LITMIR.BIZ

Скачать книгу

      “Yes, Didi. Can we sleep now?” said Suraj, stifling a yawn.

      “Pay attention, Suraj, our lives will depend on how well-prepared we are.”

      Chastened, Suraj nodded and promptly propped his eyes open with his thumb and forefinger and goggled at her. Tara could not help but smile.

      At long last they finished making the plans. Suraj was half asleep and Tara, too, was tired. They crept into the main room and lay down on the thin mat. Tara’s mind was filled with questions and worries and sleep was a very long time coming.

      •••

      Dawn arrived clad in a shawl of ice. A chilly wind seeped into the huts as the people of Morni snuggled deeper into their blankets. Goats, cows, and pigs huddled together in their shelters, seeking warmth.

      Tara woke especially early, feeling as if she had not slept a wink. Her eyes burned and her head felt as if it was made of lead. The beginning of a massive headache was making its way toward her temples. They had already put on their warm travel clothes the night before. Tara flung her favourite shawl around her shoulders. She was ready.

      It was still quite dark. A pale, pink dawn tiptoed along the edge of the horizon. Tara shook Suraj gently. When he was awake, she put a finger to her lips and gestured in the direction of the kitchen. He nodded, picked up his shoes, and padded out silently. Tara stood up and went to where her father lay sleeping. She touched his feet lightly.

      “I’ll miss you, Father,” she murmured inaudibly. “But we’re going to look for Mother and we will bring her back. We will be a family again.”

      Then, without a backward glance, she crept out to Bela’s shed. Suraj was still rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

      “Let’s go,” Tara said. “The sooner we are out of here, the better.”

      She handed Suraj the smaller of the two bundles and slung the larger one onto her back. She filled an animal skin with water, and put some milk in a glass bottle. Bela nudged Tara with her cold, wet nose and Tara turned back to hug her, tears in her eyes.

      “Take care, Bela. We’ll be back soon. With Mother.”

      Brother and sister walked out of the hut as dawn, in a bolder shade of pink, strode out from the horizon to embrace them. They walked east through the deserted village, the quickest route to Morni Hills, beyond which lay the Shivalik Range.

      Within the hour they would be out of the village and away from the home they had known all their lives. The huts thinned out as they neared the green band of forest land that lay at the foot of the hills. It grew darker. The trees blotted out the sky and it became colder. The pukka road disappeared and they stepped onto a rough path that led deep into the forest.

      Suraj stopped at the edge of the forbidding green mass and looked back. The huts, the village, safety, and security lay behind while danger lay ahead. He looked into Tara’s eyes. She nodded, holding his gaze.

      “As long as we’re together, we’ll be all right,” said Tara.

      They plunged into the foliage, keeping a sharp eye out for any movement. Mynas, kingfishers, and koyals twittered in the trees, welcoming the morning as the pair walked deeper and deeper into the forest. The sun came out and golden rays filtered in through the dense canopies, creating freckles of light on the grassy floor. The air was thick with the sickly sweet smell of rotting leaves.

      “Didi, I have to stop now, I am really tired,” said Suraj after they had been walking for what seemed like hours. He sank down on a grassy hill. Tara was a few steps ahead. She turned around to chide him and screamed.

      “Suraj, don’t move!”

      Suraj froze. The expression on Tara’s face was one of absolute horror. She advanced slowly, her eyes fixed on a spot above his head.

      “Python,” she breathed, clutching her throat.

      A large brown and white python was curled around a branch just above Suraj’s head. Its small head swung a hair’s breadth away. It slithered lower. Still lower. Tara could not breathe. Suraj tilted his head back and stared straight into the black beady eyes of the snake. Sensing movement, the python opened its powerful jaws and lunged toward Suraj’s head.

      Tara’s and Suraj’s screams echoed through the Kalesar Forest.

       CHAPTER 7 IN THE KALESAR FOREST

      Suraj ducked.

      At the same instant, the python whipped backward on its branch. Suraj ran to Tara, shaking so hard that he stumbled twice before he reached her outstretched arms.

      They both looked up. A black cobra had dug its fangs into the tender belly of the python. The python tried to coil itself around the cobra, but the cobra was too small and agile. In a flash of black it disappeared into the leaves.

      Tara held her breath as the heavy python uncoiled itself and slithered over the branches, trying to follow the smaller, suppler snake. Without warning, the black cobra dropped on the python’s head from above. The python tried to change direction but it was too late. In a lightning strike, the cobra’s fangs sank into its head. The python writhed in the throes of death as venom coursed through its body. The cobra flew from side to side with the thrashing python, but held on. Within seconds it was over. The python gave a last spasm, slipped off the branch, and fell with a resounding thud onto the forest floor. The cobra, whose fangs were still buried deep in the python’s head, fell with it.

      Tara and Suraj stared at the fight, holding hands so tightly that their knuckles were white. Once the python fell, the cobra disengaged its fangs from the python’s lifeless body and dragged itself wearily toward the thick undergrowth. Before it reached the bushes it looked back. It raised its hood and stood still for a moment, staring at the children intently, and then disappeared.

      Tara pulled Suraj and they hurried away, further into the forest. In a few moments they were out of breath.

      “We have to stop now, Didi,” gasped Suraj. “I can’t run anymore.”

      They had reached a small clearing where the trees had thinned out and sunlight filtered in. There was very little vegetation on the ground. Tara scanned the clearing for any sign of danger. Finding none, she sank down on the ground holding the stitch in her side and Suraj flopped down beside her.

      For a few moments, they looked at each other in relief and silence. Tara undid the heavy bundle she carried and took out some chappatis, an onion, and some pickles wrapped in a dried banana leaf. She put the onion on a rock, smashed it with the heel of her palm, and peeled it. The pungent vapours from the onion made her eyes water and nose twitch. She wrapped onions and pickles in a chappati and handed it to Suraj. Then she made one chappati roll for herself. They chewed the food, listening to the sounds of the forest around them.

      A koel cooed and was answered by another. A golden oriole rose from one of the trees and flew off, a fistful of sunset across a canopy of green.

      “I’m thirsty, Didi. Did you bring any water?”

      Tara handed him the animal skin.

      “Drink sparingly, Suraj. We may have long to go before we find a stream.”

      “Today the wicked witch will have to do her own work,” said Suraj, with a grin on his face.

      “Yes,” said Tara. “The queen must be waiting for her tea. Except today she’ll have to make it herself. And bring the water from the well, and cook and clean.”

      “And wash the vessels,” piped in Suraj. “Can you imagine how angry she’s going to be when she discovers her two servants have run away?”

       He’s hit the nail on the head, thought Tara. We were her servants, but now we are free.

      “We need to move on, Suraj. We have to find a safe place to spend the night.”

      The anxiety in

Скачать книгу