Srigiripadu, Andhra Pradesh, a village close to the border separating Andhra Pradesh from Telangana… It boasted diversity in the terrain… It lay surrounded by vast farmlands followed by hills and forest… After passing through all the fields, climbing the hill and traversing the plateau, they had lost balance and were now falling off a cliff… The cliff had a fall of 100 ft that ended into the gushing Krishna River… The water washed them away with it… SR’s men saw them falling and retreated considering them dead…
She kept huffing and running through the woods… The leaves crackled under her feet while the branches kept slapping her body… She was turning back to check if her followers were close by… She could only hear some footsteps approaching her due to the darkness that engulfed the forest… She didn’t know where she was heading to… Suddenly her leg slipped, the land beneath her cracked and she fell into the opening… She tried to grab something but could not… “Sonnnnaaaa…” he woke up with a jerk… He looked around and found himself lying on a charpoy… He looked around and found her asleep on another… He got up when a middle-aged woman approached him noticing he is awake… “Ela unnaru aiyya?? (Kaise hai Sahab??)” she enquired… “Nenu bagane unnanu kani nenu ikkada?? (Mai thik hu lekin mai yaha??)” he asked… “Miriddaru nadi odduna kalusukunnaru… (Aap dono hume nadi kinare mile…)” she replied… He nodded understandingly and looked at her… “Bharya?? (Patni hai??)” she asked… “Hmm…” her hummed with worried expressions… “Parvaled aiyya… Kasepatlo kallu terustundi… (Koi baat nahi Sahab… Kuch der mei hosh aa jayega…)” the woman replied understanding his unasked question… He looked around the place… It was a small colony of huts made up of bamboo and sand… People were busy in some preparations… “I roju edaina unda?? (Aaj kuch hai kya??)” he asked… “Iroju panduga… Miru kurcondi… bhojanam tayar aite ventane nenu miku pilustanu… (Aaj tyohar hai… Aap baithiye… Khana tayar hote hi aapko bulati hu…)” the lady said and walked away…
The lady’s words didn’t satiate his worry… He kept looking at her and waited for her to gain consciousness… Soon she slowly opened her eyes… The lady rushed to her side while he breathed a sigh of relief… “Ela unnava amma?? (Kaisi hai memsahib??)” the lady asked her… “Kya??” she answered not understanding the language… She looked around and soon her eyes landed on him… He stood at little distance smiling; the light from the lanterns cast a shadow on his face. His vest clad body shone in the light causing blush to creep on her neck… “Aap thik hai??” he asked… She hadn’t noticed him walking over to her… “Ji… aur aap??” she asked… “Hum bhi thik hai…” he replied… She turned to look at the lady and back at him… “Hum in logon ko nadi ke kinare mile…” he said answering her unasked question… She looked at the lady and smiled… The lady smiled back and hurried inside… The lady walked out with a saree and held it in front of her… She looked in confusion towards the lady… “Kattako Amma… (Pehen lijiye…)” the lady said forwarding the saree… She still looked sceptical… “Kattako Amma… pandaga cesedam… (Pehen lijiye na… Tyohar manate hai…)” the lady said again… She looked at him while he nodded in affirmation… She left with the lady to change while he walked over to the little temple in the colony where most of the members had gathered for the festival…
She too came to the temple wearing the saree looking extremely beautiful… He had a hard time avoiding looking at her… After the offerings were done at the temple, the men and women began dancing to folk songs… The lady pulled her to dance… Though hesitant at first, she slowly joined them while he kept gazing at her moving gracefully… After the festivities were done, they returned to the lady’s hut… She offered them dinner and an empty hut after, for them to rest…
“Kaju… Ab aage kya??” she asked him… “AB Naina ko bachana hai… Jagah toh hume pata chal gayi hai…” he replied… “Lekin SR ne agar Naina ko kahi aur shift kar diya toh??” “Hume nahi lagta woh aisa kuch karega…” “Aur woh kyu??” “Dekhiye… jis jagah pe Naina ko rakha hai waha helipad hai… Lekin SR ne us helipad ka use nahi kiya aapke aagman ke liye… Usne mehnat karke dusri jagah pe asthayi helipad banvaya… Iska kya matlab hua??” “Iska ye matlab hai ke SR ke pas koi aur jagah nahi hai Naina ko chupane ke liye… Agar hoti toh woh pehle bhi usko shift kar sakta tha…” “Bilkul sahi…” “Lekin hum Naina ko bachayenge kaise??” “Mhhmmm… kitne sawal puchti hai aap Sona… Pehle idhar toh aaiye…” he said while trying to nuzzle into her neck… “Kaju kya kar rahe hai?? Chodiye…” she said trying to push him away but failing miserably…He pulled her closer by snaking an arm around her waist… “Aap bohot pyaari lag rahi hai is saree mei…” he said kissing her neck… She bit her lip to muffle a moan escaping her lips… “Ssii…” she hissed… He moved back and looked at her, “Kya hua??” he asked… “Aapki daadhi… chub rahi hai…” she complained… He chuckled and nuzzled back into her neck…
Next morning, they thanked the members of the colony and took their leave… It was late into the afternoon but they were still walking through the forest… “Kajjjuuu… aur kitna chalna hai??” she whined… He just smiled at her and kept walking… “Kam se kam itna toh bataiye ki hum kaha ja rahe hai… Kya chal raha hai aapke dimaag mei??” she asked again… “Sona… Humara mission kya hai??” he asked… “Naina ko bachana… Uski location bhi pata kar li hai humne… Hum kabse keh rahe hai ke HQ mei inform kar dete hai… lekin pata nahi aapke dimaag mei kya hai… Subah se hum chalte hi ja rahe hai… Kahi pohchenge bhi ya aise hi chalte rahenge??” she asked irritated… He chuckled… “Kitna bolengi aap?? Bhuk lagi hai kya aapko??” he asked… “Haan… subah se kuch dhang se khaya bhi nahi hai… Aise bhuke pet hum SR ke aadmiyon se kaise ladhenge??” she said… He held her shoulders and pinned her to a nearby tree trunk… “Kya??” she asked looking at his smirk… “Aap ko dekh rahe hai… Aapko aise chidhane mei bohot maza aa raha hai…” he said… “Hatiye…” she said pushing him and started walking… He held her wrist to stop her… “Aapko toh pata nahi hum kaha ja rahe hai… Aap akeli kaha chal padi??” he asked… “Hum apna rasta khud dhund lenge…” she said freeing her wrist… She turned and took few steps when her eyes fell on a cottage… He came and hugged her from behind… “Hum pohch gaye… Chaliye aapko kuch khane ko dete hai…” he said kissing her neck… They held hands and started walking towards the cottage.
