365 DAYS 365 TALES

THE SUPER-VILLAIN TALES

It was another peaceful day in the village. Sun shone nicely in the backdrop, as the villagers trotted along their work. Ramu kaka was slowly opening his grocery store, struggling with the lathes again. The postman was making his entry in the village with the characteristic tring...tring... of his cycle. Farmers were off to their farms carrying their roti and pickle with them. A flock of sheep sauntered into the wild, the bells in their neck dangling along. The ladies were all ready with their earthen pots to fetch water from the lake. The kids all sat under the big banyan tree, with their slates in hand. 

Ketan sat in the last row of those kids. Masterji was busy teaching some algebra to the kids, but his voice rarely reached the back. Algebra never amused Ketan. He never understood why it was necessary to learn some numbers. And so, everyday he sat in the last row, admiring the beauty of nature.

Ketan thought he was very lucky that his village didn't have one of those closed classrooms like the neighboring village. This time under the banyan tree, with cold wind gushing in from over the lake, was the best time of the day for him.

Everyday after the morning school, he would play kabaddi with his friends. Many of the villagers would come to enjoy their game. And among them would be his best friend Chameli. Standing behind the lines, she always cheered the loudest.

And after all those excitement, came the quiet time with Chameli on the bank of their lake. They would just sit there, hand in hand, and talk about their day. That was how it went everyday. But today, today a storm had disturbed their quiet time.

The serene peaceful weather of the morning had changed to a thunderstorm in the evening. Ketan and Chameli were still at the village when they saw the first flash of lightening strike the ground. The ground rumbled like never before and the sound reverberated throughout the land. Chameli quickly embraced herself in Ketan's arms as they started to head back for the village.

The pounding rain and the strong wind were making their short walk difficult. They had barely reached the banyan tree, when another big flash of lightening roared right above their heads. It was like time had stopped for Ketan.

He saw the spark of white exit the dark black clouds, as it slowly made way for the banyan tree. They were standing right under it, shielding themselves from the rain. He glanced over at Chameli to watch her flinch back and shut her eyes close to guard them from the spark. But Ketan felt no such need.

He just stared at the spark, almost reaching them now. Ketan remembered his father's words – Death always comes in the night, slowly and slowly approaching towards you. Those words were coming true now. Their death was approaching them, and luckily or unluckily, he had the privilege to watch it till the end.

I won't let Chameli die, he resolved in his mind. Just before the lightening could hit them, he pushed Chameli hard, hoping against hope that she would veer away out of danger. And then that was it, the end.

Ketan felt his heart stopped in that one beat. He could feel it all. The spark of light hit his head, tearing it apart. It was as if it was making to enter his body. And then the sensation that he felt when the spark traveled through his body was nothing like he had ever felt before. But, not at a single moment was there a feeling of pain.

Ketan waited for the spark to leave through his feet and into the big vast land, but it never happened. The spark trapped itself in his body. His whole body vibrated as the spark roamed inside him.

That rain was still there, that wind was still there, but he could not feel any of it. It was like the spark had formed a shield around his body, which nothing could enter and nothing could leave. Time had returned back to normal, but his mind still didn't believe that he was alive after all this.

Ketan's thoughts instantly darted to Chameli as his eyes began to search. He found her standing at some distance behind him, eyes wide in shock. He took a step towards her, but she moved back. Maybe she thought he was a ghost. And maybe he was. That sort of lightening strike would have killed anyone, and yet, here he was standing on his feet. Maybe yes, he was a ghost. He himself wasn't sure.

Chameli was coming towards him. That initial shock of seeing a miracle, wearing away. He ran to her now, his hand outstretched to embrace her. But the moments their hands touched, Chameli was thrown back hard. Ketan couldn't believe what just happened. The spark in him, it must have hit Chameli, and now she lay on the ground, motionless.

He raced to the spot to see her scrunched figure lying on the ground. But he dare not touch her, for the fear of what would happen again if he did. Ketan called her name loud many times, but there was no response. He was sure now, that life had escaped her, that he had killed his own love. His body crumpled to his knees, as he slowly took her in his arms. She didn't flinch this time.

An unusual anger filled him as he sat there looking in Chameli's eyes. He could feel the entire spark in his body assembling at a single spot. The anger in him was fueling that movement. There was an odd surge in his body, like he was no longer in control of it anymore.

His head went back, eyes staring at the sky. His hands were outstretched to his sides, and in that moment, one word left his mouth.

"Chameli..."

The loud scream reverberated throughout the land just as the sound of lightening. On that very instant, there was big white flash near the banyan tree, and from there, big sparks of lightening fled to all the sides.

Time had stopped for Ketan again. He witnessed in horror as the sparks of lightening left his body and made their way towards his village. Towards his parents, his friends, towards the folks he had spent his whole life with. And in that second of a second, everything ended.

The whole nation still mourns that day as the one when a lightening strike consumed the lives of a whole village. But only one man knew the truth, the only man who survived the horrific incident. The villain himself. 

***

cchinu (14/05)

"They are the cutest ones on this planet,

Always torturing you with a smile,

Generating new thoughts in your mind,

Making all those questions pile."