SHE

  

[I]

Blow hot

 

The hermitage.

      A hermitage is situated, in a corner of the village, on the shore of a vast paddy field. The only way to the hermitage is a small and narrow ridge passing through the paddy field. It was a good evening and the sage, wearing white cloth, was preparing to go to the temple for evening worship.

The sage.

     The sage originally belonged to the city, far away from the village. He left the town some thirty years ago when he was about forty years old. During his wanderings he came to this village, which is famous for its Karthiayani temple, purchased this land of four acres and settled here in a small tiled roof house. After a few years, he got a tank of about one thousand square feet dug in the compound, for agricultural purposes, bathing, washing etc. And later he constructed another small house for his servant to stay there for doing the work in the kitchen etc. All in a line, fifty meters apart. When married, the servant girl changed her residence to this new house, with her husband, who is now working in the farm attached to the hermitage. She delivered a girl some seventeen years ago.

     

Enters the womanizer

     Two young men appeared at the gate. One has long hair and a beard. The other, with a thin mustache, was handsome. Both are about thirty years old and appeared to be twins.

The boys entered the gate and stood before the steps.

     “My name is Mohan”, the handsome boy said: “This is my friend Manu. We are coming from the city. Can you recognize us, swamiji?”

     Wrinkles appeared on the forehead of the sage. After a few seconds his face brightened up when he remembered the good old days, he was working in the city. There was a beautiful young woman in his office, as his assistant, a married woman with a child. Her husband, Doctor Banerji, was working in the USA and he used to come to the native country only once in four years. The woman got pregnant again, when the first child was about one year old and her husband was away from the country for more than two years. The sage could see some resemblance of his colleague’s face with the face of the boy.

     “Is Dr. Banerji doing well?”, he asked.

“He is already gone, swamiji”, Mohan replied.

     “Oh, sorry. I didn’t know!”, the sage said: “Anyhow, you have come in an auspicious day. It is the Karthika day in our temple. Take a bath in that pool and be ready. I will wait for you.”

     The four acres of land, now a wide farm, was lively and green with all sorts of trees, plants, birds and butterflies. One man was working under a coconut tree.

The tank.

     The stone steps appeared to be going down, dividing the well-grown creepers into both sides. On the last step, above the water, was standing a girl of about seventeen years. Her golden body got shined in the evening sun, like a golden idol. He could not resist the temptation and remained on the same spot watching her. The girl is now swimming in the water in circles and during the swimming, she spotted the strange onlooker accidently. She did not expect a visitor then and there, and hence got embarrassed. She dived deep and came out of the water, near the step, and covered her body with a cloth in perplexity. Mohan moved away unwillingly. Within a few minutes the girl appeared wearing her dress and ran away to the servant’s quarters.

     When they were returning to the hermitage after bath, the girl came from opposite side with an empty milk can in her hand. She looked at the boys in astonishment and perplexity. Mohan’s eyes followed her. She also looked back once.

The temple.

     When they, the sage and the two youngsters, reached the temple, the ceremony of lamps had already started and a hundred lamps were burning with steady flames. The stone doors of the sanctum sanctorum remained closed. A group of villagers, mostly women and children, were present there to witness the holy moment.

     When the doors opened, idol of the deity shined in the back ground of a lamp with many wicks, moving in a circles, accompanied by the ringing of many bells.

Taking the figure of the Goddess to the sanctum sanctorum of his mind, the sage closed his eyes in meditation. Manu also stood there as in a trance. Mohan was looking for the girl all the time, but could not see her. But when they were returning to the hermitage, they met her on the way. She was coming to the temple with her mother. Mohan presented a smile which she acknowledged silently.

     On the third day, Manu returned to the city.

The rendezvous.

     Though the sage and the servant treated him well, Mohan could not enjoy the solitude of the hermitage. But two reasons encouraged him to continue the stay. First is his interest in the property of the hermitage. Though he could not easily prove it, he believed that the sage was his father. And the second is that he had an eye on the girl. She worked there in day time with her mother.

As his mother had expelled him from the house, disliking the ways of his life, Mohan wanted to find out some source of income or some wealth with his own efforts. It is then he remembered the story of his birth and decided to make an attempt. The vast farm has attracted him, with its money value. On the first sight itself he knew that it was here in this hermitage where treasures of money and woman awaits him.

     “I have not disclosed it, swamiji”, Mohan said to the sage: “I have come here with a purpose”.

     “Tell me. What’s it?” the sage asked.

     “I knew from my childhood that I am an orphan. Manu is the son of the woman who fostered me. She was a divorced woman but treated me as her son and I called her ‘mother’. She died a few months ago due to cancer. Then I started my journey in search of my roots. Please do not reject me!”

     “I don’t understand”, the sage said.

     “When I was studying in the High School, some neighbour told me, my story. It was like this. My mother got pregnant from somebody other than her husband. Then you were working with her and when the news of her pregnancy broke out, you disappeared from the office and also from the city. It caused some suspicions about you, but my mother never denounced you. It was Manu’s enquiry which revealed the truth. It took some time and effort to locate you.” Mohan said.

     “Oh! Me!” the hermit laughed and walked away

     Mohan spent three more months in the hermitage. There was no improvement in his attempt to establish his claim. But there was progress in making friends with the girl. Step by step, he attracted her towards him.

     It was a dark night and the time about 10 PM. Mohan approached the servant’s quarters stealthily and knocked on the backdoor. After one or two minutes, the door opened without making any sound.... This repeated on almost all nights and might have continued for ever. But on one day the girl disclosed that her menses stopped. Mohan disappeared from the hermitage on the next day morning.

 

[II]

Blow cold

     

The villain returns.

     Mohan was missing for thirty one years, when in a fine morning he came back as a middle aged and tired man.

     Ravi was not there. He had gone to some distant place for official purposes.

     Mother received him in embarrassment. Even though she disliked him for the harm done to her, she in her inner mind liked him, as he was the first and the last man in her life.

     In the night, without any shame, he wanted to sleep with her, pretending as nothing had happened. But she did not obey, as she feared the possibility of another pregnancy. She is only forty eight.

She slept in her room, giving a mat to him to sleep in the veranda. But after a few hours, when she was in deep sleep, he stealthily entered the room and raped her.... When he fell into a deep sleep, then and there, enjoying the after effect of a rape..., she slowly rose from the bed, sat near him and took a knife which was kept under the pillow and cut his….

     She was in prison for some time.