Kriti

THE CHILDREN WERE IN CHEERFUL MOOD, because the school was finished for the day. Their tender faces were gleamed with joy and enthusiasm as they joggled down the front yard of the school to catch their buses which standing behind the school gate. It was wonderful evening, as the light black clouds were slowly wafted beneath the sky and partly hiding the silver glow sun. But the trees were not swaying to let the air stung on their cheeks. The morning was little harsh today, but in the afternoon the climate was slowly changed. The children were giggling and said bye to each other as they tried to climb their route buses. There were several yellow buses were standing on the side road of the school. Kriti was a cutest girl and her pony tails were shaking as she waved her right hand at her friend Janu before she climbed the foot board of the bus. She had a good time in the school, because maths miss had appreciated her for doing good at algebra. This was the first time she had got an appreciation from her, and she was delighted about this again and again. Even her friend Janu patted her shoulders for kept improving her studies these days.

“Bye Janu. Take care baby,” Kriti said and whisked her hand again at her friend from the back windshield of the bus. Her friend Janu had seen her and smiled.

The bus started and slowly turned and rode on the main road. Though Kriti had good friends in her class room, she felt alone in the bus. Her family had shifted to a new area now. Earlier they had lived in Kamsak Nagar in Delhi. Janu had accompanied earlier but today she had to travel alone with these unknown girls or boys. Though they were studying in the same school, she felt they were elder than her. She was studying fourth standard, and her cranberry colour pinafore was too good for her. She always desired to sit in the window seat, but today she had to find an empty seat to sit down. Her light blue eyes were scanned across the bus and luckily a tall boy about fifteen years old had offered her a seat next to him.

“Thank you,” Kriti said cutely and sat left to him.

The boy returned a smile and started browsing his HTC mobile and played some songs. His ear phones plugged in. Kriti was excited to know what kind of song he was hearing. The noiseless whispering she could hear from the earphones. But she had strained her ear to hear it, as her body slightly leaned on the boy’s shoulder. He sensed her touch and looked at her warmly and he knew what she had expected from her kiddish grin.

“Do you need this?” he asked, as removed his earphones.

Kriti shook her head politely saying ‘no’. But her eyes didn’t mean it. She wanted to hear the song. He knew what she had anticipated, so gently pushed the left earphone into her right ear. She was happy and her heart boomed with chillness. Her parents had never given a phone to her after her eyes were started aching six months before. The doctor had strictly told them they shouldn’t give the electronic gadgets to her and warned them that she might have to undergo an eye surgery if she keeps continue playing video games in the mobile. So from then she had lost another fantasy world which she was living earlier.

“Wow, that’s a great song. I love it,” the small girl said. A few heads from the back and front seats had turned to see her.

The boy crinkled a smile. This was the song from Kaabil, the movie she had seen thrice.

The bus was riding slowly now, as rain started whipping the earth. The chilled air came rushing inside the bus. The wipers on the windshield were turned on, and it was continuously emitting a small swish-wishh noise.

The boy played another song from the Newton movie.

“Bhayya, please change the song. I don’t like this song,” she said.

He was little surprised to know this, because he had always loved the songs in it.

He scrolled down the movie options and tried to play another song. But the bus was suddenly halted. The car from the right side had tried to overtake it, but the car was almost skidded in the rain. If the bus driver didn’t turned left, surely the car would have crashed the bus.

“You fucking bastard, don’t you know how to drive, eh?” the driver said harshly in top of his voice. His head was peeked out of the driver’s seat, and he was ready to plunge on the car driver like the tiger was about going to attack on its prey. The car driver didn’t open his mouth. He sat on his seat like a duck. Vehicles were blaring in the back in a suffocating traffic.

Kriti thought this bus driver was going to get down and fight with him by grabbing his collar. But fortunately, he didn’t. The bus started rolling down again. Her new residential place had come and she had almost forgotten this until she had seen the green colour gate and a three coconut trees inside. She stood up abruptly by tossing the earphone to him and frantically got down from the bus without even thanking the boy. But he understood her quivering movement as smiled gingerly.

Rain was still beating down. Kriti didn’t have any umbrella, so she used her school bag above her head to save herself from drenching. But it was no use, since her dress was plastered to her skin as the water soaked it. She had to cross the road from the left end to the right end, to get into her house. But few vehicles were going on both directions, she had to cross carefully. There were no commercial shops available here, since it was a good residential area. She had run by holding the bag on her head towards the other end, before the Toyota Innova had stopped for a flick of second and the door was opened abruptly to pull the child into the back seat. Yes, two thugs had kidnapped this kid, who was screaming inside and muttering to go her home. But they had tied a white colour tape around her mouth and stopped her screaming, though her legs were kicking on the front seat.

She was sitting in the centre, her left hand and right hand was grabbed tightly by the thugs from either side. Her small strength had failed to defeat them. They were looked like two buffaloes with enormous arms and legs and looked darker. The vehicle was turned left and sped to Nadheespur area where the tall buildings were loomed over the city.

The cellphone rang, the thug who sat on right to Kriti, took a Nokia phone and punched the button to speak with the man at the other side.

“Where are you?” the hoarse voice echoed in the car.

“Sir, we have done the job. We have kidnapped the girl you said,” the thug said in an excited voice, as if he had beaten a Russian fellow in the world heavy weight championship.

“Good, don’t give any clue to anybody, mind it?”

“Yes, sure sir. Where should we meet?” the thug said.

“Fool, I told you already to come to my guest house, right? Do you ask this question now?” the man said in a croaking voice.

Kriti couldn’t perceive what was spoken clearly from other end. But she could know definitely that she was kidnapped and might have…………. No she was afraid to think of any consequences. She prayed God that she would be saved and will meet her parents before the dinner time.

Now she was strenuously yelping with a screeching tone, “Leave me. I have to go my home. Leave me,” but their hands were clasped her tightly, as their nails dug into her soft pink skin.

“I am sorry sir, I just wanted to confirm the place, that’s why…….” The thug said slowly.

“Give the phone to Pankaj,” the voice was boomed.

The left thug handed the phone to right thug with convulsive eyes. The car was racing down at the speed of 140 kmph, despite the rain strewn roads. The back of the wheels had spewed the water as it jumped on the small pothole in the road. “Fuck………” the driver muttered as clenched his hands on the steering wheel.

“Tell me sir,” the right thug said.

“Why did you give the phone to that idiot? Okay, you know the place, right? Come quickly, I am waiting for you,” the man said.

“Yes sir,” the thug said and cut the call.

After fifteen minutes, the car had halted in front of the big guest house. There was no security, the driver himself got down and pushed the double gates and again sat on the seat to drive the car inside. The movement of vehicles was almost come down drastically due to heavy rain. Also seldom you could see people walking down in the side roads with an umbrella in their hands. But they were cautious that nobody had seen the kid. The car was parked.

The back door of the Innova was pushed open, as the right thug drew the small girl in his hands and walked at the back side of the house. So that nobody could suspect them. Their sandals were squelched in the grassy wet garden as the rain water filled the path. Kriti was kicking her legs rapidly like the shot bird would flicker its wings in the air. But the left thug had clasped her shank tightly and walked down.

“I didn’t expect the rain will come down like this,” the driver said, as his hands covered his head. The drops of rain water dribbling down his cheeks and back of the neck. He wasn’t such a big fellow like those thugs, instead had a nice paunch and crooked teeth. His upper lip was cleaved slightly.

“There you are, come in fast,” the man in white dhoti and crisp white shirt said. There was a single stripe of sacred ash smeared across his forehead. He was grinning as held the door open for them.

They came in and dropped their sandals behind the door.

“Go up,” the man said, pointing his finger at the stairs. He had gone front.

The right thug stepped up the stairs as stomped his foot like elephantine with heavy thuds. It was wooden made and well-crafted stairs. The other minions followed him cautiously. The driver’s eyes were gazed at the eloquent and exquisite house, and the smell of wall painting was entered into his nostrils. The best photographs of scenery were hung on the walls, it looked like oil paintings.

They stopped behind a door. The man in the white dhoti had rammed his hand on the door lightly. The door was opened immediately and a boy’s head poked out. Guess who was this boy? No, he was the student who had sat behind her in the bus. Kriti’s eyes were stalled and motionless as if she couldn’t believe this was the boy who sat next to her. Her heart thrummed vigorously and she tried to escape from the vicious clutch of the thug, her legs were beating hard like severed goat

.

“Put her down,” the boy said, who wore knee length khaki trousers and yellow T-shirt.

The thug did. Kriti didn’t try to escape but stayed calm and looked at the boy’s face with billowing smoke in her eyes. Her lips curled sullenly. Lump formed in her mouth, as she had seen his face. She didn’t have hesitated for a second and spat on his face.

“You bloody scoundrel, let me go to my house,” she said. Do you believe a nine year old girl had spewed on his face in front of others? You would have wondered even if a twenty year girl had done this. But Kriti didn’t know how she had possessed such courage suddenly.

“You……..” the man said and he slapped across her face. Kriti didn’t wait for a second before her knee rose higher and knocked on his crotch. The man’s hands automatically went to his bulged crotch as his mouth puffed, and his eyes were drawn upward in shock and pain. He felt like his soul had left his body and came back after few seconds. He groaned in uncontrollable pain and knelt down.

The thugs had grabbed her tender hands from each side and squeezed hard as her green veins shown. It was like the wet cloth was squeezed by your mother to dry it. But Kriti didn’t scream at all. They were surprised. They had never seen such a kid in their life.

“What the fu……..” the left thug said and looked at his companion with vague eyes as if he couldn’t believe what was going on now.

They both had released their hands.

“Push her inside the bedroom, then you go,” the boy said as wiped the spit on his face, as stared at Kriti intensely. He entered inside the bedroom and removed the string of his khaki trousers to loosen up.

The left thug pushed her slightly with his left hand, thinking she would be weightless, but she didn’t move an inch. He thought he should give additional force, so he thrust her with a heavy hand this time. No, she was immovable again.

“What happened?” the boy beckoned his hand from inside. He slowly unbuttoned his T-shirt to get ready for the pleasure job.

“No, nothing, give me a second,” the left thug said and gave a look at his companion to jointly push her again.

Oh goodness. She stood like a statute implanted to the ground. Her lips were slightly smiling, but flames were sprouted from her eyes, it was burning hot and humid.

“Damnit. What’s going on there? I said send the girl inside. You useless morons. Get her fast,” the boy said in a top of his voice. The room was shuddered. He was standing with small V-cut of the brief and without wearing anything on the top. His muscles were taunting at the back of his neck. His shoulders were tight and trickling with high blood flow. He was eagerly waiting to finish the job he was yearning for.

They didn’t reply, but ducked their heads.

“Driver come and push her from the back,” the left thug said. He thought multiple forces would help to achieve this immense task.

The driver pushed harder as the left and right thugs were joined him. Nothing improved. The boy was muttering filthy words as he came forward by clenching his fist and lips. The man who was beaten on the crotch had watched them with his chicken eyes and feeling bewildered by this child’s miraculous acts.

“You dumbass………….” The boy charged forward, but this time the child had shown movement. He was relaxed, his fist released suddenly, he had stopped behind the bed again.

The thugs shared a weak and puzzled looks together. Kriti went inside slowly. They stayed behind the door, which was locked by the boy inside. They had heard the rattling noise of the bolt turned on. The thugs had swallowed an orange size lumps down their throats as looked at each other and didn’t share a thought. They would have flown away on seeing the girl’s miraculous ability, but they stayed to know what was going to happen for the boy. They had least expected the money from the boy for kidnapping the girl.

The boy pushed the small girl on the king size bed. It was springy and softer and bouncing upward. The pink pinafore of Kriti was pulled back and her white upper thighs revealed. The boy had licked his lips and his cheeks flicked in and out as he had seen this small girl lying on the bed. He thought he was going to get an easy access to her. But God knew what was going to happen to this morose fellow in a few seconds.

“You look quite charming. You look so gorgeous even in this tender age. I think you would be a pretty queen in your teen age,” the boy said and slowly walked down towards the bed.

Kriti didn’t mutter a word and she looked at him with calm and warm eyes. Her heart didn’t race and the blood flow quite normal as any kid playing in the garden. In fact, it looked like he was going to have a taste of this small girl now.

“Don’t you speak, eh?” the boy said as raised his eyebrows up.

“You have cheated me. I don’t like cheaters,” Kriti said in a firm voice. This voice never belongs to small girls like her.

“What a raspy voice that is,” he said.

The thugs were pressing their ears on the crack of the door to hear what was going on. They could dully hear this interaction.

“My voice is like that only,” Kriti said stubbornly, not stirring in the bed. Only her lips were parting.

“I like your intensity babe, yes, yes…..” he said and smiling and shaking his head came toward the edge of the bed to lie next to her.

“Why did you bring me here?” Kriti asked.

“I will show you now. Then you will ask more,” he said and tried to bring his hand slowly to her face. He felt her lips were too soft to run over his fingers. She knew what he meant, even though she was a kid. These days people were talking about child abuse and rape cases everywhere. One day, she had heard news about such abuse and asked her papa what was ‘rape’ meant. He didn’t tell her, but his mother had told her while she was taking bath that she had to be careful with strangers. But Kriti had never thought the culprit would be sitting just next to her in the school bus. She felt like crying and calling her mother’s name to save her. But she didn’t.

Kriti closed her eyes and swallowed her breath. His hands were in the air, a few inches above her lips, and slowly coming down.

“Tell me when you called them to kidnap me?” she asked.

His hand stopped. His index finger was dangling just close to her soft lips.

“Hah, I had never thought of ………you until you had leaned on my shoulder to hear a song. You remember?” he said and let a small chuckling, his chest heaved up and down. He continued, “Yes, I called them when the bus driver was fighting with the car driver, who almost crashed it into our school bus.”

His index finger was snapped cut as blob of blood streaked down her lips.

The boy screamed with thudding pain as drew his right hand abruptly and held it with his right hand, “You…………” he gave a devastating look at her. His bare chest was smudged with purplish blood. The thugs were jerked back and fell on the floor with gnashing shock.

She sat cross-legged on the bed in a flick of second, and he didn’t even touch her hands on the bed to sit on it. Her legs rolled exclusively with poise of easiness. She spewed the snapped finger into his face which hit in the centre his eyebrows, the dots of blood plastered on his eyelids and middle of his nose.

“If you again try to put a hand on any girls, the punishment would be unimaginable. Mind it,” Kriti said, as shook her small finger in front of him.

His boyish strength sprouted from his beating blood. His left hand curled and his eyes savagely looked at her. He gave a mighty force to punch on her cheeks with his balled fist. But when it had come closer, she clasped his hand with her small fist and heaved up her left leg and punched in the middle of his chest region and whammmmm….His body flew over and tossed on the door with a big thud. His back bones were cracked and snapped with a gnashing sound. His spine almost bent like a hunchback. Insurmountable pain whipped across his chest, his shoulders suddenly dropped down as if he was dead. His heart beat was slamming furiously. The thugs on the other side almost tossed themselves on the stairs.

Kriti slowly walked across the room and stood before him. Her right leg was on his face, jerking it left and right. He was panting heavily like he was going to die in a few seconds if he won’t sip water now. His lips slowly murmured, but nothing came out of it. His words were drowned inside his mouth. His head fell down. The blood was still leaking on his right hand and letting the floor with red marks.

Before she tried to kick him on the crotch, he had lifted his hands up and asked for forgiveness.

“I don’t…..I never…………I never……….” He said with heavy breath and his folded hands were still in the air. He passed his tongue over his dried lips and hushed a small breath through his nostrils. His chest was sunken low again. He couldn’t speak.

Kriti removed her leg from him and took a deep breath. She pulled a tissue paper from the nearest desk and wiped her face and fingers clean now. Then she crushed this paper and tossed it into the dust bin kept behind the door. She jumped and slid the bolt in a shrewd manner and creaked open the door as got out.

The thugs were in queue on either side of the staircase like they were servants of her. Their hands were folded. She gave a polite look and almost giggled at them, on seeing their horror ridden faces.

“Drop me in my house, okay?” she said in a childish voice, as her pony tails swung left and right. She almost jumped on the stairs.

“Okay madam,” the driver said and the minions followed them. They knew what was happened, isn’t? The left thug almost frightened to travel with her due to her unfathomable and ravaging behaviour he had witnessed a few minutes back. His eyes were almost glistened, but the right thug patted on his shoulder and pressed his lips tightly as if to hold his soul in his body firmly.

When they came back, it was darkened but the rain had stopped pouring down. It was noiseless night. The lights were turned off due to mass power cut. They pulled the Innova back to her house.

They drove slowly as Kriti commanded them, sitting in the back as her left leg crossed over her right leg like a king. The thugs were sitting in the front next to the driver. The left thug sat on the lap of the right thug, and his head hit the roof of the car. His brain was almost crushed when the car bumped on the potholes. She chuckled on seeing their fearful faces. It was 8:30pm when they had dropped her in front of her house. They shook their hands to say goodnight. She beckoned her hand at them and smiled. When she entered inside the house, her mother had already started crying as held her both hands on her head. Her father was dialling to police station to lodge a complaint that her daughter was missing.

On seeing Kriti, her mother came running down and hugged her tightly and kissed all over her face, her tears were burning Kriti’s cheeks.

“Baby, where did you go?” her mother asked. Her father had dropped his mobile phone on the TV stand and came near to them. His exhausted face was slightly beaming now.

“I had gone to meet my new friend Sanjana in her house. Due to heavy rain I couldn’t reach home early. Sorry mom for giving so much trouble,” Kriti said. She didn’t want to tell the truth because she knew they weren’t going to believe that she had successfully thrashed them and came back here. Also she knew how her mother would imagine about this story with her fearful mind. No, she was not going to tell the truth to make them unhappy.

“It’s okay…. it’s okay. You are fine, that’s all I need,” her mother said and hugged her again tightly. Her father ruffled her hair and gave a peaceful nod.

*