Stars & Dreams

22) Beta Geminorium - To overcome the bad

The shooting of 'The Gypsy's blood' at that particular location came to an end. The final touches, editing, and the rest of the work were to be completed in Mumbai. The alleged romance between Yohan and Rumi remained just that; alleged. Yohan continued to keep his distance from Rumi. Rumi's telephonic conversations with Alec reiterated her yearning for a friendly ear. When they reached Mumbai, Rumi met Alec to finalize her contract.

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REWA

The moon had risen high and an untroubled quietness descended on the small village. It was not a very bright night. The illumination of the slender arc on the night sky was dull and much of the narrow dirt road was shadowed in darkness. It was the perfect night to escape and Rewa was prepared for it. She had left the door of the attic open so that it would not make the usual creaking noise. She tiptoed to the entrance of the house. There, she waited to hear if anyone had woken up. When she heard no movement, she left the house one last time.

Rewa held one end of the dupatta and followed the dog. Somehow, she managed to get out of her village with the help of a dog she had petted in the temple. She followed the dog by tying one end of the dupatta as a collar on the dog and holding the other end in her hand. Amidst the surrounding darkness and passing stretch, Rewa felt the country roads moving to a cemented road. She felt the first sliver of uneasiness. What if some familiar person spotted her? She paused and slumped down. Her hands touched the wet grass. She also smelt the smoke of burning wood. Where had she come? And how long had she been walking? There was not a single sound of a vehicle moving. That means it was midnight. She reached for the dog but could not find him. Stretching her arms, she took tentative steps around her, hoping that she would find her saviour.

"What are you searching for, child?"

Startled, Rewa realized that the kind voice was addressing her. She swallowed her fear and blurted out, "I got lost. My dog is also missing."

"Don't worry. You will find him as soon as the day breaks. Come with me. It is not safe for a girl like you to wander around."

Rewa hesitated. She wondered if she could trust the woman.

"Come.... walk with me...In some more time, the air will become moist and you will become wet." The woman ushered Rewa to her cottage.

Inside the cottage, the warm smell of food drifted to Rewa. She was fed with some buttermilk and rice.

Although she hesitated, Rewa decided to blurt out the truth, "I am blind. I ran away from my house."

The woman chuckled. "Rewa, I may be old but I can make out that you are distressed, child. Here, eat this, and then tell me your story."

A shocked Rewa quizzed, "But how do you know my name?"

"Hasn't anyone told you that your name is tattooed on your forearm?"

"Oh, which one?"

The woman touched the spot in her hand and said, "Here, this is where your name is tattooed. It is in Hindi but something else is written in very small letters."

"Oh, please tell me what it is."

"I don't know but it looks like Bengali."

"Bengali?"

"Yes, are you from Kolkata?"

"I think so but I am not sure."

"What do you mean?"

Rewa began to narrate her ordeals to the old woman. She explained how she had been led to believe that the couple was her own parents although the bitter truth was that she had been brought up by a greedy couple who wanted to sell her to the highest bidder. When she concluded, Rewa pleaded with the woman to take her away from the place.