Burning energy of Shadows

14- The Strange tribe

They spent the days and nights walking, laughing, climbing and talking. They talked about the things they have never talked about. About his three weddings, people rumoured about. He told he was married twice. His first wife left im after the death of their only son for another man though she never married that man. Her second wife loved her but she died after a year of their marriage.
After that, he decided to live alone but he heard about Yamaha from her father that he was finding a suitable groom for her. Because she was so young and Ismaeel knew that he would marry her in any case so he gave his proposal.
Never in her life, she had thought that Kashmir could be so much beautiful. Despite his old age, he has the energy of a young man. In the cold streets, the warmth of his hand reminded him that she was complete. With completeness come suspicions and suspicions always bring tragedies.

******************

The phone receiver was in her hand. She was continuously calling someone but no one was picking up the call. It was the first week after they had returned from the trip.
Someone finally picked up the call. The male voice
"How may I help you?"
"The other day the lady has told me about the interview."
"Sorry ma'am let me check but you don't have an interview." Yamaha heard the shuffling of pages on the other side.
Sorry ma'am your interview was cancelled." The man said apologetically.
"But why?" She was confused
"Interviews has certain times. You might have availed the first opportunity." He said solemnly.
"and Ma'am is busy nowadays."
Ismaeel was watching her from the living room. He must have understood the situation. She felt as she was fallen from the stairs.
Amazed by the fact that how heartily that lady chatted with her, disguising all her rage just waiting to take revenge next time.
For the first time, it occurred to her that she had stepped into practical life.

****************

It was about after a week when they went to kahef. The same reassuring air welcomed them. Yamaha's eyes unconsciously moved toward the small study table placed on the corner of the room. He was not there neither on the study table nor on the trestle table.
Everyone asked about their trip. They told them in small phrases, relishing the moments again.
Bapnons the Adam's Adducent started telling his own story. There were few words she heard, unable to comprehend the story 'cause her mind was elsewhere she got up and moved toward the study table.

Scattered pages, some notepads roughly fastened on the wall, 3 candles, a box, and a pot of the plant. Nothing was present in a particular order but she could see the order in his chaos.

She grabbed one of the pages. Few equations and formulas were written on it. The drawer of the table was half open. She tried to close it but it was stuck neither wanting to push inside nor open further. Under the half-open drawer, she caught the glimpse of her book_ The Strange Tribe. He took out the book meticulously.
She gingerly opened the book like a single hard touch would break the spell. Some parts of the book were highlighted.
She vigilantly read the highlighted part as reading it for the first time this time not from her own eyes but his eyes.

'Why we classify people as good and bad. In actual the good ones are not that good and the bad ones are not that bad. There is just a moment of goodness and badness.'

That book she has written, read, reread, discussed with Ismaeel, questioned in interviews turned new to her all of a sudden. Among the heap of books, her book was lying safely in a drawer. He has never talked about the book not even when everyone was sharing their favourite lines.
Yamha scrutinised each and every word under the microscope of her eyes. She was so distracted that the whole world got blurred. The only thing she could see was the book and the only thing she could feel was the burning smell of a candle.

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