THE REVENGE

The situation was grim. Since one week, the two rival groups wouldn’t just agree to each other. They were hippies, sent away from the rules and regulations that usually would bind them, at least for the time being. They were free; six children and their winter vacation.

They were divided into two groups; the groups of three cousins each. There were just too many differences between them that they decided they could never be a united force (at least before they could grow up well to understand enmity and all that real politics).

One group, Abey, Choubi and Kingking, had come up with a song “Chanchan is a pig … Achou is a jackal… Dabung is a dog”. Chanchan, Achou and Dabung were offended. They had to take revenge. “Let’s come up with a revenge song” Chanchan retaliated. “No” Dabung disagreed. He had more gruesome plans.

Kingking’s mother was very hard working. A housewife and a healthy lady, she had started a big kitchen garden. She had a grand collection of greenery this winter- tomatoes, brinjals, mustards and fresh rows of cabbage. It was two weeks since she had planted the cabbage saplings. They were now green, fresh and tall enough to envy anyone. She would follow a ritual of watering the plants, particularly the cabbage rows, both during the mornings and the evenings in order to protect them from the frost bites.

Dabung had a plan. Kingking’s mother had to bear the consequences now!! The three of them would hide in the bamboo grooves till she was done with her evening ritual, charge on the garden and cut the cabbage plants!
They were not allowed to play with knives; using them was out of the question but there was a solution.
“Could you sharpen three bamboo sticks for us?” Dabung had asked his father. Sure enough, three fresh sticks were prepared, dried for two days and sharpened. His story was- they were to be knights and kings during playing and hence needed the bamboo ‘swords’. “But you can’t hurt yourselves” Dabung’s father had warned. The swords were ready; it was time for the execution of the plan now.

It was the third evening and she had started her watering ritual. The three of them took their swords, hid behind the bamboos. She seemed to look at the cabbage plants dearly. She sprinkled those water drops and the young green leaves were like enjoying their last ritual!“Kingking’s mother is huge … just like a man” Chanchan giggled. Dabung’s plan was full-proof; but his group was bad at hiding!

Choubi was back from her dance class when she saw them; stealthily executing what definitely seemed like the weird execution of a vague plan. As soon as Kingking’s mother went inside, they charged into the rows of cabbage. The three of them came on to the plants like crazy! Swords flew in all directions. Chanchan had the least expertise in this; her sword hit Achou in his left knee. Achou shrunk his eyebrows into one. He groaned in pain. Dabung hushed them aloud! The young stems couldn’t stand the sharp blows; they lay slain by the knights with the swords! The group could claim they were the fastest; but bad enough for them the other group was even faster. Choubi ran and told Kingking, Kingking told his mother. A furious Kingking’s mother stormed out. She was hardly visible in the dark but the shrill of her high pitched voice was deafening and scary.

They ran in the darkness, for their lives. They ran; past their homes, towards the paddy fields. “We are now fugitives! She’ll kill us. Our parents will throw us out of our homes” Chanchan declared. On their flight they picked up warm clothes. They would need them. Also candles, matchbox and some food.
They reached the most dark and the most silent part of the field. “Let’s set up camp here!” Dabung said. It was dark and the freezing breeze had commenced. They couldn’t start a fire least anyone should find out their hideout. They snuggled inside their jackets. Chanchan started crying. “My mother will be searching for me now!” No sooner Achou also broke down. Dabung gathered all his senses together, “Don’t cry. If you hungry eat the biscuits we got!”

They heard voices of dogs howling in the far darkness. Just when they thought it was going to be a long and cold night, they heard other voices in the far darkness. They heard Kingking’s mother. They heard the voices of their own parents. She had gathered all of them to form another group, a bigger force. They saw lanterns at the far end approaching them steadily. Huge torch lights flashed at them. They were doomed!