“She somehow managed to free herself and started to run. One of them kicked her on her stomach and she fell down. She found a broken branch like a stout stick lying near her. She picked it up and started attacking them – so much so that they started bleeding. One of them then threw a big stone at her feet injuring her badly. The others followed. Soon, she was bleeding profusely and fell senseless at a point where the ground was tilted toward the bank of the river and her senseless body started to roll down toward the river.”
Sajjan thought for a moment and ran his memory when he had visited the jungle and few tribes in his quest to know what Rajasaab had tried to do there and if there was any way he could use to reach Rajasaab through one of these tribes. He remembered the head of the tribe there warning him of this patch of the river when they had passed it about the river being infested by crocodiles at this patch and that’s the reason they had to build the wooden bridge there.
He had noted the place mentally to know in case he had to use the location for something in his plan. He had marked the coordinates of this location on his maps of the jungle when he had returned to Sambhalmati from the jungle.
She couldn’t continue, her grief was too much for her to control. She started to weep again.
“You are so good at judo and other fighting skills. Couldn’t you help her? You could have swum across the river and thrashed them away. I’m sure that part of river wouldn’t be more than 50 feet wide.” he said in a grim voice and she continued to weep. It took her few minutes to regain her control.
“I could have done that had it been any other patch of the river. The patch there is infested with crocodiles. Birju and his friends started to follow her senseless body but were too late. Her senseless body reached the bank and a crocodile emerged and quickly grabbed her body and disappeared into the murky water. Birju slapped one of his friends hard saying that she was worth lot of money. One of his friends saw me crying on the other side of the bank and called out pointing at me. I started to run back to our village. They must have known a shorter way to get there. They were standing in my path blocking my way. They were unaware of my defence skills and I managed to stun them and began to run again. I entered to find my village empty. I searched and found one old granny sitting in one of the huts and praying silently. She told me that one more tribal girl had gone missing and the entire tribe was there to support that family and the tribe. I knew that I was in danger and it won’t be long before Birju and his friends arrived at our village. I told the granny of what I had seen and that I was running away from them and going back to the safety of my college campus.”
She stopped for a moment to catch up on her inflated breath.
“The old granny advised me to wear an adivasi dress so as to confuse Birju and make a run for it. I quickly changed into the adivasi saree and collected all my belongings. I hid behind another hut as I saw Birju enter and search our hut. He was telling others that Rana had specific instructions to get me in one piece to him. Looking at a chance I made a run for it and they started chasing me again. They caught me at a pond where I had another fight to save myself. I managed to stun them again and make a run for my freedom and safety. I kept running here and there, slipping, falling and bruising myself to escape from those men. It was dusk when I hit the railway track. I kept hiding and avoiding them till they gave up. Birju said that if I reach the college campus, Rana will take care of me and they returned to the jungle. I was scared, confused and lonely, nowhere to go when I saw a train stop. I clung on to a closed door of the train. That’s when I met you. And you know the rest.”
Sajjan looked at her and got up without saying anything.
“I know it is difficult for you to believe.” she said getting up slowly, “Let’s go back to the outhouse and I will show you the proof that will make you believe in me.”
She didn’t seem to run away now. She looked confident and walked comfortably along with him to the outhouse. Sajjan believed what she had narrated but wanted to see the proof to trust her again. They entered the outhouse and she immediately opened the gathari she had been carrying. She showed him the ID card, her medals, her certificates much to his relief.
‘So this was all about revenge.’ he thought and looked at her – she was normal and behaved normal. He was lost in thoughts and dozed off to sleep.
Next morning, everything was normal; she gave him his tea, served the breakfast. They didn’t exchange a single word and he left for Bhama. She stood at the door watching him go. She knew he believed in her. Yet, he hadn’t spoken a single word since then. He was consistently lost in some thought. She also wondered how could a saint like him know these self-defence tactics and use them to perfection. Saints don’t learn these arts and they don’t hurt people…
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- Prasad Deshpandehttps://storiesandme.com/author/prasad/
- Prasad Deshpandehttps://storiesandme.com/author/prasad/
- Prasad Deshpandehttps://storiesandme.com/author/prasad/
- Prasad Deshpandehttps://storiesandme.com/author/prasad/