Rahini and Meena are seated on their torn bed sheets on the cold floor. Meena’s face shows fear and Rahini’s face shows panic. Both of them do not talk for a while.
‘Rahini, what are you thinking about?’ asks Meena to her
Rahini looks at her and says ‘What can I say? You very well know what would be our fate if we don’t escape from here. Lot of girls came here before and after us. How many of them are here now? A night comes and one thug comes here and takes one among us each day. We never saw any of them again. One day it is going to happen to me also. Some guy will come and take me and I shall be never seen again’ says Rahini and she starts to weep without noise.
Meena looks at her pitifully and at the girls who are sleeping in that room waiting for the disastrous fate. She gently holds her shoulders and consoles her.
‘I can understand. If it is our fate then we have to accept it’ says Meena
Rahini looks at her angrily.
‘I cannot accept it as my fate. This is not my fate. I am not an orphan. I have a mother, a father and a sister. I want to go back to them’ screams Rahini with tears.
‘Shhh, Don’t shout.’ says Meena holding her hands on Rahini’s mouth. Rahini reduces her voice and keeps weeping.
‘Where are they?’ asks Meena to her.
Rahini looks at her with a perplexed expression. Meena glares at her and her silence.
‘You do not know where is your family but you want go to them. It is really rubbish.’
‘They are in Tamilnadu. I know’ replies Rahini to her.
‘Do you know where it is located? Do you know the way to go there? Do you know whom you have to find? At least do you remember your family members’ face?’ asks Meena angrily.
Rahini again remains silent.
‘If you can escape from this place, no one more than me can be happy. I want you to leave this unfortunate fate and live a meaningful life. But I am scared whether a 10 year old girl can deceive those flesh mountain thugs and run away from here. What if you get trapped? Just think once.’ says Meena to her.
Both of them are distracted by a movement from somewhere. Both of them look at each other in fear.
‘Rahini lay down. Someone is coming’ says Meena nervously.
Both of them lay down on their places and close their eyes tightly. A thug enters the room and comes near to the sleeping girls. He looks at the girls one by one from both sides. The girls are in deep sleep due to the full day tiresome work given to them. He moves away from Rahini and looks at Meena. He gives a disgusting look at her and moves away from her. He then looks at a girl who is around 10 years old. He goes near to her and looks at her. He gives a cunning smile and touches her whole body from head to foot. The girl slowly wakes up by the disturbance created by the thug and her face turns scared on looking at him.
‘Shhh. Don’t scream’ threatens the thug to the girl. ‘Listen carefully. You just come with me.’
‘Where?’ asks the girl in a tired and sleepy voice.
The thug gets irritated and says ‘Your parents have come to pick you up from here.’
The girl’s face turns happy on hearing the words. ‘Really? My parents have come here?’
‘Why would I lie to you? Your mom searched you in this world and finally found you here. We told her that we will take you to her. If you come with me you can go to them.’ says the thug to her
‘Ok. Let us go’ says the girl and she rises from her bed.
‘Wait’ stops the thug. ‘I am the only one who know where is your mum. If I should take you to her, what you will give for me?’ asks the thug to her.
The girl blinks at him and does not say anything.
‘What should I give?’ asks the girl innocently looking at him.
The thug looks at her cunningly and says ‘You need not give anything. I will take it from you’ says the thug to her.
He gives a lustful look at the body parts of the girl and places his hand on the prohibited parts of the girl. The girl bewilderedly looks at the thug unaware of the sexual harassment imposed upon her. Rahini looks at the atrocious incident in a baffled and bloodcurdling gaze. Her body movement distracts the guy and he looks at the direction of distraction. Rahini meanwhile pretends to be in sleep before he catches her awake. The guy then rises up and holds the girl in his hand and takes her away from the place.
Rahini and Meena rise up from their places and look at the direction where the girl went with him. Rahini angrily turns towards Meena and screams
‘Did you see what happened now? Did you what that he had done to her? Do you really want me to face the same fate? That girl who went shall be never seen again in our life. I am not going to accept this fate at any cost. I have to escape this place soon’ screams Rahini as tears roll down from her eyes like anything.
Meena gently hugs her and tries to console her.
--- --- --- --- ---
Six months later
One of the senior thugs and important member of the gang comes to the main hall and calls his men with happiness in his voice.
‘Oye! Good news. Naina didhi is coming here to meet us this weekend’
All the other members of the gang also become happy on hearing the news.
‘Bhau, it is since an year she left this place to live with that MP, Vikas Deshpande, isn’t it?’ asks a thug to him.
‘Yes. Though she left this place, she did not leave us or this business. Now she is a very important person in the life of that flop MP. You know didhi’s influence is growing day by day in the party where that Deshpande is the member. Very soon she will also become a key member in it. Even more powerful than Deshpande’ replies the senior thug to him.
‘If she becomes a MP or a minster, then our business shall grow like anything, isn’t it bhau?’ asks an enthusiastic thug to him.
All of them go very happy and cheer within each other.
‘Let us hope such a thing happens. Well. It is since long time after didhi is coming here. So we have to give a grand welcome and a great party to her. Make arrangements for that. But remember her visit is a top secret.’
The thugs hug each other in happiness and all of them take a alcohol bottles in their hands to celebrate the visit of Didhi. Rahini watches the cheer and happiness of the thugs and her mind starts to think of something.
--- --- --- --- ---
Rahini rushes to the place where Meena and other girls are gathered to do the day-to-day work. Meena looks at Rahini and gets surprised on seeing the unusual happiness in her face.
‘Rahini, what is up? You look so happy.’ Asks Meena to her. All the other girls look at Rahini and show the same surprise in their faces.
‘Yes. Dark days are going to disappear. Very soon we will all be relieved from here’ says Rahini in a cheerful but low voice.
Meena and girls show a surprise filled shock in their faces.
‘Hey, What are you saying? Are we going to be released from here? Is it true?’ asks Meena with eagerness in her voice.
‘No. It is time for us to escape from this place’ says Rahini in a joyful voice.
Meena’s face shows utmost disappointment on hearing her words.
‘You did not drop your stupid idea even after these many days.’ asks Meena angrily at her.
‘What you are saying? We got a golden chance. That devil liar Naina is coming here this week. For that, the flesh mountains are going to celebrate a party. When all are enjoying the party we can escape from here. That is the plan’
Meena gives a frustrating look at her however other girls’ face show a hope and happiness on hearing Rahini’s plan.
‘Good idea, Rahini. They will be thinking only about her and no one will care about us. We can escape easily’ says a girl happily.
Meena looks at all of them angrily.
‘You have all became insane. This plan is never going to work. I swear’ screams Meena at everyone.
Everyone look at Meena with an upset and disappointed look. Rahini looks at Meena sadly and goes to her.
‘Meena. This is not insane. Our last hope to get away from this unfortunate fate. Let us break this cage and fly freely as we wish. Don’t say ‘no’ to this. I really need all of your co-operation to do this. Only then we can achieve our mission’
Meena does not say anything to her. Rahini looks at her with eagerness. She then leans her hand and looks at everyone.
‘Let us all together fight against this evil’ screams Rahini provoking the courage of the other girls.
All the girls hesitantly place their hands on Rahini’s hands and show their consent. Meena looks at Rahini pathetically. Rahini smiles at her and gestures her to place the hand. Meena slowly and hesitantly places her hand on those hands. Rahini turns happy on seeing that.
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