Part-15
Nupur , Mona & Shilpa were together in the hall . Mayank had left with the forest officer couple of hours ago. Shilpa was pacing around the room restlessly. looking at Shilpa both the girls got worried too.
" Aunty please relax. every thing is going to be fine " said Nupur.
Shilpa turned towards the girls ," i cannot settle down , lets go down to Devi maa's temple & pray for every body's safety & success of the operation.
The three of them reached the temple ,which was situated on a small hill. like every religious place in India this temple too was surrounded by small shops selling flowers , coconuts & other things required for pooja.
the temple itself appeared really old with intricate carving done on its walls. the moment Nupur stepped in the courtyard ,she could feel the atmosphere working on her strained nerves.
They walked in the temple , a mixed fragrance of flowers & incense reached Nupur, she breathed in deeply . The inner sanctum of the temple was carved wholly in stone.
A beautiful idol of Devi Durga astride a lion was lit up with huge lamps . Nupur looked at the idol & admired the work of the artist who had created it. Devi maa's eyes were very expressive & they
appeared to looking at them with love as if saying , I will always be there for you ,whenever you need me,don't be afraid.
Shilpa handed the tray that held all the pooja material to the priest ,he proceeded to put the garland around the Goddess's neck, chunri on her head, so on & so forth. all three of them stood, praying with their eyes closed. The quiet ,peaceful atmosphere of the temple, the fragrance of flowers together had a calming effect on all of them.
Shilpa stood talking to the priest about having a pooja performed at home. the priest was dictating the list of items that were needed & Mona was noting them down.
Nupur wandered out of the temple looking at the carvings on the walls. She walked around the courtyard clicking pictures with her phone.
Suddenly Nupur heard a sound & turned around the source of it. she saw a young woman in her 20s gesturing her to come in the corner, curious Nupur walked towards her. she pulled Nupur behind a neem tree that stood in the courtyard.
Nupur was startled ," who are you ?? what do you want??" she asked. " my name is Bela , didi. i need your help."
" my help ?? how can i help you??" asked Nupur .
"Didi i live in the village with my husband who works part time at Mayank bhaiyya's tea plantation.in the mornings & evenings he manages our little pooja material shop out side the temple.we make enough money to live comfortably. but now..." Bela trailed off.
Nupur patted her shoulder " don't be afraid Bela , tell me whats bothering you??"
"Didi , that good for nothing lakhan singh is forcing my husband
to guide them thru the forest , they are planning to cut & steal teak trees tonight . I know its a crime , but what i am more worried about is that lakhan singh heard from some where that Mayank bhaiyya was going to help the forest officer in nabbing him & his gang ,so he is very mad & declared that he would take care of Mayank bhaiyya ." said Bela," i cannot afford to go to the bunglow , lakhan singh's informer may see me , i did not even talk to Maaji when you all came here. I know you are a guest at the Oakwood estate ,nobody will doubt me if they happen to see me with you. I sincerely don't want anything happening to bhaiyya , so i took this chance & came to you. Didi ,please do something & let bhaiyya know about this.
Nupur's heart started beating fast as she heard this. Mayank was in danger ,was all she could think.
" do you know where they want your husband to take them?? " asked Nupur. "yes Didi , there is spot near the stream that runs thru the woods where there is a cluster of huge teak trees. lakhan singh wants to reach there undetected. i saw lakhansingh had a gun which he used to intimidate & force my husband."
As Nupur heard this she got really worried for Mayank, she needed to warn him, she looked at the darkening sky ,but it did not deter her. * may be i will be able to stop & warn Mayank before he enters the forest.* she thought. * i don't know from which direction they plan to enter the forest but i cannot just sit here waiting & worrying , i need to go find & warn Mayank.*
Nupur looked around but there was no sign of Shilpa aunty & Mona,they had not come out of the temple yet. * i don't have time to wait & explain them every thing now and it would just scare both of them more.* thought Nupur glancing at her watch.* i must really move & try to find Mayank*
" Thank you so much Bela , for telling me all this." Nupur said " God bless you, i need to go & inform Mayank. "
Nupur put on her boots ,left the temple courtyard & hurried towards the woods , Bela stood looking at her standing near the gate. both were unaware of a man watching them, he looked at Nupur till she reached the edge of woods then pulled out a cell phone from his pocket & made a call.
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waiting for your comments as usual & i promise to write a longer update next time.😃
Edited by .SA. - 11 years ago
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