The Unventured Passions

A Night in Woods

Smiling in the face of adversities is a quality very few possess. It's like embracing life the way it is presented, acknowledging it as a gift rather than sighing away from it. Bondita had that quality, she could smile even in the greatest of hardships, she could smile in starvation, during sleepless nights, and it was this unblemished smile of hers that gave Anirudh the zeal to do better, to live better, for the both of them.

The small polythene tent was set, the fire was made, the men went down the river to fish with harpoons made of wood, and as Bondita sat by the broken riverbank sharpening a knife, Raimoti lay on her stomach, on the fresh green grass, watching the men in their action.

"Oh goodness... I've never seen anyone jump around the river like this..." Raimoti chuckled, throwing the words at Bondita, and yawned, " Do you think they would be able to fish this year?"

"Let's hope so." Bondita laughed, as a splashing sound made them both look infront, only to find Satya and Anirudh falling on each other in their futile attempts of catching fishes.

"Anirudh Da, I thought you're an expert...!" Raimoti raised her voice, breaking the silence of the night, and Bondita giggled out loud.

"I fish with rods Madam... Not with bare hands", came the answer, as he launched the sharp stick into the dark water.
"Plus it's Padma, not Ganga... It has currents!"

"Isn't it the same?" Raimoti laughed, picking up a twig as she twirled it playfully around her beautiful fingers.

"Damn!" Satya gasped, and in another attempt he stuck his harpoon in the dark, piercing a fish with it.

"Shabaash!" Anirudh cheered, and a large Mrigal of about two kilos came out of the water.

"Anirudh Da... Let's go, I think we're good for the night."
Satya smiled brightly, and Anirudh exchanged a look with his wife.

"I've heard they have excellent Pabda here, in Padma... It's my wife's favourite you see." He winked at Satya as he pushed the fish offshore to Bondita, and the duo started the battle against water once again, cheerfully.

Three Pabda, and a large Mrigal, and Bondita sat happily gutting the fishes with her skillful hands.

"Yuck... I already feel like throwing up Bondita." Raimoti flinched her face and retched at the sight of the bloodied fishes, clutching her stomach.
"I don't think I could eat these."

"Have you never seen a fish being gutted?" Bondita asked, curiously.

"Never..." Raimoti turned her face away, and focused on the two men bathing in the shallow water of the river.
"I wish I could bath like them too."
She sighed.

The water was cold, yet pleasant, and in the dying twilight, Raimoti lay down, admiring the masculine beauty of the two men coming out of the river.

"Can mermaids be men Bondita?" She asked her lazily, without looking, and Bondita looked up, casting her eyes at the two men and smiled.

"See if you can grow them some fins."

The two women laughed out loud, in sync, perhaps visualising the men as mermen, or perhaps fantasizing, and Raimoti let out a loud sigh and sat up, eyeing the men with a renewed enthusiasm.

Anirudh was taller, muscular, with a clear fair complexion glowing in the moonlight, whereas Satya was leaner, more agile, his arms and legs tanned compared to the other parts of his perfectly toned body. They both wore soaked trousers, hanging low on their waist without the suspenders, and their bare glistening torso made Raimoti gasp. Anirudh's straight hair was back-brushed, while Satya's curls had covered his forehead, making him appear innocent, playful.