Zudora by Reshma A. Dev

Author:Reshma A. Dev
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Notion Press
Published: 2022-07-19T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eight

The Rage of the Villagers

The times demand strong minds,

great hearts, true faith and ready hands.

Only those live who do good.

The village elders gathered under the huge banyan tree, opposite the temple, waiting for Pujari Baba to emerge. He was applying herbal pastes and feeding medicinal drugs to Raghu, trying desperately to prevent the poison of the claws should reach his brain and heart, thus making it impossible to revive him. The principal and many elderly women were praying loudly along with Raghu’s stunned parents.

As the news of the children’s disappearance spread, the shutters of shops and other outlets started coming down. The children who had mercifully escaped the creatures were still dazed. The news of the havoc created had shocked everyone into speechless incredulity. The parents whose children were missing were beside themselves, running here and there, searching, accusing and abusing everyone they thought could be the cause of such a calamity.

Never had the villagers witnessed anything of this magnitude of hideousness and none had any real clue of what it could be. Nonetheless, most of the elders were certain that it had something to do with the burning of the cursed Kalina Ka Jungle.

Unaware of all the commotion, Satt had dozed off in a nearby sugarcane grove, tired of searching for Motu. Hours later, he woke up from his peaceful slumber with a start. The sun was burning on his cheeks. For a second, he thought that he was back home with his uncle and aunt, but then he realized that someone was shaking his shoulder roughly.

“Who is that? Motu! Is that you?” Satt asked, getting up lazily.

Motu’s round, dark eyes were peering at Satt. Terror and anxiety were clearly etched on his face.

“Why did you leave Suhani alone in school?” Motu whispered miserably, unable to say anything further.

Satt heaved himself up and asked, “What about Suhani? Where were you? I looked for you all around. How did you know that I was here?”

Motu’s lips trembled and Satt was seized by a sudden suspicion.

“What happened? Is everything fine?” yelled Satt. “Why did you ask about Suhani?”

“Suhani and many other schoolchildren were kidnapped by five horrible dragon-faced riders,” stammered Motu.

Satt froze in shock for several seconds, not knowing how to react.

“What does that mean?” asked Satt urgently, as if trying to find the reason behind such a calamity.

“They took Suhani,” fumbled Motu.

“But why? Why? What wrong has she done? What does this all mean?” asked Satt, totally perplexed.

“It seems…” fumbled Motu, “that Kalina has played her move to get at you.”

Still shocked and unbelieving, Satt got up with a jerk, the significance of Motu’s conclusion dawning slowly upon him.

“Tara… Pujari Baba… none of them prepared us for such a possibility... I should have thought of it myself. How could I be so blind?” muttered Satt.

“Stop blaming yourself. Let’s hurry, all the villagers are gathering near the temple. Raghu slipped from the claws of one of those creatures and Pujari Baba is trying to save his life,” informed Motu in one breath.

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