Tangle
It was around noon of a usual spring day in the fields originally meant for paddy but was bursting with yellow mustard Flowers grown in rotation to paddy covering the vast expanse from the last house of the village to the river flowing just beside the foot of the mountain. Only a small number of villagers were working in the fields, one in each field or at most two. The farming season hadn’t caught up yet so the fields were empty of people. A few years before some of the fields had been converted into apple orchards and vegetable gardens. Amongst one of these apple orchards Fareeda sat beside Reyaz.Almost every day from last three years except the cold months of winter Reyaz and Fareeda met at this spot. Fareeda will bring her cow to graze and just adjoining to Fareeda’s apple orchard separated by barbed wire was Reyaz’s orchard and hewill come to tend to his apple trees or cut the grass growing underneath them or just to meet her. Fareeda will hold the middle one of the three lines of barbed wire to make enough room for Reyaz to pass through and they will keep talking laughing, quarreling till it was late enough for Fareeda to go home.
Like many other affairs theirs was also common knowledge among villagers. Two people seeing each other and getting married was the norm here but lately Fareeda’s father was in an objectionable mood to this marriage. Although fully aware of who the boy his daughter is seeing he still did not placing any restrictions on her against meeting this boy. He musthave casually mentioned it to her mother that a friend of his is interested in Fareeda for marriage with his son and soon Fareedatold this to Reyaz.‘What do we do now, Riya? “, asked FareedaReyaz said nothing as if it didn’t affect him at all and looked towards the mountain peaks still covered with snow. Fareeda asked him again. Reyaz smiled and said “I have thought I have no option but to marry that Patsibaai who visited you in winter what was her name Shazi”Fareeda against the Reyaz’s expectations felt silent. He expected her to throw a tantrum, quarrel with him, shout a few expletives and unintentional curses or threaten him with leaving for home right then, despite knowing well that Reyaz was just joking. Also Reyaz knew too well how much Fareeda trusted him and she was doing it just so he won’t say it again, as it hurt her. But Reyaz had orbited around that Shaziya girl for a few days till he came to know she was Fareeda’s relative.
Reyaz felt uneasy at Fareeda’s behavior so he for the first time felt the need to tell her in a serious mood and with conviction that he was just kidding. Fareeda still said nothing and looked away. Reyaz at this point stopped trying; he wasn’t the person who will keep up with such tantrums.
“Fareedai, are you sure your dad will never let you marry me?”
‘Bu kya lael chhasa wanaan?’ retorted Fareeda
This is how they were conversing from past three days that is since the time Fareeda mentioned about the proposal of marriage to Reyaz.He wanted to say something funny again but stopped instead he said,
‘I can’t live without you.’
‘So, can’t I’
‘There is only one thing we can do together and that is to die.’
Fareeda could sense the determination with which he said this.The two young lovers barely out of their teens with their entire lives ahead of them were contemplating ending it‘
Look at this, Fareedai’ Reyaz took a plastic bottle of pesticide from the pocket of his Phiran. ‘We will drink this and drink this right now’ Fareeda was surpised. She did not expect this. She thought it is just another joke by him.
‘So, will you drink it first or I?’ Reyaz asked
‘I will drink it first’
‘No Fareedai I will drink it first’
Reyaz opened the cap Fareeda tried to snatch the bottle from him and in the process some of the blue colored liquid spilled. She realized Reyaz wasn’t joking after all and suddenly she lost all desire to drink the liquid and simply let the bottle go.
‘There is not much in it, don’t waste it. I will take it first you drink the remaining’ and Reyaz gulped it down. Fareeda didn’t even stop him. Reyaz handed the bottle to Fareeda she didn’t take it. It dropped from Reyaz’s hand on to the grass below, she did not pick it. Reyaz kept looking at her. She stared back without any emotions. Reyaz fell by his right shoulder on the ground withered around a little and laid motionless. Fareeda was stunned she didn’t know what to do now. He died right in-front of her. She couldn’t cry for help. She couldn’t wail. Fareeda walked slowly from this scene but quickly untied the calf and cow and hurried back home.Fareeda didn’t even look back once.
The Boyfriend Murderers, Murder in a Minute
After tying the cow and the calf when she turned back towards the entrance of the dimly lit cowshed she felt uneasiness in the stomach. It was her flight response which she felt after watching Reyaz die that guided her to home. At home all her thoughts went back to the orchard. Her mouth became dry. She could feel her heartbeat vibrating every muscle of her. She composed herself many times but again and again this thought returned to her.‘What will happen when they find him? Everyone knows I was there with him. How will I explain why he killed himself? Will people think I poisoned him? Why did not I stop him?’ These questions kept her mind occupied, her heart racing, and her body uneasy but not even once she cared for the fact that Reyaz --herlover is dead. It was as if he had no importance in her life at all. The worry about getting accused for Reyaz’s murder was taking over the pain of losing her beloved.Her mother called her to have lunch. She did not feel any hunger infact she could throw up anytime yet she said nothing and helped her mother with serving the food. It took her a lot of effort to swallow the food. Her thoughts kept wandering back to the worriment she was in. She suddenly felt a slap.....
