A Letter To Chameli

Chameli,

By the loud voice of the postman, the deserted street resonated and a thick envelope landed inside the house. The already strayed minds of Rekha, Vanisha and Archu, who were trying to concentrate in their studies, strayed more by the sound. The trio signaled through eyes ordering each other for lifting the envelope. But each rejected the request made.

But the monkey, sitting on a tree in the courtyard, came down looking curious and after picking the envelope climbed on to the tree again in lightning speed. All the three girls looked at the monkey's swift action unconcerned and made gestures for being lazy at each other.

Exactly five minutes later, a heavy greetings card fell on the ground with a thud after hitting Archu’s head.

With the pain on her injured head, Archu saw the greetings card lying on the ground with an ugly red rose drawn. By then Rekha and Vanisha had also come near Archu. Rekha hurriedly opened the greetings card after lifting, in which it was written in bold letters

'To my darling,

The words written were so filthy that the faces of all the three got red, and they looked at each other to see for whom the card was meant. Just then a folded pink paper also fell a little away from them. Rekha picked up the paper and opened it. The first word written in blue ink on that paper was

Dear Chameli,

"OMG, this is a love letter for Chameli!" Archu shouted.

"Looks like love letter only. But where from it has come? Vanisha asked with a smile.

"From there ........" Rekha said pointing to the monkey sitting on the tree.

"OMG, this is the letter that the postman had dropped in the courtyard which the monkey had taken to the tree. It has torn open the envelope and thrown out this greetings card and letter." Archu said with a smile

"Let me read what is written there?" Vanisha said, snatching the letter from Rekha's hand.

"It is a bad manner. No one should read other’s letter." Rekha said snatching the letter from Vanisha's hand.

"It is an interesting letter, let me read." Archu said with a smile.

After a brief scuffle, all the three girls sat down to read the letter. It was written in the letter:-

Four days ago, I got the letter from my friend Mangal Singh, whom people call Mangu. He has written about your complaint that I was trying to break the relationship between you and Munna Pahalwan. Hearing the news of the linkage of a man like Munna Pahalwan made me sad.

Have you forgotten that our love started on the liquor shop of Giani Ustad, where you had come to prevent your younger brother Bholu from drinking alcohol. When he did not agree, you slapped him. After that, all the drunkards of the shop pounced on him to beat him. They would have beaten him had I not interfered to check them. After that you had smiled and said “Thank you”. That 'Thank you' made me crazy. After that I had settled down in your street camping with my disciple Dabbu. Whenever you came to the terrace for drying your hairs, I would also come there to soak in the sun. Whenever you came to the terrace for hanging wet clothes for drying I would sit there looking at you, giving signals through eyes but in response you would become shy and run down.

Do you remember when your elder brother ran away with Julie, the mother of four children in the neighborhood, on a complaint made by her husband, a constable named Dildar Singh, took your father and younger brother to the police station? On your stubborn request, I had gone to the police station to get them released. The way your elder brother behaved was annoying to me. I consider it wrong if someone looks at others wives and daughter with evil intentions. Well, for your sake, I had got your father and younger brother released from the police station, bribing Dildar Singh.

After that, our love developed and we made promises to live and die together. But I curse my landlord, on whose request I took a fake loan of five lakhs rupees from the bank. The money was swallowed by the landlord and since then the bankers and the police are after me. For this reason, I had to flee from India and come to Mauritius.

Dear, the story of Munna Pahalwan is beyond comprehension to me. My useless friends Mangal Singh and Balwan Singh, whom people call as Mangu and Ballu, spread rumors about me saying that I had collected money from eateries, gambling dens, betel shops, etc and absconded. These are false .The fact is that they lived at my expense, and now when they starve, they wish to come to Mauritius by blackmailing me for their survival.

I hope that by reading my letter, you will know the truth. And now the time has come to keep up our promise of living and dying together. I have settled in Mauritius, I have become the In-charge of all the gambling bases of Jhamman maestro. I have money, home, etc. to live happily.

Now if you want to come and stay with me in Mauritius, please call the number given below. I shall come to pick you up. Mangu and Ballu will arrange marriage in the civil court. But do not give them this phone number, otherwise they will be a big headache for me by their frequent calls. I shall bring them also along with you to Mauritius I shall make them guards for over gambling bases.

Now I end my letter. Although short, consider it important.

Yours,

Lallan Singh aka Lallu

All three girls were surprised after reading the letter.

"Is this the way love letters are written?" Vanisha asked.

"What do we know? Neither have we written to anyone not anyone has written to us !" Rekha and Archu speak in unison.

"What to do further with this letter and the greetings card?" Vanisha asked.

"Look, the monkey has thrown down the envelope also. Let's see to whom it is addressed?" Rekha said.

The address given on the envelope

Chameli, daughter of Malkhan,

210, Bada Bazaar, Mehboob Ganj, Ashik Nagar,

India

The address was of the same house in which Rekha, Vanisha and Archu shifted a month ago. Their hostel was under renovation, so they had to leave the hostel and come to this rented house.

"Probably Chameli lived in this house." Archu said with a tweet.

"Thank you for the information, but where will we meet this Chameli?" Vanisha asked, hitting the envelope on Archu's head.

"Where shall we find her? Pack the letter and give it to the postman uncle, he will find it himself." Rekha said smilingly, pushing the letter and greeting card inside the torn envelope.

THE END

Original Story :-चमेली की चिट्ठी -A Short Story In Hindi By Kumar Vikrant

https://storymirror.com/read/story/hindi/yul1a046/cmelii-kii-citttthii/detail