The night that was! Episode: 3

Continued…

Meera stood mesmerized, the sight in front of her was such. She observed this woman closely now. At first look one may think she was from the same village, but on closer observation, Meera was sure that this woman was not from anywhere nearby. Her dressing had this nonchalant elegance that came with money. She was wearing one of those pure cotton sarees, but it seemed completely disheveled.

A bright lightning struck, lighting up that woman’s face for a few seconds. ‘Damini’! For some reason that name resounded in Meera's mind. The lady before her looked as fierce and bright as the lightning that had just struck. Damini, her eyes ablaze with a strange energy that seemed to pull Meera to her. Damini! A name as eerily beautiful as the woman before her. Meera stood awestruck in her spot, for that lightning had not just revealed Damini's face,but also her whole form.

Damini's face and body were covered in bruises. Some blue, some black, probably based on how long each mark had been on her body. There were some fresh wounds on her hands too. Damini seemed to cringe back at the look of horror in Meera’s eyes. They met each other’s gaze, One raised in question, the other almost looking away in wariness. A million questions rose in her mind, but Meera thought them imprudent, thus held them all back. 

Meera stepped back, and leaned on the wall. Her entire body was ready to give in. She had a splitting headache by then. Her limbs were tired as well. She heaved a deep sigh of exhaustion. She suddenly felt some movement to her right. When had she closed her eyes, wondered Meera. She shifted on her legs as she turned right and was surprised to see Damini approaching with a bottle of water in her hand. Meera felt grateful, for she had been very thirsty. She gulped down some water and thanked Damini. 

Damini...!! Meera knew it was not that woman's name, but it seems to fit so well that she didn't want to ask and ruin this persona that she had created by now in her mind. 

Damini smiled and spoke. " Isn't it a dreadful night to be stuck in this abandoned place? Not another human in sight. A night that screams of mystery and danger, isn't it?"

What a strange thing to say, Meera thought! Should she be apprehensive about it or should she consider it a lame attempt at humour? Meera let it pass with a nondescript smile. They remained in silence for a while. Meera was wondering how everyone at home would be panicking at her absence. Tomorrow was a very important day. She was supposed to be home early, and yet here she was, in the middle of nowhere, stuck with a strange woman, in a shed that was practically flooding. 

Wait a moment..! Meera was pulled back to reality unceremoniously. The reason for this was the sudden recollection of a curled up man in a far off corner that had flashed in front of her eyes. The floors were flooding. It was an old shed, the floors of which were lower than ground level and there seemed to be no drain through which the water could seep out. 

Though the water was only up to ankle level, yet, if the rain kept pouring at this rate, water could accumulate about knee level. Even though Meera was a woman of average height, if water was up to her ankle level already, it won't be long before it rose to a dangerous level. It was okay for them as they were standing, but what about the sleeping man? That much water could drown a human, if this person kept lying on the floor. Meera was confused now. How come the person lying at that corner had not woken up yet? How long till this person realised that the place was flooding? The prospect of having to stand there knee deep in water was quite daunting in itself, but to sleep on a floor at the danger of drowning was horrific. Meera started moving towards the sleeping person with the intent of waking this person.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you"! Said Damini.

Meera was startled. Damini had moved so fast and she was suddenly so near. Her voice had come just above Meera's left ear. A tinkling voice, like bells on those charming wind-chimes. Meera turned in surprise to face Damini, who stood really close. She had an eerie smile on her face as Damini spoke again, "We should not wake up monsters dearie. Let it sleep, for you never know what horrors may wake up with him."

Meera could do nothing but stare at the curled up pile on the ground. For a while she looked as if spellbound. As a streak of lighting struck and it lit up the pile. She could see a man's face. Well trimmed beard, sharp nose and a drunken demeanor is all she could fathom before the light faded away. Catching a glimpse of his face pulled her back to reality. She couldn't bear the thought of not doing something to save him. By now she had realised that the lady had all intentions of letting him die. 

Meera looked at Damini once again. Damini! It meant lightning which could light up the sky. It also meant a force that could destroy anything into complete nothingness. Her eyes seemed ablaze with glee, like a fanatic animal about to taste freedom. With a slight smirk Damini spoke again, 

"Have you ever felt dejected at not being able to control your own life? She asked, pausing for an answer. When Meera didn't speak, she went ahead and said, 

"I have! I have felt more than dejection and pain. I have felt every scrap fo self respect ooze out of me. I have felt every iota of emotions die inside me.But now years of pain is coming to an end. I will be free to live; to breathe."

Meera was astounded and did not know what to say. Damini looked lost in some thoughts and seemed to speak from some far away place now. 

" I gave my everything to this man. I tried to be the woman he wanted me to be. And I had accepted my lot. Even the physical hurt that he caused me was acceptable.My dignity had been intact at least in front of others. All I asked in return was respect", she sighed. 

" Recently though, it surpassed all the limits. His drinking problem kept aggravating, and so did his atrocities. His friend should come over, and I would be displayed like some chattel in front of them. They would mock me and laugh as he did unspeakable things to me,"she sobbed. 

Meera could only stare at the tale of horror unfolding in front of her. She could see tears streaming down Damini's face. Damini turned to look at her now. 

" Today, at his friend's party, this man that calls himself my husband, tied me up and  let his friends torture me until I fell unconscious. I have no memory of what happened next", she gasped. "When I finally gained consciousness, I saw them all in drunken stupor. It had started to rain. I managed to wake him up and coaxed him to walk to our car. "

Damini looked almost eccentric now. Her breathing had become fast, and her eyes dilated with a frenzy  almost rendering her words incoherent. It was as if she felt this urgency to get it all out of her mind. Unknowingly Meera stepped forward and held Damini's hand. Damini looked grateful for the little warmth that touch brought her. Damini now spoke softly. 

" As I drove around, all I wanted to do was escape. Then I spotted this shed. I was tired from the night's horror. I wanted time to think and get some clarity. I left him in the car and came here. I just wanted to have some space free of him." Damini sobbed again.

"As I stood here", she continued, " I heard him rush in. From his rushed gait I knew he was coming to hit me, but he was still stumbling. I turned to see him with his hands raised and teeth barred in anger. I stepped aside as he reached beside me,and the same moment he stumbled on a rock and fell. He has been lying there since, and I have been watching this place fill up with water."

Meera was staring wondrously at Damini now. Here was a woman who has suffered more than she had. Here was a woman who had held on to hope of a better tomorrow until the end.Having suffered similar horrors with Navneet, Meera could imagine the humiliation and pain Damini might have lived all these years. Meera felt a kind of comradeship with her at that moment. If she were honest with herself, she may have done the same with Navneet, Meera realised. To live suffocating like this, in shame and helplessness was no longer acceptable .Damini was still looking at that man. Looking at Damini felt like looking into a mirror now, with the only difference that damini had let her tormentor cause harm for a long time. Meera still had a chance to escape the same fate. Come morning, she was to marry Navneet. A day she had been dreading, but was scared to speak of. The night’s events had brought her face to face with the kind of future that awaited her. Meera was not willing to step into a nightmare with her eyes open. 

It was probably for the best that she got stuck in this rain. All sorts of things might be thought of her. She will let them think. All kinds of rumours will be spread of her. She will let them spread. With that she will be set free of expectations. She will be free of the constant jab about what society would think. The world was hers to explain once she was past the walk of shame.

Chirping of birds nearby brought Meera out of her musings. Though it was still dark, dawn fast approached. Damini was crouching near the man. Water had reached almost knee level now. There was no chance of him having survived, yet Meera was sure Damini was tying up the loose ends before she finished this story and started writing a new one. In some time Damini rose. Her eyes alight. She looked at Meera and asked, “I think it's time we left. Would you care to walk with me?”

Meera took one last look at the man. She turned to Damini with a question in her eyes. Damini winked in affirmation. Meera took a deep breath and turned towards the door frame. It was still raining, and it was still dark. They both started walking towards the horizon. Neither looked back even once. 

* * * * * * *

Few Days later...

Morning newspaper carried the news of a drunk man having drowned in an old shed. He seemed to have driven there in a drunken state, and seemed to have stopped because of heavy rain which made it impossible to see properly. He had been returning from a party at his friend’s place. He had been accompanied by his wife. People present at the party had confirmed that she had left earlier in the evening, before the rain started. The wife was desolate and broken when she got the news of this untimely death of her husband. 

Meera read the News paper, and only after she read the last sentence could she heave a sigh of relief. She could not help but be amazed at the brilliance of it all. Simple yet effective, in one act of negligence, Damini had set herself free and with one night of absence Meera had set herself free.

Meera could sense an odd kind of peace set in. the wedding had been called off, She was no longer tied to Navneet. She had called her boss and had begged to be taken back at work too. Things were finally falling into place. She smiled as she set the paper aside and prepared to go to work. It looked like it might rain. The roads will be blocked again. 

The End