Hidimba-The forest maiden

6

'What are you doing up there?' Bheema asked me with a playful smile. Suddenly a drop of water fell on his cheeks. He tasted its saltiness and the sorrow hidden in them . At once he was there on his feet jumping too actively for a big bulky man towards the branch of the tree where I sat.

'Crying?' he asked with a strange peacefulness. It was unlike him as his mother told me. He was always angry about what his cousins did but now with me, I think ,he felt contented.

'Why shall I not cry I lost everyone I felt dear.' I said with another batch of hot tears. He gently stroked my luscious jet-black hair that went down my waist. I liked to keep it open since they were the only thing that made me look attractive.

'Even me?' he asked with a playful smile.

'You are no dear to me, you are no one to me. Just a random bulky man who killed my brother.'

I said with mock anger

He had power to make me feel calm and contented

'Oh no one to you?'

'No one I said with a smile,' and went down the branches of the tree. He quitely followed me.

I was going to the deep ravine. My sanctuary. A place I really felt at home

I never let anyone there but something in me told me to take him. Give him the part of me that nobody took. The part of love.

The ravine was beautiful with blue lotuses blooming. The waters were pristine blue like crystals that that looked like blue ice. With the ripples of flowing water from the streams there was strange peacefulness around.

Bheema took a deep breath. He was contented. He felt happy. I could feel his calming nerves, his heart beating softly.

'It is beautiful,' he said

'Yes, I know. My mother used to take me here when I was just a toddler. It was our secret place, the secret we shared together'

My eyes were moist on thinking about her .

'Who killed your parents? Was it your brother?' he asked gently.

'No Bheema it was the Manav's ,they thought of us as rakshasa. Brothers to Asuras, but they forget this that we are humans just like them. They are so filled with materialistic things that they think nothing of their gods. Their priorities differ and they think that their priorities are the only priorities of the mankind. But we are different . We think differently. We don't feel any love for materialistic things. We only love nature and our small community. The trees on the hills and birds in their nests. And you know loving everything is a dangerous .'

'Where is their humanity. How insane of them to hate people like you?'

'Everyone has humanity in them Bheema its just it is lost when they need it the most.'