Charles to take the vigil. Charles was still sleepy and did not pay any advice to his friend and dozed off. The lion was sharp and he entered the coach through the sliding door which accidentally did not close properly. The lion stood on Parenti who was lying at the entrance of sliding door and watched Charles Ryall. Parenti lost the consciousness as soon as he saw the lion on his back. However, ignoring him, the lion jumped on Charles and caught him by the neck. Charles did not make even a faint noise. Huebner watched all this in horror and he nervously jumped over the back of lion to lock himself in the kitchen. Lion did not pay any attention to Huebner. The lion looked around and then jumped out of the same window which Charles had kept open to shoot the beast. The lion held Charles by the neck and vanished into the bushes next to the coach. He devoured Charles near his coach. After few months, a railway worker caught the lion with a trap and the lion was shot. Charles friend, Parenti later gave a statement that lion had probably scented Charles in the afternoon when they were searching for lion in the scrub jungle. The lion stalked Charles for the afternoon and in the evening as he got the hint that Charles wants to hunt him down.

Tiger Tales Ustaad the man-eating tiger

                                                                        Tiger Tales

Tiger, the name itself is enough to bring a nervous sweat around the palm of our hands. An encounter with a mighty brute in the middle of a dense forest can be a nightmare for anyone. God forbid, if it’s a man-eater, very few people live to tell their tale. Now, in this section of the series, ‘Tiger Tales’, I would start with a difference between an ordinary tiger and a man-eater. Sir Jim Corbett, a household name in Kuman region of India, differs from others when they use terms, ‘as cruel as a tiger’ or ‘as bloodthirsty as a tiger’. He believes that we defame the tiger with these terms. He tells a story of a small boy, who wandered through the dense jungles and explored it. He was armed with an old muzzle-loaded gun. There were ten tigers that also roam in the forest at the same time. When tired, this young boy slept on the ground under a tree. He fought the chill only with a fire that was burning only a few meters away. At night, the boy’s sleep was interrupted for a brief period as he heard a tiger growl. Fortunately, the tiger passed through the scrub jungle. The boy got up and instead of looking for a safe location; he puts few pieces of wood in the fire and goes to sleep again. This proves that a normal tiger does not harm anyone unless it is molested. Seeing a human working in the field or taking water from the opposite bank of a stream, the tiger would only turn his head, watch over his shoulders and then disappears into the thickness of a jungle. For many years, thousands of unarmed villagers and travelers worked in the fields and used scrub jungle without being harmed by tigers. The only time, an ordinary tiger kills a human is when it is concerned for the safety of its cubs or a human enters too close for its comfort. In these cases, a tiger usually gives a warning before charging. Even if the tiger charges, sometimes his courage leaves him and he backs off. But there are exceptions.

Let us see an example of Ustaad, a nine-year-old male tiger in his prime that lived in the popular Ranthambore National Park. Ustaad fascinated tourists from all over the world and his fan club is enormous, from Australia to Ireland. Till date he has been the most watched tiger in a single day, when he sat on the ground of a resort and also when he sat in the middle of a highway with its kill, a deer. On few occasions, Ustaad preferred the cemented road that went to the pilgrimage but he never harmed pilgrims. He never charged at them. He never harmed the forest guards who went into the deep forests only with a stick. However, things changed in the year 2012, when one forest guard went too near to him in the thickness of a bush where he was resting. Ustaad killed him and he only sat near his body until other guards came back and busted crackers to rush him back to the forest. He again killed another forest guard who too went near to him while he was resting in a pond. Probably in both the cases, Ustaad was upset that the guards went too near to him. Whether he was molested or got frightened, no one can predict. After this, Ustaad was shifted to Udaipur to live in solitary confinement. Ustaad, the magnificent tiger was labeled as a man-eater.

A man-eater, when it charges, it charges to kill. It means business. It is a wrong theory that a tiger becomes a man-eater when it gets old. No. When I will discuss Chowgarh tigers in the later part of the series, we would know that one of the Chowgarh man-eater tigers was a young tiger. Mohan man-eater, Chuka man-eater, and Kanda man-eater were young tigers in their prime age. This proves that age is not the reason that turns an ordinary tiger into a man-eater. One of the main reasons that a tiger takes a fancy to human is an injury caused by the hunting parties. In the south, during pre-independence period, the hunting parties in cars used to shoot at anything they saw at evening hunting expeditions. In many cases, the bullet fired injures a leg or a jaw that makes tiger impossible to hunt his natural prey. A tiger, known as ‘Mauler of Rajnagara’ mauled around 30 people with its forepaws because it was not able to use its ‘killer teeth’ due to a stray bullet that injured the jaw. It’s a human race that makes the tiger a man-eater. When an ordinary tiger charges, it mostly uses its forepaw to hit a person on the back of the neck and this mighty blow kills a person. The tiger leaves. But when a man-eater charges, it uses forepaw to ground the person and then its sharp teeth pierces the neck. So next time, when in the tiger zone, never get down from your jeep.
                                                            

November Rain

                     November Rain : Coming Soon

When you are hurt and you felt that best of your years have gone by, strangely, a mysterious power supports you and make you strong. I have been through so many changes that sometimes I began to wonder if this struggle was worth. When I started to write this book, I did not have any long-term plans, still don't have, but I was so drawn to the character of Ashley Coleman. She gave me a chance to live, to breathe, to feel and to dream. In between the chapters, I had deep conversations with her, sometimes in my sleep and sometimes when I was awake. Many times, I was too deaf to hear what she wanted to say and struggled to understand her words. However, I believed that I have a tale to tell.

I dedicate this book of mine to Ashley Judd, an American actress, and a kind soul. She faced abuse and neglect in her young age. However, she went on to inspire many and they found a purpose in their lives.

Eye Candy

Eye Candy……

‘Two tickets for CP,’ she asked the man at the counter as Arnie searched his wallet for a coin.

‘Argh….I reckon I don’t have a loose coin. I only have a hundred rupee note,’ Arnie looked apologetic as his eyes met the girls. She had shining bright eyes, soft tender lips, thick black hair and a smooth white skin.

‘It’s much important than a coin. I’m sure you are okay with it,’ the girl said as she handed over the ticket to Arnie.

‘Thanks! I promise I’ll give you the money tomorrow,’ Arnie insisted. His hands were damp from nervous sweat.

‘Never mind, you can buy a ticket for me.’ The girl replied. 

It was not the first time that Arnie had looked into the girl’s eyes. He watched her taking the same bus to work as his. Both of them alighted on the same spot and walked to the different directions for work.

‘Hello! I’m Arnie and I work with a buying house as an executive,’ Arnie introduced himself as they hang on to their seats in an A.C. bus.

‘That’s great!’

‘What about you?’

‘Oops! I’m Shiana. I work as a software programmer with an MNC,’ she replied as she pointed towards the badge on her blazer.

‘I had seen it. But I can’t start the converse without a reason. Nice meeting you,’

‘Same here,’ she said.

‘I must admit that I had noticed you taking the same bus for work,’

‘I know that you watched me secretly,’

‘Believe me, I’m not a stalker,’

‘You don’t need to convince me that. I would not have taken a ticket for a stalker,’ she smiled as Arnie returned the favors.

‘Where do you stay? I mean we board this bus from the same area,’ Arnie asked Shiana.

‘I stay at an apartment of B block, Fountain lane with my family,’ she replied.

‘Oh! That’s three kilometers from where I get down. You will have to travel alone after it,’

‘I don’t understand. Why I’ll be alone?’ Shiana speculated.

‘Aren’t we meeting in the evening to take the same bus? I have seen you in the evening too, at 6:30. But you have been sleeping, heads down for the whole time,’

‘Now I have to say that I took a ticket for the stalker. That’s some kind of notice,’

‘The ticket for a harmless stalker!’ Arnie said as he smiled.

‘It's correct. Eight hours of constant peeping into computer screen can take a lot of fluids from eyes. Let’s get down,’ shiana replied as their bus reached CP.

‘Can I expect to see you in the evening, catching the same bus?’

‘I can’t promise. Maybe you should take it easy. ’ Shiana replied.

‘ummm….okay….no issues,’ Arnie stood there and smiled at her. She smiled back. It’s so cute when a girl smiles back. After all, they were in the early twenties. He did not follow her. He was no stalker.

                                                                    --------------

Delhi with its amazing green cover and huge population also has a dark side. Dilliwaala’s are known for their friendliness, food, and fashion. But what makes Dilli unique is its ‘Men.’ It can be called as a male city and the men here are hard to educate. They look at women; evaluate their bodies and move on to the next. As night falls, they rise and make Delhi unsafe and risky.

‘It’s getting dark. Don’t walk alone. Let me walk you,’ Arnie insisted as their bus breaks down three km before Shiana's home. It has been a month now that they had been travelling together, in the morning and in the evening too.

‘Don’t worry. I can manage. I don’t want to bother you,’ Shiana blushed as she said. She did not expect this offering from Arnie. Their mutual affection, though little, was only confined to the boundaries of an A.C. bus.

‘Do you really think that walking next to you will bother me?’ Arnie said as he gazed into her shining bright eyes. She paused for a moment and then nodded.

‘Okay, let’s walk then,’ she said as her high heels tapped the cement road.

She had the most amazing eyes and her head turned back few times as they walked in the star-filled sky. The moon shined brightly. The moon is like a friend. A lot of happy things happen when the moon shines. Arnie caught a glimpse of Shiana's astonishing beauty in its light.  She walked like a cool breeze which is free and refreshing. In between, she looked at his brown eyes which were quiet. The quiet eyes often draw a lot of concern. Eyes say what words can’t. He expected her to say something. But she holds back. He knew she won’t and neither he.

‘Thanks, Arnie! I’ll go from here,’ she said as they reached the main gate of Fountain lane.

‘Oh! ‘ Arnie did not seem happy that they reached so soon.

‘To be honest Arnie, I’d expected that you would ask me to walk down till here. You’re special for me.’ Shiana said as she waved at him.

Arnie waved back to her raising his right hand. He will never be able to tell her. She would refuse to believe him. They had something more than chemistry, more than passion and friendship, he felt. He could never explain it. It was not love, he believed. But did she? She was something purely pleasing, pleasing to the senses like an ‘Eye Candy’, he thought as Shiana looked back at him and smiled. Arnie smiled back. It's so cute when a girl smiles and a boy smiles back. It doesn't matter if they are not in love. 

Oh, Mother! Come back from Moon!

Mark Sebastian lifted himself from the dining and slapped little Arnie, his seven-year-old son. It was a cold Sunday evening of December. 

‘Disappear from my life and don’t come back,’ Mark held little Arnie by the arm and pushed him away from the main door, and out of their one-room flat. Little Arnie, a fair-skinned young boy with rosy cheeks, could not believe it. Arnie was small but he would grow. His father had been a caring father since his mother left and Sebastian hardly put down a hand on him. 

‘Please Daddy, where would I go?’ Little Arnie pleaded with tears in his dark black eyes.

‘Do you want some more? Wasn’t one enough for you? I don’t care where you go. It doesn’t matter to me. I have enough issues to deal with,’ flashing his big red eyes, 

‘Do you want some more? I don’t care. It doesn’t matter to me,’ Sebastian warned Little Arnie flashing his big red eyes. Sebastian warned little Arnie.

The handsome face of Sebastian, his Daddy, was now pale and wrinkled. Once, a pleasant gentleman, now he hardly smiled. Mark and Aaria married because they fell in love. The trend of ‘love marriage’ started in the nineteen sixties. However, it was still not accepted in the seventies. Sebastian and Aaria had an unhappy marriage, after the birth of Arnie. Sebastian’s wife left him for reasons unknown to their son, little Arnie. He was only four when she left Sebastian. Aaria expected a comfortable life after marriage. She was very much ambitious and enthusiastic to change her lifestyle. However, Sebastian had an easy approach to life and he was happy with his small-time job. Aaria was not happy with stagnancy in her life and soon financial disputes erupted between her and Sebastian. Despite love marriage, they had very less communication and gradually they grew apart. After Aaria left, Sebastian and Arnie shifted to a cheap one-room rented flat of C3A, Janakpuri. 

‘No, please. Don’t throw me out, Daddy. I will be a good son. I promise. I will eat whatever you make,’ little Arnie promised obedience as he cried. He was a lonely, sensitive and an isolated child who formed images in his ‘mind’s eye.’ He felt helpless without his mother. No doubt, he missed her. 

‘You can’t. How could you be? Even your mother wasn’t. You look like her and talk like her. You have the same black hair and black eyes. She fancied luxury and delicious food.’ Sebastian taunted him. Little Arnie had only asked for a bread roll for lunch instead of a loaf of bread.

Little Arnie had no clear memory of his mother. However, he believed that she existed somewhere. Her face had faded from his memory in all these years. But he was curious about her. How she would have looked now, he thought? Maybe she was like Ritu’s mother or maybe Rahul’s mother. She could be prettier than their neighbor Mrs. Khan. He had no idea. He only imagined her face. It was getting dark as he walked a few steps to the secluded lane of C3A. Not a soul on the street, little Arnie tried to comfort himself on the staircase which was next to his friend Rahul’s house. He sat there and lowered his head between his knees. Arnie, a seven-year-old boy was afraid of the dark. Young boys are afraid of the dark and little Arnie was frightened. He was afraid of the creepy faces he had seen in the horror comics. Did they exist? Would they find him here sitting alone and hungry? He wondered. He thought about his safety. Nobody cared that he only had a loaf of bread in the lunch. Where could he go? He thought. Christmas was around the corner, but there was no Santa to comfort him. He loved his grandparents whom he called Daddu and Daadee lovingly. He had seen Rahul and Ritu calling their grandparents as Daddu and Daadee. Little Arnie’s grandparents did not live with them. They would have never left him alone. He was cold and hungry as clock touched eight. He missed the kindness of a mother. She would not have let him go hungry for hours. 

Little Arnie did not like sweaters and he never had a jacket. He wore a light knitted full sleeve shirt with track pants. Some neighbors passed him on their routine walk, but they didn’t notice him. Nobody was interested in little Arnie. Nobody cared for a seven-year-old boy, whose mother was away and he was now thrown out by his Daddy! 

‘Any trouble Arnie?’ He heard a familiar voice as he lifted his face. It was Mrs. Sharma, mother of Rahul, his best friend. She rolled her fingers into his curly hair. Little Arnie cried and embraced her. She was thin and fair, and her face was bright. She occasionally looked after little Arnie when his Daddy went to work and arrived late at night. Streets are a dangerous place for lonely kids. Kids like him could be kidnapped or taken advantage of. Nobody cares for them these days. However, God comes in all forms! 

‘Daddy asked me to leave the house. He is furious,’ little Arnie said in a low voice.

‘Did you annoy him?’ she asked. ‘No. I asked for a bread roll. I was hungry. I only had a loaf of bread in the lunch,’ 

‘Don’t worry. You can stay here. I’ll be back in a moment.’ She went hurriedly and came back within a minute. Sebastian was not at home. 

‘Your Daddy is not at home. Maybe he will be back in a few minutes. You can come inside.’ Mrs. Sharma invited him and he followed her. She fed him a warm soup and comforted him with kind words like a mother. Without soup and a loaf of bread, he would have fallen sick. 

‘Have no fear Arnie? You are a good boy. Maybe your Daddy was upset for some reason,’ Mrs. Sharma comforted him. Arnie looked at her lovingly. If his mother was here, she would be like Mrs. Sharma, he thought. 

‘Where is my mother, aunty? I know that she lives somewhere. I have seen Daddy discussing her with grandpa.’ little Arnie asked. 

Mrs. Sharma looked at him. She had been kind to him. She did not want to upset the little boy. She cooked up a childlike reason to comfort little Arnie. 

‘Your mother is alive. She is there! She lives there and she watches you from there,’ she pointed towards the moon as she said. 

‘On the moon! Are you sure? Why is she there?’ Little Arnie asked in disbelief. 

‘I don’t know why she is there. It must be urgent that she had to go. But she will come back for you. You need to wait for her, Arnie,’ 

‘Do all mothers go there, to the moon?’

‘Yes, all mothers go to the moon,’ ‘Have you been there?’ ‘Yes. But I am already back,’ Mrs. Sharma said as she smiled. She smiled at his innocent questions. Between all this, she gently touched his rosy cheeks. The night fell and the moon got bigger. Perhaps several mothers went there today, he thought. Little Arnie expected his mother to come back soon. He stared at the moon deeply. 

Mrs. Sharma comforted her kids into the warmth of the bed for a good night’s sleep. Mr. Sharma was out on an official tour. It was tough for Mrs. Sharma. She could not allow little Arnie to roam alone in the dark of night. She stood at the door in silence. She asked him to sleep with her kids. She slept on the sofa. She had a one-room flat, but her heart was much bigger.

Little Arnie had a rough night. He slept with folded hands and prayed to all the Gods. He prayed to Jesus, Baba Nanak and to Krishna. He had been to church a few times with his Daddu and Sebastian. He had seen Mrs. Sharma praying to Baba Nanak and the driver of his school bus prayed to a tiny frame of Krishna which he kept near the steering wheel. He had heard that Santa gives gifts to children on Christmas. However, on this Christmas, he only wanted his mother as a gift from Santa. He had seen pictures of Santa with stars and moon in the background. Little Arnie was sure that Santa could bring her back from the moon. He also prayed to all the gods with a hope that they would take care of his mother who had gone to the moon. ‘What if his Daddy also decides to go to the moon?’ He slept thinking.

‘Oh! Mother, come back from the moon. Please come back Mother. I miss you so much.’ little Arnie repeated in sleep. The next morning he woke up with folded hands. Little Arnie was in the comfort of his home and in the warmth of his bed. He rubbed his eyes to see his Daddy sitting on the couch. Sebastian was reading the newspaper. Little Arnie embraced him tightly using his tiny hands and cried for joy. He would never displease him, he promised to him. He would readily accept whatever would be offered to eat; even if his mother didn’t come back from the moon to look after him. But inside, the hope floated and his heart still yearned, ‘Oh Mother! Come back from Moon!’

Nawab, Begum and the tiger

She wasn't allowed to go out and it had been a while that she visited her parent's house. Her movement was restricted in the palace. She felt confined. The world was spread far and wide, so beautiful and bright in front of her as she viewed it from the window of her bedroom. The wind blew gently and it carried the fragrance of flowers from the nicely laid garden. Nawab Siddiqi, the head of the small princely state in the northern part of India proposed love to Nagma, the daughter of a small peasant. Nawab's had fetish for perfect breast, white skin, and white women. Nagma had free, bouncy and round breast; which exposed in front of Nawab, as she lifted herself up to guide Nawab, who had lost the way to his palace. Nawab smiled at her as the pair flashed before him. They were soft and white. But he did not notice her glossy grey eyes which were round and irresistibly charming. Her parents made a little fortune and this proposal of marriage was the grace of almighty for them. They believed so. After Nikaah, Nagma became Begum Nagma. The palace spread across ten acres of lush green surroundings on the border of Wildlife sanctuary. The palace boasted of a colonial bungalow, billiards room, a large hall, a polo ground and a private garden. She had a dream of the life of a royalty.    

After few years, she still believed in her dream with a swollen eye and a little bruise on her face. 

‘I told you to remain behind the veiled window,' Nawab struck on her face with his princely hand. The hand gave her the diamond-studded ring on their wedding. 

‘I don't like sitting here alone,' she said with tears rolling down her soft cheeks. 

‘Didn't you notice the British officers in the hall? It was a royal event. I wanted them to see the dancers and not my Begum. It should not happen again.' Nawab left the bedroom warning her. 

‘You need not worry now. He is not here. He was always aggressive. Please have some Sharbat,' Salma, the Aaya said as she pushed the tray to her.

‘Give me the towel. I need to clean my face first or he will be furious at night.' 

‘You will get over this. Of course, you will but it will take time,' Aaya said as she cleaned the bruise of hers. Begum shrugged her shoulders. ‘The girl like you can have many admirers. This makes him very possessive of you. You are at a wrong place at a wrong time.' She said as she applied medicine to her swollen eyebrow. 

On few occasions during night, Nawab turned into a passionate lover. It made no difference to her because when he turned into an aggressive lover, the bruises were of a different kind. He kicked her and yanked her up by long hair.

‘Oh! Please leave me alone. Take whatever you want. But please don't hurt me,' she begged to him. He always took what he wanted, forcefully.

The Nawab liked leisure and hunting. He loved shooting tigers. He had an uncanny fascination to put their skin on the palace's walls. He did not mind taking his Begum for these events. It was difficult for others to see his beautiful Begum in Machaan which was surrounded by heavy leaves. She remained hidden.

‘Can I come along for the hunting?' 

‘You sound strange. The scar is still visible on your face. Oh no! What I have done?' Nawab said looking at her. She knew that his emotions were made up.

‘I'm fine. No one will see it,'

‘The weeds have grown and the roads are neglected. Would it be fine for you?'

‘I'll manage.'

Sitting high on the elephant, she enjoyed the green, dense diverse jungle. It was thick, wet due to last night's rain and the sight of the long bamboo stick made it humid. There was a hint of heavy stillness to it. Begum was not afraid of the tigers or the snakes; but was afraid of Nawab. However, the clean oxygen energized her. 

Mahavat helped them to take the comfortable position on the Machaan and the big elephant looked in a hurry. Mahavat and the elephant went quickly to safety as Begum and Nawab were left alone in the wilderness. It was dark. Hunters and tigers love to hunt in the dark. No one was on the move. Nawab sat there with his .275 rifle as its butt rested on his knees.

‘Will you allow me to shoot the tiger?' Begum suggested. 

‘Ah! Shhh…don't make a noise. You know it is not possible. I can feel he is around,' Nawab pleaded her.

‘No, I want to. It won't take long. If I miss, you have another chance,' she persisted.

Nawab gave her a sharp look. But he knew she won't back off on this.

‘Fine, take the gun. Point the nozzle on tiger's belly and shoot. The bullet does the rest and will end his misery,' Nawab explained to Begum as he covered her back with his frontal. 

The tiger was big. She could have shot tiger's head or a leg or may be, Nawab's. But she chose shooting tiger's belly. 

Bang. A loud noise cautioned tiger and he looked at Machaan. The shot missed the tiger. The .275 rifles are different. The force exerted in front cause equal force backward. The rifle butt hit the lean chest of Nawab. He lost the balance and fell down. Tiger did the rest and ended Nawab's misery, or perhaps Begum's.  

Day of the woman

Day of the woman

 Katiana, the big Siberian tigress was struck with a thick bamboo stick on the head and the face of Siberian tigress did not fill with fear but anger. It struck her like an axe, a small axe; otherwise, the injury would have been serious.

"Don't you have any humility?" Sam said to Raul in disgust.

"What?"

‘‘Can't you read the banner there? ‘Don't throw objects on her'. Don't be senseless," Sam showed him the warning board at the zoo.

It was already 5:30 in the evening. There was only one couple who was there other than them and it was busy taking pictures of Katiana. They were furious to see Raul's antics. There was no guard on the gate of her 1000 yard den but at the main entrance which was 500 meters away.

"It is not a fatal blow; there are only a few drops of blood on her head. We are here for little fun, aren't we?"

"Yeah…..I know. You are never through with the fun. This fun of yours took Jasmine's life,"

"Ah! Yes, in school. I remember it. It was way back. But it was not my fault. She fell from the corridor,"

"She fell because you harassed her. You ran after her and teased her. She got scared and lost the balance,"

"Wait! Now you can't blame me for everything,"

"You will never admit it, will you?" Sam shook his head.

"It's ridiculous to blame me."

Five years ago, his proposal of love was rejected by Jasmine. Raul decided to avenge his battered ego. For months, he continued to harass her, demean her in the canteen, in the playfield, in the library, and in the school bus. On a fateful day, he cornered Jasmine in the corridor.

"We need to talk," Raul said as he held her by the arm.

"I don't see any reason to talk," Jasmine replied.

"You can't ignore me. No one says no to me," Raul tried to justify his bruised ego. He was rough and rude to her.

"Listen, Raul, my parents have little money. They sent me here to study and not to fool around with rich boys like you,"

"I don't see money as the reason. I believe you are keen to reject me?"

"Let it be. I mean it. Why you bring yourself each time? It's not about you. I'm not the last girl for you,"

"But I will be the first prince for you,"

"Don't say such things Raul. Please don't put me in trouble,"

"Now you'll see," Raul said as he pushed Jasmine and abused her in a frenzy.

She was dismayed and scared. She turned away to run in a burst of speed, away from Raul. She eventually lost the balance on the corridor and fell. It was a fatal fall. A sound came from her mouth and not a word.  

"Don't throw stones at her Raul? Two bottles of beer have buzzed your mind. She is not there to amuse you," Sam cautioned him.

"Why don't you sit on the rock?" Raul suggested Sam as he pointed to the polished rock in front of him, opposite sixteen feet wall of Katiana's moat.

Raul clicked few pictures. Sam lifted himself from the rock to see the pictures. There was a stream of noise on their back. They turned back to see that Siberian tigress had taken a huge plunge over the moat's wall. A thick bamboo stick thrown by Raul was lying on the moat. It helped her with the jump. The placard attached to the wall, 'Do not worry. 16 feet wall is safe' fell into the moat full of water. Fear stuck their faces. The tigress grunted and with another leap, she landed on Sam's chest. Raul lost his balance and fell down. He grabbed the camera and ran towards the exit gate as Katiana was busy mauling Sam. One hundred twenty pounds giant crushed Sam's lungs as he gasped for breath. It did not matter to her who he was though he did not hurt her. The tigress lifted her tail up and head down to smell him. Sam did not move and stayed still. He lied there motionless in the wilderness as the tigress ran to the direction of Raul.

"Help me! Open the damn door," Raul shouted frantically. Every few seconds he looked back for the tigress.

The last of the visitors had left and the guard at the entrance was away. He could not have known that tigress was now free and as dangerous as her other pals who terror the vast boundaries of jungles.

Raul turned back for another exit as he found himself facing the huge tigress that was at the short distance from him. Animals always find you even if you believe they are not there. It is our scent which acts as sweetness for them. The evening was never so silent for him. He could not believe this happening. There was no such view for him in his life, ever. The big tigress was here, right in front of him. He did not look at her, not at her eyes at least. But you see things even if you are not looking at them. This big was Katiana.

"Shoo….go away," Raul lifted his camera to challenge her with the strap held tightly in his fist.

But she was much superior to the mortal man like him. With one step to the back, she leaned forward to give a huge blow on Raul's neck and slashed it. With one hand on the ground and blood streaming down his belly, he rested on the floor of the exit gate. Neither a sound nor a word came out from his mouth. Katiana sat next to him, like a stalker, with loads of patience, to wait and to watch him. It has been long five years. Now it was Jasmine's turn to have some fun. It was her day, the day of the woman.

British love…..Sepoy Mutiny, Meerut 1857…….

The evening of the warmest month in this northern part of the country was surprisingly cool. The yesterday’s dust storm and a little drizzle on the outskirts of the city had lowered the temperature in the walled city. The old bazaar of Meerut city looked busy as East India Company’s officers were out with their wives and girlfriends to shop for the Sunday morning feast which was at the Church. I’d been here hundred times before to sell little produce from my tiny land. The Saheb’s were the miser but Memsaab’s were always generous. Saheb’s looked very different from us. They were tall and strongly built while their Memsaab’s looked like a winter Jasmine. While our women worked in the fields braving sharp Sun; the Memsaab’s were always neat, organized and the fragrance of their white skin was enough to make us lose our nerves. While other men at bazaar ogled at Memsaab’s small white breast which runs free, I dreamt of what was beneath the pair. I dreamt of their heart. No doubt that Memsaab’s were not very popular among our women.

God was not on the Church’s side on this day and it was bad enough to be a woman at the bazaar on this evening. We’d heard of Sepoy Mutiny in Bengal but never believed that it would cover a hundred miles so soon to reach here. We were numb for few minutes as the huge crowd of around hundred fifty Sepoys struck the bazaar, armed with rifles and swords.

‘Run!’ Chottu said as the peacock feathers from white women’s hat were thrown in the air. It was foolish to come in the way of the triumphant progress of Sepoys. With every man for himself, my eyes met the eyes of a young Memsaab who struggled to lift herself from the dusty ground.

‘Help me!’ she said covering her face and screamed.

Her noble beauty was the invaluable asset as she caught my attention. She had clear white skin, light blue tiny eyes, a seducing mole on the lip and a white bosom. Her rich noble family would have been proud of her. The Sepoys pounced on her like an eagle which grabs its prey.

‘Leave her, please,’ I pleaded to the armed comrades.

‘Back off Naseer. She is ours now,’ the Sepoy with long dark hair said as he pushed me down with a butt of his rifle. He lived in the same village as mine, across my house at the end of the lane.

‘You take my earrings and the necklace. They are expensive,’ she said.

‘We will take them. You need not worry about them. What about you white people taking away our dharma?’ he said as another Sepoy cut her neck a little for the necklace and mocked her.

‘Just watch her neck. She is bleeding from there,’ I said.

‘You are very concerned for her. Why don’t you come here? We will put down a stick down your throat mullah,’ the Sepoy laughed on me.

‘Aah! Bitch,’ the Sepoy screamed as the girl bit his hand.

‘How dare you touch me? Don’t you know who I am?’ she said as she kicked, fought and bitten a Sepoy to escape.

‘A white mischievous girl! We can run you over by these horses, so behave,’

‘Memsaab, grab my khurki…..they will lay the hand on your modesty. But it may help,’ I tried to convince her as it was the matter of heart and her honor.

‘I wish I was not beautiful. They would have spared me then.’ She said as she cried. I was convinced that she had given up.

Without showing any mercy, they took my dream away. They took away many other white men’s dreams this evening. She looked back into my eyes as they carried her on the horse. I hope she noticed shades of love for her in my eyes. The evening summer ended sadly. I searched for her in the vacant plots, fields and on the banks of Yamuna. It ended in disappointment. I cursed myself. I couldn’t save her.

Few months passed as I laid myself on the cot for a little sunshine on the roof of a single-story hut on the cold winter afternoon. The women whispered in the foggy haze as I did not try to pay attention to it. The demonic incidents of mutiny were still fresh in my thoughts as each night I dreamt of love with the young beauty. Deep into my thoughts, I noticed the raging beauty walking towards the hut. As the image got near, the woman looked familiar which got me confused. I wore the skull cap on my head and in curiosity fell down from the roof on the dry paddy leaves.

‘Remember me!’ she said as I tried to lift myself from uneven ground.

‘Yes….I searched for you all over. I was worried for you and even had bad thoughts.’ I said. She looked beautiful, much whiter than earlier, like a stage actress which put the lot of white powder on their face. But she had same light blue eyes.

‘Your bad thoughts were not false. They took me to an open field, behind the rail track wall. They ruined me one by one,’

‘It’s terrible. I’m sorry that I couldn’t do anything for you that evening. I feel so helpless that day. So where have you been all these months? What brought you here?’

‘You said I was in your thoughts. I couldn’t go further. I noticed love in your eyes. I had to come for you,’

‘It’s feel good that you noticed love in my eyes,’

‘Yes….the spark of love brought me here. My terrible dream ended in the field that night,’

I became tongue-tied and felt little awkward.

‘So what do you want me to do? Report to the police,’ I asked her with a gentle hiccup.

‘There is no need to. They can’t do anything now,’ she replied.

‘Do you want me to take you to your family?’

‘They have nothing to do with me now,’

‘What can I do for you?’

‘Walk with me to the vacant field behind the rail track wall. Only you can take me there. I will find peace there, and may be little love. With you, of course,’

‘I’ll take you there,’ I agreed to take her to the open field behind the rail track.

I started to search for my skull cap as it was missing from my head.

‘What are you searching for?’

‘My skull cap. I think it fell from my head as I hit the dry paddy.’ 

I turned to see a familiar face lying on the ground with blood oozing out from its head on the dry paddy. The skull cap was lying next to him. It was Naseer’s.