Lekha (Completed)

Lekha 49

"I wonder where she went. Even her mother was absent" Vasundhara said.

"Must be hiding in the room to escape all the whispers, but then again they deserve this. Humph!" Gayatri sounded real annoyed.

I could hear them entering the room.

"Gayatri... look..." whispered Vasundhara.

After a long pause I heard them move closer to the bed.

"Thank God Lekha is sleeping "whispered Vasundhara.

"If she had seen that ... then I would have murdered someone. How could he do it? I am feeling so pained right now... imagine what this poor girl would have gone through. I am in a very bad mood Vasundhara... let's go ... let her sleep" said Gayatri.

After reassuring myself that they won't be coming back I got up having come to the conclusion that it was best that I left from this place. I didn't want to create an awkward situation for all, if I refused to marry Rudra and after what I had seen I just couldn't force myself to go through with this farce. I felt apprehensive about the situation where I could be stuck here forever, turning this marriage into my life time imprisonment as they didn't even have the concept of divorce.

I knew that after stepping out of the house I would never be able to see the people I had come to love again. But another kind of hope which kept me going was the thought that if what had happened today was my destiny then maybe the fate would open the doors for my travel back to the future. I had to leave for the Amber Fort tonight itself before I gave myself away to anyone by getting emotionally upset in front of them. Only maasa and Rudra knew about my secret. I knew that maasa would never suspect that I had left consciously and would just think that I had been taken back to my time all of a sudden just like I had appeared. Rudra would perhaps rejoice cried my dejected heart but it wasn't a suitable time to think about him, least another bout of tears delayed my departure or gave me a headache.

I packed up my things from the box I had in my room as I could not leave behind any futuristic evidence here. I packed two sets of plain clothes which were both comfortable and not dazzling enough to attract attention, in case I needed to change during my travel and also a bit of food from the plate they had left behind. I missed the usefulness of zip lock bags of our time as packing in a small cotton bag was a complex task.

I had to with a heavy heart leave behind the silver payal (anklets) maasa had gifted me as the ghungroos(bells) in them might have just alerted someone with their tinkling sound. The only thing I carried with myself as a memento of the pure love I got from maasa was a small locket of Goddess Durga which I wore around my neck on a small golden chain. Maasa had gifted it to me after having it blessed from the temple, symbolizing shakti (power) which we all have inside of us no matter how weak we might feel and look.

I soundlessly crept out of my room after giving it one last longing look. I observed that all the people had gone to sleep as no light could be seen peeping out from below the doors. I could even hear a few snores with variation in rhythms and frequencies.

I very much wanted to see maasa one last time but the thought of being caught kept me creeping down the stairs towards the entrance. I slowly removed the wooden log from the front door which thankfully did not creak and kept to the shadows to avoid detection as I crept along the walls of the courtyard towards the stable. Although I did not want them to be alerted by the absence of a horse but it was next to impossible for me to travel in the desert sand without a ride. I remembered Suraj once joked about the Amber Fort being towards the west so the sun greeted us before the rulers. That reminder itself had given me the courage to venture out alone. I knew that if I found the landmarks I had see on our way here I would know that I was going the right way. I wished that I had a map and a compass but it was a bit too late to be collecting all these luxuries when on an impromptu journey.

As I reached the stables I was greeted by Pari who huffed to get my attention. I quickly gave her some gur to eat which was part of the meal left behind by the girls and started saddling her. I prayed hard that she would not attempt to show her appreciation of the anticipated run outdoors by neighing. I kept on soothing her in order to keep her calm as I led her outside.

It seemed I had not planned my escapade quite thoroughly as I saw a guard sleeping near the courtyard door and the door was closed. I stood there for sometime contemplating a plan and felt Pari grow restless. She must be wondering why we were not moving, I thought. Then I remembered a wall towards the back of the haveli which bapusa had been contemplating on mending after the marriage. I had seen it from the terrace thus having a faint idea of the width of the gap that allowed a horse to pass through with stealth, I slowly walked Pari towards that end. Tall bushes grew all around covering the wall and creating an illusion of the wall being still there for people who didn't know about the gap.

I slowly manipulated my way past the entrance and held the bushes back forcefully to let Pari slide out with ease. As I stood on the other side of the wall I looked back at the haveli unable to get over the fact that I wouldn't be seeing these people and the place ever again. I suddenly couldn't control my emotions any longer as I fell on my knees and cried my heart out.

A little voice in my heart wanted me to be caught and questioned about my escape. Later when the whole truth would come out Rudra would step forward and confess that he had been in love with me all along, prompted that little voice.

I was woken up from my day dreaming by Pari nudging me as if to inquire as to why I had stopped again. I stood up and wiped away my tears knowing that I had to acknowledge the harsh reality and more importantly use my energy towards finding my way back to my time.

I moved towards the direction of the village as I knew that we had crossed the village when we had arrived at the haveli in the beginning.

Happy Holi everyone :D