The Hand with Bangles
A Short Story
Everyone in the Village heard the cry of Bhola, a poor
fellow, and gathered in the main market of Kanakpur to see the godly miracle which
must have happened the previous night.
In the place of grand statue of Lord Krishna, a golden chair
has appeared with some text written below. Shashtri ji, the school headmaster, stepped forward and read
those words aloud, “The Chair for the one who wishes to rule.”
It was a direct message from god. The small kids left their
schools and dissolved in the crowd to see the miracle with their naked eyes.
Thakur, the head of Panchayat, standing on his doorsill
adjusted his royal Pagri and stepped forward to address the gathering.
“It’s a message from the Gods. Gods we pray. It’s a very
auspicious day for all of us. Gods desire to gift this opportunity of ruling
this village and making any decision or any Judgement by the person who wishes
to sit on this pious Chair. Anybody can raise the hand. Everyone is equal in
the eyes of Gods.”
No one dared to raise the hand but suddenly a hand was slowly raised in the air . The boys climbed on the roofs to see the face of that person.
It was unexpected and everybody in the village was shocked. It was not a normal hand; it was a hand with Bangles whose clinking noise was challenging the prides of the fool men of Kanakpur. They closed their fists and shouted at her.
Mani, a 35 year old widow whose husband recently died in a war,
dared to raise her hand even though she was frightened.
Thakur’s eyes turned red and he cried with anger, “Bloody
Woman! How dare you? Aren’t you ashamed?”
He barked loudly.
“The chair doesn’t say only flat chested can raise their
hands.”
It was the first time in decades when a woman spoke with
these kind of rebellious words.
Thakur was wicked. He played his game.
“God has decided the ruler of this village. We are just
humans and we cannot deny his power. If she is the choice than I have no
objection. Mani will sit on the chair tonight.”
Thakur rushed in his house and his members ran behind him
to give their wisest ideas.
The night came and the whole village was decorated with
flowers and lights. On the every corner of village there were people sitting and
gossiping about the magical chair.
Mani caressed her bangles and prayed to the gods.
When the clock struck 12, Thakur welcomed Mani and claimed
her to be the new queen of the village in front of every villager. She elegantly
sat on the golden chair and waved her hands. Everybody cheered with happiness.
After the grand feast, everybody returned to their home but
Mani was silently sitting on the chair staring blankly at her bangles.
Next morning, villagers again heard the cry of Bhola and everybody
jumped out of their houses to see what happened. They saw something which
shocked their hearts and filled their eyes with tears. Every women in the
village mourned and every kid yelled with fear. Bhola saw the cruel smile on the face of Thakur.
Instead of Mani, villagers saw a badly burnt corpse on the
golden chair with blood spilled everywhere. Even her shining bangles were not
there. Night thieves must have stolen them too.
Written By:
Ashutosh Mishra
