ERSTWHILE

Began

"Lies are the shadows that darken the soul, the whispers that betray the heart, and the chains that bind us to deceit."

The night was scintillating the tenebrosity, the mist was swirling in the air, the pouring water was halted for a while and the duo intertwined their intelligence and embarked on their quest.

The law syndicates were standing out from the marked area, they were engaged in discussing with a torch. Through the dense forest of Andam'Raṅgaṁ, the forest in which the branches were interweaved, the roots partially appeared above on ground and down and, amidst two silhouettes, walked on their toes to avoid the disturbance in the silent cosmos, moved toward the bloody ground.

The place was defined through their bewildered vision organ; the dead bodies were encircled with each other blood, and the shoes, opticals and caps were torn, broken and annihilated. The odour emitted and engulfed the existence of both individuals, the fear evoked within themselves and repugnance toward Government bodies proliferated.

Hari said in an undertone, 'Ceyone, everything we have to do right now' Ceyone looked with inquiring eyes, and Hari Babu elaborated, 'After this incident and out of the rage of locals, the British-Raj upheld Adelaide Edward VI and decided to send his Army officer in this region by Tomorrow. Till then, Adelaide's police will enclose the region under their sight; once the Army reach, they undertake the matter and scrutinizingly observe the entire scenario.'

Ceyone widened his eyes and demonstrated his enlightened state, and they went back to their quest. Hari Babu discerns that there were sixty-eight torn shoes, in other words, Thirty-four pairs, but when he once-over-eyed on the dead body, he only spotted a Thirty-disfigured cadaver. He promptly enlightened Ceyone regarding his resolution; while Ceyone was figuring out the whole scenario, he spotted a cadaver's lips being bitten by some Feline, and he noted down whole scenarios.

They further proceeded; Hari Babu recalled his question regarding the participants in the protest, and the response was '30', but the torn shoes expressed different perspectives, the mutilated lips of the cadaver another and the susceptibility another one. The mass decreased individuals were death into portions. The rebellious-soulless Labourers were decreased at the same place, but the local and working people were at their place.

Ceyone was engrossed with a scrutinised state; Hari Babu saw a veil of Sari floating in the Bay's waves, and he went towards the Sari as the Sari was eerily luminous amidst the tenebrous moment. Hari experienced an eerie visionary, a seven-year-old girl lying on the muddy ground. The outline of the opticals was blackened, and the pungent aroma of urine was detectable.

The astonishment reached to depth when he saw, that the girl's arms were intertwined and formed a hammock. In the hammock, there was a Baby. He thought she was soulless and the neonate boy too but when her hand muscles possessed movement, he immediately went to the girl and tried to emancipate her from unconsciousness.

Upon nought response, Hari Babu uplifted the girl and straight-headed toward Ceyone. Ceyone demonstrated his concerned behaviour, and they fled from the place.

The tapestry of disintegrated tales, which were encompassed by intertwined layers of distinct narration, there was one under-wrapping side of the same narration.

The narrowed passable space between the dilapidated domiciles, domiciles seemed as if they were whispering dirty secrets into each other's sound duct, and the odour smell evoked bewilderment as the odour aroma indicated two things, whether it was of the trespassers or the drain.

In the dilapidated domicile, a girl was gazing at a wall, the wall was adorned with provocative murals or graffiti [outside of domicile] that seemed to whisper tales of the alley's hidden world or cosmos. The girl points to a lady's mural and inquired, 'Who is she? Why her mural is hanging on the wall?' A lady came with a giggling sound, which was accentuated with crassness, and narrated the back story of 'The hanging mural of lady'.

'Before the annunciation of Adelaide Edward VI, we were The servants of lord Jagannatha, The Devadasi. We used to display our sentiment through the 'Bharatanatyam' [The devadasi community of south India are originators of a popular dance form called Bharatanatyam.] We used to clean the Temple, people paid tributaries to us and we were prosperous. We permeate the pious environment, but Adelaide Edward VI, fifteen years ago, ruined us by calling us 'Veshyaavrti' [The Protituton].

Then what?... we are still recognized as Protitutons and downgraded...

'She is also one of them, Veshya or Devadasi' by the way, your client must have arrived. Get groomed yourself. Otherwise, he will jerk you as Men are hungry for the body.'

The girl walked with a heavy heart to her accommodation. She was still wondering, 'Why are we Prostitution?'

On the other side of the situation, Ghalib and his colleagues were patrolling the blood-hued region, a colleague came closer to his ear and said, 'No sir, in Ivory Palace I, not only three people lives, actually there are Four but the fourth one is living in Palace I, she lives in Palace II...' Ghalib astonished as he only knew that there was one Palace but he believed on his colleague Ram when he disclosed, 'She didn't go on commencement of Beerhouse, she was here but concealed...'

As Ghalib was at his peak of huger curiosity, he ignited with a blissful state and determined to surreptitiously visit the concealed ivory Palace II.

When the duo back to their abode, they latched the hatch rigorously as the area wasn't safe for girls. Ceyone decided to publish an anonymous Article against Adelaide Edward VI and the British Raj.

Whereas Hari Babu was penning down the incident into his archaic-fragile Dairy and unquietly waiting for Girl's consciousness.

To know about the enigmatic narration, be in the Narrator's craft and be indulged in the sphere...

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

Thank you 🌸

Please don't forget to vote and drop your constructive feedback

Your Author
---mahqtab6💙