Vaibhav leaned on the dormitory balcony, once again smelling the brine air from the tea valley. His flapping pajamas didn't feel gentle anymore.

Footsteps approached him from behind. Vaibhav turned around to see Chaitali standing with her hands locked in front of her. She was wearing a tight salwar today, her scarf waving in the wind.

"Why are you here!? It isn't concern about me!", Vaibhav made an observation.

"I'm concerned about a lot of things", Chaitali turned to the tea garden, stepping forward, standing next to Vaibhav, "These days you're one of my things!"

"It's just, I've always wondered what was the story here!", Vaibhav stood straight, "Every revolution has one. The French revolution began with the stupidity of Queen Mary Antoinette. World war began with assassination. But the great Naxal revolution is at a loss. We talk so much about it, yet no one knows, why out of all places in the world, Naxalbari was ground zero, I mean this place existed before the revolution, right......?"

"Most early settlers here were outcasts. People who did not have any other place to go. People migrating from Bangladesh during the partition. People running from upper caste oppression in Bihar and Chattisgarh", Chaitali continued, "Nothing much to know in between. This town suffered ten different kinds of pain, that ultimately erupted three years ago!"

"Even your anger is technical...!", Chaitali laughed at Vaibhav.

"Well the jokes on me!", Vaibhav laughed with her, "turns out my story will be an integral part of it....!"

Chaitali smiled at Vaibhav and then looked away. Vaibhav got confused for a moment and then caught up to the rhythm, "Which is what you wanted to know all along! You want to about Swarnali!?"

"I'll tell you about Naxalbari, before the revolution, if you want...", Chaitali jumped over to sit over the balcony, "mostly I want to know the reason what made Vaibhav Roy think before he spoke!"

"Not a fair deal especially if all you know is about the forest woman!", Vaibhav walked a few steps back.

"No! No forest. No Woman", Chaitali squinted her eyes and started to swing her legs, "just what my friend from North Bengal University told me!"

"I guess it all regressed to the mean!", Vaibhav observed pointing at the gardens extending over the valley, "...The oppressed rise up to become the oppressors. We being pampered could just sit here relaxed and talk about it all....!"

Both Chaitali and Vaibhav kept looking at the valley sprawling down below. Wondering how people evolve into the same broken social hierarchy they escaped from years ago.

"Do you know the correct way of plucking tea leaves!?", Vaibhav suddenly asked.

"Read it in a book have you?", mocked Chaitali.

"Two leaves and a bud!", Vaibhav made a gesture with his hand.

"Youngest leaves in the spout", Chaitali added, "what we consume, we consume it fresh and young. There is power in devouring innocence..."

"What about the Sikdar Zamindars or the legends surrounding Mayatalav temple?"

"A temple is not a temple without stories", laughed Chaitali, "you talking about the devadasi women!"

"Who, the dancers!? Devdasi..."

"I'm sure they taught you about them, somewhere along with your numerous courses!"

"Yeah, but I thought it was like medieval history, apsara, and king level stuff...!"

"Oh it's very real, the constitution legally outlaws them now because most young girls fall into flesh trade through it's propaganda", said Chaitali, "but their are some traditional devadasi still left. Actually I think a caravan of them comes to the fair...."

"You saying all those dancers in the murals....?"

"All of them, divine dancers and considered protectors of the temple!", Chaitali air quoted her last words, "starting from the woman in the forest to the great Maya Devi...!"

"Yeah what is it with her?", Vaibhav raised his voice, "some say Nandan Sikdar fixed mandi auctions, others say he grabbed temple lands from Maya Devi?

"As I said stories, harbingers and..."

"What is the myth of this harbinger?"

"What is the point of knowing that.....?"

Vaibhav squinted his eyes in response. It seemed Chaitali was at the end of her borrowed knowledge too.

"A harbinger announces the arrival, they herald of tragedies", Chaitali talked on, "The whole point of their existence is to prove how many things we miss to notice by chance...!"