The flies were buzzing in the
summer heat. The village was reasonably quiet. It was mango season. Chintoo,
Munni and Shyam hadn’t eaten for quite a while. They stopped and sat under the
cool shade of the mango trees and soon the fruits’ fragrance overpowered them. They
looked up and around at the trees and between the dark green leaves saw some
ripe yellow mangoes hanging onto the trees. Some of the mangoes had the
greenish yellow tinge that made you feel the salt and sweet tingle your tongue.
Their big eyes looked wondrously at the fruit and the three of them licked
their lips at the sumptuous feast that seemed to be spread in front of them.
Instinctively, Munni looked around to see if there were any chaukidars, human
or four legged ones. Her alert gaze did not see anything guarding the mangrove.
She tugged Shyam’s sleeve and looked at him as she tipped her head towards the
fence. The two now looked at the trees as if assessing which one was the
easiest to climb and which had the most number of fruits. Their assessing gaze
landed on one that was around a few yards from the big old comfortable looking
house that seemed shabby yet somewhat inviting and totally dominated by the
mango trees. They cocked their heads towards the house, trying to discern if
anyone was inside. But the house seemed quiet.
They silently looked at each other and then, Shyam and Munni seemed to
move forward. Like an unwritten code, Chintoo followed them and they easily
snuck through the barbed wire fence. They made their way slowly, looking to the
ground as they walked, wary of snakes and twigs that would give their presence
away. The mosquitoes buzzed around them biting and singing as if serenading the
trio who slapped and scratched quietly, almost reflexively, as they made their
way quietly. They soon reached the tree they wanted to climb. Munni took off
her dupatta and tied it to make it a small bag and Shyam slung it on his
shoulder and climbed. Munni nudged Chintoo and he looked around. He was the
watchman. He looked around and soon wandered towards the house. He looked back
to see that his brother had climbed. His sister was alternately looking at him
and Shyam. She also looked up and around to check if someone else was coming
from the other side. She looked towards the tree. Shyam was busy. Munni’s
dupatta was almost half full.
Meanwhile, Chintoo wandered off
closer to the house. He seemed to be drawn to the huge house that had cobwebs
hanging off the corners. There was a screen door that was closed but the main
door was open. Chintoo looked back at his sister, a question in his eyes. She
looked back at him sternly and nodded her head sideways, ‘No’ and put her finger
to her lips. His eyes bade good bye to the grand but crumbling structure as he
walked back to his sister.
Meanwhile, Shyam was climbing down
the tree with his collection of loot. As he walked back in the quiet, he
stepped on some dried leaves and yelped in fear. The three suddenly froze.
From inside, footsteps creaked and
the screen door opened.
An old woman with a bright smile
opened the door. She saw the three little thieves.
The three little thieves were too
far apart from each other and were too frozen to move a muscle. They looked
startled and then resigned.
The old woman’s smile turned to
dismay. She ate up the scene with her eyes as she stepped out onto the veranda.
Hands on her hips, her lips a thin
line of disapproval, she gestured for them to come over to her. By then, Shyam
and Munni were standing next to each other. Guilt and fear was writ large on
Chintoo’s small face. Chintoo responded to her as if hypnotised. Munni and
Shyam looked at each other’s faces, shrugged their shoulders and walked towards
her with straight shoulders. Their faces having a strange dignity, despite the fear. They stood on each side of Chintoo and all three faced her.
The old lady brought her hand out as if ordering them to give back their loot
to her. Shyam’s face looked longing towards the mangoes as he handed them over
to the old lady. She shouldered it and walked into the house.
As she entered the house, she did a
strange thing that endeared the orphans to her immediately. She looked back and
smiled kindly at them and gestured that they come into the house. The three
childish faces that had so much adult pain and despair in them, froze in shock
as they looked at her. She smiled gaily at them, and walked in leaving the
screen door wide open – an invitation louder than words.
The three looked at each other, but
Chintoo made the decision when he slowly walked in and looked back. Shyam and
Munni were afraid. They had seen more cruelty. But they, too, shrugged their
shoulders and walked in. After all, they were hungry and the old lady was kind
if not anything else. Once they entered the house, they saw an old man sleeping
on his side. His face was towards them and they could see he was fast asleep
and his chest rising and falling and his breath soughing through the air as he
slept; unaware of the silent drama that was unfolding in front of his sleeping
eyes. On the walls, the shelves were filled with old decorative items and there
was a little dust hanging in there. Above enclosure on the wall, there was a
photo of a young man hanging in there. He was laughing and looked a lot like
the old woman and had a little bit of the old man on his face, too. There was a dried garland and a big red tikka on the glass that was over the forehead of the young man who
looked about 30 – 35 years old. They stood bunched together awkwardly. They
heard the old lady pottering around in the kitchen as the metallic pots pans
and plates clashed around and she came through the door and asked them to come
inside. As they entered, diagonally they saw a kitchen and to their right, was
the dining table and it had 3 plates set on it. They were all heaped with food.
The three saw nothing else. They just stood looking at the food. Then they all
looked up at the old lady. She smiled at them and gestured them to eat. As they
looked at her, she seemed to blur in their vision.
She came up to them and put her
hand on the shoulders of the two elder children and led them over to the chair,
and seated herself on one opposite them and simply waved her hand towards the
food. Once the children sat down to eat, she gestured with her hand, asking
them to wait as she went inside. The children looked at each other and
continued to eat, relishing the pieces of mango that had been kept at the side
and eating the wholesome rice, dal, sabzi and pickles that was a feast for
their hungry bodies and souls.