🖤 150th Chapter Blast🖤

The white smoke from the yagna bedi twirled heavenward as if it was taking the soul of the earth home, burning everything that's non-pious, impure. It made Bondita cough out her fear a little, her face was veiled, forming a thick red cast over her alert vigilant eyes.

"Water Jhinuk Maa?" A warm motherly voice asked her with a sweet gentleness, and Bondita nodded her head a little in negation, unaware of the danger lurking around.
She was seated at the wedding alter, and beside her was Satyakirth, dressed as a groom.
How would Satya look as a groom! Bondita panic-smiled, but only for a moment, as fumes of apprehension took over her senses once again.

Would Satya not be identified if he takes the groom's place?
A sudden thought re-occured to her, but again, the words of assurance by PushpoMala rang in her ears.
'The Chatterjees have a ritual of covering up the groom's face till the Sindoor Dan!'

That's a solace...
A lot of people in the eastern part of the land apparently still follows these cross cultural rituals, or that's what she was being told. And having little knowledge to defy this fact, Bondita had innocently believed in it.

The smoke was soaring higher, and Bondita coughed again.
A plethora of random thoughts clouded her mind, scaring her mostly, but yet her eyes were at the festoon with tiny red flags.
The relentless thorough chanting of the Vedic mantras made her sick to the core, a little nauseous may be, but it was a battle she was fighting, and battlefields weren't meant to be pleasant.

Time crawled like an agony-strained old soul, unwilling to pass on, and as the pandit poured another ounce of ghee in the pyre, Bondita eyes widened at the sight of the festoon flying loose, swaying gently to touch the ground.

Hurray!!
Her heart cried out, and pearls of happiness formed in the corner of her eyes.

"Satya... Satya the flags, it's done...." She leaned a little to her right and hushed the words, hoping to get a response from him, but instead, she felt him moving away from her.

"Satya... Now, on the count of three... You know what to do." Bondita hushed again, and slowly, very slowly she let her hand crawl to the groom's foot as she pinched him gently.

"Why are you fidgeting so much girl? Sit quietly."
Came a gruff hoarse voice, a bit slurry, and a sudden burst of foul alcoholic stench hit Bondita's nostrils making her gag.

"Satya?" Her voice quivered once more, as a sudden chill of terror ran down her spine, forming beads of sweet on her forehead even in that pleasant spring evening.

"Ohhfff...!"
The groom growled in displeasure and moved aside a bit, and it was then that Bondita's senses came in terms of the truth of her present reality.

It wasn't Satyakirth sitting beside her, and she was half way through the wedding ritual with a man who wasn't her husband!

A sharp pang of fear had engulfed Bondita's entire being... the hanging lanterns, the Vedic chantings, the laughter, the hazy glitters around... suddenly all felt like a Deja Vu... A long lost nightmare, and it was when Bondita realised how scared she was, for those old fears came running through her head. She heard the taunting laughter of years past, when she was a little girl, and the heart-wrenching wails of her mother!
Her mother... Her dear old mother, and her faded smile.
Bondita felt a dry lump forming at her throat, gradually, threatening to choke her any minute, and somehow she felt the monsters from her childhood nightmare coming back, making her shiver in fear. She was scared! And, she knew she was as it was just a matter of time that those bad memories would cut loose their chains and invade her confidence, eroding the person she had built since those dark days...

Barrister Babu...!
Her soul cried out.

"Water Jhinuk Maa?" The soft voice asked again, and this time, with her trembling fingers she clutched hold of the small brass glass and held it under her veil, emptying it's content at a go.

"Good... Lokkhi Meye...!" The voice hushed into her ears, but this time, the sky sinister chuckle along with the words didn't fail to register to her ears.
Bondita felt the nausea escalating, and with it a strange lightness inside her head.

Didn't the water taste a little sweeter?

******

Time was of essence!
Satyakirth hadn't had the opportunity to reveal himself to Anirudh. Although he was at the wedding too, hiding away from the crowd, but his eyes were on the three police constables at the entrance, yet his mind was dwelling on the consequences that Bondita would probably have to face due to this sudden unfortunate change of events.

Satyakirth hadn't ditched her, he was just helpless!

He had seen Bondita walking up the alter as the bride, a little taller than the original girl, but she was slouching to cover it up. Satya had seen the severed festoon too, and his expert eyes hadn't missed how the woman from the groom's side had been pestering Bondita to drink from a glass with questionable content.
But, the final draw in the string was when he saw Bondita drinking it, and her head falling to a side under its effect.

Exactly what he had thought!

He would have to save Bondita, and for that there was only one thing he could do... draw Anirudh's attention to her somehow, as he knew it's Anirudh and only Anirudh who could help Bondita out of this situation.

Two of the police constables were strolling outside the entrance with armed shotguns, while the third one was relishing a plate of sweets at the wedding, standing beside him was Anirudh!
And it was then that Satya's eyes fell on her...
Raimoti!!
Her face was half covered with the loose end of her yellow checked saree, but Satya could see her eyes...
Her deep intelligent eyes... powerful, restless!
A little too restless perhaps, Satya thought, and as the initial trance broke, Satya saw a bucket of water held in her hand, the water splashing from it's bim. It seemed as if she was in a heated discussion with Anirudh, an argument of some sort, and Raimoti was readying herself to go near the wedding alter where Bondita was seated. Anirudh was trying to stop her. He had held her by her arms, nodding his head in vehement refusal.

What were they arguing about?

Satya frowned his brows, and then his eyes fell on Bondita, her body swaying from one side to the other, held firmly by two middle aged women from the back.

"Damn!!"
Satya stamped his feet in anger and helplessness. He had never felt so helpless in life, not even when the RayBahadur palace was bombarded into shreds, threatening to steal his Raimoti from him.
He was confident then, and his confidence had brought her back to him. But now?
What should he do now?
Approaching Anirudh or Raimoti would mean inevitable encounter with the police, and hence a fair chance of his identity to be revealed, and with it, all their hopes and dreams of breathing in a free country!
But, on the other hand, there was Bondita too, the selfless lady who had thrown herself in the evil pyre of wrongdoings, fighting alone against the society.

A round of ulludhawani rose louder, filling the air, and it's vibration mocked him with it's sinister chuckle.
There wasn't ever such a moment of self conflict that he had faced... The conflict between what was right and what was humane!
Satyakirth closed his eyes. Anything he would now do would jeopardize his mission, his life... But...
There probably wasn't any 'But' anymore. He inhaled sharply!

One more constable had joined the first one inside, leaving one lone man out, and it would be easy for him to tackle him if needed. Satya was calculating in his head, and suddenly, an idea struck him like a lightening on a clear night sky.

The policemen seemed to be speaking to Anirudh, and he now had successfully snatched away the bucket of water from Raimoti's hand, still holding her wriggling wrists, as Satya saw Anirudh preparing to leave the wedding ground, following the policemen to their van.

No no... No Anirudh Da... You can't leave! Not yet... Your Bondita is in here!

And, it was then that his steady hands had pulled out the unlicensed pistol from the waistband of his dhoti, risking everything! Satyakirth had raised the firing piston up in the air and open-fired... Once, and then again, it's blaring, defeaning noise creating an immediate chaos of terror around him.

"It's him!... There!" Someone had shouted, and Satyakirth spared a quick glance at Anirudh, and then Bondita, before he ran out of the ground.

Forgive me Raimoti!
His heart cried out.

Humanity had eventually won over his senses of right doings!

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

It was the water she had drunk!

Bondita was shaking in horror, trying to get up, gathering every bit of her fading senses, as immediately, almost immediately, a blaring sound of a gun fire pierced the night sky, tearing away every veil of pseudo humanity that the people wore that night.

Another deafening shot, and the haphazard cry and wail of the crowd infront rose up, rising higher than the blazing flame of the yagna.
The pandit was nowhere to be found, the woman behind her was screaming, and the groom had gotten up from beside her. Men, women, children just ran around, trying to flee, but to where they didn't know.

Bondita, however, was smiling. The veil had fallen off from her head, and it was only her, sitting alone at the high wedding alter, in a red bridal benarasi saree, and infront of her was the raging fire.
Her droopy eyelids stretched with effort, and her lips curled into a happy smile, for amidst that terrifying hullabaloo, she had seen his eyes... Staring back at her in an astonished wonderment.

It was him! Her saviour... Again!

Bondita stood up slowly, the golden tinsel ornaments shinning in the light of the flame... her knees fumbling, and her arms stretched infront.

"Barrister Babu..." She smiled, fluttering her eyelashes in a dreamlike state, and her unstable frame was readily held safe within a pair of strong arms, his face hovering over hers.

"Shona... Shona what happened?"
the emotions that Anirudh Roy Chowdhury had felt at that moment would be beyond the capacity of any literary description. His eyes had finally caught the sight of his precious... and, after a long long time he breathed freely!

"Shona!" He called again, and his voice felt like the sweetest music that she had ever heard, and Bondita smiled again.

"I saved her Barrister Babu... The little girl... I saved her like you had saved me."
She closed her eyes slowly, her face reflecting peace, happiness... For, even in intoxication, she knew she was finally in her Barrister Babu's arms, her happy place, her home!
"Look at me Shona... Don't close your eyes." Anirudh had picked her up in his lap, and his words made her smile and look up again.

Raimoti, too had followed Anirudh, with the bucket in her hand, and a bright smile plastered her lips as she poured it's entire content into the burning fire pit, making a final gush of smoke fill the air with it's dying rage.

Raimoti turned around and smiled

"Where is he Bondita? Where is Satya?" She looked around.

"The gunshots!" Bondita murmured, raising her frail hand up, pointing towards a certain direction.
"That way... I saw him run."
She gulped.

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

It is said that at times chaos is the only thing that can bring order, destroying the old conventions of convenience, chaos is the only constant that gives birth to newness.

The gunshots from Satya's pistol had brought that much needed chaos, turning the wedding ground into a panicked ruckus, men and women succumbing to complete chaos, and it was the advantage that Satyakirth had taken.
He had ran out of the decorated courtyard, jumping over the flower barricades, and behind him ran the two armed policemen, firing from their shotguns, tearing the silence of the night, piercing the cloak of darkness around.

There was counter fires too, and one of Satya's bullets had punctured the lungs of one of the khaki policeman, his bullet had grazed Satya's arm in return.

"Stop... I said stop!"
The other one had chased him into the dark, and Satyakirth fired again, from behind the barricade of flowering bushes that had kept him away from sight.

The constable fired back, and Satya too pulled the trigger, but...
But, an empty fire hissed out of the piston.

"Damn!!" Satya growled, and looked up, and realising his inability to fire, the policeman barked at him again, threatening him to come in sight in exchange of his life.

"Come out you dog! Or I'll shoot you right in your gut."
The man hissed evilly, and suddenly Satya smiled, lowering his weapon, as he raised his hands up in the air and came out of his hiding.

"Drop your gun!" The policeman barked at him again, and Satyakirth just smiled, as in a next moment something heavy hit the back of his head, splattering jets of blood from the broken skull. The man fell on his head, and behind him was her, a heavy half burnt log from the yagna held up in her hands.

"Raimoti!"
Satya gasped and stretched his arms, and she ran to him at once, dropping the bloodied log from her hands.

"Satya!! Where were you going without me?"
She held him tighter, pressing him close to her body with all her might, and Satyakirth caressed her head with all the love he had in him.

"You came for me, Rai... Thank God you did, or else, I'd have craved for this last meeting till my death!"

"Death? Last meeting? What are you saying Satya?"
The ecstasy of this awaited union had made Rai weak, she was crying, she was kissing his shoulders like a possessed soul, and Satya pressed his wounded lips on her head. Tears were flowing from his eyes too.

"I'm leaving Rai... Our path was meant to part here, at this moment."

"What?" Raimoti murmured, unable to rely on her demented ears she had clutched Satya's shirt even tighter.

"I have to go Rai... And, from here, wherever I go, it would be death everywhere!"

"What do you mean?" Raimoti looked up, as slowly her grip loosened from his body.

"I'm sorry Rai... I... I've to leave!"

Satya looked away, but his words had ignited a raging fire in Raimoti's eyes.

"How dare you talk about leaving me Satya! How dare you!"
Raimoti had clutched the torn collar of Satyakirth's half sleeve shirt, soiled with blotches of dried blood on it.

"I can't see you dying Rai... I just can't."
Satya felt helpless, as he clutched Raimoti's wrist in feeble attempt of freeing himself from her.

"I'll have to leave Rai... Please... Understand... We've come this far, and, and you are brilliant, you're everything I could ever wish for, and more... but..."

"But?" Raimoti hissed at his words, her orbs glowing, and her fingers had moved up his neck, grabbing his hair in a tight grip.
"There is never a but... I've left everything for you... And, do you think you can just leave me here? Like this? Scaring me with Death? You'll have to trod over my dead body Satya..."

She let go off his hair and cupped his face instead, and raising her toes, she aligned her face to his, reaching up to his height.

"It's not safe Rai... The British Raj has appointed a new officer just to hunt me and everyone I'm associated with... Shoot at sight... That's the order!"
Satya raised his hands and wiped her tears with his thumbs.

"You want to save my life by leaving me... But don't you understand Satya, there is no life without you... I've... I'm..."
Raimoti suddenly found it difficult to put her feelings into words, her heart thudding in fear and her stomach churning at the thought being away from him. Uncontrollable tears rolled helplessly down her flushed cheeks in the dark and Satya felt a piercing pain in his heart.

"I've never felt things that I've felt with you Raimoti... Inexplicable emotions and I'm not good in expressing them either..." Satya swallowed hard and raised his hand to wipe her tears once again.
"But, if you cross this line with me tonight, then there would be no turning back for you too Rai... The police is hunting me like mad hounds, and they'll hunt you too!"

"Do I look like I care?" Raimoti growled the words, breaking into another fit of silent tears, and Satya held her shoulders and pulled her away from his body.

"But I care Rai... More than anything..."

"Why?"

"Because I didn't realise when you've become my everything... And, till my last breath, I want this assurance that you're breathing!"

"But I don't want to breath... I want to live Satya... I want to live with you... Please... please Satya, I'll die without you..."
Raimoti had sank down into the muddied ground, her face buried in her palms and Satya, with trembling hands, slowly wrapped a soft cloth around her shoulders.
For the first time in his life he had cursed his way of being!

"This is me Rai... And I want you to remember me the way you have remembered the memories of that night... Like a distant dream... A sweet distant dream!"
Satya's eyes were pouring too, and Raimoti touched her shoulder to pull the soft Kashmiri muslin shawl closer.
Her eyes widened at the sight.

"My... My shawl... The one I left..."
A sharp gasp came out from her throat, and suddenly the entire world seemed to rotate infront of her eyes, the memories of the night, the boat, the flute, and then the face of the man who had held her in his arms.

"Lochinvar!"
She mouthed the words, pressing the shawl close to her chest, and Satyakirth sniffed a tear back and nodded.

"Princess..." He tried to smile.

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

Dear readers,
This was very emotional for me to write.
Let me know your views on the same.

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