River of Blood

The Kemmadi village had no police, and the villagers relied on its head, Param, to resolve their grievances. His father used to be the head of the village before but he succumbed to cardiac arrest two years ago. Upon his demise, the elder son, Param, was appointed as the chief. His wisdom in resolving disputes and management skills made him the first choice for the coveted post. Param's wife Radhe was pregnant. They expected their first child. His brother Varada was a rough and tough guy married to a woman named Madri. In contrast, his other brother, Adhi, was a timid guy; the latter was loved for his innocent demeanour. Overall, the family lived peacefully and was well respected by the villagers. They never shied away from organizing religious events and also to punish those who did wrong. The punishment was stringent enough to make sure such wrong acts wouldn't get repeated. Nobody dared to resort to evil acts. The people of the village lived in harmony to make the life of Param easy.

Radhe and Param spent time together to express the pure love they shared for each other. They had sat on a wooden bench at the backdrop of a glorious star-studded sky. They drank in the elixir of joy offered by nature before breaching the silence.

"I need a girl child," Param argued in a strict voice.

"Why a girl child? Don't you need a boy who will continue your legacy as a village head?" she asked.

"I never had a sister in my life. I have a special respect for women. I will be over the moon if it is a girl child. No problem, even if it is a boy," he said, caressing her baby bump.

"I am blessed to have found you as my soulmate. If at all I shed tears after marrying you, it is only blissful tears. I hope the baby inherits all your good qualities," she said clutching his fingers.

"I see my mother in you. Even she was very calm and composed," his eyes invited tears.

"I think she is blessing us in the disguise of a star in the sky," she pointed the finger up at the sky.

"I have no worries even if I close my eyes now."

Radhe's eyes brimmed with tears. "Why do you talk about death? I want to be with you even after a hundred years."

"I was just kidding," he stroked her hair.

He rummaged in his pocket for a photo that featured his parents.

"We need to live like our parents who lived through thick and thin in unity."

On a Thursday morning, an ominous wind hooted mournfully as if to express its pain. Clouds weaved together to camouflage the blue sky. One of the old dogs resorted to howling, indicating a bad omen. A schoolboy pelted a stone at the dog, and the latter whimpered before running away. The day looked like a night thanks to the meandering clouds. Radhe had a Satwik food but something terrible was cooking in her tummy. She had taken extra precautions to ensure the baby came out of her womb healthy, but it looked like all her efforts went down the drain. Some evil eye had cast a spell on her. She clutched her stomach and fell unable to endure the searing pain that threatened to explode her tummy. Immediately, the other members of the family materialized near her. They couldn't fathom what just went wrong. They couldn't see her writhing in pain. Param immediately had the doctor visit his house. Unfortunately, Radhe lived no more by then. The blood had spilled out of her mouth and her soul had already departed the body that was now deemed dead. The doctor confirmed the presence of poison in her food which raised the eyebrows. Param, who was expecting his first child, felt numb at his feet. Others shed tears reflecting their pain and anguish. How did her food turn poisoned? Who did this? A multiple unanswered questions hung in Param's mind. There was no other option but to attend the village festival the next night. It was his duty to attend the temple and also to light Diya on the river bed which was the tradition followed since time immemorial. He cremated her body the same night along with the presence of his family members who too looked inconsolable. He gazed at the smouldering flames that rose in the sky, creating an outline of a baby. He reminisced about the beautiful conversations he had with his wife; he couldn't comprehend the fact that she would no longer be with him for the rest of his life. With a heavy heart, he went back to his house to make the necessary preparations to ensure the village festival went smoothly. He also vowed to avenge her death which he considered as a murder.

The preparations for the Kemmadi village festival went in full swing. Villagers who were oblivious to the demise of the village head's wife got themselves readied to attend the biggest event of the year. Women dressed in sarees represented Shakti while the men with dhotis resembled Shiva. Param, having lost his Shakti, put on a stoic face to conceal his pain. He strode towards the temple and entered it's premises. He folded his hands in namaste before doing a Pooja to the God. Temple bells rang, drums awakened to life and the air of divinity hovered around the temple. Small children asked the elders a plethora of questions as to why God was being worshipped. Some elders asked them to remain silent whereas some others went about answering them. After carrying out the rituals, Param walked straight to the edge of the river. Multiple large boats were pushed towards the river. Many got into the boats with diya in their hands. The fire of light dispelled the darkness and the panoramic view was indeed a sight for the sore eyes. A pontiff went on a mantra-churning spree before everybody left the Diya on the surface of the river. Multiple Diyas rippled across the surface of the river to enlighten the atmosphere. Some evil force was hidden beneath the cloak of the river. Out of nowhere, the village head, Param, received a blow from behind, and he blacked out in a jiffy. In an unexpected turn of events, the villagers slipped into anxious mode. Just like multiple foams pop up on the surface of the tea, a plethora of men armed with swords popped up on the surface of the river. Pandemonium erupted and the villagers lost balance in the boat. The armed men went on a killing spree to render a macabre scene. Without any remorse, they went on swinging the sword at the innocent villagers who succumbed to the injuries. Soon, the situation spiralled out of control, and the blood of villagers mixed with the river to cut a gory scene. The village festival had dissolved into a death dance.

"River of Blood," one of the armed men laughed hysterically.

Nobody had predicted this coming. Some of the villagers escaped the mayhem and they ran away to save their lives. Soon the river bed had turned into a death bed. The blood-soaked river cradled the dead bodies. The ecstatic atmosphere had devolved into a miserable environment. All the armed men assembled on a large boat surrounding Param and his timid brother Adhi.

"Please don't harm me," Adhi had tears welled up in his eyes.

Param slowly regained his consciousness and was appalled to see the blood of the river. He looked helpless since his limbs were tied in ropes.

"Why did you kill the innocent villagers? Who in the hell are you?" he roared with his emotions a mixture of pain and anger.

One of the armed men, pushed the timid Adhi whose eyes encompassed in fear begged for protection.

"Don't do anything to him? He is innocent," Param pleaded.

They dragged Adhi behind Param, and the latter received a painful kick from behind. He was astonished to see the evil laughter on the face of Adhi. He couldn't comprehend what was going on.

"Cunning, Cunning, Yes Papa,

Innocent, Innocent, No Papa,

Telling lies, Yes Papa,

Open your mouth in shock, Ha Ha Ha,"

"What do you mean?" Param looked perplexed.

The camouflage was finally removed and the true colours emanated out. Param saw the silhouette of his brother looming large.

"I just joined your family on the pretext of being a timid guy who desperately needed help," Adhi slipped into a deadly laughter that echoed across the river.

"How dare you backstab me?"

"I not only backstabbed you, my elder brother. I am also the same guy who poisoned your wife's food thereby killing two birds in one stone," he laughed.

"You bastard," Param fumed unable to free himself from the clutches of the rope.

"Calm down, Calm down! Have some patience, or else I will shoot a bullet right between your eyes," he said, gritting his teeth.

"What wrong did we do to you? Why did you kill my innocent wife? What did the villagers do to you?"

"I know it's hard to reconcile with the bitter reality. Are you curious to know the answers to your agitating questions? There you go. It's time to take you down memory lane," Adhi looked up at the sky to slip into a flashback.

A year and a half ago:

Bhaskar visited Kemmadi village and went in awe looking at the luxury offered to the Goddess at the temple. He stitched a plan to rob the jewelleries adorning the idol. One night, when the villagers had slipped into a slumber, he wore a mask and trespassed the temple premises. Using the duplicate key, he opened the door of the temple and robbed the jewelleries without any second thought. Unfortunately, his luck ran out since the pontiff happened to pass by the temple at the same time.

"Thief, Thief..." the pontiff started shouting.

Bhasker lost his cool and bludgeoned the pontiff to death. The alerted villagers flocked to the temple and managed to catch hold of the thief, who was on the verge of completing a successful heist. The head of the village, Param, who had been an ardent devotee of the Goddess, deemed this to be a blatant disregard for the Goddess. He gave him a few lashes, and the other villagers, too, joined the act. Eventually, he was kicked out of the village and the entire incident had a devastating impact on his mental health. He became a mentally abnormal person upon reaching back his village. His brother Adhi couldn't see him in an abnormal state. Gripped by anger, he vowed to take revenge against the village and Param. He came to the Kemmadi village and orchestrated a plot wherein he would be beaten up by goons mercilessly. Adhi acted as if he was an abandoned soul who didn't know where to go. He acted as a timid person to earn the sympathy of the village head, who gave him a place in his family. He couldn't grapple with the happiness and peace with which Param's family lived. Some of his plans failed to execute which further irked him to the core. Eventually, he managed to evade the vigil eyes and poisoned Radhe's food. Then orchestrated a perfect plot to take revenge against the villagers.

Present:

"I deserve an Oscar award for my acting. Don't I?" Adhi asked.

"You deserve to be hanged by a tree," Pat came the reply from Param.

"I am here to curb your ego," he slapped Param inviting blood to form at the end of his lips.

"My revenge is not done yet. I want my brother Bhasker to shoot you. That would be a fairy tale ending. Isn't it?"

"You will rot in hell," Param widened his eyes.

"Let us now make you rot in hell."

Adhi's men dragged him into a van which disappeared into the darkness of night. They appeared at a deserted house adorned with cobwebs and broken walls. The eerie sounds facilitated the domination of evil spirits. Bhasker looked at Param and recoiled in terror.

"Don't worry, brother! You are going to be the one who is going to finish the one who played with your mind," Adhi gave a revolver to his brother. "Shoot him."

Bhasker gazed at the revolver, injecting fear into his hands that trembled. Adhi gave a punch to the gut of Param.

"Look at your enemy! He is in a pathetic condition. He can't harm you anymore. Shoot him. End this chapter once and for all. Kemmadi village is mine now. I will resuscitate it in a way I want," he roared in anger.

"Do not coerce him to kill me," Param received a kick on hit gut again for allowing the words to spew out.

Bhasker's body began to perspire and his heart throbbed in trepidation. His hands continued to shake unable to firmly grasp the revolver.

"Shoot him. Shoot him..." Words buzzed in his ears.

He floundered, squeezing a hail of bullets that infiltrated the heart of his brother, gushing the blood out. Inadvertently, his shaking hands had targeted his brother rather than Param. The other guy lost his patience upon seeing the motionless body of his leader. With one swing, he killed Bhasker. At the same time, Param's brother Varada and other villagers thronged to the spot and set fire to the deserted house. Varada, protected by the fire-resistant suit, navigated into the house. He asked his brother to don the fire-resistant suit before they escaped from the wrath of the inferno. Adhi's henchmen got trapped by the inferno and got themselves burnt to ashes. A deadly punishment for the sin they created at the holy river. The villagers were happy to see their chief return unscathed. They hailed him wholeheartedly. Varada was felicitated for his timely aid that saved Param from potential death. The villagers lived peacefully thereafter.