The
deserted roads are a boon to my current state of mind. The tears that refuse to stop pouring out of my eyes have partially blinded my vision and I have no
idea where I am headed.
The night sky mirrored my life.... cloudy and dark, without even a single star.
The night sky mirrored my life.... cloudy and dark, without even a single star.
Two
hours ago, returning to my flat after an unexpected pack–up of the shoot of
my serial, I had faced the worst nightmare ever possible. I had
found Varun, my fiancé and live-in boyfriend, in bed with my professed best
friend, Kriya.
In
the mega serial in which I am the lead-actress, such situations were dime-a-dozen and helped to increase our TRP. The brave ‘Sukanya’, whom I bring to life onscreen would
have courageously faced the situation and thrown the two out of the
flat after giving them a piece of her mind.
My
trusted Audi had seemed a shelter far better than any place in the world. I
wished to distance myself as far as possible from the farce that my world had
suddenly become.
The tyre couldn’t have chosen a
better time to get punctured. Luckily, I am able to stop the car before it veered out of out of control. All around, I can see fields of sugar cane that stretched far and wide, almost to the horizon.
Gathering all my
courage I decide to wait for daylight , praying all the while for a
miracle.
Many horror stories
about gang rapes, robbery and murder begin to pop into my mind without much
ado. I don't have
the courage to even open the windows to let the cool air in.
“Who is that
blocking our path? Arrey, Give way for our bullock cart… We don’t have all the
time in the world,” a rough voice hollering wakes me up from the sleep that I
had drifted into.
The first streaks of
dawn are breaking but it was still dark around. I can see a boy silhouetted
against the sky, seated on a heap of hay atop the bullock cart.
“Bittu…Go, ask
whoever is inside to give us way. This narrow road won’t allow such lavish
parking,” I hear the old man shouting to the boy.
Praying hard, I roll down my window, switching on the cabin light to enable him to see that the
driver is a woman.
“Oh hanumanji…this
is our Sukanyaji!. Sukanyaji, What happened? Why are you here?’’ cried the boy
on seeing me.
I realize I am still
dressed as Sukanya, as the shoot had suddenly been called off due to a fire on
the set.
“Baba, it is
Sukanyaji.. I think she is in trouble,” shouted the boy to the old man and very
soon both began fussing around asking me a million questions.
Minutes later, I find
myself in their cozy little home a little further down the road. Very soon, the
whole village gather to see their Sukanyaji, the bold woman they all adore.
“But for you, I
would have died months ago, after my husband left me for another. You showed
me that women could live alone without a man to support her,” says Leela, the eldest sister of Bittu.
“Yes… but for you,
we would not have started the garment business that has made us financially independent,”
adds Sheila, their neighbor.
They tell me that they
watch my serial without fail every day, from the house of the Village head, Mr.
Raichand.
I am pampered with a sumptuous breakfast and the innocent talks of the villagers
slowly re-kindle my faith in humanity.
By the time Bittu
informs me that the tyre has been changed, I have decided the way ahead. Meera,
is dead from today. Sukanya will live on.
The meek lamb was
dead, the tigress was returning to avenge and take charge of her life.
I loved the beautiful flow of your writing... :)
ReplyDelete- Rahul
Thank You Rahul...Keep visiting..
DeleteWow! Wonderful plot and story woven so well.
ReplyDeleteI like the positive ending.
Thank You Indrani... I like positive endings... :)
DeleteNice story. Sleeping on with AC in a car I am told is very dangerous. :D
ReplyDeleteThank You Mridula...
DeleteAbout AC, I will inform my heroine about that... Lucky she didn't suffer any negative effects...:P
Oh then I thought I should edit it out..:P.
DeleteThank you Mridula...
Very well expressed, Preethi! :)
ReplyDeleteThank You Poonam for the encouragement.
DeleteWhat a beautiful read and loved the ending :)
ReplyDeleteThank You Pallavi...Long time..missed you out here..:)
DeleteWell written preethi..
ReplyDeleteThank you Bhawya..:)
DeleteVery nice story Preethi :) Love the way she gathered her courage :)
ReplyDeleteRegards,
Sindhu
Tantu
The Arts & Me
Glad you liked it Sindhu..:)
DeleteReally good take on the prompt, Preethi :) All the best for WoW :)
ReplyDeleteThank You Sreeja..Keep visiting...:)
DeleteNice Story and great writing!
ReplyDelete