“Regard- Love- Worship. But Don’t Abuse”, went a granite signboard in front of the marble statue of a beautiful girl in her early teens with curly hair. She had a frock on. It was at the centre of a park Rony and his cousin Bosco were visiting. ‘She must be our age,’ thought Rony, before his sight fell on the fine print etched on the signboard: “Beware, abuse may cost you dearly”.
This made it for Rony. He had always loved to infringe the rules that are strictly adhered to. Only a couple of days back he had sneaked into a room of their century-old ancestral house in which entry was forbidden for years. Nothing interesting was discovered, but just for the heck of breaking a rule he did it. It was fun. The pungent air, the dense cobwebs, the eerie feeling, the widened eyes of the family members…everything had its special appeal. Only compensation he had to undergo was a few spanks of an umbrella handle on his back from his dad, but that was nothing compared to the thrill of it.
But how to abuse the statue of such a nice girl! There was nothing to instigate him. She looked decent, proportionate, and she even stared at Rony with a friendly smile.
“The statue looks great at the centre of the park,” uttered Bosco.
“Hmm,” said Rony.
“The park is nice enough. It wasn’t there last year when we visited grandpa,” ejaculated Bosco.
“Hmm,” said Rony.
“What hmm? Are you even listening to me?”
“Stop saying superlatives,” went Rony, “think of some derogatory adjectives.”
“What for?” Bosco was at sea.
“I want to abuse this statue,” Rony twisted his fair face.
“Why on earth…”
Bosco’s words were cut off by Rony. “See what’s written below in the sign plate.”
“Oh! That chivalrous spirit again!” Bosco sighed after going through it.
“Not exactly, it’s just fun,” smiled Rony. Then, all of a sudden his face brightened. “Hey, I got it. It’s so obvious!” He pointed a finger at the statue, and went on, “Hey, stupid girlie, don’t stand like a dumb effigy. Do something. Pay me back for my rebuke if you can. I dare you.” Then for a good measure, he added, “Boo.”
Bosco was not sure whether to curse Rony or laugh at his stupidity. Finally, he broke into a chortle. No one was around. They made their way home.
Lunch had been served by the time they reached home. Two aunts were serving it under the supervision of grandma. Despite all the modernity around, their ancestral home had maintained the traditional values with a little bit of modification. Food was still served in banana leaves placed against seats of wooden planks. The old house had ample of space around, full of greenery. The old-world charm was a special attraction for Rony and Bosco, the staunch city dwellers, to visit almost every summer vacation with their respective parents.
“Why are you giggling like a girl, Bosco?” asked an aunt while pouring some dal on his heap of rice.
“Rony. Such a funny chap he is!” he stooped his lanky frame to mouth a morsel.
“What happened?” asked Bosco’s father.
“He shouted at a girl-statue just for the fun of it.”
“In the new park?” concern dripped from grandma’s voice.
“That’s right,” was the heroic output from Rony, “why did they have to inscribe such an ominous thing on signboard? I took it as a challenge.”
“Don’t think you did a right thing, Rony dear. I know at least of one chap who repented such an act dearly.” Grandma looked worried.
“Must be some supernatural story,” snorted Rony’s dad. He was a non-believer of anything remotely non-tangible.
“This is the problem of being educated,” retorted his old mother, “but there can be things beyond your perception. This particular park is created by Sri Pratap Chandra Burman, the sitting MP from this area. He is a fourth generation decedent of the erstwhile king of our region. The girl in the statue is believed to be that of an ancestor who died at thirteen only, and is supposed to have a spiritual power. A man I know who dared to abuse the statue suffered from severe attacks of vomiting and diarrhoea for three consecutive days before he was pulled back from the jaws of death.”
“You and your stories, Ma,” sighed Rony’s father, “this sounds like a pure coincidence.”
Post lunch, Rony and Bosco reached the great old mango tree and picked up a ripe mango each that had fallen on the ground recently. They settled under the shade of the tree.
“Do you think there can be some truth in what grandma said? In such a case you’re in for some trouble.” Bosco made a hole with his teeth at the tip of his mango, and began to suckle it.
“I don’t believe in these stories. They generally do the rounds in mofussils, and are often distorted.” Rony had a go at his mango. “In any case, I’m ready to face the consequences if there be any. This eggs me up.”
Bosco laughed. “I think you’re going to be spared with little considering your age. The girl looks our age. There got to be an age-bound bonhomie. In addition, you didn’t mean any harm to her. It was just a challenge to the warning spelt on the board.”
“Forget it, yaar,” Rony waved a dismissive hand, “let’s find some more mangoes.”
The next day, Rony had forgotten the whole episode, when it happened all of a sudden.
It was about ten in the morning. The sun was about to emit its full vigour soon. Rony felt he would better take a bath. There were bathrooms in the house, but their preferred place to take a bath was an old well a little distance away from the backyard. He searched for Bosco. Nowhere in sight. ‘To hell with Bosco,’ he thought, and left for the well alone in a towel along with a bucket, mug and a piece of soap.
The well was fitted with an electric pump. Close to the well was a pond that had dried up in summer. He tossed his towel on a marigold branch, and turned the tap on. A gush of water spurted out. It felt cold and soothing. He enjoyed his nakedness surrounded in growth of bushes and shrubs around. After a time he shrouded himself in layers of lather.
A conversation ensued at a distance. One was that of a male, the unmistakable voice of Bosco. The other one emanated from a female, a tender one. Rony peeked from his safety. A girl in a frock accompanied Bosco. And... surprise of surprises…she looked exactly the same as the marble statue in the park! He wondered why Bosco was not able to identify her!
They meandered towards the well along the walking trail conversing happily.
“This used to be a pond, I believe,” spoke the girl waving towards her right.
“It’s so, of course,” agreed Bosco.
“But the water has dried up due to heat.”
“Leaving mud and sludge all over,” agreed Bosco.
‘Why the hell Bosco has to agree to all the girl says,’ thought Rony, gritting his teeth.
“There must have been a lot of fishes around in better seasons,” suggested the girl.
“For sure,” agreed Bosco, “I won’t be surprised if a big fish is buried under the sludge right now.”
The duo were perilously close to the well by now. Rony looked concerned. Spirit or no spirit, it was embarrassing to show his naked torso in front of a girl. Not even with a towel on.
“Shoo…” he wanted to pass a signal to his cousin.
But it was of no avail. They continued slowly but steadily towards the well, thereby making Rony helpless.
They crossed the veil of bushes. No time left. Rony made a desperate jump to the mud-filled pond. His feet got stuck when he was only waist deep in mud. To save his dignity he buried his head down in the sludge, only to take it out in a minute due to intense suffocation. And there he froze, like a statue made of mud!
In his front stood only the girl, Bosco suddenly vanishing into the blue. She pointed a finger at him. “You stupid boy, standing dumb like an effigy! Move, do what you can to avenge me. I dare you.” Then there was a deliberate pause followed by, “Boo.” She laughed in a hysterical manner. The laughter echoed long and loud.
Rony opened his eyes. A lot of anxious faces‐ mom, dad, grandpa, grandma, Bosco, aunts, uncles, children- surrounded him. “He’s coming back to sense,” someone whispered. He sat down on the cot in which he lay.
How did he fall into the muddy pond, why did he lose consciousness, did he see something unnatural… there was an array of questions thrown at him. He answered none. It all seemed too tizzy. Maybe he would explain later. Right now he was hungry.
“Tell me, what happened?” asked Bosco at a later stage, “You stood like a ghastly statue in the pond.”
There was a wry smile on Rony ‘s face. “She is a game. What a perfect revenge!”
React
