The Belief
- Maliny Mohan
Far away, tucked in the sleepy downhill of one of the tallest mountains, existed a village named
Lakora, peppered with dusky women and even duskier men. They spoke a language which was yet
to metamorphose into strings of words written with a hearty soul. The hill peaks gave birth to sun
every morning, well before six, showering the brightest rays on Mother Earth’s cheeks. The unrelenting cries that accompanied the same as birds fluttered their wings to distant places in search of
food, settled into pleasantries at the warmth of the baby’s touch.
This small space was intriguing in varied aspects. It was a mystery, the many dungeons hidden
away in this murky of a place and the many secrets that had accumulated in those over the years.
‘ They brought illness to the family. They did. Those big blue marks!’, Buja stated explicitly.
Lova listened to her grandmother, wide eyed as strands of jet black hair flung lower down onto her
waist. She involuntarily caressed her pregnant abdomen, stretching her wrought, swollen legs on
the steel cold cemented floor. The tiredness of pregnancy was starting to take a toll on her delicate
body, with each kick of her baby’s feet against her womb, every five minutes sending a strange
shiver down her spine. The waft of spices being crushed at the nearest mill brought tears to her
eyes. She suppressed a sneeze with the inside of her hand as the old lady continued in her hoarse
voice, diseased with abuse over the years,
‘ They kicked you a lot, Lova. They kicked you a lot. It never happened with the good ones. Terrible
creatures they are - with blue sinful marks! But see, God exists. Never was devil of that sort delivered in this village after the aftermath that happened in Boa’s family.
‘ What happened to Boa’s family?’
‘ Not one member of her family survived the outrageous fire that broke out in their haystack years
back the day that young girl gave birth to the ugliest little baby with the largest blue mark i have
ever seen on its back, the last of that kind ever sighted in this village. Poor Boa and her husband.
How happy were they before that dark cursed day!’
A torrent of deep burning thoughts rushed through Lova’s mind at the instant her grandmother
shut her mouth up, a handful of betel nut leaves now engaging her tongue. Her village never had
such a baby ever since? What were the odds of that happening? No, she didn’t miss out anyone. No
one of that sort existed at least in the near vicinity of the mountains. How strange!
Lova shifted her place onto the armchair which gave her more space to relax while the baby moved
inside. Her grandmother’s sordid words lingered in her thoughts as her heart started pacing to and
fro in an arrhythmic pattern. A tiny droplet settled on her forehead startling her from her reverie.
Huge black clouds raced towards her, wrapping her house in the heaviest of the blankets. A tear
escaped her eyes, wetting her flushed cheeks.
The next morning Lova’s house woke up writhing in the wails of its occupants. Lova rested crying
in her grandmother's arms as her distraught mother wiped away with trembling hands, the fresh
blood stains on her daughter’s thighs.