“Lady with Amazing Courage” //Words- 1,338
My sister gave birth to her fourth daughter. She was released home on fifth day.
IT was winter. The day was cloudy and stormy. Darkness swooped before 5:00 pm. The area was out of electricity . There were two lanterns with dim light My sisters’ family finished early dinner and slipped under quilt in bed-room. They soon fell asleep listening lullaby story from grandma..
It was off-day of my sister’s husband . Frequent thunder, lightening and howling gale knocking the door and window, created eerie feeling to my sister .
It was only 9:35pm. But it seemed to be midnight.
Mr.Ghosh asked ,” Can you give me the big torch?”
Mira asked ,” it is under my pillow ; but why?”
Mr.Ghosh, “I need to go lavatory. “
Mira became worried. …Because the lavatory was at outside in the back yard .
…She remembered the horror stricken inauspicious dream of dacoites that chased her from last month ! She believed in her power of premonition from her past experiences .
My sister had no Godrej steel almira with safety locker.
But her widow mother-in-law has brought her big iron chest containing her own jewelry and important paper
(2)
Father of Mr.Ghosh had bitter relationship with eldest son ; The son was also railway guard posted in nearby Patna. Father-in-law himself was lawyer. He legally cut off relation with his eldest son and deprived him any share of his property in his Will. Since that time relationship between siblings also deteriorated .
Within short period father passed away.
MrGhosh got new posting in Baktiarpur junction. He brought his mother in his place to live with them. ; grand children were happy to get their grand ma , as a fountain of story-teller . The eldest grandson was nine, and the second was seven while third one was only three .
As soon as the door was opened Mr.Ghosh saw lightening flashed followed by thunder . To his horror he saw an armed gang sitting on the top of the wall.
………..They must be dacoites! He immediately shut the door and locked all the latches.
He whispered to Mira ,
” I saw a gang of dacoites on the top of the wall !”
They both heard the thumping sound of many feet on the backyard. Then they started to knock the door tremendously; and ordered with harsh nasty voice,
“Open the door , open quickly ; otherwise we will break it . “
Mira huddled inside the bedroom with Biren and closed the door of the bed-room also and put off the lantern to make the room dark.
She dragged Biren to hide inside a big storage box and then gathered all the quilt and rag upon him. Biren at first objected to hide .
Mira whispered, “they will kill you !... you can’t do anything with a gang!”.
Lastly Mira kept the bundle of stingy wet napkins of the baby on the top Of the quilt
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……Mira heard the sound of breaking the door of drawing room ; though this door was enough strong .The gang entered with grudging voice and abuses.
They started to knock the door of bedroom.
“ We can break it in few minutes, if you delay nobody will remain alive !”
Understanding the situation, Mira thought instead of making the gang more furious, it would be wise to open the door.
With trembling voice she asked :
“ O.K . I will open the door in one condition : Promise me that you will not kill my kids !”
Suddenly they stopped the knocking to discuss among themselves in low voice and replied :
“ No, we don’t; we promise you”.
“ But hurry up!” ordered harshly.
Mira, “ Let me trust you! ”.
Then Mira opened the door, trembling with fear .
Immediately a man with lighted torch focused on her face and targeted a revolver on her forehead.
The gang perhaps had only two torches . Second man surveyed both the bedrooms,
Circling torch light.
“Where’s your man ?”
Mira, “ on duty!”
“Liar!” Roared the leader.
” Today is his off-day.
Where is he hiding?”
Mira replied, ”in the afternoon he was ordered to inspect a fatal accident in the yard, far away.”
Mira lied.
But coincidently there was really a collision between two engines carrying Burma -oil wagon .!
The other man (seemed the gang leader) circulated the torch throughout the bedrooms and fixed on the storage-box (within which Mira’s husband was hiding ) with heap of quilts and baby’s dirty nappies laid over it . The leader asked some one to search the box .
My sister closed his eyes in fear and was about to faint.
“ Phe-w! Wou-ak k”--------
…the man began to spit & vomit like a pichkery .. .it’s poop sticky and stinky …wua-k thu h .thuh, he rushed outside like a bullet to clean his hand .
The man moved the revolver from forehead to the throat of Mira.
Touch of the metal was as cold as ice.
The leader ordered the gang “we must leave this place within five minutes. Let us stop beating the bush; but we wouldn’t leave in empty hand from here !”
The leader roared to Mira ‘’where are the jewelry’’.
Mira coughed as the revolver was pressed on her throat.
Mira pointed to the iron-chest.
“Give me the key”!
Mother-in-law threw the key towards him from her scarf.
Mira heard a shrill whistle from outside.
The leader ordered the gang, “Hurry up! The whistle messaged warning ! Carry the heavy iron chest -box and suitcase of jewelry on our van; “
they exited with boxes through door dashing Mira.
The leader clapped thrice: “ hurry up!” …
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. Mira could hear the fading sound of random thumping of hurried footsteps.
The sound of engine proved their van was leaving the arena. Within few minutes electricity came back , the houses were lighted . Though She got rid of the rifle, the feeling of metallic touch on throat still lingered. She dropped down on the ground,unconscious .
(3)
It was dawn; still half-dark; rain stopped; the birds twittered.
The house was crowded with both known and unknown neighbors; Some have brought hot milk while others tea in kettle and biscuits , puri-sabji!
Mira got back her senses slowly; She felt her head as heavy as brick; The memory of last night flashed into her mind like a horror movie.
She opened her heavy eye-lids and saw Mr. ghosh sitting on his easy chair with steamy cup of tea surrounded by neighbors in the drawing room ; new-born baby in the lap of mother-in-law on the cot;
She was on the big cot with her other three children; neighbors leaned over her face to ask something ; her lips only curved but couldn’t speak.
Aha! Aha -a!
It was so nice to see all the members were alive in the scattered chaos of the ransacked house ! She closed her eyes again with a sigh of relief.
Titu, the second son of seven years woke up and saw some unusual scene in the house . So many people, so much food in the early morning ! it seemed a festival to the innocent kid! With large eyes he was listening the neighbors who were discussing about the dacoits. Grand-ma was, lamenting and crying loudly
“ We lost everything, e-verything… The dacoits had made us beggars,… uhu-u“…
Hearing grand-ma crying Titu (the younger son) remembered something seriously!
He slipped from the cot and rushed hastily in the corner of backyard patio. There was a closed tin-box with other toys. He opened the box with much suspense. The box was full of bright marbles. His face became bright; he counted the multicolored marbles repeatedly and then came back giggling to the bed room .
He knocked his sleeping elder brother to say excitedly,
“ look brother , look here, not a single one is stolen !
Aren’t the dacoits sweet and kind enough to us to spare the marbles ?
How sweet and nice ! ”
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