The Cinderella Of Rewa

10. Vedika

The inmates of the Thakur mansion would forever remember and talk about Daju Ma's henchmen brutally dragging Vedika, Ganga and Sahil away from the kitchen.

"Take them upto the topmost attic of the house and tie them up. They won't get any food or water. Let them rot there", Daju Ma was shouting like a maniac. She looked worse than ever after all her histrionics in the courtyard. Strands of her tangled hair hung around her face like thick ropes. Half of her jewels were missing, her face looked black and her eyes looked red. The Goddess had apparently withdrawn herself from Daju Ma's body early this time, Vedika thought bitterly.

The woman had burst into the kitchen all of a sudden and had caught her, Ganga and Sahil red handed as they were eating all the food kept there. Daju Ma's beatings had rained down on all three of them.Vedika could never have imagined that those thin fingers would have so much strength. After that, they had been dragged out of the kitchen by three of Daju Ma's henchmen. They were now being dragged up to the attic in a full spectacle like criminals sentenced to death.

Vedika could not believe it. Why was she being dragged up her own house like a galley slave that too for eating food that was made by her own cook who had been employed by her own father? She could not stand the cruelty of the situation either. Vedika knew Ganga would somehow be able to take it but her heart broke for Sahil. The poor boy was being subjected to all this for no fault of his. She couldn't bring herself to look at him.

"The blasted devils ate all the prasad meant for Amma Kali", Daju Ma stormed "All our prayers have gone to waste because of these three! They deserve to be chained up! Don't they?", she barked at the crowd of servants gathered behind her looking like scared puppies.

"Yes,yes..", they mumbled.

Vedika wanted to scream. Here were these servants who had eaten her father's salt all these years and now they were siding with that heartless bitch.

Encouraged by the sycophancy of the servants, Daju Ma stormed upto Sahil who was at the front of the party, snatched his hand away from the henchman who was holding him and started dragging him on her own.

Up and up they went, Vedika for the first time realising what a huge house, her father had built. It was a single winding marble staircase going up from the kitchen courtyard to the roof of the house.

They reached the landing of the attic. Daju Ma signalled one of the henchmen to get a ladder and open the trapdoor that led to the attic.

Everyone stood silently waiting for the ladder.

And then suddenly Sahil started sobbing loudly.

Ganga spontaneously tried to wriggle out from her captor's grip but he was too strong for her.

"Let go of me, you son of a bitch", she mumbled.

"Shut up Ganga", Daju Ma snapped as she tightened her own grip on Sahil's hand, "And you too shut up, foolish boy".

But Sahil only sobbed louder. Ganga who hadn't shown any sign of pain so far turned teary eyed too.

"Like mother like son. Useless boy", Daju Ma slapped Sahil's cheek,
She looked up and shouted, "Where is the bastard who went to get the ladder? Why is he taking this much time?"

"Let me go, you evil woman", Sahil cried loudly. Vedika could not look at this anymore but she couldn't turn away either. This was all because of her. But the worst was still to come.

Sahil's baby mind could not encompass things anymore and he started struggling with Daju Ma. He tried to push her off and run away, in vain. The middle aged woman and the little boy physically fought with each other as Ganga and Vedika watched helplessly.

The little boy seemed to win for a second, he managed to loosen Daju Ma's grip on him and reached the end of the staircase. He freed himself out of her clasp and jumped.

But he jumped a little too high.

•••

Vedika screamed loudly.

Everyone watched in horror as the little boy lost his balance at the edge of the staircase and toppled over. He fell down and started rolling. He tumbled down and down the many floors, his head hitting the staircase multiple times. He reached the foot of the stairs and lay there sprawled with blood oozing out of his head. And then he didn't move.

•••

"I lost my son. I lost my reason to live. I have no intentions of staying in this house anymore", Ganga's voice was calm as she threw her pathetically few belongings into a ragged cloth bag and tied it up together.

"Ganga, you can't go", Vedika begged.

"I've been asked to leave the house Vedika", Ganga shrugged. She picked up the bag, swung it over her arm and walked out of the servant quarters, squaring her shoulder. Even in her torn saree, she looked no less regal than the River Goddess Ganga herself.

"Where will you go?", Vedika ran behind Ganga. The latter's calmness was making Vedika uneasy. Mothers who had just lost their children were supposed to be shattered. But here Ganga was walking around like a saint who had given up all earthly desires.

Nobody came to see off Ganga. Only Rudra was standing at the threshold. Ganga touched his feet.

"God be with you sister", Rudra mumbled.

"No", Ganga said "God be with you. I have already seen the worst brother. It's you all who have to be careful from here on."

"Where will you go?", Vedika asked again.

"That is my business", Ganga shrugged. Vedika could not ask anything more.

They hugged briefly and awkwardly before Ganga walked out of the mansion with her head held high. Vedika watched her last and strongest supporter leave her. She was now left to face her destiny completely alone.

•••

"You will meet your prince charming soon".

Ganga had said that before leaving.

Ganga didn't know crap, Vedika cursed as she sat on the bank of the river Bischya. She hadn't gone back into the house at all after Ganga had left. In the chaos of hushing up Sahil's death and asking Ganga to leave the house, Daju Ma had temporarily forgotten to torture her. Vedika didn't want to go back and remind her to do that. Moreover, the house no longer held anyone that she loved.

The mansion that had been as pure as a temple sanctum and had been owned by a man considered as great as God himself had now turned into a death house belonging to a witch.

Vedika now thought of the several things she could have told her father.

She hadn't even told him about Daju Ma's cold behaviour with her because she hadn't wanted that create a conflict in their marriage. But maybe if she had spoken to him, he would've been alive then. Or maybe she should've rebelled even before that, right when her father had decided to get remarried. Why would you want a Devoleena when you loved no one but Anjali, she should've asked. Vedika felt she would go insane with all of these thoughts.

Finally at mid afternoon, when the scorching sun had gone high up into the sky and the heat by the river bank became too much, Vedika decided to go back to the house.

She got up and started her way down the path to Thakur Mansion when she heard the sound of horse's hooves. Who on earth was going riding in the hot sun, Vedika wondered.

And then she saw it.

A white stallion sprang into view from the other side of the river. It was not beautiful in the typical sense but it looked magnificent and strong. The rider on it looked like a young man, only slightly older than Vedika though she could not see his face. The stallion took a flying leap that would've awed even celestial beings.

It landed smoothly on the other side of the bank and spun around like a dancer while the young man sitting on it's back flipped his hair at the same time and Vedika saw his face. Her jaw dropped.

She never thought she would meet Nakul Mittal again.