Aadhiyan stood up and blocked her way to confront her. "You can't talk to me like that?" he gripped her hand firmly. His face is devoid of expression.
Rathi was stunned by his action and saw him with fear. "I was talking to you showing all my good side but you just walk over me? Are you taking my words as a joke?" he gritted in anger and his hand slowly twisted her wrist. The rage covered his eyes, for a moment he's not that Aadhiyan who seemed to love her.
"Leave my hand, it's hurting," she pleaded and her eyes welled with tears. Rathi didn't expect this from him, all her beliefs broke in that moment.
"No, you need to learn how to talk to me," he twisted it hard and Rathi cried in pain. All the love, affection and care that she's having for him has come to the point of questioning. Is
"Amma," a child's voice startled Rathi. She was standing in the middle of a dark place more like a paradise.She turned and saw a toddler boy. He's looked like a fallen angel and his eyes are like... Aadhiyan's.Rathi can't help herself and smiled seeing him."Amma," he starched his hand wider.Rathi's legs were already on the motion to hug him. When she was about to reach his hand, the ground creaked open and engulfed the boy in front of her eyes."No," she shouted and fell down on her knees feeling like she lost her kid.Panting heavily Rathi got up from her sleep. It's all dark and she felt the moisture between her legs. Her stomach cramps indicated that she's menstruated at this difficult time. She got down and searched for the matchbox to light up the lamps.She doesn't know what time it is, but surely it will be close to midnight. The sky was still gathered with the clouds; spontaneously shedding one or two drops of rain and the
The chill wind is slowly blowing in the place. It made its way to Rathi and kissed her skin and made her smile. The small bell that's hanging on the crescent of the door clinked lightly dancing to the motion of the breeze. The bright clouds were chased by the grey ones and settled on the top, proudly.Watching the changes in nature Rathi was quietly sitting on the door side. Her eyes were fixed on the hibiscus tree; the red flowers bloomed in big sizes. She wanted to take one of those but she can't. Shankari has taught her that, during menstruation, a girl shouldn't touch any kind of plants or else the plant will die, Rathi believed it during that time but as she grown-up, she couldn't change her mind even knowing it's stupid. She's afraid of whether it will happen. Rathi is not the kind of person who can harm something intentionally. So she watched it from sitting there with a smile.Aadhiyan's great grandfather came there at that time. Rathi smiled seei
"Do I look like my mother?" Rathi asked resting her chin on her elbows."Yes. You look like your mother and also your father," Masumi replied folding her worn-out saree.Rathi nodded since she knew it. Shankari once blurted out that Rathi looks like a mixture of her mother and father.Some thirteen years later after Aadhavan's birth, Masumi miraculously got pregnant with Rathi's mom. Her husband doesn't believe it's his child since he's too ill at that time, even Masumi too. She doesn't know how it happened. But Aadhiyan's great grandfather asked her to keep the child as he knows the reason behind it-- she recalled the memories and said it to Rathi."Revathi, that's your mother's name,""She's like a ray of sunshine, bright, beautiful, and intelligent woman; I raised her giving all my strength." Masumi with her shaky voice said putting her daughter's images at front of her eyes."But... her fate. She died," Masumi cried and Rat
Aadhiyan came back home after the cremation, with water sweating from the Dhoti that's covering his lower part of the body. He shaved all his hair on his face and head as giving his final respect to their grandparents. Hair is considered as a pride of man and woman, but when someone dies in the family he/she has to let go of it as a sign of mourning but in Aadhiyan's family it's considered with much more meaning. It's a symbol that even if he's a king to the entire world he holds no pride in front of them and just a mere man who respects their elders from which they have come from.He didn't ask anyone where Rathi is? He knows she's in the house, he could feel it. His legs didn't wait a single moment. As he walked there, Aadhiyan heard these two questions constantly on his head.'How she died?''Will something happen to my husband too?'Knowing that she's worried about him Aadhiyan had an evil smirk. Not even once Rathi thought it's Aadhiyan because no gr
Rathi is at the temple, the entire place is glowing in the flames of a big fire pit before her. She was standing there in confusion about what's happening. She saw Aadhiyan's father, grandfather, great-grandfather, Das, and the rest of the man there, in a shirtless glory. They all looked young, she could recognize their faces but a man standing beside Das, she couldn't identify him at all. They had smeared the dark red Sindoor on their foreheads.She couldn't speak anything, and no one cares that she's there. Suddenly the crying sound of an infant gained her attention. She saw a beautiful child in Aadhavan's hand and another one child on his lap, his face is not happy to hold it, his eyes glowed in loyalty and... regret. He shut his eyes and held one of the children near to the burning fire. He had no intention to hold the baby securely and at the top of brutality, his hands let go of the child into the flame.Rathi was taken aback but she couldn'
Everyone was walking in that crooked path to reach the temple. Today, it's the full moon day that everyone was afraid to meet.The bright moonlight cleared the darkness surrounding them. Rathi carrying the oil lamp in her hand followed Aadhiyan's footsteps. No one's face is happy nor sad, no one uttered a word, and all their faces were grim and grief-stricken.Today she's going to see her great grandfather's death in front of her eyes. Even if she doesn't want to she is pushed to stand in this situation.Birth and death keep a balance in this world. In order to maintain that, Aadhiyan's ancestors follow this rule of premature burial. They will end their long life in their hundredth year. More than maintaining the balance they have a selfish intention too. Living a long life isn't easy
Rathi stepped back. There's something wrong with him! She didn't doubt it; strongly believes it now."Why do you always questioning me?" he hissed gripping her shoulders. "Can't you just stay in your limits?" Rathi is greatly intimidated by his warning. But still, she couldn't keep her mouth shut, she doesn't want to give up this chance since no one will tell the truth to her other than Aadhiyan."Why should I've to be silent? I want to know?" she hesitantly told. Aadhiyan's face turned hard to hear that."What do you want to know?" he confronted."Who are you?" she asked gazing his eyes."What type of question is this?" he glared."I saw you, there's something glowed in your eyes on our wedding day, that day in the cascade and even now," she asked."Who do you think I am?" he smirked by her disclosure."I don't know," she nodded."You saw me a lot of times, can't you recognize me?" he asked.She thought for a mom
The wind is blowing harder as it could even make Rathi slip out of her balance. She cleared her vision to see someone walking before her. A skinny- petite woman, Rathi has never seen someone like her. She has long hair that reached her thighs but it's unkempt. Her half white saree is covered in blood, especially in the thighs. It's loosely covering her body but that woman doesn't care about anything and walking to her destination –to the edge of that cliff. The clouds were closely floating over her head and the chill drizzles from the rushing waterfalls made the surface damp.Rathi turned to see her home at the far end! She's aware that she's in a dream and needed to know what this is going to show her now!That woman walked like someone who's no longer wanted to live in this world. It reflected dejection, pain, and hate. More tha