The Heart Lies...

Chapter 9

"Ouch...you are heavy", Dhiraj said in a mock choked voice from beneath Koyal. Someone pulled her away from Dhiraj and made her sit on a rock. The man, probably, the conductor was asking them if they were fine. But the only thought occupying Koyal's head was...he called me heavy... She got up in a huff from the rock and began walking towards the camp that was being set up. "By the way, you are welcome", shouted Dhiraj. She turned and glared at him. "You couldn't have just caught me in your arms, right? How could you let go of a chance to call me heavy and mock me, isn't it?" He stared at her incredulously. You know very well that he didn't do it on purpose. You are my conscience, you are supposed to support me you know. She waited for his response but on not getting one, she resumed her walk. The plateau spread unhindered in all directions. It seemed to be the perfect place to set camp. There were only a few trees dotting the plateau but their arms were spread wide out. All her fellow passengers were busy setting up tents in a corner of the plateau. Koyal bit her lips. She had no clue of what she should do. She wondered if she should make a fool of herself by asking someone where they were heading and what this was all about or should she just continue roaming around the tents which would again lead to her making a fool of herself with the added bonus of getting caught in the rain. The first option it is then. She immediately moved away from the tents belonging to Dhiraj's group. To her surprise she also spotted a fair number of foreigners. She wasn't very sure that she wanted to ask them. And then there were the locals. She was thinking about how prudent it would be to ask the locals when her eyes fell upon a woman. She seemed to be normal. Atleast she looked the part. All the others had some sort of different vibe to them. She decided to take her chances. She made her way towards the woman with calm, slow steps so as not to scare her. She had sensed Koyal walking towards her and was now looking at her. "Hello, I'm Koyal." She extended her hand towards the woman on reaching her. "Mila", she said and gave her a handshake. "Mila is a beautiful name..." "Verghese, do I have to take care of every single thing? You should have covered the equipments before setting up the tent." A man, probably Verghese, scurried off to do as Mila had asked. "Yes, Koyal how may I help you?" "I..was just wondering if..." "Can you be a bit fast about it, as you can see these imbeciles can't get a thing done without me." Koyal took a deep breath and released it. "Can you tell me why we are here and if we are heading to some other place?" Mila stared at her with mirth. Her lips tried to form a smile but all she could form was a smirk. Anger and shame boiled within Koyal and she began to retreat. "Never mind..."
"For your information we are heading to the Ziro valley for a music festival." "Then why this halt?" "You truly are an ignorant girl, aren't you?", Mila asked with the same mirth. Bitch... She didn't wait for an answer. "It wouldn't be possible to travel in the upcoming storm, hence this halt." Mila retreated to her tent. Verghese was staring at her. She felt stupid standing there and wandered away. The way Mila had looked at her was still printed in her mind. How can she just make assumptions about me without knowing my circumstances? She was angry and on the verge of tears. Even the fact that she knew what this was all about ceased to matter. Tiny droplets of water had began falling but she still hadn't found herself a tent. If it was any other time she would have stood there feeling sorry for herself, but not today. There was a clarity to her thoughts maybe because of the knowledge that here no one would take care of her, she was the only one for her. She set out in search of the conductor. Perhaps he will have some spare tents. By now the rain had increased in tempo. Everyone had escaped into their tents. She spotted the conductor about to enter his. She ran towards him. Panting she asked," Do you by any chance have some extra tents?" "No..everyone has to carry their own things. We won't provide anything. It was clearly mentioned in the brochure..." Bloody hell. "Can you find me a tent to share or something?" "It isn't my job!" "GREEAAT. Thanks.. for.. all your.. help." Her teeth were chattering by now. The raindrops suddenly stopped hitting her. Someone had stood beside her with an umbrella in hand.
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