Flames OF Paradise - Season 1 - Episode 19

Episode 7 years ago

Flames OF Paradise - Season 1 - Episode 19

She continued, ‘If I were in your place, I would inform the police and have each one of them arrested.’
‘Madam please do not speak things so loudly. Do you know what they will do? They will kill me and moj the way they killed my pidar and biradaarand forced us to give our hut and work for them last year.’ Her voice had become muffled, and her eyes were brimming with tears. Snigdha was speechless with shock to hear this. The terrorists had killed her whole family? And here she was reprimanding her for renting her hut. This girl must have seen terrible atrocities in her lifetime which city kids can’t even imagine. She wanted to do something to console Zainab but she felt helpless. How could one console someone who had lost her whole family in such a gruesome manner?
She sat on the stone bench near the bucket and washed her hands in the icy cold water trying not to think about the predicament of these two helpless women in the mid of the cruel terrorists. She wished she could take a bath, wash off the places on her body where these terrorists had touched her, even Roshan. She was about to get up when suddenly the door of the nearest hut opened. And a youngish bearded man came out.


He stretched his arms, yawned, and looked around him. His eyes fell on them. Looking around briefly, he beckoned Zainab. Seeing Zainab walk towards him, Snigdha asked fiercely,
‘Where are you going Zainab?
‘Madam. You go to your hut now. I have to do as he says.’ Saying this, Zainab quietly walked towards the hut. Snigdha got up swiftly and caught her arm asking,
‘What do you mean?’
‘Once these people enter our homes, our mind, body and soul are all their property. We can do nothing about it except agree to it, otherwise we will also be killed.’
‘You could take help from the police or the army.’ Snigdha said.
‘But we had. It was of no use. The police thought my pidarwas one of these men. They tortured moj. We had to finally accept what these people offered. Atleast we are alive. I have to think about my old mother, Madam. You please go inside your hut. There are guards all over keeping an eye on you.’ Saying this, Zainab walked slowly towards the hut. The man held Zainab’s arm, looked towards Snigdha once and entered the hut, closing the door firmly behind her. Snigdha couldn’t believe her eyes. She had only read about this in news. This was sheer violation of human rights and exploitation of these hapless women, who were like helpless lambs going for slaughter.




She felt tears pricking her eyes thinking about the plight of this little teenager, whose dreams have been shredded into pieces. On one hand, she fears for her mother’s life and on the other hand, she lets herself be used willingly. After all where could she go? Her cry for help and safety from the military or the police was in vain. Would they come for her help now? Or would they also treat her like a piece of flesh, to be beaten and used? How many others were using her? Was Roshan amongst the men raping and using her and other helpless girls like her? Her blood started boiling with anger. She had to do something. She desperately looked around her. Surprisingly, she found herself alone, the surroundings getting more foggy as each minute passed. She realised that no security was around. Probably, they considered her dumb and helpless, that’s why she was sent with a mere teenager. This seemed the perfect time to do what she intended to do. Quickly without making much sound, Snigdha walked towards her hut. Either due to the thickening mist or because they genuinely felt she was harmless. She couldn’t find anyone guarding her hut, thus making it easier for her to slip inside and quickly grab her backpack which already had her meagre belongings. Stuffing her toilet bag in it, she peered outside carefully, finding none around, swiftly moved towards what she thought was the looming thick woods. Not believing her luck of not getting nabbed by someone on her way, Snigdha heaved a sigh of relief, and hid herself behind thick bushes. Peering in the deepening mist, she thought this was the ideal time to run… run for her life. She edgily started walking towards the unknown, trying her best to put her toes forward and not walk on the balls of her heel, making as less noise as possible on the wet and slippery ground, she slowly turned her walk into a trot and finally into a desperate run.
Panting, her chest heaving with pressure, her limbs aching and her shoulder twitching with the load of her backpack, Snigdha kept running, without breaking the speed. Even in the chilling coldness of the weather, the whipping wind, and the dampness of the mist, she could feel sweat trailing behind her back, making her feel hot and stuffy in her warm Phiran. As her eyes adjusted to the foggy snowy jungle, she could see that she was caught in the midst of thick tall trees, not finding a clear track to follow. She stood still just for a second contemplating which direction to take, when she heard a crackling sound, as if someone was around. Then she heard running footfall coming from behind her, distant but clear in the stillness of the early morning. She gasped for breath, her heart quickening with panic and fear and she turned towards her left where she could see less trees, as if animals or people have walked through them. She dashed carefully and started running with her whole life, blindly, madly, not stopping even to take a small breath.




She was taking quick panting breaths, gasping to take air into her constricted lungs, running her tongue on her parched lips, feeling her body sweating heavily, drops dripping from her brow into her eyes which she dashed quickly. She could feel someone behind her. She could feel the hair on the nape rising with alarm. Her mouth went dry, but she continued her sprinting, her chest hurting by now, buzzing in her ears, her thigh muscles straining with the pressure. She had never run so much in her entire life. A sharp outgrowth from a tree, dipping low hit her on her forehead, but she dashed it away, wincing with pain, nonetheless running with all her might. Suddenly, she heard a gunshot somewhere behind her and then a shout. Shocked and in panic, she stumbled and fell down. But instead of looking back, she scrambled on her haunches, ignoring the biting pain in her palm where she had hit it on the ground, and started running again. But she was thrown back, by the pressure of the strap of her bag that had got caught on the root of a dead tree at her feet. She pulled at it vehemently, her breath coming in short, gasps, more like sobs. Breaking the strap, she ran for her life again. But not before seeing a dark, shadowy figure looming large some distance away. She ran with all her speed, saying a prayer to her favourite God Hanuman to save her this last time. Suddenly, a hand emerged from behind and clasped her mouth, stifling her scream, and dragging her towards a clump of bushes, pushing her down into a dark pit which she had missed seeing. She tried to look at the man, but couldn’t as he was behind her. She kicked with her feet at his shin, and felt a wave of satisfaction at the grunt of pain uttered by the man. The man recovered fast and dragged her close to him, from her waist and dragged her bodily into the pit that was truly dark and hidden from the dirt track she had been running on. Snigdha m0aned and tried to bite his hand covering her now frozen lips, hurting him.