Chapter 3: The beckoning
It was while she was fighting with this confusing state of heart that
the most unexpected thing happened. Tuhi was walking back from the choir
practice with her friends. The November chill has started setting in and the
valley snuggled cozily within the thick blanket of fog. The girls walked down
the road, lined with eucalyptus trees, next to the staff quarters. Tuhi was
taking in the heady smell of the eucalyptus, while humming a tune in her head.
Suddenly she stopped at her track. Behind the old pine tree next to history teacher,
Mrs James quarter, ‘those eyes the colour of deep forest pool’ appeared. Tuhi
slowed down, so her friends could walk ahead. The shadowy figure emerged from
behind the tree and stood, staring at Tuhi. He then gave her a faint smile and
beckoned her. Tuhi’s heart flipped and her stomach did a somersault. She
followed him down the narrow alley behind the staff quarters. He was walking
ahead, and every 2 seconds turned his head to see if Tuhi is still following
his trail. They crossed the playground, and headed straight towards the old
tower house. Tuhi immediately remembered the first time she met ‘the boy’ here.
What was his name? He never told it to Tuhi. It never seemed necessary….
Now he reached the old dwindling iron bench and stopped. He motioned Tuhi
to sit and went and perched up on the other corner. He waited expectantly till Tuhi
sat down. Tuhi felt weird that someone was asking her to sit at her own spot.
She wanted to tell him that this is her ‘little world’ where she comes when
she’s sad, happy or sad & happy. And it is he who without even knocking has
stepped into her world. But she kept quiet. She somehow just couldn’t speak when
those eyes are looking straight at her. She sat down, obediently. He then took
out the flute from his pocket and started playing it. The music, ever so
soothing and ever so painful engulfed her. To her it didn’t seem like music, it
was more like his voice, talking to her. She closed her eyes….as tears streamed
down her cheeks. But they were happy
tears, as Tuhi had never felt soo happy in her entire life.
Duur deshi shei rakhal chele
Amar bate boter chayai
Shara bela gelo khele…..
Gailo ki gaan shei ta jane
Suur baaje tar amar prane….
Bolo dekhi tomra ki tar
Kothar kono abhash pele….
(The
shepherd boy from the far away land
Came
to my garden and played under the shade of the tree
Only
he knows what he was singing
But
the tune lingers in my heart….
Can
anyone tell me what is it, he was talking about …)
In front of them the sun was setting lazily behind the undulating
Nilgiri range. The sun seemed to be in no hurry today. It spread its dusk glow
like a warm hug on the two little kids sitting on the old dwindling iron bench,
with their eyes closed, tears streaming down both their young pink cheeks.
The music stopped. Tuhi opened her eyes and looked at him. His head was
tilted to a side, and the soft green eyes glistened warmly. He got off the
bench and slowly walked to where Tuhi was sitting and stood facing her. He had
not moved his gaze from her for a minute. There was a strange intensity in his eyes,
which reminded Tuhi of the way she and her friends study the night before their
exam. It’s almost like they drink in all the words in the book so they will
never forget the black & white print. He was now standing facing her. Tuhi’s
heart leapt to her mouth. She tried putting up a brave face and continued
looking at him. But deep inside, her heart was twitching and twisting like poor
Bambi caught in a vine. He held her hand. His eyes were like warm summer day,
assuring and gentle. Tuhi was glad to see that the dark clouds of pain was
nowhere to be seen. She drew a deep breath, and before she could understand
anything she stood up hastily.
“My name is Tuhi. It means the ‘chirping of birds’. What is your
name?”, she blurted in one breath and looked up at him.
He stood there in silence. But the gentleness of the summer day has
been replaced by the stormy dark clouds. Tuhi was confused. What did she say to
make him so upset? She looked at him with pleading eyes. But he looked like he
was just being stricken across the face. He lifted Tuhi’s hand and before she
could understand anything, he removed the silver bracelet with the dangling
star from her wrist. Tuhi gasped. That was her most prized possession. It was a
gift from her Didan (Grandmother) on her 10th birthday, and she never
removes it. Didan had given it to her and told her that the little dangling
star will look after little Tuhi and protect her always. She couldn’t believe
that the boy had removed it from her hands. She became livid, angry tears
rolled down her cheeks. She was just about to lunge at him to get back her
silver bracelet. But he started retreating fast. Tuhi just couldn’t make sense
of anything. Why did he get her here? If all he wanted was the silver bracelet,
he could have taken it near the staff quarters. And why is he looking like he’s
in soo much pain, after he took the bracelet.
“Why did you take my silver bracelet?” she shouted. But the boy now
turned his back and started running, faltering over the playground as his
vision was blurred too. Tuhi’s head reeled and she sat under the pine tree next
to the iron bench. She dropped her face between her knees and cried.
Ami tare shudhay jabe ‘Ki tomare dibo ani’-
She sudhu koy ‘Ar kichhu noi, tomar golar
malakhani’
(I
asked him, “What is it that I can get for you”
He
replied, “I want nothing but the necklace around your neck”)
The moon peeped from behind the clouds and seeing the little girl
crying hid behind the clouds again. She knows that the first heart-break is the
most difficult pain for a girl. The moon wished she could hold the little girl
and cradle her gently till her tears dry. She asked her firefly friends to help
her. The fireflies flew down to Tuhi and glowed gently around the little girl.
If anyone could see the little girl crouching under the pine tree now, they
would think that the fairy godmother had made a ‘circle of angels’ around her
to keep her safe.
The next few days went like the worst nightmare for Tuhi. In her head
she had gone through that evening some hundred times, but still nothing made
sense. There were so many questions in her head. But where will she get the
answer. She had crossed the staff quarter in the pretext of some work or other
almost 10 times a day. She had even gone behind the pine tree pretending that
she lost an earring. But he was nowhere to be seen. No one had seen him, and
Tuhi will never see him again.
It was almost after a week that Tuhi walked past the playground and
climbed towards the old tower house. Her heart twisted at the sight of the old
dwindling iron bench. She slowly dragged herself towards it and slumped down at
the same place she sat that evening. Her eyes stinged and big fat tears rolled
down her cheek again. Tuhi wondered exactly how many gallons of tears can her
body hold. She held her face in her hand and the only word she could utter was
“why….why….why”. Just as she was wiping her eyes with the back of her palm,
something familiar caught her eyes, below the pine tree. Tuhi got down and
walked towards it. As she bent down and removed the dry pine leaves, her amber
eyes widened.
She picked up the flute and held it in her hands.
Di jodi toh ki dam debe jai bela shei bhabna
bhebe
Phire eshe dekhi dhulai bashi ti tar geche
phele
(If
I give you my necklace how will you repay me?
He
kept thinking about it the whole day
At
daybreak when I came back
I found
he has left his flute on my garden)
to be continued....
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