Prisoner: Chapter 1

 "Where is the runner who brought this letter, Damini?", Payal asked..

 "He is in the bhojanshala, Didi."

 "Fetch him right away."

 The fifteen year old handmaiden scurried off in a swish of her ghagra. Payal sighed as she watched her leave. Damini had grown considerably since she had rescued her from imminent death in the hands of the soldiers who had brought her to the palace in chains for some petty crime. Her heart had gone out to the little girl with the tear-streaked face. "Didi", she had whispered into her ears. Her heart had melted and she never bothered to change it into "my lady" even after she was employed as her handmaiden. She named her 'Damini', lightning because she always arrived at lightning speed when called. 

  Payal clutched the letter to her heart. The royal seal glistened in the bright sunlight that entered her apartment through the stain glass window. 

  "I beg you on bent knees, run away with me tonight. We will go far away, across the border and never look back," said the King. His voice was hoarse with pain, he held her hand in a bone-crushing grip.

  "Why?", laughed Payal. "What is wrong with right here?"

  "No, no my love. If we don't leave tonight, tomorrow morning I must leave you and God only knows if I will ever return to your arms", he cried, tightening his grip on her hand and making her wince.

  Her eyes bored into his, looking for an explanation. "War", he whispered with trembling lips. 

  A single word brought her entire world crashing down. She attempted to reply but her voice chocked in. Every inch of her wanted to scream.

  "Stop me, I beseech you. You know that a single word from your lips can make me move mountains," a single tear rolled down his smooth cheeks while his eyes seemed to scream in agony. 

  "You are the King, you belong to the people. From the moment you sat on the throne, my love, you forfeited the right to think about yourself", she whispered, trying to steady her voice inspite of the tears that welled in her eyes.

  "Don't, I beg you. Don't do this. Will you see these hands, which hold you, bloodied in battle?", wept the King.

  The words struck like a million arrows to her heart. She held his hands open on her lap and said, "If it is your destiny, it will come to pass. The people of this kingdom love you beyond measure. You are good and just. They will be heartbroken if you abandon them. Follow your destiny, my love for we all must, no matter how painful."

  "Payal, you heartless angel, I cannot see tears in your eyes. I will burn down the entire kingdom, the entire world if you are in pain."

  "See these tears then and go to war. Burn and wreck your enemy beyond measure. Avenge my pain and protect your people, she cried choking on her last words. 

  In the morning she ran, teary eyed down the road. Finally she fell to the ground weeping, engulfed by the dust stirred up by the King's horse. Even in her overwhelming grief, she could hear the unmistakable sound of laughter coming from the queens' apartments. 

  The memories seemed to rekindle the familiar ache that had given way to a strange numb nothingness over the past few days. She looked down at the thick roll of parchment and slowly began to open it. 

  

Prisoner: Prologue

  The Sabha Hall was empty except for two lone figures. Laughter, tinkle of jewellery and swish of clothes filled the air and bounced off the intricately carved columns that held up the ornate ceiling. Two figures were busy at play.
  Payal was running from column to column and Raja Suvajit was unsuccessfully following suit. Nevertheless, he continued to chase her. After all, every man in the kingdom was trying to capture her and imprison her in his heart.
 "Please have mercy, I cannot possibly run anymore", gasped the Raja.
  Payal peeped from behind a column, just a few feet away, and disappeared again in a whoosh of clothing and a tinkle of bells. Just one look at her mesmerizing kohl laden eyes and mischievous half smile made him pick up pace. He followed the musical sound of her laughter and found himself standing before the throne of his ancestors.
  She sat playfully on the throne, her bare feet swinging a few inches above the ground. The Raja stared in wonder. He had often heard passionate and exciting stories of Apsaras who lived in heaven. Gods, kings, men would all be fighting each other, abandoning kingdoms, throwing away their lives just to be in their arms. Suvajit often wondered whether she was as an Apsara. Surely a human couldn't be so captivating. He was a Raja and yet he felt so slight, so insignificant before her. 
  "Didn't manage to catch me, eh?",  Payal whispered.
  "I wonder if anyone can", replied Suvajit as he bounded up the steps and picked her up in his arms.
  Payal was unable to think as his hot breath fell on her face. She gazed at him in silence.
  "My dearest," he whispered into her ears. "One day the whole world will be at our feet".
  She found her voice and replied, "You mustn't speak of such things, Raja. We have no power other than that which is given to us from above. We must wait for God's instructions and accordingly carry out our duties. Everything that is destined to happen will happen."
  "No one can ever have any power over you", laughed Suvajit.
  Payal laid a hand on his mouth and said, "You are the Raja and I..."
 This time the Raja laid a hand her mouth and said, "..and you are mine."
 She was lost for words yet again. 

Freedom

"God, please protect me, I beseech you. I am tired of this worldly existence. Call me to your side, to your services. I promise, I shall serve you as long as my soul exists. I beg you, don't place any obstacles in my path to heaven. Don't tie me down to this life, where everything is 'maya', an illusion. "

  Tears flowed down my cheeks as I offered my prayers before the silent deities. The smoke from the incense swirled around me like a protective cloud and mingled with the smell of freshly picked flowers.
  Suddenly, I felt the presence of the strange man. His eyes boring into my back. I stiffened on the prayer mat.
  "What are you looking at?", I said firmly, trying to conceal the ache in my voice.
  "Nothing, just looking at you.", he said.
  "Don't.", I said, even more firmly but he did not move.
  I rose slowly from the ground and flung my wet hair over my shoulder. I did not dare to lift my gaze from the floor and meet his eyes. I walked up to the door where he stood.
  "Let me pass", I said, still gazing at the floor.
  "Why do you want to give me freedom, so soon?", he asked.
  "I am no one to hold you back. You are free, you always were.", I said, cringing as I felt the intensity of his gaze on me.
   "But I don't want freedom.", he argued.
   This time I lifted my eyes and met his, fearlessly. "But I do.", I said before I walked away, leaving him dumbfounded.
  
 

One Night

  "Why are we here?", asked the strange man.
  "We are here to further God's work", I replied. "God created us in his own image. Love yourself, only then can you love God because God lives within you".
   His distant eyes sought the horizon, lost in thought. The sky was ablaze with millions of stars and the full moon made everything around us twinkle. The black river seemed to be strewn with innumerable pearls as if Sita had torn her necklace and cast it into the waters before being harshly carried away by Ravan. The howling wind seemed to carry with it, her desperate cries for help.
   "Do you believe in destiny?", he asked.
   "Yes, of course. This very moment is written in both our destinies."
   "Why don't you love me?", he asked as he turned to face me.
   I had no answer. I only prayed silently that the answer would come to us both.
   "Why do you suffer like this?", I asked. "Set yourself free, cut the invisible cords which connect you to me. Your soul cries for freedom".
   "Walk with me," he pleaded. "No one shall care for you as much as I shall."
   "I do not need caring for, God shall take care of me."
   "How long can you live like this? Watching people from above? One day you will have to fall to the ground, what then?"
    "That will be decided by destiny."
    He sat silently for a moment before he politely took his leave. I smiled to myself and lay down beneath the sky. The light of the stars began to blur and merge into one as my eyes closed and I drifted off to a peaceful slumber.
   

Penance

 I was walking down life's lonely road, when I met a strange man. He asked me for directions and went his way. Of course, I didn't know the directions to his destination; but I helped him the best I could. A few days later, I met him again, in one of life's by-lanes. I smiled, I said hello but little did I know...
  I cannot say that I hadn't guessed it. It was obvious from the way he looked at me. His thirsty eyes seemed to drink off my very presence. I was pleased to know that he had a strong liking towards me but alas, I felt no stir of passion, no pangs of fiery love.
  Days passed, words grew fewer even though our paths crossed often. I knew, that he had abandoned his road in order to watch me walk down mine. He watched with starved, hungry eyes as I hurried by. Soon he lost track of his destination and began to go around in circles.
  Many-a-times, when I have taken shelter for the night, I have gazed upon the stars and wondered what is this invisible string of pain that attaches that strange man to me? What is it that he seeks? I never could find an answer. I learned soon, that there were many thing on heaven and earth that were beyond my understanding.
  Many-a-times, he would disappear for days, trying to find his path again. But, soon he would return on his knees, begging me to walk with him, to love him. He could not understand why it was impossible for me to do so and he would die everyday.
  After a while, he was reduced to a mere shadow. When I saw him, I was filled with remorse. How could my mere presence cause him so much pain? Often, I would try to explain to him that he should move on but his vacant eyes would remain unchanging.
  What he doesn't know is that our paths are different, so are our destination. That is why, we can never walk together. He is headed towards life itself and I...I am trying to find a way out of this maze, a way to free my soul.

  She was at the edge, the edge of the sharp cliff jutting into the raging dark sea. The fierce, howling wind almost dragged her listless body mercilessly to the steep drop below. Her bare feet slipped on the moist rocks as she struggled to keep herself erect. Blinded by tears, she scrambled desperately to avoid the fall. Her cries were inaudible to the deafening roar of the sea and its monstrous waves crashed violently in to the jagged rocks. "Dear God", she cried, "dear God!".

  The overcast sky with its swirling black clouds was like the mouth of hell itself, sucking all the light out of the earth. They thundered so loudly that it seemed as if the Gods were at war and the blinding steaks of lightning were the terrifying clash of their weapons. The ground beneath her feet seemed to tremble in mortal fear.
 
  She pressed her hands to her ears with all her might, her body shook in an almost surreal way, her heart thumped harshly beneath her chest. Suddenly, the sky burst forth a heavy shower of rain. It pierced her skin like a thousand sharp needles. The water was cold as death and she knew no more.

   When she awoke it was mid morning. The sun blinded her for an instant. She lifted herself up with much difficulty. The blue sky greeted her warmly, the birds flew in merry circles over the peaks and the stunted trees looked beautifully green. She walked over to the edge of the cliff and stared in wonder. The water was clear blue and the foamy white waves caressed the jagged rocks. The sea rumbled softly, almost like a monotone.

   She was sure that God himself had rescued her from the mouth of hell and brought her to heaven.

Dear Traitor

Dear Traitor,

                                Let me get straight to the point. I know who my real friends are now. I am happy and I feel nothing for you. Yes, initially I felt really bad and unsure of myself but now I have left you behind, I have moved on.

                                You impressed upon me that true friends do not exist. Well, you were wrong! They exist in my life. They are there for me no matter what, no matter where they are, how far they are from me. Look at you, on the other hand, so close yet so self -centered. My true friends and I have very good times together and these difficult years have shown me who they really are. It’s your loss, dear Traitor.

                                What is worse is that you slowly got me to believe in you and then withdrew when I least expected it. That is cold! Well, as far as I remember you are cold and heartless and always were.                 

                                So, I will end this worthless letter by saying that my true friends will always be there for me, whether it is on chat line or it is on the other end of the phone. For you, the phone will keep on ringing because you won’t even care to find out whether I am in trouble or not. You will be buried too deep in your own sorry, selfish world where no one exists but you.

                                Someone along the way will do the same to you, Traitor and you will be forced to care. The best part is that no matter how much you think that we can survive alone, we can’t. Human beings need other human beings to remain sane. I hope your sorry ass finds this letter. Oh wait, you are too preoccupied to contact me, never too preoccupied to contact others. Well, I guess you think I am a fool who doesn’t know. Come to your selfish senses, I know!

                                                                         Your blindly believing enemy.