A Tale Of Krishnaghat

It was winter evening of end-november. Passing through serpiginous kutcha roads and potholes in a small bus, Karan, Nikhil and Govinda reached their destination, with back pain and rising waves of soreness. Haldiram was waiting at the gate to greet them. He showed them inside to their respective rooms. These three boys were there for the next few days, to study Raja Harishchandra's palace. The palace is 150 years old which was taken up by the Government last year, after Raja Abhimanyu decided to leave the country. Near their guest house, was a small mountain. Riding up the mountain through the dense forest stood Ranikothi. It used to be a recreational place for Queens and princesses. Due to it's bad condition it is now not accepted as a part of their architectural project. But anyone who came to Krishnaghat made it a point to add the aged beauty, Ranikothi in their itinerary as well.

Having heard a lot about the place from their seniors one fine day, Karan, Nikhil and Govinda decided to pay a visit to Ranikothi. When they reached, they were greeted with the sight of cracked roof, half broken pillars and footprints of humans and not humanly creatures all over the place. The colourful flower and branches inscriptions on the walls were fading , the window panes were turning opaque. Under the golden bright rays of the sun, whether Ranikothi was glowing or burning it was difficult to say. Mesmerized by the broken beauty that stood before them, they decided to come back on a full moon night.

Next Saturday, armed with torches and beer bottles the boys strode up the mountain. It was midnight. Halfway to Ranikothi the weather god played spoilsport and it started drizzling. Before they could decide whether to continue the journey or return back, the drizzling turned into a heavy downpour. As they searched for shelter, they heard rapid footsteps approaching them. And the next thing they knew was, someone had hit them hard and the torches flew and fell on the ground. In their state of intoxication, all they could make out was that there was a group of men. With the help of a few rays that the dense forest allowed, the boys managed to fight their attackers. After a couple of minutes of grappling and restraining, the attackers pushed them and ran away. They sat there shocked. Their shirts torn, drenched and they were shivering.

Amidst the heavy rain drops sound, they heard faint sobs of a girl coming from a distance. They decided to look for the source. Walking further into the forest following the sound, they found a girl, sitting below a rock, sobbing. The lily like rays fell on her face generating more rays. Tears glistening down her cheeks.

"Are you okay"? asked Karan. She neither replied nor looked up.

"It's 1 in the morning. Please come with us. This place is not safe." He said as softly as he can.

"Do you live in the nearby village?" Nikhil asked.

"There is no use of going back" she finally replied without moving.

"We are sorry for what happened but for now come with us before any more harm befalls". Karan said.

"Nothing more can happen to me." She replied.

Karan Kneeled and said 

"what happened was not your fault. You are still a part of the society. " 

"I have been pushed far away. It no longer matters what the society thinks or does. The pain, the memory, will always be there to make me feel , death is more peaceful." She said looking faraway.

"See, you need to come with us before those animals come back." Govinda said a little annoyed looking at her unresponsive, lost face.

She silently got up and walked with them. Just as they were about to reach at the bottom of the hill

"I can go from here." She said.

The three boys stood there as she wiped her tears and slowly walked away. It was around 2am. Thinking they have helped the girl they returned back to their guest house.

Next morning was a Sunday, and as per the unsaid rule of bachelors usually nobody wakes up before 10 am. But there was nothing usual about that morning. It was 7 am and they heard someone banging their door loudly. Irritated, Karan finally opened the door to find a panic stricken Haldiram panting.

"Sahab, go away before the police big dogs reach here."

Nikhil and Govinda woke up from their dreamland on hearing "police".

"What happened?" Karan asked.

"The police have found torches and torn shirts up on the mountain and I know without a doubt to whom it belongs to",

"What is happening?" Govinda asked.

"They have found a naked body of a girl in Ranikothi. They are saying she was killed in the evening. I know you went at night but as she is a minor, police will not listen to you."

The boys stood in shock. Their mind couldn't register any more details. Numbness spread through them as the fact to whom they were talking hit them! Was it all a dream? The beer, their imagination, or a ghost they couldn't understand? Reality blurred. All they could see was the smiling face of that girl.