STORYMIRROR

Vidit Mahajan

Horror Crime Fantasy

4  

Vidit Mahajan

Horror Crime Fantasy

Evil Saviour (Prompt 9)

Evil Saviour (Prompt 9)

12 mins
372


In the early hours of the morning, before the sun had graced the world with its presence, as it did every morning, Gohan was riding his bullock cart, with a whip in hand, trying to keep away the drowsiness. He was spreading out the dried-up manure across his sowed lands. He had spent the last few days crushing the manure into powder. Not many other farmers did that. The powdered manure was easy to distribute across the farm, his father had taught him. He had installed a small conduit to the end of his bullock cart. The powdered manure slid from the cart to the ground through that conduit. All Gohan had to ensure was that the cart covered all parts of the farm.


 He yawned widely as one of the waves of sleep blanketed his mind and won over his determination to avoid it. He snapped his fingers in front of his open mouth, making a clicking sound. Sometimes it made the sleep go away, but not this time. He whipped his oxen, more out of the desire to stay active than anything else. The brown farm stretched out in all directions. As far as one could see, there was nothing else apart from this farm. Gohan owned all of it. Ever since his father had passed away all those years ago, he had inherited the land and all of its tasks. In memory of his father, Gohan had constructed a small temple on the land. He joined his hands in respect and in prayer as he passed through that temple.


After finishing up his morning task, he went up to his house to clean up. Next up was the milking. In truth, he hated that. Crops grew only seasonally and in order to maintain the house and the farm, he needed an auxiliary income. Dairy helped him cover those expenses and more. And hence, Gohan persevered. 


Gohan’s mother passed away when he was only an adolescent. Gohan shared the house with his helper Hira, who had been with the family for decades. Hira managed the household tasks and also the farm labour as and when they were required. Hira was waiting for Gohan at the back gate of the house.


‘You have visitors.’ He called out, as Gohan was climbing the stairs. Hira held a bucket of water and a mug.


Gohan nodded as he washed his hands and face. ‘Anything I need to worry about?’


Hira shook his head. ‘Nothing you can’t handle.’


Drying himself with a towel, Gohan stepped inside the house. As he walked towards the sitting room, he could make out hushed murmurs from his visitors. 


The sub-inspector dressed in his crisp khaki was sitting on the single-seater with his arms resting on the sides. The pradhan, head of the panchayat, was sitting to his right, wearing a blinding white dhoti and a light brown kurta over it. They were engrossed in a discussion and had noticed Gohan step into the room. The inspector was curling his long, thick mustache as he was intently listening to the pradhan. The pradhan’s bald head shone from the light emanating from the tube light courtesy of the oils he applied. Gohan faked a cough to announce his arrival. The visitors looked at him stopping their conversation midway. The pradhan immediately got up from his seat and made a tiny bow, joining his hands in greeting. The inspector stayed still.


‘Pradhan Ji, sit, sit. You embarrass me. This is quite a bit of a surprise. How long has it been since you last visited?’ Gohan said, with a smile on his face. He made his way to the sofa and sat, facing the pradhan, on the left side of the inspector.


‘It has been too long, son. My body is not what it was. Old age plays a cruel game.’ The pradhan replied as he sat back down once Gohan was seated.


‘And yet I am sure next year, when the panchayat votes again, your lost energy will return.’ Gohan laughed loudly. The pradhan joined in although a bit uncomfortably.


Gohan glanced at the inspector. He was not laughing. His expressions ever since he had laid eyes on Gohan hadn’t changed. Neither had he got up to pay his respects to Gohan.


‘Pradhan Ji. How the world changes! It doesn’t matter if one is the most powerful man in the village, or the richest, or the most altruistic, he still bows to the government servants.’ The inspector was taken aback by the statement directly attacking him. Gohan meanwhile turned his full attention to the inspector and bowed slightly, joining his hands in greeting. The inspector could only nod. He cleared his throat getting ready to speak.


‘Gohan beta, please don’t take offense. Inspector Sahab has only recently been transferred here from Ghaziabad. He is still trying to learn our ways.’ The pradhan answered before the inspector could say anything. They exchanged looks between them and Gohan didn’t miss the glare that the pradhan had given the inspector.


‘Listen you arrogant little twit.’ The inspector blurted out, in spite of the warning. ‘You are a child. Your father’s money would earn you the respect of this bootlicker, superstitious villagers. But I know who you are. Where I come from, I have seen the likes of you. You think your money makes you invincible and above the reach of the law. I am here to tell you that you couldn’t be more wrong. Now, I expect you to apologise to me for your statement, else you will face my unending wrath.’


Gohan was staring at the inspector. His expressions were indecipherable. The inspector had turned a deep shade of red and was puffing, visibly jaded with the effort of his rant. The pradhan looked as if he wanted to disappear. Tiny beads of sweat covered his forehead, which would soon flow right across his face.


‘I sense a tension cultivating itself in your mind, Inspector. I do apologise if I have outraged you in any way. Now, what is the purpose of your visit?’ Gohan had the politest of smiles on his face. His arrogance seemed to have vanished. The inspector looked haughty and prideful He curled his moustache with a bit of vigour this time. The pradhan still looked flustered.


‘It would behoove you to respect your elders, child. It might just save you from a debasing beating.’ A smile formed on the inspector’s face. ‘Where were you last night?’


‘Why do you ask?’ Gohan asked, adjusting deeper into his seat.


The pradhan started to speak, but the inspector cut him off. ‘There you go again. I think it’s better if I take you to the station. You need to be disciplined.’


The pradhan sighed and then spoke, ‘Mina, Gorang’s daughter, vanished last night. This is the third such disappearance this month and we do not have a clue what’s happening. The inspector is helping us with the investigation.’


‘I see.’ Gohan replied. The inspector was staring at the pradhan, who avoided looking at him. ‘So I am a suspect then?’


When no one said anything, Gohan replied, ‘I was here at the house. We had a bit of a rodent problem in our storage section. I and Hira were working all evening setting up traps and repairing the damage.’

‘Enough lies. You are coming with me. I have witnesses who saw you yesterday roaming about the market in the late hours of the evening.’ With that, the inspector stood up. Gohan remained seated.


Hira, who had come to the room unnoticed and was standing in a corner ever since the discussion began, had swiftly moved to the front, between the inspector and Gohan.


‘Where are my manners?’ Gohan said in surprise. ‘Hira, why haven’t our guests been served refreshments? Can you bring them our family specialty drink?’


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Hira started to move away. ‘What the hell is going on? You are coming with me to the station. Now!’ The inspector shouted.


‘Sit down Inspector. Have that drink. I will accompany you after. In the meantime, let me tell you a story. A story which will help you understand our village and its people.’ Gohan sounded calm. He brushed away a few wavered strands of hair from his forehead and smiled again at the inspector.


‘Yes, inspector Sahab. Gohan is true to his word. He will assist us in our investigation. Let’s all be civilised.’ The pradhan answered. This time Gohan looked at the pradhan. In response, the pradhan gave a reassuring nod.


Reluctantly the inspector sat back again. Gohan cleared his throat.


‘Long ago when mankind was as young as a newly born child, there walked on this earth, beings of unimaginable strength and powers. Some could fly. Others could break a mountain in two just with their bare hands. Some others knew the deepest desires of the earth and could manipulate it to do its bidding. Some spewed fire, others ice. Humongous beings lived underwater, ruling the oceans and the creatures therein. They called themselves the Lorax.’


The inspector interrupted. ‘What is this rubbish?’ Gohan stopped speaking but his expression showed his irritation.


‘Sit down inspector Sahab and listen.’ The pradhan said, quite firmly.


With a small gesture requesting the inspector’s permission, Gohan continued.


‘Man was insignificant to these beings, with his limited knowledge and intellect. Mankind was ignored and left to its own desires since it was not a threat. And yet there came a time when man became the most sought-after treasure for these superior beings. The Lorax started to build colonies of men. For a brief time, they coexisted peacefully. The man started to gain the trust of his masters and some of them earned a place beside the Lorax. It was then that things began to change. Mankind infested the Lorax with greed, envy, and vanity. They emboldened the peaceful Lorax to attack their fellows and capture their mankind reserves. Thus began the war that would soon wipe out the Lorax and bring man to the helm of the food chain. Man, who was considered weak and its existence was considered pointless, had successfully wiped out the Lorax.’


Gohan paused at this time. Hira entered the room and put the drinks on the table for all of them. Hira also put a bowl of fruits for them to eat. He withdrew to one of the corners of the room and stood silently.


‘Unknown to man, one had survived. He had been hidden away since he was considered a weakling. Jasaq was his name. Jasaq ran away from his home. He ran like the wind, afraid mankind would destroy him too. He ran till he reached the corner of the world. He waited, hidden for his perpetrators to find him, but no one came. He was not being followed. He lived alone for millennia, hidden from the outside world.’


The inspector, in an immodest way, had grabbed a few fruits from the bowl and was eating them greedily. He had not yet touched his drink. The pradhan sat quietly. He hardly moved, intently listening to Gohan, absorbing each word.


‘Soon man came to where he was hiding. Initially, he was afraid. He stayed hidden from them, tracking their movements, studying their habits. Jasaq found men to be childish and jejune. He saw them going to bed hungry, complaining of the harshness of the land, whereas Jasaq had survived thousands of years on the same land, never in want of anything. Tired of hiding and trusting his instincts, he exposed himself. The men thought of him as their god because of his large stature. He provided them with food and drinks. He taught them how to survive on that land. He taught them how to build houses and transport. In return, all he wanted was the same thing that the Lorax had ever wanted. And man cooperated. They lived in harmony and peace. Jasaq, improving on the mistakes of his ancestors, never gave in to the ambitions of man and kept himself hidden and safe.’


Gohan stopped exhaling loudly. The inspector had just sipped on his drink and spat it out immediately, disgusted. He gagged and he heaved, spitting out the remnants of the drink.


‘What the hell is this?’ He shouted.


‘That, my dear friend, is what all the Lorax craved for. The reason they befriended man ultimately led to their downfall. The blood of man.’


The inspector held his hands to his neck. He was trying to breathe but was unable to do so. He started to choke. The pupils of his eyes were sucked into his brain. The inspector fell down to his knees and, with a loud gurgle, an ill-fated last attempt to breathe, he died.


‘What a waste!’ Gohan remarked.


Hira came forward to clean up the dead body. ‘To the farm?’ He asked Gohan.


‘The poison might harm the soil. I would have hoped you would find a more innovative way to kill him so that we could use his body.’ Hira shrugged. He picked up the dead body and carried it over his shoulders, to the back of the house.


‘Pradhan Ji. Why?’


‘He wouldn’t listen, master. I told him you would have nothing to do with the disappearances and you kept to yourself, but he wouldn’t budge. He knew you were rich. He wanted to strike a deal with you, I think. He was greedy.’


Gohan chuckled. He came closer to the pradhan. In a friendly way, he patted the pradhan on his shoulder. The pradhan who had been shaking nervously till that point, relaxed a bit and wiped off the sweat from his face using his hand. Suddenly, Gohan’s free handheld the pradhan’s neck.


‘Why kill the villagers, pradhan? Did you think I wouldn’t know? I am well aware of the greed of man and the limits he is willing to cross. Your attempt to frame me for the disappearances was clear to me from the start.’ Gohan transformed into a tall, well-built man. His head touched the tall ceiling of his house. His hand completely encircled the pradhan’s neck and within seconds, the pradhan was dead. The Lorax, who was known as Jasaq, threw the limp body across the room, where it crashed into the wall.


‘Hira!’ Gohan called out. Hira came immediately, although it didn’t seem that he was rushing. ‘Dry out the pradhan’s body. Let’s refrigerate the blood. As for the rest of his body, let’s crush the bones and the flesh and spread across the farm.’


Hira nodded. ‘What do I tell the villagers?’


‘Tell them the truth. The pradhan killed the missing villagers. You will find their bodies in his house. His boneheaded son will confess. Tell them the inspector was an accomplice. We will let them reach the conclusion that they ran away.’ Gohan said, returning back to the mirage he maintained.


‘Tell them that they would need to donate an extra pound of blood each if they want to eat well in the coming months.’


With that Gohan went back to his chores. Oh, how he hated to milk the cows!


A couple of months later, when the rains were at their peak, Gohan sat on his veranda sipping on his favorite drink. He relished the taste of human blood as he enjoyed the view of his green fields. The same fields, which were dry and brown only a few days ago, had been brought to life by the bounty of his ancestors in the sky. He quietly thanked them for their assistance and with tears in his eyes, raised his glass in the air as a tribute to his parents.


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