Hansi

"I will go and have a look in the field. I think I had forgot to remove the stone," Sarpanch says.

"Now, it is raining heavily. The lightining is occuring. Let it be," his wife says as the lightning strikes.

"The crops will be of no use till morning. I will come back in a hour."

Sarpanch reach his field. The big rock was blocking the way of water. He rush toward it. The weight was too heavy for his age. He try one more time. The rock landed on his feet. He cries, the blood from his feet make the water blood red.

He fell into the field, his clothes fully drenched. A lightining occurs. "Aren't you going to scream," a female voice says from behind.

"You know, it doesn't count if you are already planning your defeat," she says as she remove his eyeballs by pressing it.

************************

"What are you doing?" Shiva says as he pull the clothes from the bag.

"Can't you see. I am leaving. I am going back to my home," Rekha shouts throwing her clothes in the bag.

Shiva pulls her by her elbow. "This is our home," he says to end the conversation.

Rekha jerks her hand away from his clutches. She doesn't stop the packing. "Where will you go? What will you do? Why can't you understand?"

"I am not feeling good here. There is so many restriction. I have to live in those dirty hut during my periods. And the household work, it never ends."

"It is just a matter of few weeks. We will go back, once I get money from them," Shiva says.

"You are saying it from past one month. You know how much difficulty I am facing?" Rekha says.

"Shiva, the sarpanch," his mother says as she catches her breaths.

"What?"

"He is dead. In the field," she says.

***************

"I told him. I told him to not go in the field. Oh god!," the sarpanch wife cries as the people take his body away for funeral.

"Whose evil eyes has landed on our village?" she continues patting her chest with her hands.

"First Makhanlal and now him. Within a month there has been two death," she says, Shiva mother tries to soothe her.

But she pushes her hand back. "It is coming. Next will be your husband," she says glaring right into her eyes.

Shiva mother put her hand on her mouth. "No, no. It is not true," she cries storming out from her house. Rekha rush behind her.

"Mother, mother stop. It is not good for your health," Rekha says as she was huffing for air.

"It can't be true," shiva mother says as she cłoses her door.

"Mother, mother open the door," Shiva says.

"Why you pay your heads to such nonsense?" Shiva's father Sukhi says.

"She is in pain. She just said it. She is no god." Sukhi says. The door open Shiva's mother eye was puffed.

She glares Sukhi. Sukhi pulls her inside the room. "Your mother need some rest, my children. No need to worry," he says looking Rekha and Shiva.

They both moves away from there.

"What is all this?" Rekha asks as they come down.

"Just old rivalry I think. She just say it, she knows my mother is bit sensitive in all these things," he says.

"It seems there is something, more than rivalry," Rekha says.

*********************

"She is right. It is coming," Shiva's mother says as she sits in front of the God photo.

"What is this behaviour? What will our children think?" Sukhi says.

"I don't care what they think. Just tell me what happened that day?" Shiva's mother asks clutching his kurta.

"Nothing. How many times should I tell you," Sukhi says.

"You can't fool me. There was blood on your kurta that day," Shiva's mother shouts.

"Lower your voice. Oh god, somebody will hear it," he says closing the windows.

"There was nothing. It was 15 years ago. He dies because lightning strike him," he says.

"Lightning," Shiva's mother repeats.

"Didn't you see his eyes? They were plucked out. His body was purple as if someone has suffocated him."

"Whether you believe or not. My heart says it is because of that day only. God is punishing us," she says.

*********************

"Where is the tea? Is anybody there?" Sukhi says as he take a seat in the lawn area.

"Here," Rekha says as she handed a glass of tea. "Shiva and mother has gone to temple. They will come back soon."

"Why didn't you also go with them? This is your first time in the village. You should also go," he says taking a sip of tea.

"I am not a religious person. I don't believe in all these things," she replies.

Sukhi chuckles, "Obviously, city people are modern. They didn't believe in gods and superstition."

"Where is your village? I know you two got married in secret. Even we were unable to attend it," Sukhi says.

"I..I belongs from Hansi," she says. The glass fell from Sukhi's hand.

"What happens? Do you know about the village? It is near only," Rekha says picking up the glass, the tea spills in the rock marble.

"Um.. yes yes. I know about it. I think I am tired I may rest now," he says walking toward his room.

"Hansi. You should remember my village. Don't you?" Rekha says, Sukhi pause midway. Sweats forms on his forehead.

"There is one popular story in my village. It is of 15 years ago. Two girls came to this village. They were young and beautiful," Rekha says and pause.

Sukhi was shivering in his place. He didn't even have energy to move around or walk, as if his feet were stuck to the floor.

"There were three men in the field. Drunk. They see the girls. One of them holds their hand, one see everything and one do dirty things. They fulfill their desire, one after other. And when they were done. Do you know what they did?" Rekha asks.

"They threw a large piece of rock. To crush their skulls. Luckily, one girl was not dead," she says.

Rekha pick up a large stone from the lawn. Sukhi couldn't move from his place. As if some energy is holding him there. He can sees his death right in front of his eyes.

"Let me go, please," he cries as Rekha stand in front of him.

"That's how we pleaded back then," Rekha says as he break his skull with the large rock. Blood splash on her face, as she disfigures his face.