From the author's desk: Thank you so much for all the comments... Yeah I know that I am inducing laughter in you all with these odd customs that I imagined up... its purely imaginary and I soon hope to write the part where the girls escape from these tribes and get a chance to call them done and we would get on with the actual plot of the story...
"Its Strange you know... I was speaking to some of the men in the search team... and they were telling me tales of some brutal slayings and dimemberments that they see sometimes in these forests and they even told stories of cannibalism and how people who get missed in this part of the forest never return back" NK told them.
Akash groaned and Arnav shot back a furious look at NK to shut him up.
"I..I just hope these stories are not true" NK told Arnav apologitically as he focused his Camera on a spot faraway
"Is it so important for you to click these places?" Akash asked annoyedly
"This is an SLR- I am actually using it as a binoculor" NK explained his friend "This moss land continues for some more distance... I can see a patch of trees coming up again"
"You cant be sure at this distance... " Arnav told him "May be its a good idea to collect some woods" Arnav started picking up dried sticks on the other side of the path
"Why?" Nk asked him "We have battery operated torches and enough battery spares"
"Those wont drive away the wild animals" Arnav told him
"You mean, there could be wild animals around here?" NK asked him looking around in a scared way
Arnav didnt answer him, but went on picking up some woods and dumping it into his back pack.
"Its darkening" Akash observed
"Lets make it quick then, we will try and cross this before night fall" Arnav told him "The Muck might be dangerous if we wander off into it after sunset... they could have quick sands in them"
"And then?" NK asked "Do you intend to set up the tent at the patch I see?"
"We are not roaming around here to camp NK... We will not think about resting until we find them"
"I didnt ask about resting" NK muttered as he followed his friends "I feel hungry and cold... We didnt have anything from morning.. Does Love make you both hunger less too"
At this Akash looked at NK questioningly, NK smirked at his friend.
Arnav turned back slowly and then looked at both of his friend who were exchanging looks but never said anything and continued to walk
The other two raised their eyebrows at this and followed him. Their looks plainly told eachother that they need to talk with their friend again about this soon...
***
"Bobo" Jeanne called out "get away from them. You are scaring them"
"Is it tamed?" Anjali asked Jeanne as the monkey retraced back and climbed up on the bamboo which was used to hold the roof of the cottage.
"He is" Jeanne told her and then turned and spoke to Bobo
"Where is Shama? Go fetch him- I need to speak to him"
Bobo seemed to understand her and left the place immediately
"Who is Shama? " Kushi asked Jeanne
"Another pet of yours? may be a dog? Are they going to help us escape from here? like bollywood movies?" Anjali asked Jeanne who looked at her in a confused way.
Payal kicked Anjali's leg making her yelp in pain.
There was a knock at the door.
"That must be Shama" Jeanne told to no one in particular and then opened the door to let a man in.
"You called me?" he asked in perfect english and the girls noticed that this man was also looking different from the crowd.
"So you are Shama? but your name sounds like a girl's name" Anjali exclaimed before yelping in pain again as Payal kicked her again.
"You know english too?" Kushi asked him "I mean when we were screaming out there asking if anyone knew english..."
"Our chief doesnt like us speaking in english" the man snapped at her
"Oh, so how many of you here can speak english?"
" Only we both"
"Are you both brother and sister?" Payal asked them
"He is my son" Jeanne replied to the girls shock
"Son...This big son... I thought you were young" Anjali told her
"I became a mom at 15" the lady told as she got herself busy with certain things which looked like tribal costumes.
The girls were so overcome with grief at the lady's fate that they didnt try to speak anything after that.
Jeanne finally dropped those costumes at a platform which looked as if it served as a table.
"Change into this... the tribe is getting ready for the fight..." She told them
"And what about our escape?" Payal asked her
Jeanne didnt answer her directly. She went to Shama
"I want you to fight for them." she told him "If you win, we have the whole night to help them escape from here"
"Oh.. Wow... yes... Very very fab plan... Try and win Shyam... I mean Shama... then we can all escape from this hell" Anjali blabbered happily as her friends looked at her amusedly
Shama looked at Anjali for a moment before he turned to his mother and looked at her plainly
"Father is fighting too" he told Jeanne as she closed her eyes tightly
"Your Dad?" Kushi asked him "I mean Jeanne's husband too.. Are married men too allowed to fight too ?"
"Chee.. No sharam at all- No moral values... Dont worry Jeanne - we wont I mean we will never try to become your Sauts.. we dont actually fancy them" Anjali told her
"That doesnt make a difference anyway... He has 7 wives already " she told Anjali and then turned to Kushi " Yes, Married men fight too... These clan practice polygamy- if you know what I mean"
Disgust spread through the girl's blood as they stood without any other option but to take this bet. Jeanne looked at Shama who was still quiet
"I know you dont like or approve these sorts of fights... but if you win, we have a chance to get these girls out of here... and again I know you have very little experience in these fights" Jeanne told Shama
"He has very little experience? I thought with a well built body like that he can win easily..."
"There are 95% chances that..." Jeanne started to say
"that he will win?" Anjali asked excitedly
"that he will NOT win this" Jeanne told her "You see my husband is the head of this clan and he fights to kill - he wouldnt even spare any of his sons when it comes to this"
The girls stood there as the reality of the situation sank into their hearts.
"Oh my god..." Payal shuddered to think
"Then you must not let him fight" Kushi told Jeanne
"We dont have much choice..."Jeanne told Kushi and turned to Shama
"What about his wife and children?" Anjali asked
"I dont have neither" Shama told directly looking at Anjali and then turned to his mother
"I will try my best" he said at last
" I am sorry Shama... Sorry for doing this to you"
"Dont worry about me... But have a back up plan.. In all probability if father wins... Prepare them to do what they have to do"
Saying that Shama turned and left the cottage.
***
As the day started to darken and it was no longer possible to walk without switching on the torch light, the men had already crossed the moss and had reached the woods on the other side. Arnav took out a thick log and lit it up just in case they encountered some wild animal.
"Can we catch our breathes for a while?" NK asked Arnav who seemed as if the tiredness hadnt struck him at all
"5 minutes" he barked at his friend and the men unwinded to rest and refresh themselves with chocolates which were the only food that NK had stacked when they knew they would be going on a expedition like this
"Very light, but gives back your energy in 5 minutes" NK told as he threw the wrapper in the ground as he dumped the chocolate into his mouth
"NK!" Akaash shouted "and it invites Ants too... Look out we are surrounded .."
The Chocolates had surely invited the ants and they had to hurry out of there with a very grumpy looking NK and moody Arnav...
The trio decided to practice cost cutting from start and Akaash was asked to carry the torch. Akaash walked behind both of them waving his torch to and fro as NK snapped at Akaash
"Akaash please hold the torch steady- its irritating me..."
"Wait!" Arnav shouted suddenly "Whats that... over there..Akaash you just lighted that area"
Akaash directed his torch towards where Arnav had pointed. They spotted some bones there
"Probably some dead animal" NK suggested but followed Arnav and Akaash to the spot and they found dismemberments of human body, smells of rotting blood and offal wafting from that place.
"is it some offering of some sort?" Akaash asked looking around for some statue which might be their deity, but he didnt find any
"No..." Arnav told as he turned back to get to the path that they were travelling
"So what does that mean?" NK asked
"It means that whatever stories that you heard about the clan is after all true NK... Lets hurry up before it is too late" Arnav told them grimly.
"You think they might have got caught by those cannibal tribe?" Akaash asked Arnav
Arnav looked at Akaash for some time
"Anything might be possible Akaash"
"I wish the girls stayed back.. Why did they have to take up this camp?" NK muttered
"I told Payal not to go... When did she ever listen to me... "
"I hope we are on the right path..." Arnav told them "I can't imagine of the possibilities of situations the girls could be in right now- Anjali... Payal and.. and Ku...Kushi"
The other two looked at eachother. Arnav glanced at his friends exchanging looks and then turned back
"Lets go" he told them plainly
"Arnav?" Akaash called his friend hesitantly as his friend turned and looked at him "Do you still .. I mean .. Are you still in love with Kushi?"
Arnav didnt answer his friend but kept staring at him. NK also stared at Arnav for an answer. He turned back again
"Lets go, its getting late"
"Why do you avoid this question Arnav?" Nk asked him
"let this go NK" Arnav told him in a warning tone
"Yes" Arnav screamed at NK... "Are you satisfied now?"
There was an awkward silence between the friends... .
It was Arnav who broke the silence again... but this time he was more calmer...
"I cant have any control over it... I...it happens... Love is an emotion that cannot be wiped out..."
"Even after she rejected you?" NK asked him, there was a hint of anger in his tone, an anger that he might have harboured against a girl who dared to hurt his friend by not accepting his love
"She didnt reject me, She never said no to me" Arnav argued with NK
"She never said yes too... and not saying anything and starting to avoid you is as good as saying no" NK pointed out... "and you still harbor feelings for her..."
Arnav looked at his friend
"You are not yet in love with anyone... you wont understand" Arnav said with a tone of finality.
NK started to say something but Akaash stopped him again. This time he succeeded in doing so as he gestured him not to push Arnav further.
"Lets move from here" Arnav said as he started walking ahead. The other two men followed.
Book Talk
Aami Daakini
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