40
KIDNAPED
[I as avatar won’t come only as a warrior. By this time the earth will be filled with people who will be unable to understand logical conversations. They will be too slow-minded and dull-witted, not capable of being taught much, especially in the way of high philosophy regarding the purpose of life. They will not know what they need to do or how to live. And they certainly will be unable to change their ways. Therefore, the avatar does not come as a worrier, but a friend and philosopher and the avatar will turn humans again into humans.]
In the cold night, we run for half an hour and reach my teacher’s hut. My teacher opens the door when I knock the third time. I find two arrows pointed at us as the hut door opens wide.
“Sorry,” Tarun lowers his bow, “we have mistaken you as a raid.”
I exhaled. Luckily they haven’t shot us in darkness. My teacher has a lantern in his hand when he opens the door and its faint light was enough for them to see our faces.
“What are you doing here at late night?” Teena put back the arrow in the quiver, “Come in.”
“We have to go,” I say, “my people have kidnapped Daxa as they think her rebel.”
“But why Daxa?” Tarun asks.
“They have planned to kidnap all trainees. They have just started with her.”
“It’s so bad,” my teacher says. He hangs the lantern to the pole.
“Worse than you can think,” my father says, “Bhadra and other sweepers have kidnapped her.”
“Those drunkards...” My teacher is shocked, “we have to do hurry.”
Teena, Tarun, and my teacher take weapons. Pavan and Rakesh were also there. All seven run in the middle of the night, on the streets, dotted with huts. Sometimes, on the streets in some huts, I can see lanterns burning but most of the huts have their lanterns off.
In an hour we pass the hut area and we are in a semi-desert area. We head to the station. My father and I know they must have taken Daxa somewhere near the station building because of this drunkard sweeper Bhadra has a homestead near the station building.
We reach the homestead of Bhadra when the stars have started to disappear from the sky.
The homestead is a vast area with a wooden building. Bhadra is the only lucky man to have a wooden house instead of a hut. He is the man who mostly buys fish from Padhma.
We enter inside from where is the fence weak around the farmhouse. We hide behind the wooden house and see Daxa tied with a wooden pole and more than twenty of my people standing around her. Bhadra is among them as their leader.
For Bhadra and his troop, we appear out of nowhere, rising from the ground. And we walk towards them with steady steps. In our hands, we have bows, arrows aimed at them. The nasty-looking curved swords at our waistband.
Then my eyes meet with Daxa, her face is covered in blood and her hair is fallen and clung to the blood at her forehead. But as our eyes meet I see a sparkle of hope in there.
The other people notice us right after Bhadra did, and soon everyone has stopped to look at Daxa and there are looking us – marching towards them.
Bhadra takes a step forward. I can’t understand what he wants to do but I’m sure there is something in his mind.
“If you take one more step my men will kill her.” He says and next moment we see both sides of Daxa my people appearing. One of them had an agriculture knife in his hand. He put it on Daxa’s neck.
And then we notice they all have weapons – sticks, spades, axes, and another agriculture tools.
They all raise their weapon but I see the fear in their eyes – fear of bows and arrow in our hand. Fear of two fearless standing with us. My people are always fearful and in life the first time it’s beneficial to us.
“Bhadra?” my teacher starts communication. Actually, we aren’t here with the intention to fight. We don’t want to kill our people. We are here to solve the conflict with talk as we do always. If in the wall we have any conflict among Sunyas we call a gathering where people make discussion and solve the issue.
Bhadra looks at my teacher as he speaks his name. I see him. his eyes rage with madness. His clothes are filthy. His chest is heaving with deep, sucking breath. He looks like a wolf of forest searching someone to bite.
“What’s ---”
My teacher tries to say something but he cuts him off, “shut up.” Bhadra screams, spittle flying everywhere, “shut up you fool scholar.”
I watch him, speechless.
“Why you have kidnapped that small girl?” my teacher doesn’t fear him.
Bhadra smashes the stick in his hand on the ground and yells, “She isn’t a small girl. She is a rebel. You all are rebels and you know this. You have taught them all this.”
“We are doing it for us all.” My teacher tries to make him calm.
“I said shut up.” He yells, “They will kill you. The Devatas will kill you all – and with you, all in the wall have to suffer the pain.”
“We’ll fight back,” my teacher says, “believe me Bhadra it’s the only way to save ourselves from the slavery.”
Bhadra doesn’t speak for a while and complete silence fills the area as if the world has been frozen, and everyone standing there stared at Bhadra and my teacher. I’m standing, stunned, waiting for the conversation to start again.
Bhadra finally breaks the spell, throwing his stick on the ground, “that’s foolish.” His face becomes angrier, “we’re living a happy life then why you bring us this.”
“What?” my teacher asks.
“Two fearless in the wall,” he shouts, “I know you they have stolen a moving machine and some weapons from beyond the wall and he is training these kids whom we think you were teaching lessons of moral but you were teaching them how to read and write.”
“And what’s wrong with this?” my teacher asks.
“What’s wrong?” his voice grows loud, “you are asking me what’s wrong? Haven’t you forgotten what they have done to Ratan and his family for stealing books and trying to teach kids?”
“How can I forget?” my teacher steps ahead, “he and his family sacrificed their lives to change the fate of our people.”
“No one can change our fate,” he says, “we are living since 500 years as their slave and we are happy. We don’t need freedom if it comes after losing everything we hold dear.”
“Nothing will happen,” my teacher says, “I guarantee you.”
“How can you Jagmal?” he says, “haven’t you heard that after Pralaya the people have rebelled against the creator? They were our forefathers and that’s why we are suffering till today as the punishment.”
“This time it’s different,” my teachers says, “this time half of fearless and some Devatas are with us.”
“What if they won’t be with us till the end?”
“They’ll.” My teacher says, “Now let her go.”
“I can’t.” he says, “I’ve to stop these kids. I can’t allow them to ruin the lives of everyone in the wall.”
“Then you should call a gathering,” my teacher says, “This isn’t a way to discuss or to take a decision about any issue.”
“I know,” he says, “but people aren’t ready to have Gathering on a call of a drunkard.”
“I’ll call a gathering tomorrow,” my teacher says, “If you need a gathering there will be one.”
Bhadra doesn’t answer.
“Now let her go,” my teacher says, “you’ve my words – tomorrow will be a gathering.”
“I’ll have right to speak in it.”
“Yes, you’ll have if you come without drinking and keep control of your language.”
Then the tension there is palpable. I feel the air has become glass that could shatter at any moment. Both Bhadra and my teacher are staring at each other.
But they finally break their stare; the first one to break eye contact is Bhadra. He says, “I’ll come without drinking but I can’t be sure about my language if anyone makes me angry.”
“No one will,” My teacher says, “if you won’t be drunk no one will speak about your habit and no issue will rise.”
“You can take her,” Bhadra says, “I’ve done no harm to her except I’d to do while kidnap her but remember if there won’t be a gathering tomorrow next time I won’t be so kind.”
“You should trust people,” my teacher says, “A scholar never eats his words.”
“I hope so.” He says and heads towards the wooden building, all his troop following him.
I untie knots of the yard and free Daxa from the pole.
Before we leave Bhadra’s homestead I see him inside the wooden building. He turned and goes inside, slamming the door shut behind him.
***
to be continue...
