"Baudimoni..."

Shock, Stupefaction.
As the words reverberated in the air turning it ornery to handle, it was a question of life that doused all at the facade of the churlish men.

Anirudh stood still forgetting his struck leg, trying to grasp the fact revealed. Eyes wide, Astound.

"Hey!"  The men yelled with his sword still aimed on the drunkard's neck.

Two wooden stools were unloaded from their jeeps which looked more like a bestial animal in the dark, as one of his men put them, another placed a silver glass filing it with the colourless liquid.

Bondita was lost, her wet wide eyes red, profusely drenched and shaking out of extreme fear. Her brain remembered the awful past in sequence, she knew she had no option nothing in her hands as she clutched her palms tight. Afraid of next occurrences as the possibilities were macabre.

"Baudimoni..." the same man called her, once, twice, thrice.... next he squealed "baudimoni..." quiet harsh yet with needed regard.

The voice shooked her out, as she eyed him understood. Thus sat instantly on one of them and feeling the continuous stare pulled the glass and gulped the water at once.

The grouchy man's stern gaze on the drunkard was spine chilling giving him hints about his death. Others tried to run to get captivated harshly, added knife on all of their necks. For once, they knew they had preyed a wrong person this night and it could cause them death too for their attempt.

As the hand cut drunkard dragged himself back, scattering his own blood on the muddy road, atrocious laughs sounded terrifying him while Bondita stood up and gulped hard.

"Kya socha. humare Malik...
humare dada mar gaye par hum abi zinda hai...
humari boudimoni ka raksha karne."
He growled with it.

"Dard ho rahe, dukh rahe.... koi bath nahi abi mukt karva tha hoon....
Haan, Upar Jake humare dada se maafi zaroor mangna.. humari boudimoni ko takleef dene ke liye... bhoolo math."  With that, he laughed snappily while the drunkards were perplexed at the words. But Bondita knew, she knew them better also knew what their words meant and it meant killing, meant death, it meant end... end of him.

Her heart beating erratically fast. She juddered, mumbled nervously "Na... Nahi. Nahi..." and tried to scream.

"Kali maa ki. Jai..."

"Ah....hh..........."

It was too late as the same grouchy man had decapitated, slayed off the drunkard's head which flew and fell. Such was their desperation. She flinched, her eyes closed and hands covering her mouth.

As the gushing blood stained her face and gown in scarlet thick red, she squealed out "Nahi..". Her face all pale, while the other petrified drunkards knelt down begging for their lives making all those men laugh gutturaly while thrashing them. They were animals.

Tapping the blood stained sword on his chest, gritting his teeth, the man scowled aloud "humari baudimoni... ko nazar utake dekha bhi.... maut milegi. Maut."

He enounced, it was wild, they were brutally wild like bloodthirsty animals.

Seeing the man approaching her, shooking her head she stepped back... one two three turning away she began her run... she was more fast this time clutching her gown lifting it up, she ran.. darted.

With his struck leg, he watched the horror... his Bondita fearing and running for life, the grouchy group all satisfied, and the slaughter... the beheading of the drunkard.

It was barbarous, infarious and low-down.

"Humari baudimoni.
Humare dada mar gaye par..."

"Humari baudimoni..
Humare dada mar gaye....."

The words cursed him. For now, he knew onething. It was her only her who could answer all his questions as his heart beat fastly at apprehensions.

He ran behind her as madly as her.

He barged inside the Chakraborthy's mansion, walking in saw the things hurled and flinged everything scattered and roughly misplaced. It led to her room.

Walked through the cluttered to reach her room, he saw both Devi and Ayesha sitting leaning on her room door. Worried and perturbed.

Seeing him, both were shocked as they did not expect him here that too when Bondita was in such traumatised state.

Got up, stopped the rushing Anirudh adruplty. He was confused, none can stop... none... from seeing his Bondita that too in that state.

"Abi Nahi Anirudh Babu...." It was Ayesha stopping him.

He understood, it was something, something worse, something destructive.

Leaning himself on her door, slid down and sat himself with fold legs banging his head harsh on the glass door with closed eyes.

As his eyes closed and all events flashed, he flinched as he remembered the day years back, all same and he felt as if it repeated. The thought trembled him.

It was years back, just two days after the odious incident. The incident which shook her, made her realise about the cruelty the world held, the day her innocence was lost making her all alert each second.
The incident, her molestation by the Takur. An animal in disguise of human.

Even though, Takur was sent to jail and served his punishment... on release was instantly caught and brought to the Zamindar Trilochan Roy Choudary who made him taste death. It was no surprise, eyes on the women belonging to Zamindar family means deplorable consequences while this animal, this Takur dared to lay his hands on his beloved bahu. She was as dear as his nephew to him. The Zamindar ordered to cut off his hands and besides much pleading, Takur was left lifeless with his hands cut.

Follwing second night, Anirudh turned sides to sleep it was as trauma as her to him. Failing in his attempts, sat himself up feeling uneasy as if his heart was demanding to see her, her one glimpse and he will be alright.

Acertain, It was quater passed two. In middle of the night he slowly took steps to her room, nearing he heard noises it was clatter his steps fastened, and on reaching he rattled the door and was fortunate to find it unlock.

Opening it hastely, was staggered at the sight. The room was all tousled everything muddled and cluttered chaotically.

Locking back the door, his desperate eyes searched for her as he walked in  found her, found her draped in light orange night saree devoid of all all ornaments except the brightly coloured vermilion on her parting and when he observed, his heart twitched as he saw her all rumpled with hair dishevelled, she sat leaning to the wall with knees bent close to her chest while her little fingers scratched the top of her left leg quite harshly leaving red marks on them.
Feeling sullied, sniffling loudly.

Immediately, he reached her trying to pull her hands and seeing him she got up and backed backed "nahi... nahi... patibabu" still she hit the table lamp.

Understanding her refusal, her rejection he stood paused yet sensing her all miserable, he tried to speak, to pacify, to console her "Bondita... bon... Bondita kya kar rahi ho? Math karo yesa." He pleaded.

As she backed more hitting the wall, shredding continuously "Nahi... Nahi...." she stammered the words in fear in recall of that night, the same night on which she was hoping to start a new begining with her patibabu as said by her kaka sasoorji but it was all spoiled.

His own eyes wet with tears, "Bondita kudh ko chot math pahunchaou. Math karo... math karo yesa."

Seeing him forwarding towards her and with wall behind, she tried to rush past him aside him dashing him and tried to run but to end in vain. He had caught her hand and as she wriggled caught her other hand too maintaining a distance.

Her breathes quickened as her struggle increased making the front pleats of her saree to fall down just the top two, with no other option he hugged her from back at once. His hands clasped her tight, just below her blooming bossoms. She was hardly reaching his shoulders yet he embraced her with quiet force momentarily, resting his jaw on her left shoulder. He whispered "Shant... shant ho jaou.... Bondita."

She stopped struggling. Their bodies pressed up, his arms on hers around her hip, his left leg blocking her legs from taking step and his whispers on her ears "Shh.... Deep..Breathe... take a deep breathe Bondita..."

She breathed deeply as instructed by him, finding her moderate they stood glued to each other with their cheeks slightly pressed. They were looking extremely intimate in the dimly lit room resting in each other's arms. Yet, he was just consoling her.

It was minutes later, he broke their embrace unwillingly while she was still in some daze and scooped her carefully it was then gripping his colars she gaped at him, his eyes too fixed on hers.

With her in his hands, he slowly sat himself on the scrambled bed as she continued to gaze he slowly upped her pleats placing them back and touched her, his fingers tracing the red marks on  them, on her left feet.

She turned down his hand with hers, it hurt him yet he knew it was because of the respect she held for him which is not letting her, refusing him to touch her feet.

He whispered "Bondita..." it seemed like a request more than a order. She backed her hand.

Eyes. Hers on his and his on hers fixed, as he traced the above of her left feet and slowly uped while he himself downed. Their eyes still on each other, his fingers lingered on it before he placed his lips on her, on her feet softly.

Their eyes closed, she clutched his colars while gripping her feet with his hand he pressed his lips hard as if sucking her pain, the bad touch, its left over traces.

"Patibabu..."

He left her feet and caught her, focused on her, on her shuddering frame, on her twitching lips trying to speak.

His both hands holding her shoulder, her own hands clutching his colar more. Both rested their foreheads.... their breathes getting normal, relieving from their palpitated state.

"Pati... Patibabu." Sobbing.

"Bondita..."

"Patibabu.... woh... uss uska chuna... meine koshish ki par..."

"Shh.. jantha hojaou... shh..."

Staying in the same position for some more time, with her on his lap. He tried.

"Bondita, soh jaou. Bahut raat ho gaye."

"Nah..i.. na..hi... Nahi..." with sobs.

"Shh..."

"Aap ma... math jayiye... patibabu."

Leaving her shoulders, he moved his hands on her back atop her ruffled up hair wrapping her and locking her in his arms. Forcing her to press herself on him, thus her cheeks rested on his chest her hands still intact on his colars.

"Kabhi nahi. Kahin nahi jaounga." Saying this placed a kiss on her head. She relaxed.

He was wrong, he thought all his early consolation was enough enough to heal her, to make her forget the animal's touch. But no, no it was not enough though she acted bravely and slapped him. She was tarnished from inside and he knew other than him only time could heal such wounds.

Feeling her sitting uncomfortable on him, he scooped her again placing her aside him. He felt her hurt at the distance created, he himself was, truely.

Laying himself flat, he gestured her with his hands. Forgetting all the prior tumult, her eyes questioned him unaware of his demand.

Passing a smile to her, he pulled her on top of him. Her eyes widened as he made her lay on him, on top of his strong body and his hands downed and clasped her rigidly.

Lost in his touch, in his embrace, in him. She realised her foolishness as she tried to scratch away the animal's touch, it was him, in him, her solace... tranquil was in him, was him. And resting above his chest in his clasp she realised he was her heal, the medicine for her wound.

With that, she stared him his eyes closed as his one hand clutched her bottom the other caressed her hair, umindfully she gently placed a kiss a soft kiss in the mid of his chest, she felt him tumble yet rigid again.

Holding his shoulders, she too closed her eyes in tired soon was asleep on him, on him.

He felt her sleeping peacefully void of all tense it made him happy, satisfied. He thanked himself for forcing him to come to her, to see her.

As he brushed her hair remembered all, the Takur's attempt, his Bondita's trauma. He flinched yet was composed for her, only for her.

Looking down, smile formed in his lips. He whispered "Kabhi yesa nahi hoga. Mere hothe huye koi bhi tuje chune toh dhoor, koi tuje buri nazar se bhi nahi dekheka. Wadha hai..... Tuje kuch nahi hoga." He promised himself.

Thankfully he locked the door, he din't want anyone to see her messy state. For them, she was brave, courageous and fearless enough to slap the animal hard. This side of her was for him, for him to console and for him to comfort her.

Even though, he had a wall of distance maintained. It was a need, an essential need to break and provide her the solace. Rightfully hers.

It might be sensuous if looked on yet it was just his another attempt or way of pacifying her, hushing her, calming her.

It was just his care, his care for her, pure care which exceeds any love in this world.

It was just one of the three instances where the situation held them, made them, close stay close. It was on her very twelfth birthday also on the day before he left Tulsipur and in mid it was on this day, they were impulsively close than usual.

The twenty-three year old Barrister sighed gratified while he lulled his twelve year old bride, his little wife to sleep.

"Mere hothe huye... tuje kuch nahi hoga. Kuch bhi nahi....."

The words resounded, it woke him up from the past as his own promise boomed in his mind. He found two gazes fixed on him and seeing them he sensed they knew, they knew something he did not.

"Kya huha? Mere Bondita ka yeh haal ka karaan... kya? Koun?. Boliye." His voice as intense as fire.

Both Devi and Ayesha scared,

"Uss Rakshas nahi... uss uss Ravan ki wajah se... babu." Devi cried.

His gaze more stern while his ears focused on their words.

Devi continued "Usne... usne jala diya... jala diya... babu."

"Aur... aur kaa.. kaat diya bhi..." Stammering with fear, Ayesha finished.

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Wanting to know the monster, ofcourse Bondita's past.

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