The Weeping Stars

The Intruders

Ishaan wanted to go back home immediately. The evening seemed to have lost it charm. Indra however, seemed to be in no great hurry.

'I need to speak to you about something Ishaan. Why don't you sit down?' Indra pointed at the bench near the tea-stall.

Ishaan reluctantly sat down. Indra told him about the youths who were bothering Isha. He scanned the crowd for the youths while he narrated the incident to Ishaan. For Ishaan this was a very surprising news. All the time they had spent in the village, they have never come across such rowdy crowd.

'We need to find out who they are. I am certain they are not from the village. Try to find out if they are visiting any relatives and where they are staying. I have a very bad feeling about this.' Indra's tone had an edge of steel to it.

Ishaan left off immediately in search of the local club boys, who were sure to know about the youths. Indra lit a cigarette and tried to figure out why would a group of unknown boys camp in such a nondescript village. Their clothes were far removed from the simple clothes that the villagers prefer. One of the guys also had an expensive watch on his wrist. They spelled bad news for the whole village.

Ishaan came back after an hour, with Nitin and other three youth from the local club.

'Dada, we asked around and found that these guys had misbehaved with a couple of other girls and some shopkeepers. It seems nobody had seen them before.' said Nitin.

'Outsiders roaming about without any visible purpose is not a good news. Keep a sharp lookout', Indra gave the boys a brief nod and gestured Ishaan and Nitin to follow him.

'Tell the girls of your house, specially Isha and Runa, not to go out alone in deserted places like the forest and the lake', Indra instructed Nitin in a voice that broke no arguments.

Ishaan and Nitin exchanged glances. They had always known Indra was a serious person, but this time he seemed to be out in a mission.

The next day dawned bright and sunny. Isha and Runa were supposed to go the Banerjee mansion for the rehearsals. Nitin had handed over the script last night so that the girls had a fair idea about the play. After breakfast, Nitin bundled the girls out of the house. The girls carried on with obvious reluctance.

The Banerjee mansion had several entrances. The western part of the mansion had a big arched entrance, parts of which bore clear evidence of recent renovations. The entrance led to a courtyard surrounded on three sides by double-storied rooms which previously roomed the mansion servants and other employees. Now these rooms lie abandoned, some filled with forgotten furniture and others completely bare. Ishaan has chosen two such rooms as dressing rooms - one for girls and the other for boys. The huge courtyard would serve as the stage.

Ishaan was restless. On one hand he was ashamed of his behavior with Runa yesterday. On the other hand, he did not want to compete with his brother. He has hero-worshipped his brother since childhood. Now, he was not prepared to ruin all that because of a girl. But the attraction he felt for Runa is undeniable. He decided to behave as normally as possible today.

All his good intentions flew away as he saw Runa enter the courtyard. Not a traditional beauty, Runa had a natural vitality and energy about her, that would immediately draw people towards her. Ishaan was no exception. Although Ishaan could barely take his eyes off her, Runa did not spare him a glance, as she greeted the other actors gathered in groups in the courtyard.

Soon everybody got busy with the rehearsals. In his efforts to be natural, Ishaan sounded more terse in his instructions. Runa is Mandodari, Ravana's wife, who will be a great source of solace to Sita during her captivity. The local book-store owner, Vivek, is Ravana. Quiet contrary to his role, he is a shy youth, who was overwhelmed with self-consciousness as he was introduced to Runa and Isha.

'He can't even look straight at Isha, how on earth is he going to manage to abduct Isha', muttered Ishaan.

'You should have given him the role of Hanuman' observed Nitin, 'and asked Indra to play Ravana'.

'So that Runa can be his wife?' the idea annoyed Ishaan to no end, earning Nitin a glare.

'That's wierd! What's with him today?' mused Nitin.

As the morning progressed, everybody relaxed and started to have a good time. Isha lost some of her misgivings from the day before. Most of the villagers seemed friendly and eager to welcome a stranger among them. Vivek was a darling. So shy yet so talented on stage.

Suddenly from the corner of her eyes, she noticed a new presence in the courtyard. A wave of awareness seem to pass through the crowd, with the relaxed atmosphere becoming slightly tensed. The new comer was Usha, the daughter of a local businessman. Her grandfather and Avik father were best of friends and the families were very close. However, during Usha's father's time, this friendship has become much weak. Nevertheless, she is rumored to be the families choice for Indra.

Usha was leaning languidly against the pillar, wall the while surveying the scene with undisguised scorn. She never did have any time for villagers, but the new girl and Runa has piqued her interest. Any beautiful girl is a threat. She wanted to know more about them.

Sensing all the attention on her, she gracefully glided across the courtyard to stand beside Ishaan, the only person in the crowd she deemed worthy of her attention. Decked in expensive Dhakai and diamond jewellery, she looked like a vision.

The actors resumed their rehearsals, but it seemed to Isha, each one has become more self-conscious. Vivek's seemed to withdraw more into himself and kept jumbling his lines. Everytime he had to hold Isha's hands, he was blushing like a school-girl, and Usha was getting immense pleasure in drawing attention to this fact. With each new mistake, Usha's comments were growing more caustic.

'I wonder what Vivek will do if he had to propose to Isha. He would need a translator', sneered Usha.

Vivek blushed a brighter red, if that's possible. Isha felt very sorry for the lad. Without thinking, she jumped to his rescue.

'I think any girl would be happy to be his girlfriend if he proposes', blurted Isha.

This brought a sparkle in Usha's eyes. Someone had handed her a weapon it seems. She was about to launch into another attack, but was interrupted by Ishaan, who called for a break of half-an-hour. He invited everybody to the main house for a cup of tea. Runa caught up with Isha as they headed for the main house.

'You played right into her hands. Now, she will spin endless tales about you and Vivek', said Runa in an undertone.

'But surely others realize what a vile thing she is' wondered Isha.

'She is very smart surely. Did you see how she was buttering up Ishaan. I doubt if any man sees past her beauty' muttered Runa, staring daggers at beauty who was leading the team far-ahead.

'Nevertheless, I did not think it was fair to tease Vivek like that, and I am not afraid of Usha. I think she is the perfect choice for Indra, both arrogant and proud', said Isha, casting a cautious glance around her. She did not want to meet Indra today. Hopefully he is busy with work or something.

Everybody settled themselves in the various chairs and sofas arranged on the veranda, while Ishaan instructed someone to make tea for everyone. In other circumstances, Ishaan would have loved to mingle with the performers, but now with Usha showing more than her usual arrogance, it seemed safe to keep her away from the group. He did his best to hide his annoyance and acted the perfect host.