ESCAPE PLAN
[Religion, truthfulness, cleanliness, tolerance, mercy, duration of life, physical strength and memory will all diminish day by day because of the powerful influence of the age of Kali.] -Srimad Bhagavatam 12.2.1
PADMA:
I follow him out the building. In the daylight, I am seeing the building for the first time. It’s half-ruined, half-repaired. Still, some windows are missing and the upper quarter of the building is broken. It’s a multi-stored so we haven’t noticed it from inside.
What would I say him that would save our lives? I think and with it, fear comes rushing into my mind, like a river that’s broken a dam.
The daylight and the trees outside make me feel like in the wall and the surrounding ruined area reminds me of the last building where I’ve lost everything. I feel a thin curtain of water ever my eyes. I shake the fear and emotion, recalling my father’s words: this is Kaliyuga and survival is uncertain. This applies me now; I know we have a mouse’s chance of survival in this city.
I feel like a hunted, craven animal, which is exactly the folk inside the building is seeing me and other teenagers.
I follow him till he stops near a tree. I hear water running in the branch of the
“Sit on this chair,” he points at a chair made of wood, under a tree. It is strange for me we have no such trees inside the wall.
I do as he says.
He takes a seat on another chair, closer to me, and then he leans forward, his eyes watching me.
“Tell me what do you know about the avatar?”
“Okay,” I say without hesitation, “I think you have heard about the rebellion in the wall.”
“Yes,” he scoots his chair a little closer to me, “I’ve.”
I take a deep breath, “what do you think why people start rebellion after 500 years of Pralaya?”
“I don’t know.” He says but I know he is lying.
“You don’t look so stupid,” I say, “now tell me you know this.”
“I know, perhaps they have found out about the avatar.”
“Now you speak smart,” I say. I don’t know why but I feel my throat tight with the fear, “half of the Nirbhayas are with the avatar.” I lie, “don’t you think you should be with him?”
“I should be but what if people have some misunderstanding?” he asks, searching my face for what I don’t know, “what if the boy isn’t an avatar?”
“How do you know the avatar is a boy?” I ask, surprised.
“I’m not as stupid as you think.” He smiles, you use him for the avatar.”
I smile back, “you really are smart but if you kill us it will be the most stupid thing you have ever done in your life.”
“How?”
“I know who the avatar is and if you release all the teenagers inside the building, I’ll come with you where ever you say.” I force myself to swallow, feeling my throat is burning with thrust, “you can get a big reward if you hand me to the creator and I say him who is the avatar.”
“Speaking of points,” he says, “I don’t think you will reveal the name of the avatar.”
“Yeah,” I say, “I won’t until you help these teenagers… I mean until I’m sure these kids safe.”
“Yeah,” he says, “and where I should send them?” I laugh, “where is safe for them?”
“In the wall,” I say.
“If there is rebellion, no one is safe in the wall.” his voice grows serious, “they will kill almost half of the people in the wall as punishment.”
“Yes, I know,” I say, “that’s why I’ll reveal the name of the avatar.” I go on it, “once the creator will know people have rebel due to a boy whom they believe avatar, the creator will kill only that boy to show people no avatar is greater than him and there will be no need of any other punishment.”
“How can you say that?”
“What do you think, why the creator gives punishment?”
“To establish order again,”
“No,” I say, “he gives punishment so people fear to do it again. Fear is the thing that eats hope. Once there is no hope there is no rebellion. And in this rebellion, the avatar is the hope, once avatar is gone the hope is gone.”
“You haven’t answered my question,” he says, “if the boy isn’t the avatar?”
“It doesn’t make any difference.” I say, “the creator need some show he doesn’t care the boy is an avatar or not.”
I see the expression on his face changing for a second but I can’t gather what I’ve seen.
He leans back in his chair, looks up at the three and says, “Do you know why we grow trees?”
“I know,” I say, “because they tell you to do so.”
“No, you have heard wrong.” He folds his arms and looks at me, “we grow trees in remembrance of our gone children,” I see a flash of dejection on his face, “each year the creator snatches away one hundred children from the fold and we don’t know what he does with them.” His eyes are low spirit now, “these trees are commemorations of our lost children. Last year we have lost thirteen children. The other children were of other cities.”
Pain gathers into a knot in my chest and burns it. What I hear makes me hate the creator more than I do.
“Sometimes those children come in my dream and I come out of the building and sit under these trees. Trees give me their feelings and I get the strength to live.” He says, “That’s why there are three chairs, one for me and two for my children.”
“Didn’t they snatch your children?” I ask.
“They would have if I haven’t hide them until they grow fourteen.” He says, “They mostly take children of under twelve.”
“Why?”
“We don’t know.” He sighs and suddenly asks, “What is your name?”
I’m surprised by the question.
“Padhma is my name,” I say.
“Nice name,” he says, “Okay Padhma, what if the boy is a real avatar?”
“Still he has to die,” I say, I wish I should die before saying that because I know who the avatar is.
“So you are ready to reveal his name to save 35 teenagers?” he asks, “don’t you think a war needs more than that?”
“I know,” I say, “but you just said they will kill half of the people inside the wall as the punishment of the rebellion.” My voice mixed with tears, “one is better than half of the people inside the wall.”
“Good decision but what if I have a different plan?” he says and smiles.
“What plan?” I ask.
“I need some answers to explain you this plan.” He demands.
“Okay, I’m ready.”
Bhupathi eyes me for a moment, “why this age is known as Kaliyuga?”
“Because the creator himself is an incarnation of the Kaliyuga and his rule is Kaliyuga,” I say.
“Again you have heard wrong,” he says, “this age is Kaliyuga because the people in this age believe in darkness more than they believe in bright.”
“I can’t understand,” I say.
“Okay,” he says, “you must have heard the folk is good people and they are kind. The creator is forcing them to live in dangerous cities etc.”
“Yes.” I nod.
“But what did you see today?” he says, “Haven’t you see my people are becoming loyal to the creator. They are going towards the darkness and leaving the bright behind.”
I nod.
“Once they hate the creator but by time, they are going towards him and one day they will be like Nirbhayas, merciless killers.” He goes on it, “do you know Devbhasha?”
“Not more than a word,” I say, “I know the meaning of my name Padhma – it means lotus.”
“And the meaning of the Kaliyuga?”
“No,” I shake my head.
“Kaliyuga means the age of darkness,” he says, “my people are in the first step of the darkness, when they will reach the last stage they will be not human but Rakshasas and then there will be no folk.”
He pauses but I don’t say anything.
“Then it’ll start in the wall, your people would first go in the first stage of the darkness. They would be unaware that they are becoming like whom they hate, then the second stage and in the final stage, they will be no human. Then there will be no Sunyas. Everything will be dark – the final stage of the Dark Age.”
“What should we do to stop it?”
“We can’t stop it,” he says, “but the avatar can. He will bring brightness with him.”
“But what if they kill half of my people?”
“What will you do with the people if they are no longer human?” I answer my question with a question.
“I don’t know.”
“I know you will kill some of them but then they will kill you.” he says, “The same thing is happening among my people; they are being less human day by day. Haven’t you seen they have forgotten what the creator has done with us, they want to make him happy?”
“I’ve.”
“They have forgotten the children we have lost,” he says, “There is no cure of the darkness except the brightness.”
“So what is the plan?” I ask.
“You will understand as soon as we get inside the building,” he offers me a hand, “tell your people to be ready. We have a deal, for a reason.”
I reach out and shake hand with him, “what are we going to do?”
“We are going to show my people what they want to see.” He says, leaving the chair, “if I tell him to release you all they won’t accept my decision.”
“Okay.” I nod and we head towards the building.
“You have to give me a promise.” He asks.
“What?” I ask in a low voice.
“You will take my son and daughter with you.”
“Yes,” I say, “but why?”
“My people are going towards the dark and I don’t trust them.” He says.
“I promise,” I say.
“And that boy who attacked me,” he pauses, “I think you call him Akash.” He reaches the door and opens it.
“Yeah.” I say, “what about him?”
“Tell him he is braver than I’ve met any kid before.” He pushes me inside the door.
I stumble and fall to the ground.
He looks at his men and says, “Imprison them all in the basement,” his voice grows loud, “they are our ticket to the PATANATAGAR.”
All his men shout and cheer.
“But,” Bhupati continues, “PATANAGAR has not many empty houses, don’t tell anyone about them.” He shouts, “I’ve heard they have just fifteen empty houses and we are enough to chase away emptiness from those houses.”
His men laugh like mad and lunatic persons. I feel he was right about darkness and brightness. People are growing dark.
*
To be continue.....
