"The moon, in eternal stoic grace takes her place in the heavens, content to ever-reflect the light of the sun... You are my sun... My source of light... My Princess..."

Satyakirth's throaty voice caressed her senses as Raimoti leaned forward to see her reflection in the dark clear water of the lake.
It was surreal... It was such a moment when you wish the time to seize, and Raimoti gasped at her own reflection in the gentle ripples of the water, and beside her face was another, her Satyakirth.
Her feet was dipped in the cold water, and the chilly sensation sieved through her skin, her heavy golden anklet creating music. Her feet were beautifully painted with scarlet Alta, and Raimoti admired it's artistic purity in that silvery moonlight.

"And you are my moon, bathed in my love... " Raimoti bit her lips bashfully, and saw his reflection smile.
"In monochrome musings, you will turn into my silver armoured knight, and we'll fight poetry together."

Their hands were held in each other's, their hearts were melting into one, and Raimoti inhaled deeply a gush of cold wind and opened her eyes...

But, where was his reflection now... his face beside hers?
Raimoti felt a twitch in her heart, a sharp twitch and then a cloak of an unknown fear enveloped her being.

"You are a widow! A Kulin Brahmin Widow!" A voice came out from the core of the lake, tearing the veil of darkness, and Raimoti shivered, her hands pressed to her ears, her eyes closed, trying to break free from the shackles of this sudden terror.

"A widow... " A sinister laughter broke out, and the words echoed in the wind.
Thousands of voices shouted in unison, charging their mocking eyes at her, and Raimoti nodded her head vehemently...

"No... No... No... I'm not... I'm not... Stop..."
She screamed, but the words came out as silence, tearing her throat, and the fear made it's throne in her heart.

"Satya... " She tried to scream again... And when she opened her eyes, the rippled water reflected his face once again... That ever calm smile on his face.

Raimoti tried to raise her hand towards the reflection before it faded away once again.

"Satya... Where are you..." She cried out, and a soft touch on her shoulder made her turn back... Slowly...

The moon was sheathed by a threatening veil of cloud, and at a near distance, stood Satya, his arms stretched at her, and his white shirt was drenched in deep scarlet. He was smiling, and from his mouth gushed out blood, trailing down his throat and soaking his body.
Raimoti felt a chill down her bone, she felt light, lifeless...

"Satya..." She tried to scream, but her feet couldn't bridge the gap between them, for, they were heavy... Very heavy...

***

"Raimoti... Raimoti... Wake up... Are you alright?"
Anirudh was splashing droplets of water on her agony-strained face, wiped the jets of tears that had poured down her eyes silently in sleep.

"Anirudh Da... Anirudh Da... " Raimoti opened her eyes, gasping and crying, and her trembling hands had instinctively clutched Anirudh's shirt firmly, pulling him towards her.
"Satya... I saw Satya..."

She couldn't complete the words, and Anirudh wiped her face with water, brushing away the stray stands of hair from her forehead.

"Shh... Shh... You were dreaming Rai... Just a dream."
His words were a hush, and in that fading darkness of the room, Raimoti threw her arms around his neck and buried her face in his shoulder.

"I'll die if something happens to him... I... I don't want to be a widow Anirudh Da... I don't..."
Raimoti was sobbing uncontrollably, and Anirudh caressed her head.

You aren't married Raimoti, he wanted to say, but silence seemed to be the best comfort he had for her at that moment.

"You don't have to be a widow Raimoti... Stop crying." He hushed instead.

The sky had started to fade and it was soon that they would have to began their journey, their search, and as Raimoti settled her emotions, Anirudh very politely conveyed her the urgent need to set out.

"Yes. Give me a moment." Raimoti nodded her head and sniffed.
"How about the money?" She looked up innocently at him, her eyes still hazy with the last traces of tears, and Anirudh looked at his wristwatch and sighed.

"Come out, let me see what I can do."
He left the room, giving her the much needed privacy.

There seemed to be no other boarders in that godforsaken place, and the innkeeper wasn't in sight as well, and as Raimoti passed the half burnt modest reception desk, her eyes fell on the shiny metal kept on top of it, right beside the rusty greasy calling bell.

"Anirudh Da!!" Raimoti groaned to herself.

It was the nascent stage of dawn, the birds were still asleep, and the newborn sun wasn't confident yet to show off his prowess.
Anirudh was standing outside, waiting for Raimoti, as after a few quick minutes he saw her coming out, with a smile on her face.

"Do you ride?" She asked her quizzically, and Anirudh frowned at the abrupt question.

"Umm... I used to... Not after the accident... Why?" He asked, and Raimoti smiled again, that same old mysterious smile, and Anirudh couldn't help but wonder her thoughts. But instead of answering his question, she had asked one more, and this time it was his turn to smile.

"Which era do you live in Anirudh Da?" She was rolling her eyes at him, and stretching her right palm open, she held his gold Rolex wristwatch in it.
"A limited edition Rolex for a night in this place? Are you serious?"

Anirudh smiled and looked away.
"I don't have anything else to offer... And it would be ethically as well as morally wrong to leave without paying the man his due."

"But, Dada... This watch is worth more than the entire village put together... Are you living in Satya yug still?"
Raimoti was chuckling, and her eyes had an frown of astonishment, and Anirudh, suddenly couldn't find a word to counter.

"Anyway, I've woken him up and paid him for everything... So now, we can leave guilt-free."

"How? With what?" Anirudh asked, fearing the answer, and his eyes fell on Raimoti's bare left wrist.

"Wonderful, your bangle was more of a befitting price, wasn't it?" He sighed, and Raimoti inched closer and pressed his arm.

"Bangles can be made, but that watch can't be bought again," she winked at him, "and, besides, I'm good at bargain, I've taken services that would suffice the cost."

"Like?" Anirudh furrowed his eyebrows, and Raimoti grinned happily, lifting her fisted left palm, and in it she held a small brass key.

"What the..."
Anirudh couldn't complete as his eyes followed Raimoti's pointed finger and there it was, an old motorcycle, parked against the blackened wall, with broken mirrors and a half torn seat.

"Are you for real Raimoti?" Anirudh's eyes had widened in surprise, and at that moment he couldn't fathom whether to praise the girl for her presence of mind or scorn her for her recklessness.
But, before he could decide, a smile had escalated his lips as he saw the girl very efficiently saddling on the scooter, kickstarting the vehicle with her beautiful tender feet.

"Come Anirudh Da... Sit." She called him, and without any inhibitions Anirudh saddled at the backseat, a smile on his face.

"You are incredible Raimoti!" He murmured, and Raimoti smiled back, her eyes on the road infront, prepared to bath in the first morning light.

"Bondita told me about the watch, how precious it is to you..." She paused, gearing the cycle to their desired direction, "it's a gift from your grandfather, wasn't it?" She asked, and Anirudh just hummed an yes.

"I know you don't have any regards for materials, but I couldn't have let you give it away Anirudh Da... It would have been a heartbreaking sin to watch it."

Anirudh didn't reply, instead, he let out a deep sharp exhale, the smile still lingering on his lips.

You are indeed incredible! He mused.

..............................................

Bondita and Satyakirth hadn't had much difficulty since they had started their journey in Koreem Mia's bullock cart.
Rather, luck had favoured them in every aspect.
Knowing the deeds of Neelmoni Mukherjee, Koreem had proactively agreed to be a court witness testifying against Neelmoni's treacherous intentions for Anirudh, and Satyakirth had very carefully made him note down the date and time of the hearing.

"I would do this babu... I would... For this would atleast be my answer to all the wrong deeds that I've done in life." The old man had shed tears, and before dropping them at the border of Mymensing, he had told them the way to the village headman's house, where it would be easy for them to rent a shelter.

Mymensing was a fairly large village. It had a post office as well, and Satyakirth wanted to stay there for atleast a week, where he could telegram his fellow comrades, as well as receive their response. And, Bondita thought it would be wise to make their base at one place for a couple of days as they search for her husband.

"Your name? Where are you coming from?" The headman Jogen Mullick asked Satya in a curious grave voice, his eyes narrowed at his face, frequently shifting his gaze on Bondita's veiled face.

"Coming from Tulsipur, Going to Rangpur, my sister-in-law's father stays there..." He pointed towards Bondita, and she nodded her head promptly.
"I'm going to drop her there for a few months..." He grinned sheepishly, and the middle aged headman nodded.

"Why? What about your brother?" He asked, narrowing his eyes, and Bondita replied promptly before Satya could conjure any inappropriate tale.

"He'll come to take me back... He's going to Bombai to work for three months."

"Oh... Bombai!! That's far..." Jogen Mullick scratched his forehead and looked at them.

"So what is your name again?" He turned towards Satya and asked, and Bondita's mouth fell as how fluently, without a moment's delay, he introduced himself to the man, a new identity, a new name...

"Raidash!" He smiled.

It was almost twilight, the sky was glowing with the final glory of the dying sun, and as they entered inside the small one roomed mud hut rented from Jogen Mullick, Bondita sank down on the floor and broke into loud fits of tears.

"Now what?" Satya was standing infront, latching the scanty wooden door, and Bondita shook convulsively in a heartbreaking cry.

"I... I can't believe I'm away from him... Staying here... In this unknown place like this..." She sobbed the words, and Satya let out a sigh, making himself comfortable on a single cot that lay in the middle of the room.

"I... I miss him Satya... I miss him so much!" Bondita wept, and Satyakirth took out the map and started to scribble on it with a small pencil from his pocket.

"We all are missing someone or the other Bondita... Get a hold on yourself." He had murmured unmindfuly once, and looking up at him, Bondita wondered if all Krantikaris were as cold as him.

"What's bothering you? The discomfort or the absence of your husband?" Satya had finally asked, and sniffing back a tear, Bondita wiped her eyes with her knuckle, and started to prepare a bed on the floor.

"Leave that... I'll sleep here, you take the bed." Satya remarked, and before Bondita could object, he got up from the cot and grabbed the broomstick from her hands, holding her chin up with his free hand.
"I don't want your husband to blame me that I haven't taken care of his little wife..." He smiled gently at her, but his eyes had a teasing naughtiness.
"Isn't that what he calls you? Baby wife?"

"Dhaat!!" Bondita looked away, the sadness had faded away, and in its place a soft blush had crept in on her cheeks.

"Eat... Or do you want me to feed you like him?" He winked at her, and Bondita turned away and walked towards the cot.

"Feed Rai when you see her... " She murmured, and Satya smiled again.

"That I'll certainly do, but for now... Let's eat something... Come."

Considering the unavailability of any cooking ingredient in the hut, Jogen Mullick's wife had sent them food, although for a price, but at that moment, a starving Satyakirth couldn't have asked for more.

It was simple food, on a large steel plate... Rice, daal, and fried brinjal, and Satyakirth sat down on the floor, sprinkling water around, before laying the food infront.

"Come... sit by me Bondita... Let's eat." He urged.

.....................................................

The twilight had matured into darkness, and after dragging the heavy fuel-less motorcycle for a couple of miles, without a hint of where they were going, Anirudh and Raimoti had finally decided to discard it by the roadside.
It was drizzling that night, the cloud from the west sky had travelled to the east, pouring the shared love on the undivided mantle of nature, and finding it difficult to walk any further, Anirudh and Rai had taken shelter inside an old Krishna temple, the village was unknown to them... They sat on the dark stairs together, drenched, and Anirudh wrapped his arms around Raimoti, as she continued to shiver in cold and hopelessness.

"Who are you? What is your work here?"
A gruff voice had asked, startling Rai, as she lifted her head from Anirudh's shoulder, and strained her eyes to look infront.

There were swaying lights, three men holding hurricane lamps, two of them soaked, and one holding a black umbrella on his head.

"I told you Ram Babu... Two birds sitting here..." A hushed voice chortled nastily and looking at Anirudh's clenched jaw muscles, Raimoti had gotten up at once, walking down a few steps to reach near them.
Anirudh too followed.

"Who are you?" The man with the umbrella asked, and Raimoti folded her hands and bowed her head.

"We are tra..." Anirudh started to speak and Raimoti pressed his arms firmly, stopping him mid-sentence.

"Let me tell them Dada... " She turned around completely, facing Anirudh, as she smiled audible, yet rolling her eyes at Anirudh to keep quiet.

"First we aren't birds, just humans..." She chuckled sheepishly, stealing a sharp glance at the man who had addressed them thus.
"And this is my brother, my elder brother, and he's taking me to my in-laws in Rangpur... And we were mugged on the road."

"Ahh... mugged!! Again!!" The man with the umbrella, whom the other had addressed as Ram let out a sharp growl.
"Those bloody Murshidabadi's!!" He exhaled, and Raimoti shared a confused glance with Anirudh.

"Which place is this?" Anirudh asked politely, and the man let out another loud sigh.

"Rajshahi... Well, our village is infact at the border of Mymensing and Rajshahi... I'm the head here... Ram Chattujjee." The man folded his hands and greeted Anirudh cordially.

"So which place in Rangpur is your sister's house?" Ram Chattujjee asked, but before anyone could speak anymore, the man standing beside him narrowed his eyes at Raimoti and let out a loud gasp.

"Sister's in-laws, is it?" He chuckled disdainfully again, "So where is your sister's Sankha pola? Or sindoor?"

Raimoti had almost jumped up at his words, as she touched her ever bare hairline and let out a dramatic cry.

"Oh my fate... This poor evil rain... How cruel was it to wash my sindoor lo..." She patted her forehead, before running inside the temple, and as Ram Chattujjee raised his lantern up to see her coming down, he saw fresh dab of red vermillion smeared on her hairline, the vermilion that had adorned the feet of their Gobardhan.

"What's your name?" Ram Chattujjee asked, and Anirudh, dumbfounded at Raimoti's sudden action, gaped for a second before replying back.

"Anirudh."

"Oh... And her name?" Chattujjee moshai asked again, and Raimoti smiled at him, pulling the loose end of her saree to cover her head, as Anirudh, the ever truthful worshipper of honestly, stood gaping in awe at the extent of her extraordinary theatrics.

"Satyagouri... " She smiled without any hesitation. "My name is Satyagouri."

"And surname?" The man standing beside enquired, making Raimoti looked up at Anirudh's astounded face.

"Roy Chowdhury." She remarked.

...............................................

Dear readers,

Are you enjoying this new turn in the plot?

Which team do you think is nailing it?

Rai-Ani

Sat-Bon

And, what do you think would happen next?

Also, please go back and vote for the last two chapters.

❤️