Barrister Babu: The Journey Ahead

Jungle Romance

Anirudh didn't know where he was taking her. All he knew was that he had to take her and run. He didn't have a plan, nor an idea. Right now, the most important thing to him was Bondita's safety. At least he had to make sure she was fine in the short term, and then he could plan to keep her safe long term as well. 

"I'm - I'm tired," Bondita said, huffing, as her paces slowed down. They were running away from Tulsipur, where they lived, but she couldn't keep up anymore.

"Bondita, please," Anirudh begged. "Just a little longer." 

"I'm ... I'm thirsty Pati Babu," she said, her throat dry. 

Anirudh stopped and looked around. It was evening time and most places were closed. Where could he get water for Bondita right now? 

"Just a little while Bondita, and I will find you water," he said to her. 

She nodded, finding motivation in his words, "Okay Pati Babu." 

Together, they ran further away, in a jungle type of area. At least it looked like a jungle, as there were many trees. In that time period, forests and jungles made up a lot of India. Cutting down trees was not a common practice. 

"Here Bondita ... here's a stream," Anirudh said, and they both sat down by the stream. Anirudh used his hands to cup some water, and lovingly said, "Come, drink." 

She drank from his hands. He scooped up more water from the stream and brought his hands to her lips again. She drank it thirstily. The water felt more fulfilling coming from her Pati Babu's hands. 

Anirudh himself drank some water, and they both sat there quietly for a few minutes. The sun was setting in the horizon and it was getting cold now. 

"Where will we go Pati Babu?" Bondita asked him. 

"Are you scared?" he asked her. 

She shook her head, and with a smile, said, "If I'm with you, I can never be scared. I can face any circumstance." 

Anirudh smiled at her and held her hands. They were so cold. 

"Are you cold?" he asked her softly. 

She nodded. She was only wearing a simple purple saree and her blouse was half sleeved. There were goosebumps all over her arms. Anirudh wrapped his arms around her and she rested her head on his shoulder, feeling warm just from his touch. 

"We should go," he murmured. "There is some light right now, but when the sun sets it will be very dark, and we don't even have another source of light." 

Bondita nodded in agreement, and managed to get up first, holding her hand out so that Anirudh could get up too. He took her hand and stood up. Hand in hand, the two of them walked deeper into the forest area, looking for any sign of somewhere they could stay. 

All of a sudden, it started to rain heavily, and any remaining light from the setting sun had vanished. 

"Oh no," Anirudh said, "Bondita, use your saree to cover your head." 

She used the pallu of her saree and draped it over her head. Anirudh had nothing to stop the rain from hitting him though, so Bondita took his hand and tried to pull him under some trees. That wasn't working either. 

"Come, it's better we go fast," he said to her, his teeth chattering now, his clothes drenched with rain. 

She nodded and they ventured further in the forest. Bondita was freezing as well, but she was more concerned about her Pati Babu. 

Finally, after what seemed like forever, they stumbled across a small hut. It looked like a small cabin. 

"In... there..." Anirudh said, teeth chattering.