THE FRAGILE PEBBLES
(Real love is never destroyable by the evil forces )
In the afternoon, at 5’O clock. Mayukh Sen, a third-year science student, quickly went out on a bicycle for a coaching class.
As he was leaving, he said to his mother, "Mom, I'm leaving, it might be a little late."
He was then very busy. Protiva Sen, the mother of Mayukh said something to him something but he ignored it.
“Hi, Mayukh,” Shila said to him while entering Sen’s house.
“Hallows, my dear, I’m a little busy, okay.”
“Bye”
“Good-aunty, how do you do?” Shila asked Protiva Debi with a little smile.
“I’m well now, how are you, my dear girl. Let’s come into an open terrace on the second floor. Come”
“Yeah “.
Both started to create long gossiping against their family matters etc.
Her age was then 52 years plus, widow. She lived with only one son. Husband's pension money covered the family expenses of both of them.
There was some land in the village and some food grains used to come from it so there was no need to do anything else. The father of Mayukh was an assistant teacher of Gourangopur Higher Secondary school. He was very well known at that time.
The current of time erases everything, then only the gray smirk remains. Nothing did else more.
Sometimes, for special reasons, any student occasionally came to watch them in the house of respected Sir. The rest was nothing else.
When Shila didn't come, Protiva Debi used walking alone on the open terrace, then Pandemic year was going on.
Shila was a very cute and calm girl, her smile was even sweeter. Protiva Debi liked her very much but she was another caste. She used to belong Muslim community but nobody believes that at first sight.
There was a lot of open terrace space on the roof and there were many colorful flowers that had bloomed in that spring season. Aunty and Shila more time spent here; it seemed that was Shila’s own house.
II
One morning Shila said to her Aunty,” Aunty, you heard, Shamim means my cousin came that day with a direct marriage proposal. What a rude boy! Rubbish.”
My father said to me,” Leave it, my dear girl.”
“I couldn’t tolerate this type of desperate rudeness.”
Aunty asked with a smile,” What happened then? How far did the talk go?”
I told my uncle, 'I will not marry Shamim. After all, I dislike his misbehaviors.'
“The girls also have to go to her husband's house one day, so what's the hurry?” Aunty murmured herself.
“Shila mam, your dad is calling, come down quickly," Durga asked with a loud voice. Durga was a working maid of their house.
“Okay. Just, I’m coming.”
Monsur Hossain, Shila’s father was also a school teacher of that school. He resided nearby Sen’s house so that no matter. He knew the word about a little hidden affair between both but not showing it publicly.
They studied in primary and high school together, knew and knew each other well in very deep. They still awarded very well that their path was not good or will not be the right way.
There was no such thing as love.
Once during school Goddess Saraswathi Puja, a Hindu girl gave vermilion on her head and forehead. She accepted it heartily. Sheila's relatives told her a lot about this incident but she did not care about them. That was one of the best cultures as well as social activities.
Mayukh had known for a long time that his mother dislikes going to Shila's house, so he obeyed his mother.
One day Monsur Hossain had declared that he wanted her marriage to be with Shamim. That was the final decision.
Shila said to father, "How can you finalize my marriage before my exams without telling me, father." She more added,
“What's so fast dad? I'm your only daughter; wouldn't it be nice to get a little wait? "
"It's late at night; you go to bed now. Good Night dad"
Seeing the girl's behavior, his thoughts, as well as blood pressure, increased.
“That little girl said great things to me today. So, am I doing something wrong with her?” He asked himself.
Dad and daughter don't want to hurt anyone's mind. But their fate was worse. The girl was very upset at the father's message but did not say anything. Even if the daughter kept her mind a secret, the father's mind could understand everything.
Shila used to enjoy worshiping Hindu gods and goddesses from a young age. She liked to observe the worshipping.
He didn't like all that’s but never said anything.
He always made sure that the girl who lost her mother did not suffer any pain.
Monsur Hossain was overwhelmed with anxiety, his age was increasing, and the doctor forbade him to take any kind of stress. The doctor further said to take complete rest now but he can't sit as workless.
III
The time was 8 a.m. It rang on the cell phone.
“Hallow, who are you?”
“Good morning brother, are you okay now!” Shamim’s mother said.
“What’s up there, are there okay?”
“Yes, I’m fine now, but Shamim intends to go to the Arabian country for business purposes.”
“That’s good news for us.”
“He told me that he would marry Shila when he will return home."
The phone disconnected suddenly, just then Shila stood at the door and listened.
“Whose phone was that?”
“It was your aunt’s call. Again, Shamim is going to Arabian country”
"It's not a good man's business to do business in the name of going to a shrine, Dad," she mumbled.
“Please take your medicine on empty stomach,” Shila advised him and put the tablets on the table with a glass of warm water.
“Don’t be late please.”
IV
Shamim’s character was not good; he had all kinds of bad habits. Proposed marriage had ruined the lives of several young girls. It was heard that he had been imprisoned for his crime several times, but he was not corrected at the end. “Some people's character is curved like a dog's tail.” Mansoor and his family knew all those events but kept quiet thinking that this was what happens at that minor age, if he got married everything will be fine. He also assumed that it was his misconception.
V
The sky was cloudy during the day as if nature wanted to say something. But how many people understand that nature’s language, in this world?
Tonight, there will be a huge congregation of the Muslim community in the premises of the big mosque.
So everyone was very busy. After explaining everything to the doormen many times, he was getting ready to go there.
Shila once again said, "You're not in good health, are you? Dad!”
“What is the opportunity comes, again and again, mother!” said father.
He left at 7 p.m. As he approached the door, a lizard sounded in a low voice and light rain began to fall. Ignoring all that un-even, he went straight to the gathering place, in his car. Then he completely forgot about home.
Meanwhile, at home, Shila had no sleep in her eyes, she tried several times on the phone but failed and she didn't even know when she fell asleep.
VI
On the next day morning,
“Mayukh Babu let's come quickly.”
He came out of the bathroom incomplete brushing his teeth.
“What happens? Raghu!”
“Shila has been kidnapped by someone from her own home. She was not found anywhere.”
“How did it happen? Let's go to their house once.”
Mayukh saw a lot of people gathered there and the police came and interrogated the two doormen. Their hands were tied by ropes.
This was the first time he had been struck by lightning in body and mind.
He could not find any language to comfort his uncle Mansoor.
His uncle was sitting on the ground in front of the main door, like a stone statue, looking at Mayukh once and crying like a child.
The senior inspector said, "Mayukh, you have to go to the police station once."
“Right now, sir?”
“Yeah. Just come with us for the statement”
“Okay, Sir”
First question: How long have you known her?
Answer: From nursery level.
Second: You may be much close friend but didn’t know about the kidnapping case?
Answer: No, sir, please.
Third: Heard a fight with someone or something like that?
Answer: No, sir but I think it may be related with…. Mayukh, seeing Shamim's father enter into the office room, left it incomplete.
“Okay, you may go now.”
Jabbar Ali, a well-settled businessman in this city. He was over smart as his son, Shamim. Like father like son.
Ten days later, the police did their job but they could not give any news regarding Shila.
Mansoor Hossain was admitted to the hospital, his sister was not there either, only Jabbar Ali came to see him once a day. One night he died of a brain hemorrhage due to high blood pressure. The house now had no guardian.
It is very difficult for Mayukh to look at the house anymore.
All the work of the Police station and Court case was over; time goes by as per its rules. “Time and tide wait for none.”
Mayukh kept himself out of trouble by thinking of his interests. He will never be able to remove her beautiful face from the mirror of his mind. In these two years, new news came into their family.
He had joined the Rajkumari High School near Dakshineswar Temple as a new assistant teacher.
Sometimes he wanted to write his thoughts on the slate of literature but couldn't find the language, that's life.
The mystery of Shila's disappearance haunts him, so he couldn't live alone. So, he lived with his mother in a rented house in Kolkata.
For a long time, the health of the Protiva Debi was not going well, new places, weather changes.
Tuesday was a holiday.
“Today is your school holiday, let's worship at Kali Mandir, the mood will be better.” The mother advised him.
“Okay, mom.”
After the worship, both of them were looking around the temple. This was a great Holy place for Shri Ramakrishna Thakur and Swami Vivekananda.
While they donate some rupees to beggars, they noticed that a beggar seemed to know her a little. Although leaving her clothes, her hair was very sick. She was like a mad girl. And she tried to hide but couldn't.
Protiva Debi went ahead and asked for her name, but one other beggar told her, 'Her name is Shila, she can't speak at all.”
Mayukh was surprised to hear Shila's name and muttered, "Is she still alive? Oh! God."
She turned her hand over Shila’s head just as the word "Momm" came out from her mouth with a low voice.
Those who were non-beggars were also surprised then.
And when Mayukh heard how she came to this near temple; everything became clear like Holy Ganges water.
“If respect and love are true, then evil forces never destroy them.”
VII
Shila has had a bad habit of going to bed every night with the scent of Sen-house’s rose. At best she was alone at home that night, so she slept with the rose petals beside the pillow, which was her last rose love.
The main accused in the Shila kidnapping case was only two, the first one was Durga and the second was Meher, Shamim's mother.
She never liked Shila because she was very attracted to Hinduism. She could have killed her like Sheila's mother if she wanted to, but without doing so, the main purpose was to destroy the attraction of Hinduism that was inside her as iron roots of trees. Shila was Imprisoned in a secluded house in Kolkata. After suffering physical and mental pain day after day, Shila became mad, and sometimes she used to lose consciousness. One night, when Shila was unconscious for a long time, the mother and son had left her to a secluded place on the banks of the Ganges near Dakshineswar Kali mandir.
Early in the morning a childless couple of fishermen watched her in half-dead condition and they took her into their home. From then on, she used to come to this temple everyday afternoon.
UJJAL HALDER
