Chapter 14: MORATORIUM Matured

Well I first thought of adding Aryan's past in this chapter but decided to shift into the next chapter because it would have made the chapter too long. 

CHAPTER-14:

Moratorium(Omoinotake) Language: Japanese

Those people who come and go reflected on the puddle
Blurry traffic light It stays red
Streetlight's speakers sounded like broken
Singing out lies after lies
A smile looking so lonely and a sweet breath
Hidden thoughts behind that faraway look
Dripping onto the window just like droplets
If the sky stops singing
Will you fly to the place where you should go back to?
Being with you just like this inside the bird cage
Forever locked
Unable to fly while we're in our doze
Lovers cuddling under the umbrella on a sunny day
Looking at the way they're sharing it I then close my eyes
Flickering blinker as if someone's being rushed
On a misty road that I chose that night
The time that we spend leaning back to back
Those white lies inside our mouths
Those dreams only hurt
If I speak out this voice
Will the rain that wets you stop falling?
Being with you just like this inside the bird cage
Forever locked
Unable to fly
Two people secretly singing behind the sound of the rain
Don't stare out of the window, keep your mind here with meIf the sky stops singing
Will you fly to the place where you should go back to?
Being with you just like this inside the bird cage
Forever locked
Unable to fly
For the tomorrow that I'm unable to draw now
And for the past that can't go back, we both close our eyes
Being with you just like this Inside the bird cage
Forever locked
Just the two of us in this world looking for each other

MORATORIUM

"Oh, Gudia you completed the roof section?" asked Meethi who saw Imlie entering the room.
"Yes, Amma"
"Then I will go and help Amma to bring water from the well"
"Hmm"
As Meethi left to help her stepmother Imlie went to Aditya.
"Oh Imlie, I don't know what should be our future plans to tackle this situation but I think it's better to call the police"
"I have informed them, they are coming"
"You already did?"
"Yes"
"You are a sharp person" said Aditya as he couldn't find what he should say other than that.
"Aditya, will you do a favor?"
"Yes"
"I am feeling a little sleepy, can we take turns for the night watch? I mean, I don't think others will be capable for this, only you and me here are eligible enough"
"Sure, I can watch out the whole night if you want, there's no man right now in our team except me. You please don't worry much I can handle"
"No; you don't need to do it for the whole night. I will take the guard from two o'clock, I had already set the alarm"
"Oh, but if you feel like it I will be awake with you."
"It's okay I can manage, I assure"
"Alright then"

All of them managed to drench every part of the house along with the animal's shed to the bathroom. After that everyone sat and had dinner, Aditya fed Chavi who was in some utter state of fear and suddenly started to show symptoms of having a fever. Except Aditya no one dared to handle Chavi in that state, maybe because Meethi and Dulari were not that close with her and Imlie was was not in the mood of feeding her as she was lost in some thought but Aditya was considered not only just as a well wisher but also as a guardian which somehow got mistaken as a gesture of romantic affection by Meethi and Dulari. As Aditya was busy with Chavi on the other corner of the room, Imlie heard Meethi and Dulari whispering.
"Amma, aren't they not on good terms?"
"That's what I heard...But they look like a couple in love though. The husband taking care of the wife"
"Amma, Naani what are you guys talking about?" Imlie joined both of them.
"Oh Gudia, it's about Aditya babu and Chavi, they look like a perfect couple"
Imlie smiled and said, "Amma, sometimes what we perceive by our eyes might be wrong. Look at how he is feeding her. Which is the best resemblance you get to such affection? Doesn't it seem like our Chuari(goat) feeding her kids?"
"I can see a husband showing care for his wife, how could you compare to a mother and her kid?" asked Dulari Devi.
Meethi thought for a while observing them and said, "Amma, look closely. Why does it feel like more of a parental affection? The way he is looking at her worried very much seems like a mother tensed for her child."
Imlie smiled when her mother was able to catch in between the gestures and said, "You caught it correctly Amma, he indeed became her emotional support but not as a husband but a big brother or a fatherly figure. There is no physical attraction visible with any gesture from both of their sides hence this makes the relationship purely platonic."
"Hey Sita Maiyya, for the first time I am hearing and seeing such things, husband becoming a brother" exclaimed Dulari Devi.
"Congratulations Naani, you have seen one. Now let's sleep, you will get enough time to wash dishes tomorrow after the danger reduces. I have called the police already", said Imlie.
"I think they will turn into a real husband and wife," said Dulari Devi ignoring Imlie's words of a husband being a brother.
"And I think they will never. Chavi isn't a person who eats whatever she is given. She chooses her own standards and her own way to accept things in her life. She is verbal about what she doesn't like and if she likes something how it should be presented to her. Hence after knowing Chavi to that extent I can assure that this relationship wouldn't end as a romantic relationship at all. Even Aditya has figured out what kind of relationship he wants with her."
"Maybe what Imlie said is true, love is universal but we human beings miss out on realizing what kind of love we feel for the other person. When some kind of love comes fixed with the relationship, some people need to figure it out themselves" added Meethi.
"I say you both have gone mad" stated Dulari Devi and pulled Meethi to clean up the area where they sat and ate dinner.
'I didn't say the biggest reason why their relationship wouldn't end up romantically and that is Chavi isn't Imlie. Imlie considered Aditya in her past life as the gift of Sita Maiyya, the sole candidate to be her husband and husband being everything to her identity. Chavi on the other hand didn't connect with Aditya emotionally till he assured her that he would be a brother. She didn't get rid of her dreams or even let anything waver from her wishes. She didn't put the sindur(vermilion) on pedestal just because she was married whereas Imlie cried washing her vermilion off her head in her last life. She didn't grow up to give off her wishes and bend according to the situation, she made herself strong enough even at the moment of being clueless she took risks and trusted me with her hope to fly high. That is where she and I become different' thought Imlie.

Aditya took the lead of guarding them and they decided to take a nap. More than being a 'hero' it was important to do teamwork, Imlie was guessing the real attack would be after 2:00 am hence she wanted to take a nap to regain all her physical strength. Today she needs to hide her true self as well as expose it too but to whom, it was indeed a tough choice for her.

As she slept on the floor laying on a quilt, letting Chavi to use her bed she was no more here at her home. She found herself outside on the road and it was the old road where she used to walk in her childhood. It was afternoon and she was surprised to see the older generation of the village was quite young. Imlie walked a few yards of distance and sat under a tree's shade, her eyes went to a group of girls walking towards the bus stop. It was kind of a ritual for the majority of the young villagers to take a walk on the road after a good afternoon nap, it still is for many. Everything felt same yet different, no one had mobile phones, people were enjoying the evening breeze though it was cold as it was winter, the young men were buying chana(Sprouts mixed with onion, green chillies, salt and lemon juice) whereas the girls and children were busy getting candy floss from the man who rings the hearts of everyone wherever he goes playing his dumroo(musical instrument). As she was enjoying the feel of the atmosphere she stood straight, a girl from the group had attracted Imlie. Imlie followed her keeping an eye on her when a kid passed through Imlie; at that very moment she realized she wasn't visible to anyone as well as she was like air there.

That girl was walking her bicycle as her friend took a huge bite of the candy floss she bought from the merchant. Imlie noticed the bus station quite empty which was not the case of today's era even in Pagdandia. She heard loud honks as a white bus arrived and she heard the bus conductor shout at the top of his lungs, "Pagdandia, there are passengers who would get down"

This was something new for Imlie as these days no one shouts that way. She noticed a guy coming out of the bus with a 'vip vectra suitcase' which no one uses anymore. She noticed the group of girls had stopped in one corner of the road and the girl who attracted Imlie's attention was looking at the guy without breaking any kind of eye contact. He was indeed a good looking guy and Imlie understood that he had charmed her with his presence.

"Ay Chipkali(Lizard) , who is this guy?" asked the girl to her friend. Imlie smiled at the fact how vocal she was.

"Don't know and stop calling me Chipkali," protested her friend and kept busy eating her candy floss.
None of the other girls had noticed their friend's eyes which were stuck on the newly arrived handsome guy.

Imlie heard a girl's voice, though she tried to find the source she couldn't and the voice continued, "He had returned home after a long time completing his high school. He planned to leave again for admission in a College in the city after the after two months; alas at this moment he never knew not only his body, his soul would be trapped here too."

Imlie saw him smelling the air after getting all his luggage out of the bus and heard the voice again, "he studied his middle school and high school staying at one of his uncle's house in the city for last eight years; and now he felt like he was home." The voice was briefing his actions.

The guy noticed the girl looking at him, she was wearing a yellow saree to her knee and was walking with her cycle. She also had a shawl to cover her upper part of the body and leggings to cover legs from the cold air. Her hair was tied in two braids splitting in the middle and she didn't flinch for once when their eyes met, short, cute, had brown skin and was extremely attractive with a curvy waist which was visible. Both of them looked at each other and she went ahead with her friends without breaking eye contact;  Imlie looked at both of them as they had this interaction.

Before Imlie could think much the surrounding near her changed and she found herself on a roof at night. The night was bright with moonlight shining all over the place and she saw the same guy laying on a charpai(cot) with a young teenage boy, the moment Imlie saw the teenager it didn't take her a minute to understand that the old guy who was lying on the cot was none other Chandrashekhar the eldest son of Sarpanch(village head).

"Sattu, you know I saw a girl today with a cycle," said Chandrashekhar.
"What Shekhar Bhaiya(big brother)? Most girls have bicycles in our village" replied Satirth, the second son of the Village Head.
"But she stood out to me somehow. I saw her for the first time the day I came back home and every evening I see her at 4:30 pm near the bus stop. She comes and leaves with her friends but her eyes, which look so mesmerizing with the kohl applied on them, doesn't leave my side. I always want to know more about her but I didn't even have the opportunity to ask her name. Since last week I have been trying but couldn't talk with her."
"I don't understand how a girl stood out to you for me and my friends, girls are absolute enemies. Better talk about the kites we are making for 'Makar Sankranti(celebrated in India by Hindus when the Sun moves to Capricorn zodiac in astrology) Festival' this time we will make the girl's lose the challenge. Those enemies should be wiped out, I am the Sarpanch's second son and I will make them fall on their knees."
"That's because you are still young, you fool. There would be one girl who will sweep you off and then you might realize already that you have fallen in love. "
"Whatever, I won't fall in love anyways. But I remember from sweeping, there's one ace in the girl's team who sweeps us every time from the last five years. Bhaiyya I heard you are a pro kite player please play for us this time."
"Why would I play for you? You guys are fifteen or sixteen won't I stand out if I help you and it could be considered cheating"
"No it won't be, the player is older than you. She is nineteen years old"
"Who is she?"
"Chandra didi"
"Okay, then I will play I am just eighteen"
"Yes, yes! Now those girls will understand that they can't always be the winner" exclaimed Satirth happily.

"Boys come inside, it's really cold on the roof"
"Yes maa" both of them replied in unison.

'Chandra is nineteen. Was there another Chandra apart from Chandrakala?' thought Imlie. But the next instant she found herself on the day of Makar Sankranti. Imlie looked at the 'til-gud ladoo( round sweet made from sesame and jaggery)', in front of her, that sweet was Pagdandia's most celebrated during Makar Sankranti. Imlie looked at her surroundings and understood she was invisible to others but her mouth was salivating and she tried to grab a ladoo for herself and her hand passed through the ladoo. That made her curse under her breath as she really wanted to taste them.

Imlie noticed Satirth pulling Chandrashekhar to somewhere, both of them dressed in Kurta and Pajamas. Imlie followed them where she saw many young boys and girls accumulated and she knew most of them in the village as elders who are living their lives in their thirties peacefully except Chandrashekhar. She saw a short girl in the group of girls who came to compete with the boys, her saree was extremely plain in compare to others and her head was covered with the saree's pallu(end of the fabric), she had a black thread on one of her ankle and the glass bangles in her wrist clinked making a beautiful melody. Imlie noticed even Chandrashekhar was stunned to look at the girl because no one covered their face except her.

"Who is she?" asked Chandrashekhar.
"Bhaiyya, that's Chandra didi(sister)" said Satirth.
"Why is she covering her face?"
"Because she can't get caught"
"Why?"
"That's a secret"
Chandrashekhar looked at his brother stunned, the fifteen year old might not like the ace from the girl's group but was keeping her identity confidential.
"Okay, are you really sure she is nineteen? She looks like thirteen or fourteen by her height"
"She is actually, now let's start the game"

As the kite competition started which is a must for Makar Sankranti, Imlie noticed the game was a fair tough play. Both Chandrashekhar and Chandra were pros in their fields and no one was giving a chance to the other person to cut the strings of the kite. Imlie looked at the plate of ladoos from which one of Satirth's friend was eating. Such intense game play is a waste without food.

"Sashi bhaiyya give me at least one ladoo" Imlie said to the guy eating ladoo. Alas she wasn't heard and she felt frustrated but she focused on the game. Suddenly a strong wind came and the pallu covering Chandra's face fell off, Imlie looked at her surprised she was the same girl whom she saw with the cycle. Imlie was just surprised but Chandrashekhar looked at her as if his world had stopped at one place.

'Wow! this is no less than a movie' thought Imlie.

Chandra pulled her pallu back and covered her face again; this time she managed to cut the string of Chandrashekhar's kite as he was busy looking at her. All the boys sat on the ground with the loss and the girls jumped in happiness. Suddenly everyone saw the Sarpanch and some men coming that way, Chandra looked in that direction and backed off; she started running near the pond area to the forest boundary. Chandrashekhar noticed her and ran behind her as the Sarpanch shouted, "Shekhar I need you to meet someone"

"Later" he also shouted and ran behind Chandra.

Imlie noticed Dulari Lal with the village head but she didn't want to miss the drama and ran behind Chandra and Shekhar.

As they were running one of her flip flops flew off, as she turned around to get it she slipped and as she was about to fall Chandrashekhar held her hand.
Imlie reached the scene and was mesmerized once again at the things taking place in front of her eyes. As the pallu fell off from her face, Chandrashekhar looked straight at her eyes and she also didn't break the eye contact.
"Where's the popcorn? I am missing popcorn and coke while watching this I swear" exclaimed Imlie.

"Why are you trying to run?" asked Chandrashekhar.
"Because they shouldn't see you and me together," replied Chandra.
"Why?"
"Who knows?"
Chandrashekhar raised one of his eyebrows and asked, "Are you trying to get me trapped with words?"
"Who knows? Aren't we both called Chandra? How could I be the only one to trap you? Rather, aren't you the one trying to trap me by waiting near the bus stop every day from last week?"
"You noticed?" asked Chandrashekhar with a smile.
"Girls have sharp eyes"
"So what's your name?"
"Before that introduce yourself first, that's the rule"
"But you seem to know my name"
"Who doesn't know you? The famous man of our village who had scored the third position all over the state in your boards exam"
"Oh my that's a first time for me to listen my identity in such a manner"
"Why?"
"Because everyone seems to know me as the Sarpanch's son here rather than a rank holder"
"I know because I love to study and for me people with education are respectable people"

"Chandrasekhar"
"Bhaiyya"
Both of them heard people searching for him in the forest.
"I guess they are searching for me," said Chandrashekhar. As he turned around to expose his location Imlie noticed Chandra taking a few back steps without making any sound and then ran away. The village head came with his men and Satirth also followed them, Chandrashekhar informed that he was with a person but as he was about to introduce Chandra he noticed he was alone there; she was nowhere to be found. He left the forest with the people confused.

Imlie noticed the whole week Chandrashekhar went to the bus stop but Chandra never came there again. He wanted to meet her but it was a failure every time, that way Saturday came; the day he finally met Chandra again.

It was a cloudy day and his mother gave him the task to buy vegetable oil for cooking, at that era oil used to come in tin cans. As he was waiting in the shop to get the oil Chandra came there.
"Dada, you money"

Chandrashekhar looked at his right and exclaimed, "Chandra"
Chandra immediately handed the money to the shopkeeper and walked as fast as she could, Chandrashekhar took the oil from the shopkeeper and followed her. Imlie understood Chandra's family used to borrow items from that store on credit, she also followed them.

"Why didn't you come with your friends to the bus stop this whole week?"
"I was busy"
"Was that the only reason?"
"I fought with my friends"
"Oh my, now it feels like you will give anything as your excuse. Are you avoiding me?"
Chandra was silent but she sped up.
"Chandra, are you trying to avoid me?" Chandrshekhar asked again.
"What if I am?" she stopped and answered him.
"Why?" he asked, stunned.
"Don't you understand where this is leading? I don't want to see your face anymore"
"Are you fed up so fast with my face?"
"Yes"
Suddenly the rain started pouring and both of them started to get drench in the water. Imlie looked at herself, she was still unaffected by the rain.

'Do I have an invisible raincoat on?' thought Imlie but her views changed when the rain fell on the area she was standing, she understood rain passed through her body, she was still in air mode.
'Whatever... i just don't exist' thought Imlie as she saw Chandra running towards the taro plants near the roadside and broke stems of two of them which had the biggest leaves. She gave one of them to Chandrashekhar.
"What's this?" asked Chandrashkhar.

'Traditional natural umbrella' thought Imlie.

Chandra didn't answer him and went inside the woods but he was also someone who wouldn't leave without an answer so he followed her. As Imlie was there to watch them she again followed behind them.
"Chandra why are you avoiding me? Did I make you angry somehow? Did I harm you in some way? Did I make you upset? Did I offend you somehow?" Chandrashekhar kept on asking her as he walked behind her.
She stopped in the middle and turned around towards him facing him straight and said, "If I keep looking at you I will fall in love with you. Do you even understand how I feel when you keep staring at me with those eyes?"
"What kind of eyes?" his voice softened.
"Those eyes which promise happiness. Those eyes promise love, security and a home. What will I do if I fall for them?"
"Accept them..."
"What?"
"Please accept the love, happiness, security, care and home"
"Are you crazy?"
"What's your name?"
"What?"
"You didn't tell me your name that day."
"Chandrakanta"
"Chandrakanta, I love you from the moment I saw you when I stepped out of the bus. I fell for your eyes which is outlined with the darkness of night"
"That's kajal(kohl)"
He smiled and continued, "That nose is flaunting the nose pin and made the nose pin more beautiful"
"People say the other way around" exclaimed Chandra.
"Those pink lips would put the cherries dipped in honey at shame"
Chandrakanta blushed and turned red.

'Damn that's romantic. If Aryan doesn't propose to me in this way I won't be his girlfriend' thought Imlie.

As the rain fell on Chandrkan's blouse her cleavage became quite lined out, Chandrashekhar looked the other way.
"A gentleman" Imlie muttered amazed by Chandrashekhar's actions.

"You should leave now, the rain is getting heavier," said Chandrashekhar.

'I agree' thought Imlie looking at the sky.
Chandrakanta nodded her head and took a few steps ahead but she stopped and said, "If everything of mine looks so good to you then what will you do if I say I am yours from today?" and left without looking back for once.

"Woah... That was a successful confession" Imlie screamed in happiness as she saw Chandrashekhar blushing.

Imlie was pulled to another day where she saw Chandra picking out some leaves of some plants and Shekhar collecting them in his handkerchief.

'Will I even get to see their dates?' thought Imlie as she was pulled to another spot near a rice field where Shekhar put the radio on the ground and tuned into 'Vividh Bharati' for music and Chandra was twirling and showing him dance moves with the music. When she stopped he forwarded his hand, she held them and sat near him. He brought out a pair of silver anklets from his pocket and put them on her feet. She didn't want to accept this expensive gift but he convinced her with his words.

Imlie was next pulled near the waterfall of the forest where they were sitting and enjoying nature holding hands; Chandra kept her head on his shoulder.

'They are my official babies now, I declare this as my ship before watching any Korean dramas in this life' thought Imlie.

She was pulled again to a different spot this time in a mela(fair) she saw Chandrashekhar bringing Chandrakanta there. They went to the Ferris wheel which was the attraction of the fair, they had pakoras(fritters) and jalebis(sweets), Shekhar got her some green glass bangles and jhumkas(earrings), he also got Chandrakanta stamped mehndi( henna designs are stamped on the palm within seconds with wooden blocks). They had a good time and Imlie was really happy when she noticed the Village Head who came to visit the fair with his men saw them. He saw Chandrashekhar but couldn't see the girl as her back was on his side. He wanted to call them but they left the fair and he didn't have the opportunity to do so.

Before Imlie could understand what's happening she was pulled to another moment where she was inside the Sarpanch's house and the father-son duo were talking.

"I saw you with some girl today in the Mela(fair). Who was the girl Shekhar?"
"Baba she is someone I love"
"Did you say you love someone?"
"Yes"
"How could you do such a blunder when you are engaged?"
"I am engaged. From when?"
"You were six when we did your mangni(engagement) with Chandra, Dularilal's daughter"
Smiles were seen in Chandrashekhar's lips as he said, "Baba Chandra is the girl I like"
"Oh really? Then that's a great thing. Tomorrow we are invited for lunch at their place. You can go and rest."
As he left Imlie saw Vimla, Sarpanch's wife coming towards him and asked, "How are you okay? That girl might not be Chandra"
"I think she is"
"Our son might lie to protect the girl he likes. He is an intelligent kid"
"No, the height of the girl he was with definitely matches Dulari Lal's daughter. Also her skin color was same"
"Hope you are right about what you are thinking" uttered Vimla worried.

Imlie felt scared as she knew that girl was Chandrakanta not Chandrakala. But she was pulled into some different day where the surroundings were familiar as well as unfamiliar for her. It was Chavi's house. And she was near the handpump area where they used to wash clothes and utensils. She saw Chandrashekhar coming that way with someone.

Chandrshekhar pulled the girl in salwar out to a corner, "You, who are you? You are not my Chandra"
"I am Chandra"
"But you are not the Chandra I know"
"I don't know which Chandra you know but my name is Chandrakala Kumari"
Chandrashekhar looked at her shocked, the girl he loved wasn't called Chandrakala, she was Chandrakanta.
"Look this might hurt you but we can't do this marriage. I love someone else, you need to tell your parents to break off the marriage"
"Why should I tell? You tell your parents you are the man"
"Do you think I have such a strong connection with my family? I met them after so many years, definitely I won't share a huge bonding with them which you will have with your parents"
"I am adopted, I can't say that"
"But they love you and pamper you I have seen that today during the lunch"
"Listen, even if I succeed in breaking off our marriage you won't be able to marry Chandra anyways"
"What? How are you so sure?"
"There's only one Chandra beside me here, if I am thinking correctly you are talking about Chandrakanta didi."
"You know Chandrakanta?"
"Yes, I know Chandrakanta didi and you won't be able to marry her even if you try"
"If you think it is because she is one year older than me"
"No! That's not the case"
"Then?"
"You better ask her, if she had let you pursue her even if she knows your identity which the whole village knows. She trapped you intentionally. Good luck"
Chandrashekhar was confused and was doubtful about what Chandrakala had said.

'Sita Maiyya, where are we heading now?' thought Imlie scared.
She was pulled in a moment when Chandrashekhar came near a pond where Chandrakanta was waiting for her.
"Why were you so late today?" asked Chandrakanta worriedly.
"I was busy," said Chandrashekhar, lost in his thoughts. He sat near her.
The moonlight shone over them and the moon's reflection flaunted its beauty on the pond with full glory.
"I was waiting for you eagerly. You brighten up my world like that moon" said Chandrakanta happily.
"Well Chandra, may I ask you a question?"
"Yes"
"Will you marry me?"
Chandrakanta looked at Chandrashekhar surprised, she suddenly got uncomfortable and asked, "Why...Why are you asking me such a question?" She looked here and there frantically trying to escape his questioning eyes.
He pulled her arm and said, "I want an answer not a question in return"
"Why suddenly this question? Weren't you engaged with Chandrakala?"
"So you know I am an engaged man? Then the past month, the thing that was between us, what was that? Because I myself didn't knew I was engaged till yesterday and I genuinely gave my everything to you"
"Shekhar, you won't be able to break your engagement"
"So what? I can still marry you that will nullify the engagement with her."
"You can't"
"Why can't I? Tell me clearly why can't I? Are you a widow or your engagement has already been over"
"None of that"
"Then? Did you trap me knowing I am the Sarpanch's son and you can get rid of your poverty?"
Chandrakanta looked at Chandrashekhar's eyes and it didn't take even a second for him to understand the efforts she gave were all planned.
"You used me" Chandrashekhar said heartbroken as he tried to remove her hands which were tangled to his.
"No Shekhar"
"No! Chandra, you used me. Were all your words a lie when you said you knew me for my rank rather than me being the Sarpanch's son?"
"Shekhar, believe me I genuinely meant that when I said I respect you for your education and your own efforts to your studies." Chandrakanta tried to hold his hands and explain to him but he was shrugging it off every time.
"Tell me why you did this with me? How many of your words were true Chandra?"
"I looked at you the first week because I wanted to trap you but at Makar Sankranti when you talked with me I understood you were a good person so I avoided you the next week"
"I can't believe you Chandra, you see I want to trust you but it's hard. Why can't you say yes to my proposal? Just why?"
"Because you are the Sarpanch's son"
"Weren't that the only reason you approached me?"
"Shekhar, I belong to the Shudra(untouchables) caste. That's why I can't be with you, you are a Brahmin."
"So if you always knew you can't marry me so why did you come close to me?"
Chandrakanta looked down towards her own feet and said with a soft voice, "To be your mistress so that I and my mother could at least afford some food without starving at the end of the month"
"What? Do you even know what you are saying? You wanted to seduce me just to be my mistress..."

Tears rolled down through Imlie's cheeks seeing Chandrakanta's helplessness. She tried to scam him only for the reason she could afford some food, poverty is something which doesn't let people keep their sanity sometimes.

As Chandrashekhar moved away from Chandrakanta, he slipped and lost his balance. He was rolling down towards the pond when she held him tight with all the strength she had. She knew he couldn't swim so she held him as if her own life depends on him.
"Leave me, it's better that I die rather than being saved by you" said Chandrashekhar.
"Why do you think I kept meeting you even when I knew this relationship had no happy ending? Why do you think I told you the truth? And why do you think I am trying to save you? It's all because I love you," said Chandrakanta crying, she was on her edge indeed.
Chandrakanta was able to pull him to the ground, he shrugged off her hand and replied, "And I won't be trapped by you with your words." He left angrily with tears in his eyes leaving Chandra crying in pain.

Chandrakanta held her hands near her chest as she sat on the ground and cried, her forehead touched the soil and her tears wet mother earth. Chandrashekhar left with tears and anger but deep down he was broken too.

Imlie felt helpless as she neither could console Chandrashekhar nor Chandrakanta.
Imlie was pulled to Chandrashekhar's bedroom; he just sat there as a lifeless body in the corner of his room. No one could convince him to eat, he was barely living on water making his family tensed for him. Imlie understood that the heartbreak took a great deal on him but she was only watching him spending his days in despair. It made her wonder what's happening on the other side with Chandrakanta. Suddenly after four days Chandrashekhar stood up and made his way out of his room.

"Bro, you can't walk in such a dehydrated condition" Imlie screamed in panic but she was not audible to anyone. Chandrashekhar made his way out almost limping without any strength, Imlie followed him. They ended up in Dulari lal's house, the door of the front courtyard was open he called Chandrakala's name with all the strength he had. He didn't have much time, he needed to talk with Chandrakala before he lose his consciousness. The house was big, he made his way through all the rooms losing his strength and went to the backyard. Chandrakala had just taken a bath and came out wrapping a gamcha(cotton towel) around her. She saw him and was stunned but he didn't care as before losing all his strength he needed to say what he felt.
"You should not meet me this way" Chandrakala panicked.
"Look Chandrakala, I don't care if I could not ever marry Chandrakanta but I would never marry you. I love only her and I don't care about the fact that she trapped me, I love her and that's the end of the story. Chandrakanta will always be of Chandrashekhar's and no one could take her place neither from my heart nor from my life"
"You..."
Chandrakala tried to get away from there as she was not in appropriate clothing but Chandrashekhar hold her arms and said, "Get it straight to your head, it might be the story of Chandra and Shekhar but you are not Chandra, Chandra will always stand for Chandrakanta"
As he said it he heard a scream from far but all things had darkened in front of his eyes and he fainted out of starvation and dehydration.
Imlie looked at the direction of the scream, it was Chandrakala's mother who spotted them in such an awkward position and she came running. From the words she said next it was clear to Imlie that she hadn't heard anything that Chandrashekhar said. She thought they were getting intimate and it was lust that engrossed them but he had already fainted. She told Chandrakala to go inside hiding from other's eyes and wear clothes. After Chandrakala left the scene she called the other servants to help her. They all went somewhere together and returned back home, but as she came to wash off her hands and feet to freshen up she saw this strange awkward scene between her daughter and future son-in-law. Imlie noticed she could hear an extra heartbeat somewhere. Chandrkala's mother called the servants to help to take Chandrashekhar inside and send off one of her servants to the Sarpanch's house to inform them about their son.

Chandrashekhar was brought back home, two to three different doctors were called and he couldn't even stand straight because of his body's weakness. Dulari lal's servants had started to spread rumors about his future son in law fainting at the bathroom area spicing up the story with their customized versions making it known throughout the village. Imlie was suddenly pulled to Sita maiyya's temple where she saw Chandrakanta sitting on the stairs everyday in the morning, she was hoping to meet Chandrashekhar at least for once after that incident but her luck was not on her side. She brought a pendant of Goddess Sita for Chandrashekhar with all the money she could save up. She wanted to say sorry to him and reciprocate his feelings with honesty but as she heard about the rumor and the version that reached her was really nasty she was left heartbroken. She heard about them being caught in an intimate position in the bathroom area.

Imlie was pulled back to Chandrashhekhar's house where it's been a week after the incident of Chandrashekhar fainting. Chandrashekhar had gained a lot of his energy but was not allowed to go outside, he noticed the jug near his bed was empty as he felt thirsty. He decided to go to the kitchen on his own and fill the jug but as he reached the hall which he needed to pass to reach the kitchen he saw Dulari lal with his father.
Imlie noticed the Sarpanch was talking eagerly about marrying his son with his daughter before he leaves again for starting his College life. It was decided that Chandrashekhar would leave next week so by the week's end they need to let Chandrashekhar and Chandrakala marry at any cost as the rumors were getting out of hand. On the other hand Dulari Lal was extremely quiet, he wanted to say something but left seeing the Village head's excitement without even touching the glass of water let alone the tea.

'Don't tell me that he had already killed Chandrakala? That means she tried to run away last week at every opportunity she had, and now there's no bride.' thought Imlie.
Imlie followed to Chandrashekhar's room, he was sitting on his bed stressed. He didn't know what to do anymore.

The next moment Imlie was near the edge of the cliff of Sita Maiyya's temple, it was night time, the moonlit sky was once again bright and the moon was shining with all its glory.
It was the very day when Chandrakanta heard about the rumors and she wanted to give up her life, she came to the temple cliff at night time. Imlie saw her standing near the cliff of the temple as she spoke about her dilemmas alone.
"I want to suicide but I couldn't convince myself. My mother will be all alone if I leave her in such a state, I was cheated by my lover and heard about it after one week of the incident. I don't even know Sita Maiyya. Should I consider it as cheating? What he did was with his own fiancé but I just can't digest it. All those moments he shared with me, his eyes speaking a thousand words I don't want to share with any girl in this world", she broke down in tears.
"So would you consider yourself to be the only one who would like to see my eyes speaking a thousand words?" a voice came from behind Chandrakanta.
Both Imlie and Chandrakanta looked to the direction of the voice, it was Chandrashekhar. He was drenched in his sweat making it understandable that he searched her everywhere in the village before making his way to the temple.
"Shekhar"
"Chandra, would you like to be the only person whom I would share my life with till my last breath? I know I left you that day but I don't care anymore. It doesn't matter whether I am trapped by you but I would gladly like to be trapped by you for my whole life. Will you marry me?" Chandrashekhar had covered all the distance between him and Chandrakanta while speaking to her.
Chandrakanta hugged him with eyes filled with tears as she said 'yes' with a muffled voice. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her forehead; she forgot all her pain.

Imlie was also in tears but she was happy that they cleared up all of their misunderstandings. Imlie saw them sitting on a rock on the cliff and Chandrashekhar explained what actually happened that day at Dulari lal's house. Now there's pressure on him to marry her by the end of the week so he decided that he would marry Chandrakanta the day after tomorrow. Chandrakanta had accepted all her love towards him and gladly assured that she would marry him the day after tomorrow. She took out the pendant which she had kept tied in her saree and said she bought this for him while waiting for him to return back to her. She tied the red thread around his neck where the pendant was hanging and as she was tying the thread on his neck their closeness increased. His face was only a few inches away from her, the moment was apt and his lips touched her, slowly he savored her lips as she reciprocated by keeping her hands around his neck and his on her waist; the curves he always wanted to explore. They almost forgot to breathe as it was their first kiss and they needed to break off the kiss within a few seconds panting for oxygen. Chandrakanta blushed as Chandrashekhar looked at her intently, she hid her face with the saree.
"What if I want to see more than those lips?" he whispered in her ears.
"Dhet!" she exclaimed and tried to run away but he held her left wrist and said, "Tomorrow let's go to Chautaalgarh to buy the wedding saree and the bridal chunar(veil) for you"
She nodded her head and left.

Imlie might had liked to provide them some privacy but she wasn't someone visible which made her look at the scene taking place in front of her without blinking.

The next moment Imlie found herself in Chautaalgarh where they were shopping and Imlie was then back at Pagdandia where he came to meet her after his dinner. They were walking near the pond area when it started to rain and they needed to take shelter under a shade of a rice field. These shades were made for farmers to take rest when the sun shines too brightly or protect themselves with rain. The shade they took protection had a haystack piled on it but it wasn't like a house hence water kept on drenching them even inside the shade.

Suddenly Chandrashekhar's eyes went towards the perfect cleavage of Chandrakanta that got visible for the rain. He looked at the other side, Chandrakanta understood why he was doing that and thought of teasing him. She loosened up her saree a little making the shape of her breasts more visible for him under the piece of cloth that had almost become transparent for being wet. Chandrashekhar was trying his best to control himself but as she was shorter than him, he could see more than what Chandrakanta actually thought he could see. He was breathing heavily as he could almost see her nipples peeking but was not able to speak up to get rid of his uneasiness. His eyes were going there every time he tried to convince himself not to look at that side.
"Chandra please cover your chest"
She looked at him confused.
"Not only your cleavage but your nipples are also getting visible" he said stammering.
She immediately tried to cover her body but while being hasty with her movements her elbow hit one of the bamboo poles that held the shade's roof which was covered with straws.
"Ouch" a muffled voice escaped her throat.
"What happened?" Chandrashekhar panicked and looked at her.
He made her sit on the haystack and looked at her elbow but as he was sitting down the water drops running down from her neck to the insides of her blouse made him go crazy.

"Chandra"
"Yes"
"It's hard to control myself seeing you like this"
"What?"
"I know since I love you I should protect you but right now I want touch you, feel you and be inside you"
"We are not married yet"
"That's why I want the rain to stop fast, we need to go back soon. Otherwise, rather than being the protector I will end up being a predator."
Chandrakanta looked at him, he was trying hard to look outside the shade. The fields and the scenery have become blurred with the rain. She cupped his face with both of her hands and made him look at her face and said, "The attraction is mutual isn't it? Then this thirst is also natural. You won't ever be a predator for me"

She gave him a smile and kissed him, running her hands on his neck. This was the edge and it was done for him, as the kiss went deeper and deeper exploring each other's mouth his right hand pulled down her saree. She leaned on the haystack as he leaned over her, his hands ran over her legs as the saree was knee length and before she could understand her own desires she unbuttoned his shirt. His mouth left hers as he explored her neck and his left hand pulled her blouse up releasing her wet breasts free. These were the reasons for his distraction so he sucked them hard and bit the nip of one of her breasts, her nipples hardened as she moaned and his right hand made its way inside her saree and brushed off the place which no one had touched before making her get drunk in pleasure.

As the rain poured heavily her moans got mixed with the sound of the rain along with his panting and thrusting.

Imlie who was sitting above the shade's roof got frustrated with the loud thrusting sounds.
"Dude, it's her first time, slow down a little. Damn these horny couples, aahh they don't even care for others. Those loud noises are making me horny too, Aryan...when would I be able to pull you to the bed? I miss you. You are living the life of a saint right now aren't you? And look at me hearing all these moans. If only I could drag you to bed...I curse you Aryan, you will be horny like me tonight" she shouted at the top of her lungs but as always she was not heard by anyone.

The next moment Imlie found herself at the base of the mountain, she suddenly saw Chandrashekhar holding Chandrkanta's hands as they were going to the temple. She was wearing the saree they bought yesterday and her face was covered with the bridal veil. Imlie saw her grandmother passing through the road with a few other ladies bitching about Meethi and her being in her eighth month when they saw the couple going to the temple.

"Isn't that Chandrashekhar? The Sarpanch's son" uttered Imlie's grandmother, surprised.
"Who is the bride with him?" asked the other woman.
"Seems like Chandrakala, Dularilal's daughter from her height and skin color. I have seen Chandrakala, she has exactly such a body build" said the other woman.
"No one is with them, that means they are marrying by running away. We need to inform the Sarpanch's and Dulari lal's family" said Imlie's grandmother and all of them took a U-turn and made their way back towards the Village Head's house.

Imlie slowly walked the stairs and reached above where she saw the temple was quite empty as the evening aarti(prayers) had been over and the priest was nowhere near.

"Shekhar what should we do now? The priest isn't here and if your family finds us before marriage they won't allow us to be together" said Chandrakanta, quite worried about their circumstances.

"Don't worry Chandra...Sita maiyya is here with us. Why does it even matter for a priest? You wait for a minute I am coming"

Chandrashekhar collected some branches from the trees nearby and put them in the 'Yajna area'
"Are you sure this would work? I am very scared" said Chandrakanta.
"I am here with you Chandra, I am like a bird who would like to be caged with you giving up every freedom for forever. Don't worry I will protect you with everything I have and if I can't I will end up myself"
Chandrashekhar brought the vermilion which was on a plate with the main diya(oil lamp made with baked clay). He lit the yajna and took the seven turns around it with Chandrakanta, both of them promised whatever they wanted to promise each other. He completed the marriage by putting the vermilion on her forehead accepting the presence of Goddess Sita in their whole marriage process.

As they happily looked at each other Imlie noticed the Village head came with Dulari lal, their wives and five to six men came with them. They caught the couple and brought them outside the temple arena. The villagers went back from the outskirts of the temple, below the mountain as they didn't want to get much involved with the affluent and powerful families of the village.

"And here I was thinking from where a twin of my girl came?" said Dularilal.
Imlie looked at the situation tensed when her hearing ability increased and she could hear fourteen distinguished heartbeats. She counted the people there, three couples and six men like goons were present which made twelve people available at the scene but Imlie could hear fourteen. She looked around and saw Satirth hiding behind one of the trees of the forest. He was scared for his brother and it was visible on his face; he had followed his parents to this place. But still there was one extra heartbeat and it was the exact situation Imlie felt when Chandrashekhar went to meet Chandrakala and her mother came there.

"She tried to trap my son. How dare you when you are nothing but a lower caste ant?" uttered the Village head.
"Baba, please don't say anything to her. I fell in love with her first" Chandrashekhar tried to convince his father.
"Love? What kind of seduction skill did she use? How dare you?" said Vimla, the village head's wife and slapped Chandrkanta hard.
"Maybe she used some kind of witchcraft. These lower class people can stoop lower than the lowest low" said Chandrakala's mother.

Imlie felt like slapping the shit out of these ladies but as she tried doing it her hands went past their bodies. She felt really frustrated but she was a girl from future in a dream or in the lanes of lost time, she couldn't do anything to lend a hand to them.

"Maa please don't say such a thing. You love me right? I am your son and she is my lifeline. Don't separate my lifeline from me please" Chandrashekhar begged as he couldn't move because of the resistance of the strong built men holding both of his arms tightly.

"No! She ain't your lifeline. Beta you are just intoxicated by this witch" said Vimla.
"We would need to cut your lifeline then only you will recover from the black magic she did on you."
A man from the group went near Chandrakanta and started stabbing her with a knife in different parts of her body. Chandrashekhar went crazy trying to move out from the grip of those two men to save her as her voice went louder and louder with each stab. Imlie tried to punch that man who stabbed her and smiled, he even cupped her breast with his hand making it a sexual assault on a dying person. It was getting hard for Imlie looking at the scene and trying to save these two lovers as the smiles around the women faces widened. Imlie couldn't understand what made them happy? One was seeing her son on the verge of death mentally, the torture he was going through. And the other saw the death of her adopted girl two days back.

"Chandraa...", screamed Chandrashekhar at the top of his lungs.

Chandrakanta's body fell on the ground when the man picked her saree up and stabbed her ankle and knee. Her red saree became more red with her blood. As she was dying they left Chandrashekhar and he came running to her, trying to hold her body with his arms.
"That's why...I said we can't be together, Shekhar. If only you had kept me hidden as your lover from the world I would have survived. You must live on though"
"No... Do you think I could survive without you? I love you and you are already my wife Sita Maiyya is the proof of our marriage, of our love. I told you, I would be with you inside this birdcage of life forever locked with you. If I say this, will the pain you are going through lessen a little?"
Chandrakanta smiled to assure him. He made her lie on the ground and snatched the knife from the man's hand.
"Shekhar...don't do anything stupid" shouted the village head.
He didn't give a care to his father's voice and kept talking with Chandrakanta "Chandra what is a life without you who knew me for myself? It's a wasted life"
Saying this he stabbed one of his arms.
"Shekhar" exclaimed Chandrakanta and looked at him with shock.
"What's life without you when I won't be able to see you smile? It will be so dull and I don't want a dull life" Chandrashekhar stabbed his shoulder.
"Please don't do this" Chandrakanta tried her best to sit a little with her bleeding arms, she needs to stop him from harming himself.
But he didn't stop, he counted every time he stabbed himself. His aim was to stab himself the number of times Chandrakanta was stabbed. No one could stop him, not even Chandrakanta, both were drowned in tears as they saw the end of their lives.

As Chandrashekhar fell on the ground stabbing himself as many times Chandra was stabbed he kept breathing, she dragged herself on the ground and crawled towards him; she kissed his tears as he held her face.
"Why did you do this?" asked Chandrakanta as she laid on the ground with him facing his face sideways.
"A life without you is a life wasted."
She smiled with her tears and said, "I love talking with you, hope in our next lives we get to have longer conversations than this life"
He held her hands as he rubbed his fingers with hers.
"Hope wherever we go next we will be together just like this way breathing our last moments together" said Chandrashekhar coughing up blood.
Chandrakanta moved her fingers through his hair, she was losing her consciousness.
As they were breathing their last moments, the soil on the ground felt their incomplete love. They rested, their foreheads linked, they had no energy to talk with the blood rushing out of their bodies.

"I love you"
"I love you"

Both of them lip synced that they love each other and closed their eyes drenching the soil with their blood before Goddess Sita's temple.
They had completed their love story in this life dying in each other's arms.

Imlie was in tears, frustrated for these poor souls who died for their love. She sat in front of their bodies and screamed as loud as she could. The helplessness of not being able to help them was huge. She saw Vimla crying for her son but her tears didn't reach Imlie, she felt like the cry was for the gone body of her son because she indeed enjoyed her son's torture when he actually died mentally with the knife stabs on Chandrakanta's body.

"This mess, your son was a fool Vimla" shouted the Village Head.
Imlie saw the face of the father who just lost his son and said the dead man was foolish. Imlie was able to hear twelve heartbeats, suddenly when Chandrakala's mother tried to help Vimla to stand up she pushed her showing how much she was disturbed by the death of her son. Dulari lal's wife fell down and hit her stomach on the pebbles on the ground and screamed in pain. Vimla immediately took control of her emotions and helped her to stand up.
Dulari lal shouted, "Bhabi my wife is four months pregnant, how could you do this?"
Vimla said sorry to them for losing her control for the death of one of her sons.
But Imlie noticed she could hear only eleven distinct heart beats now. The extra heartbeat she used to hear had vanished.
"Chavi?" she muttered confused.

As both the ladies left Dulari Lal said, "Sarpanch ji I didn't say it to you but my daughter Chandrakala had also passed away due to an injury two days back"
"What?" the Village Head asked, confused.

'Liar, you killed her by beating her to death' thought Imlie.

"Yes the mistake was mine, I beat her for the first time. Who knew she was this fragile? She couldn't take my anger"
"What did you do with her body?"
"We just made a pit on the ground and rested her body there"
"Why?"
"Else it will be a police case" said Dulari lal.
"Same here, well Dulari lal I have an idea"
"What idea?"
"Our love is pure as the white cloth without stains, our love has the innocence that blossoms like flowers, our love is like vines which grows more and more with time, our love has thorns which will protect us from any evil" exclaimed the village head thinking a little.
"What does this mean?"
"From today onwards every kid will know the story that glorifies true love, the story of Chandra and Shekhar but Chandra won't stand for Chandrakanta but Chandrakala. Who does even care to know a girl from the lower caste?"

Imlie felt like breaking their heads but she woke up from her slumber with the sound of her alarm, it's two o'clock already. She saw Aditya sitting near the main door of the other room keeping an eye on the surroundings. Her eyes were filled with tears for three people who lost their lives, Chandrakala, Chandrashekhar and Chandrakanta for others.
She wiped her tears, she would take revenge on these people on behalf of them as now she was familar to thei real story. Imlie was convinced what she saw was the real truth.
"I will bend every law of this Universe to make these motherfu*kers rot in hell. I promise" muttered Imlie under her breath.

She convinced Aditya to sleep and it didn't take him even ten minutes to doze off into deep sleep as he was tired. As he slept Imlie gathered a big rope that they use to tie their cattle, a duct tape from her study table and hid them in the cattle's shade. She collected the sharpest vegetable knife and chose a heavy log from the logs that were kept for cooking on their mud stove. Today she will make sure that Dulari lal and the Village Head would get the grandest welcome of their life.

She remembered how she saw both of these men while giving water on the roof, they were discussing standing under one of the trees of the grove that was linked with her house's backyard. She hid behind the bathroom fence and heard them, they discussed about how they would execute their plan after two o'clock when people tend to be in the deepest phase of slumber. And tonight Imlie's mood was really off for what she saw in her dream, these men didn't even know from this very night their life would enter into a phase of nightmare.

Songs Used:-
~Moratorium(Omoinonotake)[Language: Japanese]

How  does it feel with this surprising early update? Do tell how you guys felt with the story of Chandra and Shekhar.

Early Announcement: Lean On Me Season 01 will end with Imlie's girls day out with Niti and Chavi at the end of the week that is mentioned in the story.
Yours Mimi(❁´◡`❁)