Tejas was thinking about the whole episode, which happened with him the whole day. He wanted to find some rationality in that, but didn’t seem to be fortunate.
He came out from the shower, drying his hairs. He yelled to himself, “What is happening? Why no one is telling me the truth? Someone says Rekha is there and someone says, no one called Rekha is there?”
He was furious on himself, for falling in this situation. He could have stayed away from this, minded his own business, doing something, for which he came in this village. There was no point, of being explorative.
“But how can anyone ignore the facts, people are not so mad to tell me all these” Tejas tried to explain himself. “How will I be able to get into the truth?” Tejas questioned himself.
He was so engrossed in his thoughts that he didn’t see that time flew like a flash of light. The dinner was going to come and it will be the best time, when he can ask the person about Rekha. He patiently waited for the boy to come. He couldn’t hold his anxiety and went out of the house to see the boy. It was still some time left for the boy to come and this fact made him more curious.
People outside his house started to go to their houses. The road started to become deserted. He wanted to see what happens after 8. He also wanted to find out where Rekha lived. He was sure that Rekha existed and want to make people see her existence. That can be only possible, if he was convinced, that she existed.
He made a mental note of going out of the house after 8 to have a check on the fact. While he was thinking all these things, suddenly he saw the boy running with a plate on his hand. He checked on his watch, it was ticking 7:30 PM. He took the plate from the boy and wanted to ask, what he was thinking from so long. But the boy ran at once, he got free from his responsibility. Tejas stood there for some time and returned back to his house.
It was almost 8:30 PM, tejas was about to finish his dinner. It took longer time from usual days, probably because there are lots of things running in his mind and his concentration was more in those things rather taking his dinner. He completed his meal by 9:15 PM. He washed his hands and came to his front window. Not a trace of human.
“Now is the time to trace the truth” Tejas told himself. He came out of his house on the road. The road was dimly lit with the street lamps and also with the other house’s lights. He was able to see every corner of the place. His heart was beating heavily, he thought of going back to his house and sleep but then he was wanted to reveal and announce himself as a winner.
“Which way to go??” He asked confusingly
Then he thought, let’s walk towards Sarpanch’s house. This is the only route, he was confident of. He passed across various type of houses some small and some big. The size of the house reveals the status of the family lived in that. At the end of the road, he could see a deserted house. The house was still standing, but it was half broken and burnt.
He was surprised thinking, what would have happened to this house and the people living in this house. The house was pretty good, literally beautiful, wanted to be lit with lights, wanted to look as normal. But the circumstances had made people abandon this place or death has taken them away from this place.
Tejas was thinking all these while standing near to this house. Suddenly he could sense a deep sadness in the air. Tejas cold feel some hidden force attractive enough to push him towards the house. He wanted to leave but couldn’t leave. His mind and his heart were not coming to a same conclusion. He turned from there with much effort and went near to the Sarpanch’s house. He was thinking of going there and greet him, but he didn’t want Sarpanch think that he is not obeying to his orders.
“It’s better to go back from here, there is nothing so suspicious here to which people are thinking in such way” Tejas thought. He wanted to laugh at himself, that he came into these people’s trap. He was about to leave Sarpanch’s house, he saw someone was standing in one of the top floor rooms. It was a clear picture that it was some female standing there and suddenly went inside. After sometime, he could see someone hanging in the same room.
Tejas couldn’t believe what he was seeing there. All his courage drop down and fear over powered his mind and heart. He was so much scared that he left that place and ran towards his house.
“Is everything fine in Sarpanch’s house?” Tejas thought, taking time to get normal. He thought that,” if something like this has happened in Sarpanch’s house then how come no noise is outside?”
With this thought we went to bed and slept at once.
The realization of finding the identity of Rekha was still running back in his mind and he understood that, her identity is the only possible way to understand the root of everything which was happening with this village.
