When sudakshina entered the queen’s chamber she was sitting on her favourite seat, a throne placed right beside the window, from which she could view the mountains spread around her small kingdom. Their icy peaks touching the crystal clear blue sky. Sometimes as clear as a blue mirror and sometimes covered with dark clouds or fleeting white fluffy clouds.
She turned her face at her footsteps; she was wearing an expression lingering in between annoyance and irony.
“Come here su, I have to show you something funny.” She called her.
“Sit down, it will take a while.” She said.
She was holding her magic globe in front of her. There was a scene, a boy and a girl sitting side by side. The girl was innocent and fully in love with the boy. But too modest and shy to be coquettish. The boy was absolutely bored with her. He left her and went for a coquette, who wanted good time.
Next she showed her another scene, in this a decent girl was married to a boy and he abused her to no end. He starved her and her children and showered the money on notch girls.
She showed her at least a dozen such scenes, all had only one story to say, human beings have forgotten to love decent human beings. They run after false jewelry leaving behind the gold ones, because false jewelries look more glitzy.
“They are so pathetic, are not they? These human beings?” Queen Indulekha pouted. A rosy tint touched her golden cheeks and then a star twinkled in each of her doe eyes.
“Shall we have some fun with them?” she giggled.
Sudakshina sat down at her feet with an eager expression on her face.
Fairy kingdom was a little boring sometimes, every one being good, perfectly saintly. So they often roamed among human beings in disguise to see them “do funny things”, that was Indulekha’s words.
“Call all the fairies; let’s play a game with human beings for a while. May be for a century or so…. let’s see if they become wiser or stay just like this.” Indulekha said.
Soon all the sahacharis of Indulekha crowded in her room. Their pretty faces pinkish with excitement. They dispersed after a few hours.
Scene 1:
Upasana has loved Rajeshwar for years, for in vain, Rajeshwar wanted someone glamorous in his life whereas Upasana was pretty but very sober girl. So Rajeshwar kept looking for his dream-mate while Upasana waited for him patiently.
He was walking down the road when a woman passed by him. She was awesome, brimming with seductiveness. He tried to draw her attention but she preferred playing coy. Noticing yet not noticing him she went her way, giving him enough bread crumbs to follow her home. He gawked when she entered Upasana’s home.
He stood outside for a while, thinking she will come out with Upasana and he will have a chance to meet her. But she did not, so he went inside preparing himself to give excuse for his visit.
He was met by Upasana and he realized that he has followed her home. She has transformed overnight. He sat there gawking at her for a while.
“You are looking gorgeous!” he said.
“Thanks!” she smiled coyly. “Everyone says so, Mohit, Somesh, Jayanta, Rajnish……” she chanted a huge list.
“Who are these men? I never heard their names before.” He asked jealously.
“Thanks sweetheart. Its because of you that I have realized this wonderful side of life. You kept on telling me that I am dull, boring so I thought may be I should try to become like the women you fancy. Now I have a lot of male friends and they all are crazy for
She got up and picked up her stylish purse from the side table. “Bye sweetheart. I will ask the maid to give you a cup of tea and some thing to eat.”
She waddled to the door, turned and blew him a kiss, “See you some times.” Then went out of the door, closing it behind her.
She had to share the stories with her friends in the fairy kingdom.
Scene 2:
It was well past midnight. He came home after spending some hours with Susie after office. His head was light, steps very unsteady.
He banged the door, it opened, almost making him fall.
He entered inside and shouted “Where are you? You lazy, good for nothing woman, how could you leave the door open at middle of the night?”
His shout went unanswered. He started to search for her in every room. Determined to give her a piece of mind when he met her. She was no where.
To add up, there was no food in the kitchen or dining table. Not only her, the children too have vanished.
He dragged his tired feet to the bed and fell asleep, too inebriated to think about any thing.
He woke up in the morning. Slowly the memories of previous night came to him. He got up and started to look around. She still was not there.
All her belongings have vanished. He saw an envelope lying on the dining table.
“Dear hubby,
I have been doing a lot of soul searching since last seven years, ever since the first day you came home drunk and touched my body without love.
I talked with your colleagues, friends, Susie and all the women you love. I have decided that its not possible for me to bring up the children with the meager amount you dole out to us.
So I have placed them in a boarding school and have rented the house right beside Susie.
Don’t try to do some thing undesirable because my guards are very efficient and two ferocious hounds sleep at my bed room floor or outside its door, depending on whether I am alone inside or not.
Once your wife,
Daya”
Scene 3:
She came home in an evil mood. It’s been four days since she has been asking that dumb man to buy her a few new dresses. But it seems he is trying to become too economical.
She trapped him and married him only because of money. Because of the luxuries which her parents could never provide her. She even lied to him that she was carrying his child, actually she was carrying a child but it was not his, it was his best friend Suman’s. They still meet every day after that idiot leaves for work.
They have two kids, the idiot thinks both of them are his and dotes after them. They too dote after him and as a result they have become her weapon to control him.
Whenever he shows slightest indications of disobedience she spends the day hitting them in rotation, at the minimum excuses. Her in laws inform him when he comes back and her wish is immediately granted to appease her.
She started to look for them; they were sitting in the attic, playing with toys.
“How dare you litter toys like this?” she screamed in her shrill voice. “You little devils.”
She grabbed a handful of hair of the girl, and then something happened.
The tiny three year old girl twisted her head in an impossible angle and bit her. She felt a horrible pain and saw ten holes in her wrist, blood dripping from them slowly, and gathering up speed. She ran downstairs screaming.
“Juhi bit you?” was Suman’s first question. “I have told you a million times to not hit the babies, it’s a sin.”
“That little girl can’t bite you like this; these are marks of animal bite.” He was looking at her weirdly.
“Okay lets see if she has all of a sudden mutated into a monster of some kind.” He pulled her up to take her to home.
The kids were still playing in the attic. Juhi ran to her when she saw her. She sprang behind Suman.
“Mama!!” Juhi hugged Suman’s legs, showing him her baby teeth. Dazzling like small pearls, all of them were not yet in place properly.
Scene 4:
She was waiting for him in the park. He saw her sitting there. Wearing a baby pink dress, looking like an angel.
A sad angel.
“Mohit, my parents have fixed my marriage.” She said sadly. “I have told you in the very beginning that I can’t do any thing against their wishes.”
“But you told me just last week that you want to marry me next month.” He stammered.
He has bought a small house in her name just a week ago, a diamond ring and a huge amount of jewelries and gifts. He has showered money like rain on her for past five years. She has promised him again and again that she was his.
“You know dad is heart patient, he never told me that he has fixed my marriage in childhood.” She said. “That boy is back to the town and his parents want immediate marriage.”
“Dad told me all this last night.” She sniffed, “How will I accept anyone else as my husband?”
“I will have to leave now, please forget me and marry someone else.” She walked away from him, leaving him stunned and silent.
“She is not least sad. She is having the time of her life at your expense.” His sister said.
“Just ask any of her friends and they will tell you the gusto with which she is showing off that house and jewelries you bought for her, telling every one that her father bought them for her. Her dowry.”
The house was decked with flowers. The groom was yet to arrive. She was waiting decked up in a crimson sari and jewelries of flower and gold.
A letter arrived for her from her groom. She read it with a coy smile and fainted.
“Dear jezebel,
I was about to get trapped by you. I should say you know how to spin a web.
A little bird left me a mail this morning with all the evidence of how you have squeezed Mohit dry during last five years.
I must have done something good in my last birth that is why I was spared from you.
I am marrying but not you, Mohit’s sister. If you want you can attend the marriage from my side. The venue is very close to yours.
See you later sometimes,
Anant.”
The village:
A rosy dusk was settling on the village. It was an absolute image of peace and calm.
Small houses were lined in neat rows; each house had a small garden around it.
Children were playing in the parks and adults were busy in their own life.
“They look so happy with their kindred souls, don’t they Su?” Indulekha asked Sudakshina. They both were sitting in her chamber with the globe in front of them.
“Let’s see what the leftovers do with their kindred souls.” Sudakshina giggled.
The fairy brigade has been on action in the town for last few months. Whenever they find out an abused person they bring him or her over to this village and erase their past memories. They are replaced by a fairy in the town and he or she leaves the town after teaching the abuser a lesson of lifetime.
“Let’s bet, whether or not the leftovers will learn to respect good things.” Indulekha giggled at Sudakshina.
(the end)
Glossary: Sahachari-paid companions/ maids /friends, mama : mother's brother.
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