Summer Shorts - Anthology

Love Anklet by Ekaparnika

Love Anklet by Ekaparnika

Mohan was in a murderous mood; he wanted to strangle the marriage broker who was responsible for his debacle now. On his way to see a girl for his own marriage, he was standing under the shade of a huge banyan tree a little away from the main road. The bus had broken down on its way to Rowan from Basar.

They were in the middle of nowhere and except for some trees along the road; it was a barren piece of land as far as your eyes could travel. It is summer and the sun at its hottest. Being an office bearer, he is wearing his best shirt and trouser, which were now wet and muddy, him included. He keeps on wiping the sweat pouring down his face with his handkerchief.

All eyes are on the road expecting another bus to carry them to their destination. Every stranded commuter had found a tree to shade them from being burnt. Mohan licks his dry lips craving desperately for a glass of water.

"EEEEEEE...." A small shriek stirred a small turbulence among the group under the tree, and every attention was now on the source. It was a woman, her back to Mohan. She was wearing a long embroidered skirt, a long embroidered top with a colorful dupatta covering her head and shoulders.

"What happened?" one lady asked

"It's a scorpion," she said and moved to stand beside Mohan giving him a view of the stinger on the ground.

One of the men picked it up on a cloth and released it far away from them.

Mohan took a glance sideways at her now. She was beautiful, and he ogled her openly. Her eyes were at the man carrying the scorpion. She felt someone eyeing her, and she gave a piercing look at Mohan. He felt embarrassed and averted his eyes.

"A bus is coming" someone shouted, and the waiting people began to move hurriedly towards the road.

Mohan to took some paces ahead but stopped when he got a view of the bus. It wasn't just overcrowded it was over pouring with passengers. The bus even tilted to a side with the weight. The driver was sensible, and he drove on without stopping. Mohan came back to the tree to lean on it, and he saw the girl sitting down resting her back to the tree.

Mohan wondered why she had not got up to catch the bus like the others. He heard a sniffle and a blowing of the nose. She was crying.

"Why are you crying? Can I help you?" He asked

He received no answer to that; only the sobbing was noiseless now.

"It's so hot," Mohan thought loudly.

Just then another bus made its appearance and people ran to board it. Mohan saw that the woman had still not made a move to get up.

"A bus is here, don't you want to board it?"

Still, there was no answer. The bus left carrying only a few stranded ones.

"You know it is dangerous to sit here alone, unaccompanied by someone. You may come to some harm."

"I will kill or kill myself before anything happens," She said in a low fierce voice. "I am armed, and no one dares touch me. You leave me alone." She warned.

"Ok got your point. Sorry to disturb you in your sadness." He remarked sarcastically.

Mohan was tired of standing. He looked down deciding whether to ease his tired legs or muddy his trousers. His tired legs won the case, and he sat down on the ground and stretched his legs and felt good.

"Only if I had water to drink," he said aloud and sighed and licked his lips. He leaned back his head and began to think about food. He shook those thoughts away as he did not want to feel hungry as yet. He heard the bells of the anklets and looked at the girl sitting two arm's length from him. She had stirred and was now sitting like him staring at the road ahead.