The Rejection

5

Our house was also ancient; three ancestors of my father had lived in our house. Many things were inspired and were used from nature to build the house, people of the village would often come to our house, asking for help in a various manner, some would seek financial help, some would come for intellectual help, some would come to thank my father for his help and some would come just to invite us personally in their family function. My father used to never let them down in any form or manner; he would always help those who seek help. Even from childhood, I remember we had always lots of money, I never knew how or from where that money was coming from, I never saw my father working at someone else’s place or even at our own home. I distinctly remember some people would come to meet my father, he would meet them I person, that was it, that was the only work he used to do. We would never out of money. We never did, nor did our ancestors. 

Our house was made near to the forest, where one could,” “Hang on..!! Does this story have to go a long way? Sameer asked mockingly, “Because, if that is the case, I would like to pour another cup of coffee because I am neither habituated to read or write stories that involve village, castle, a king, and something old traditional stereotypes stories to entertain kids. I like to believe your story is real but my mind needs another cup of coffee”. To which Aakriti replied, “It is not a story, you asked me to tell you, everything about me, so that is what I am doing. It is what it is, I am saying what I have been and everything from the beginning. ” Sameer did not respond anything and poured another three mugs of coffee and gave one to Sia and placed one on the table for Aakriti. Aakriti took a sip and continued, “As I was saying, our house was built near a forest, where one could get a view of a nearby river, a nearby mountain, the nearby valley from the top floor of our house, and from the terrace view, one could see the whole village, the most beautiful sight would happen when the village would go out of electricity and from terrace me with my youngest brother, Aarav, would see millions of starts in a clear sky and in would see moon’s reflection in the water of the river, and would question each other that why was that, that we were never out of electricity but everyone else was. Friday was the day when mostly the whole village would run out of electricity. I do not want to sound fussy but Aarav was my favorite, out of all brothers. By the time we all grew up and ended our teenage life, my father one day called my eldest brother, Aman, he asked him to go with him on one Sunday evening. Where did he take him, for what did he take him all was unanswered to us even after asking so many times. We were curious and had asked so many times to my eldest brother and even our father, but we did not get any answers from them and after a certain time we were used to it and stopped asking questions about it. When my brother returned there was a strange change in his behavior, he did not talk to us for three-four days. Like he was given some secret task which he was not supposed to tell us. After some days, when those men return who worked with my father at our home, to meet in person with my father alone, was the first time they were also accompanied by my eldest brother Aman. It was strange for all of us.  After some month my father took in another brother of mine, after a year another one. I and Aarav were only left; I was elder to Aarav so I was expecting he would first ask me to join his squadron, but that never happened. I was hoping for something which never happened, I was shattered as my hope was broken but could not do anything. He asked Aarav another Sunday evening to go with him, and when he returned he changed his behavior too. It was all very strange to me, I was never asked to join them nor did my father ever take me with him on Sunday evening. But when Aarav went with him, I had expected that Aarav would never change himself the way my other brothers did and whatever no matter how many secrets it was, he would definitely tell me about those mysterious evening talks and tours with our father, but again my hope was in vain and Aarav too changed.

One day a strange incident took place. One of our servant, who was working in night time in our house was missing for last two-three days, as that man was loyal to us, my father asked all other servants and some of the villagers to search him, search in the sky or even dig in the grounds were ordered oh my father. He was not the kind of person who would go missing on his own or could have been caught in trouble; he was not a decent and simple man with simple needs and family. He went disappear strangely and without any traces so all were more scared and wanted to know what might have happened. I vaguely remember, I suppose it was Tuesday when he went missing, his family was summoned to come to our house but they went missing too. Their house was found empty; we came to know that he absconded along with his wife and daughter. The reason was unknown to all of us, he had good money, he was happy, there was no reason to leave our village like that, and especially a job in our house, where my father never treated him as a servant. When he and his whole family went in missing, it was presumed by villagers that he might have a family crisis and he took his family and flee away from the village to save himself from the questions of villagers. That servant had a little dog and it was still there, in a servant’s house. The neighbor helped that dog and set it free, anyway it was a street dog so it was set free in a place where it belonged.

After three-four days one villager came into our house in haste in the morning and he told my father to go with him as it was urgent. My father went with him; he took my father near the river. We all were looking from our terrace as we were instructed not to follow him. We saw that villager, took my father near a river, and they were whispering about something which they saw. We went to the other side of the terrace to have a proper view, what we saw was one dead body was floating on the water of the river and the dead body’s legs were covered with red cloth; it was the dead body of that very servant who went missing before a week or so. We could see that with help of five, six people that body was brought outside. Some finest swimmers of the village were ordered to dive in the river to check if his family was drowned with him too. Those swimmers search as much as they could but nothing was found by them. Just one red cloth was found by the swimmers, which was very long and it took two-man to get that cloth out. My father was very upset about the death of his servant, no one knew what happened to him, where was his family, were they safe or not. Did someone kill him or he was drowned by water or did he kill himself because of family pressure. It must be family pressure, as his family was missing too-all villagers started to assume and built their own story to entertain themselves. Some made stories like, some evil spirit was hovering them and with red cloth and black magic, it killed him and his family flee away to save themselves. That red cloth was burned down by villagers, as they assumed it was cursed and they did not want any bad things to happen with them or their family. Some even started a rumor that the dog of the servant was cursed by the evil spirit so the servant’s family did not take it with themselves. That dog was found and it was then set free in the jungles, where it could not impart its evil spirits on anyone. It was all made up entertaining story which villagers made up because they were scared. No red cloth or dog was cursed with an evil spirit; it was just red cloth which happened to wrap itself around the dead body’s legs without any intentions.

 In my family, this kind of incident had never taken place before, that servant’s forefathers served in our house for years. After days by days, all tried to forget about that incident. People started to come more regularly to our place where my father and brothers would just sit in private for hours and talk about something with such a serious expression and serious conversation. I was never allowed to sit near when those people would come. One day at the dinner table I asked my father, a question which we were never allowed to ask since childhood. From where do we earn money? Why our place was the fanciest among all others. Why was my father more respected and powerful over all the villagers? I asked him When I could join him in their squad, why he had not yet asked me to go on a walk with him? To which he did not reply anything and asked me to keep my mouth shut while eating, I was twenty years old, not a little girl whom he could scold like that. I left a table without eating anything, and believe me, none of the family members were upset that I left the table without eating anything.

I realized that as we grew up and when my father asked all of my bothers to join him, I was always left out in everything, not in those stupid serious conversations, but in family meetings, in important decisions- my opinion was never taken into consideration and it was like I was not a part of the family. My relations with my brothers were not as strong as they were before. We all could barely talk to each other freely; when we did my father was always present there and he would just intervene in between and would make sure I was not getting much attached to my brothers and that I was not forcing them or manipulating them in saying something which they should not be sharing with me.  I kind of felt leftover but I did not complain about it, because I knew there was no one to listen to me. Though many days had passed by, my younger brother, Aarav was most shocked about the death of that servant. My dad with the rest of his powerful people kept searching for a family of that servant, but all were in vain. I knew my father did not believe in the evil spirit story-of a servant’s family is missing, so he kept searching for them. At that time I did not know anything but now all dots could be connected and now I understand why all happened, what happened, who was behind it, and why my father was still in search of the family.” Aakriti took a long pause and was lost for ten minutes, she was living those past moments where it was unclear to her about those things and how naïve she was and kept believing that how brothers and father would take her in their squad, and eventually into the family. When Aakriti was lost in her past and did not say anything for a long, her silence was interrupted by Sia, “Would you care to venture to tell us what had happened to him?” Aakriti got herself back from nostalgia and nodded yes, she could tell them.