The Silver Anklet

by Mahtab Narsimhan

  Zarku stopped suddenly and Tara almost bumped into him. He flung open the wooden doors of a small room. Someone coughed from within.

  “Go in and stay with her,” said Zarku. “Kali will be along to fetch you both shortly.”

  Tara stepped inside, waiting for her eyes to adjust to the gloom. This room did not have a window and the only light came in from the corridor. And there she was, curled up on a stone bench hollowed out within the wall.

  “Sadia?” said Tara, rushing to her side.

  Immediately the coughing stopped. Sadia struggled to sit up. She barely managed to prop herself up on her elbow before she fell back on the stone bench, a wet cough wracking her thin body. Tara hugged her and was instantly worried; Sadia was burning up with fever.

  “Who … are … you?” Sadia managed to say.

  The instant Sadia spoke, Tara knew the voice she’d been hearing was not hers; she had known it all along. So then, who was it? She pushed the thought aside and ran to the door.

  “Don’t leave me,” Sadia shrieked. There was such terror in that cry that Tara returned to her side.

  “It’s all right, Sadia. I’m Tara, a friend of your brother, Kabir. Don’t you remember, we met at the fair? I’ve come to help you.”

  Sadia sat up with a huge effort. She clung to Tara, sobbing as if her heart would break. Tara wanted to bawl, too. How had Sadia survived these last few days, alone in this small dark room? She heard footsteps and stood up. She needed to brew some medicine for Sadia and was willing to grovel if need be.

  “Follow me,” said Kali. She stood in the doorway, blocking out much of the light and beckoned to them.

  “Kali, wait,” said Tara. “Sadia is very ill. She needs medicine or she won’t survive.”

  “Good,” snapped Kali. “One less burden to carry around.”

  Curses for Kali rose unbidden to Tara’s lips. It was wrong to wish ill on anyone, her mother had always said.

  But Kali was not anyone. She was the worst and most inhuman being Tara had ever known. After Zarku.

  “Up, GET UP!” said Kali. “I haven’t all day.”

  “Sadia, can you walk?” asked Tara.

  Sadia mumbled and sat up, coughing. She got to her feet and immediately crumpled to the ground. Tara scooped her up, feeling her small, hot body settle heavily in her arms and walked up to Kali. “I’ll need help. Sadia is too ill to walk on her own.”

  “The hyenas are just outside. Toss her to them and they’ll take care of the problem.”

  The room took on a reddish tinge. Tara focused on adjusting Sadia in her arms to be able to carry her comfortably. If she hadn’t been preoccupied with that, she would have strangled Kali. How could she be so hard-hearted? She was a mother, after all.

  Tara followed Kali’s ample bottom, wondering what it would take to persuade the hyenas to reduce it by a few kilos or maybe even devour her. No one in the world would miss her except Layla. Anger pulsed anew at the thought of Layla; the evil child of an evil mother. In spite of being separated from Kali, she had shown her true colours and betrayed Suraj and his friend. How had she done it? How had they communicated with each other without being discovered? If she ever survived this, it would be the first thing she would investigate.

  Tara followed Kali through the labyrinth once again. Sadia was getting heavier with each step. How had Vayu carried Raani for so many hours under the burning sun, without pause or complaint? She was barely able to manage a small child.

  Kali turned a corner and there was the entrance. The gray day dampened Tara’s spirits further. Her arms ached and her legs trembled. They hadn’t even left the temple yet and who knew how far Zarku would make her walk.

  Zarku stood in the rain, arms folded across his chest— exactly as Suraj did when he was annoyed. The familiar gesture tugged at her heart. She focused on the hardness in his eyes. The tug vanished, replaced by hatred.

  “Took you long enough,” said Zarku. Beside him was a bundle covered in an oilskin.

  “Sadia is ill,” said Tara. “She can barely walk.”

  “So? I see you found the solution already,” he said.

  “Good girl.”

  “I can’t carry her all the way,” said Tara. “She’s too heavy.”

  “Feel free to drop her at any time,” said Zarku. “The hyenas haven’t eaten today. And you,” said Zarku snapping his fingers at Kali and pointing. “Pick up the bundle.”

  On cue, the hyenas swirled around her legs sniffing, gibbering.

  Tara took a deep breath. She would drop dead before she dropped Sadia. She hoisted the little girl higher. Squaring her shoulders, Tara walked out into the pouring rain.

  — eighteen —

  The Voice of Madness

  The rain stopped at midday. The sun came out and with it the ubiquitous mosquitoes with their constant buzzing. Within the hour, the forest became warmer, like a slowly heating oven. The earth steamed gently under Tara’s feet. Now and then a breeze dislodged drops of rain from the leaves, showering her with a welcome coolness.

  Sadia moaned and hot breath fanned the base of her throat. Tara wanted to moan, too; she couldn’t feel her arms. Her face was drenched with sweat, blinding her at times because she was unable to wipe it away. All she wanted to do was sit down and never get up. She forced herself to keep going, left foot, right foot, left … right … Tara licked her parched lips. “Please, can we stop for a short while?”

  Zarku ignored her.

  “Please,” said Tara, hating herself for the whining tone.

  “No!”

  “If I collapse and die, you won’t be able to carry out your grand plan. Ever thought of that?”

  Zarku stopped and turned round, a squiggle of worry on his forehead. Tara trembled with the realization that finally she had something that would make him listen to her. Something she could use to blackmail him. If she died or did not reach the cave, he would not be able to carry out his plan.

  “All right,” he said. “Ten minutes only. But don’t think you can use this excuse with me all the time. I can still carry out my plan with you barely alive. Remember that.”

  Tara sank to the ground, still holding Sadia, too tired to understand or even care about what he meant by that.

  She took deep, shuddering breaths wondering if she would have the strength to stand up again after ten minutes.

  “Water,” mumbled Sadia.

  “Give me some water, Kali,” said Tara.

  “No!” she snapped. “There’s none to spare.”

  Tara turned to Zarku. “If anything happens to Sadia, you can be certain I won’t let your plan succeed. You’ll have to spend the rest of your life in Suraj’s body, forget about all that glory and power.”

  Tara winced as she said it, praying he would not see through the bluff. She couldn’t let Suraj live the rest of his life possessed by Zarku. She would kill him first.

  How exactly she would accomplish that did not bear thinking about right now.

  “Give her the water,” said Zarku. He stood to one side, deep in thought.

  “Here,” said Kali. She thrust a bottle of water in Tara’s hand.

  Tara unclasped Sadia’s thin little arms from around her neck and laid her on the ground. She was so very still, her face flushed and red in the afternoon heat, her lips cracked and dry.

  “Sadia, here’s some water,” said Tara. “Open your mouth.”

  There was no response from the little girl.

  Tara propped her up and poured a few drops into her mouth. The water trickled out the side and Sadia’s head lolled. Tara shook her gently. “Sadia, listen to me, wake up. I’m taking you back home. To Kabir.”

  Sadia mumbled under her breath, but did not open her eyes. Painstakingly, Tara poured some more water into her mouth, feeling Kali’s eyes on them, counting every drop. Only when she thought Sadia had had enough did she take a deep gulp. Kali snatched the bottle away before she could take another.

  “Enough!” said Kali. She
put the stopper back on. “We have to ration it.”

  They glared at each other in silence.

  “If both of you have finished with the loving looks, let’s go,” said Zarku.

  It would be so easy to just give up, lay down here and let him kill her and Sadia. Tara leaned her head back against a tree and closed her eyes. The battle at the banyan tree flashed through her mind; all those villagers turned into Vetalas with Zarku rousing them to a mad frenzy. She sat up with a jerk. If she did not stop him, this would be their fate all over again. It was in her hands now and she had no idea where to start.

  Zarku was looking at her curiously. “Get up, now!”

  “Just a few moments more.”

  Zarku snapped his fingers and a hyena rushed forward and nipped her. Her shoulder throbbed and blood blossomed on her kurta. Tara jumped to her feet. The hyena backed away, laughing. You watch, she thought, staring straight at the ugly beast. I’ll have the last laugh.

  Zarku and Kali were on their feet, staring at her impatiently. The thought of having to hoist Sadia in her aching arms made her quail. For a brief moment she felt resentment. Why was she latched with this burden? It would be so easy to walk away. Leave Sadia and save herself.

  Sadia muttered unintelligibly, deep in the throes of fever. Tara caught only one word, Kabir, and was instantly ashamed. How could she even think of abandoning this child after she had promised Kabir she would bring her back? What if this had been Suraj? Such an ugly thought would never have crossed her mind!

  “Looks like you both need a bit of help,” said Zarku, snapping his fingers. Both hyenas converged on Sadia, sniffing greedily, licking her face. One of them nipped her nose, drawing a bit of blood.

  Sadia’s eyes snapped open. “Don’t let him eat me, Didi.” She crawled over to Tara and wrapped her thin arms around her, rubbing her nose and howling.

  “Call them off!” screamed Tara.

  “You can’t blame them for taking a sniff at lunch.” Zarku laughed. It was a thin, brittle sound that sliced through hope, leaving only despair. “Next time they won’t be so polite.”

  Tara lifted Sadia, every muscle in her body crying with fatigue. Her arms automatically locked in place under Sadia’s small bottom. She followed Zarku’s feet, mesmerized by the way he lifted his feet, put them down, up and down again accompanied by the sounds of crackling leaves and twigs. On and on and on.

  “Faster!” said Zarku. “You’re slowing us down deliberately, Tara. I’m almost at the end of my patience.”

  “I can’t go any faster,” said Tara. “She’s too heavy.”

  Zarku whirled round, his face a mask of rage. “Then drop her or stop your whining,” he commanded. “We have to get to that cave before nightfall. If it does not happen tonight, I’ll have to wait another fortnight — and I will not allow that.”

  “So tell that fat lump to help me,” said Tara. She jerked her head toward Kali, who also looked winded.

  “If we took turns carrying Sadia, it might help.”

  “Rubbish,” said Kali. “I’m not going to hold her.”

  “You might as well kill me now,” said Tara, “because I can’t go on and I’m not leaving Sadia.”

  “Let the hyenas eat her,” said Kali. “We don’t need her anyway, do we?”

  “We don’t need you, either,” said Zarku in a cold voice. “Maybe they can start with you?”

  Kali blanched. “You could help, you know,” she said in a soft voice. “You’re the only one who’s not carrying anything.”

  Zarku came right up to Kali and though he had to look up to speak to her there was no doubt about who was in charge. “You speak to me disrespectfully even once more, Kali, and I will kill you on the spot.”

  He came up to Tara next. She looked into his face, focusing on the crease on his forehead that was deeper.

  “If you slow me down or stop me once more, Tara, you will lose Sadia. I will tie you up first and then let the hyenas feast on her while you watch. Understand?”

  Tara saw the image clearly in her mind and something inside her snapped.

  “No, I don’t understand,” screamed Tara. “I will never understand your deliberate cruelty!”

  She put Sadia on the ground, grabbed Zarku and shook him till his teeth rattled. He was so surprised that he made no attempt to resist. His head jerked back and forth with each shake that grew progressively rougher.

  “Is there not even a shred of humanity in you?” she shrieked. “How can you talk of letting a hyena rip apart an innocent child? You’ve taken one life already. How many more will it take to satisfy you? YOU MONSTER!”

  Zarku was limp in her hands as she shook him like a duster. He stared up at her just like Suraj did when she scolded him.

  Tara stopped and looked deep into his eyes that had lost a bit of their hardness. “Suraj,” she said. “If you’re in there, listen to me. You’ve already lost your best friend Rohan to this monster and the hyenas. They killed him. They’ll kill Sadia next. Unless you can stop it, somehow. Only you can fight Zarku. Resist him! Can you hear your sister? Give me a sign if you do.” She shook him so hard that he stumbled and fell to the ground, hitting his head against a stone.

  “Owww.”

  Tara picked him up, aghast at the spot of blood on his temple. He looked dazed.

  “Didi?” he said in a tremulous voice. His eyes were moist.

  Her heart soared. “Suraj?” said Tara. “You heard me! Can you fight this monster within you? It’s your body, you must take it over. You must.”

  A tear slid down his cheek. “Didi, I’m scared. What should I do? Someone’s smothering me, choking me from the inside. It feels like … like I’m in a dark room and I can’t get out. Help me!”

  “Oh Suraj, be strong. You must resist him. Don’t do what he tells you. Do just the opposite. I’m right here beside you. I’ll help.”

  Suraj nodded and held his arms open. Tara embraced him, feeling his small shoulders heave and his body tremble. She had gotten through to her brother; now they had a fighting chance. Maybe if Suraj listened to her, she could get him to come to Morni with her. They might defeat Zarku, yet!

  “Don’t cry, Suraj, it’s all right. Listen to me,” she said, pulling away from him. She stopped. He was laughing so hard that tears rolled down his cheeks.

  “Suraj …?”

  “That was so much fun,” gasped Zarku. He rolled on the ground, clutching his stomach, roaring with laughter.

  “You were playing with me all along?” she breathed.

  Goosebumps rose on her skin; she had hugged this evil being once again. She shuddered and drew back.

  “You needed a break and I needed a laugh,” said Zarku. He sat up and wiped his eyes on the sleeve of his kurta. “Listen to me, Suraj. Be strong, resist him, resist the evil madman,” he mimicked in a high-pitched voice.

  At that moment Tara hated what her brother had become— a puppet to something so evil that it had taken over his very soul. It was getting harder and harder to believe that she would ever get her brother back and if she ever did, the shadow of Zarku would always linger.

  “I’ll say this one last time,” said Zarku. “Suraj can’t hear you. Not until I leave his body. And the condition I leave it in will depend entirely on you. Don’t try to slow me down, Tara. You’ll regret it.”

  He dusted the mud off his clothes and started off at a fast trot.

  Tara tasted bile at the back of her throat and swallowed. The trees seemed to crowd in on her, lowering their thick canopy of leaves, trying to trap her in a green airless box.

  It was useless. She was going to die. Sadia was weak and after she was gone, Zarku would not hesitate to kill her, too. And Suraj — who knew what condition his mind would be in when Zarku left his body. She should give up right now. It was completely hopeless.

  You’ve never given up before, Tara. I’m with you. Trust me. Trust yourself. Pick up Sadia. Let’s go.

  The soft melodious voice was so clear, as
if someone had whispered in her ear.

  With a deep sigh, Tara stood up and picked up Sadia. There was no doubt now that fear had driven her mad.

  Yet this was an odd kind of madness, surely. In her deep desolation, the voice gave a tiny bit of courage.

  — nineteen —

  Into the Cave

  The ground had been dipping steadily over the past hour and it was a lot easier walking downhill with Sadia.

  Dusk was almost upon them once again. The path became rockier, the trees more sparse.

  Zarku moved faster. Weighed down with Sadia, Tara almost stumbled over loose pebbles underfoot as she tried to keep up. They entered a deep gully. Grassy banks of forest covered with thick, straggly tree roots rose on either side. Daylight and the forest were fast disappearing as they descended, and if Zarku carried out his plan, she would never see any of this again.

  “Come on, come on,” muttered Zarku. All playfulness was gone from his voice. “Almost there. We have to be ready by midnight.”

  Kali panted as she tried to keep up. Tara lagged behind, breathing in the night air, knowing it was the last time.

  “Here we are,” said Zarku. His voice quivered with excitement. “I haven’t seen this place in such a long time.”

  They stood before a large cave, partially covered by vines. Zarku immediately fell to his knees and touched his forehead to the ground. Tara was so tempted to kick his bottom, which pointed straight up at her. She caught Kali’s eye and decided not to. Besides, the hyenas were too close for comfort.

  Within moments Zarku was back on his feet. “Onward!” he cried. “We’re almost there. Aren’t you happy, Tara? In just a few hours you’ll be free of Sadia and this cumbersome earthbound form.”

  Tara was too tired to reply. She was ready to follow Zarku anywhere if it meant she could sit down and rest for a short while. Her legs trembled. Her shoulders and arms were frozen. If she unclasped her hands for even a moment, she knew she wouldn’t be able to lift Sadia again.

  “Give me the lantern,” said Zarku. “Quick now, we still have a ways to go.”

  Kali fumbled with the bundle, cursing and swearing, and finally extracted the lantern. Zarku snatched it from her, lit it, and hurried into the cave.