The Deadly Conch (14 page)

“Bela?” said Tara so suddenly that she almost choked on the morsel of food she was swallowing. “Did anyone get Bela out?”

Gayatri bit her lip. Ananth shook his head. Parvati's face crumpled and Tara could not contain her tears any longer. Their cow was a part of their family, sharing good times and bad with them.

“The shed caught fire too,” said Ananth, softly. “No one could save her.”

“Oh, Lord Ganesh,” Parvati finally whispered. She dabbed at her eyes. “So we did lose a member of the family. Bela came to our house when I was married and now she's gone …”

Tara stared at her plate, feeling like she had eaten too much. The food in her stomach threatened to climb back up. She was about to push her plate away when she caught her mother's eye. Parvati shook her head imperceptibly. Tara understood; she could not waste this food. It was from Gayatri's meagre supplies and it would be a sin and an insult to waste it.

“Eat up everyone,” said Gayatri. “I'll make us some tea afterwards.”

Night had fallen by the time they sat out in the courtyard with cups of sweet, milky tea.

“Did Rakaji say anything about the fire?” said Tara without preamble. “Did he investigate how it started? Who's responsible?”

“No,” replied Ananth. “He said he was going to call a meeting of the Panchayat to look into this as soon as he could.”

“When is that going to be?” said Tara. “I have to be there.”

Ananth shrugged. “I don't know.” He sipped his tea, staring into the distance.

Tara wanted to shake him up. How could he be so calm when she'd almost died? They were homeless now and when Father came back, they would have to rebuild their hut. Too much was happening all at once and her head reeled.

“I must be there, too,” said Parvati. “The fire was no accident. All this nonsense about us bringing bad luck to Morni has gone far enough.”

“The best thing for all of you is to rest up,” said Gayatri. “When Shiv gets back he can deal with it. It's only a matter of a few days. Right?”

They fell silent again.

“We have to see our home,” said Parvati. “Maybe we can camp there and start clearing up as soon as possible. We can't be a burden on you indefinitely.”

“Please, Parvati, don't hurt me by saying that,” said Gayatri. She reached out and clasped Parvati's hand. “You and your family can stay here as long as you like.”

“Thank you, Gayatri. But … I have to see the condition of our hut, see the extent of the damage.”

“Not tonight. Rest today and Ananth will come with you tomorrow.”

Parvati nodded and gulped down the last of her tea. Tara lingered on, still sipping hers.

“You go on, Mother, I'll finish this and come in.”

Gayatri helped Parvati to her feet. Her mother swayed on the spot for a moment, holding her head. A small moan escaped her lips and Tara knew the blow to her head from the beam must still be very painful. They went in, leaving her and Ananth outside.

“How bad is it?” said Tara. She looked straight into Ananth's eyes, ready to pounce on him if he gave the slightest indication of lying.

“As I said before, it's completely gutted,” he replied, not meeting her eyes.

Tara's hand shook as she placed the glass of tea on the ground. She took a deep breath and looked up at the sky studded with stars. It was the same as the night before and the night before that. But her life had changed forever and it had taken but a few minutes. Yesterday at this time she had a home, a family, and Bela. Today she had her lost a member of her family, her home, and her peace of mind.

“Why?” she whispered. “What did I do wrong?”

“Tara, stop beating yourself up,” said Ananth. His voice trembled slightly. “It could have happened to anyone. The drought has made a tinderbox of our village. Any of the huts could have been a victim of a stray ember. I'm sure it was an accident. I think you should let the Panchayat handle this.”

“But
any
hut didn't catch fire. Mine did. Layla's behind this. I know it!”

“Don't be ridiculous,” said Ananth. “She's not capable of setting fire to anyone's hut. How could she have done it? Do you think Rakaji would not notice if she walked out of the hut with a burning piece of wood?”

“She could have started the fire when everyone was asleep. You know that she's capable of it! She does most of her dirty work under the cover of darkness.”

Ananth was quiet. The dim light from the guttering wick of the lamp illuminated his grim expression. His black eyes were like stones. “I still think it's an accident. You should put it out of your mind. Tomorrow we'll go to your place and see if there's anything we can salvage before your father gets back.”

“Someone just tried to murder us and you're telling me to put it out of my mind and go to sleep? Are you mad, Ananth? What's gotten into you?”

“Shh! You'll have our mothers out here in a second. You always like to be dramatic, don't you?”

Tara glared at him. “Layla wanted to avenge her mother's death, but this time she's gone too far. I'm going to stop her, once and for all. I don't care what happens to me!”

“How?” said Ananth. “By setting fire to Rakaji's hut?”

“I don't know yet. That's what I have to figure out. Are you with me, Ananth?”

Ananth scratched at the earth with a twig, not looking at Tara.

Tara stared at him, willing him to meet her eyes, to tell her it would be all right, that he'd help her.

He said nothing.

The oppressive silence weighed down on her. If this was the way he wanted it, so be it. She wasn't going to beg for his help.

“I think I'll turn in now,” she said with an exag-gerated yawn. And then, without looking at Ananth, she walked back to the dark kitchen and lay down on her makeshift bed.

Tara stared at the dying embers, at the misshapen shadows draped on the walls, at the unfamiliar kitchen around her. The ugliness of the past few days seemed to have buried itself deep within her soul and she wondered if she would ever be able to rid herself of it. A dry wind swept into the kitchen through the open back door. The embers glowed red hot, refusing to die out.

Tara sat up. She could not give up now. The fight between the mongoose and cobra flashed through her mind. The mongoose had strength, but the snake was more agile and it had won.

Layla had gone overboard this time. Each time Tara had not retaliated Layla had done something worse. But
this
, this last incident had almost cost them their lives. But how could she stop her?

Kill her
, said the little voice.

Tara shuddered. Yes, that would be the easiest and quickest solution. But could she live the rest of her life with a child's death on her conscience? She moaned softly as the answer came to her. She'd rather face her own death than kill yet again. Already the nightmares of Zarku's and Kali's deaths haunted her. To add Layla's to that would be unbearable.

Lord Yama had said he'd take her to the Underworld to see Kali. But would she agree to stop guiding her daughter down the wrong path? Kali had spent most of
her
life making Tara's life miserable. It would be foolish to think that she'd help her now. Whom could she turn to for help?

Zara. It seemed as if Zarku's mother was whispering in her ear again. Now
she
was a woman worth admiring; a mother who had helped Tara defeat her own son for the sake of doing the right thing. And when it was over, Zara had willingly followed her son into the chasm. She'd be the best person from whom Tara could seek advice.

Yes! That was the answer. She would have to go to the Underworld, find Zara and ask her for a way to stop Layla. Then her family would be safe.

Tara hugged herself, allowing a moment of self-pity. By doing this, everyone would be happy. Well, almost everyone. She wouldn't be around to enjoy it.

The creaks from the courtyard became less frequent.
Just a few more minutes
, she told herself as she tossed and turned waiting for Ananth to fall asleep. Then she would make a move.

Tara stared at the ceiling. She was in no danger of falling asleep. Anger and fear clawed and gnawed at her insides, keeping her wide awake. Was she doing the right thing? Would her plan work? How would she locate Zara in the Underworld? And what if she met Kali or Zarku instead? Would they still have the power to harm her?

The mournful howl of a stray dog pulled her out of the endless vortex of questions threatening to overwhelm her. It was time to go.

Tara crept out the back door and stood for a moment in the shadows, listening hard. Nothing stirred. She padded softly past Ananth and in a flash she was on the road running hard toward her hut.
It will be in bad
shape, be prepared, be prepared
, she told herself.

But nothing could have prepared her for what she saw. For a moment she wasn't even sure she had come to the right place. Her mind saw the familiar outline of her home, but her eyes saw empty space, illuminated by a crescent moon that hung low in the sky.

The sight of her home in ruins was like a punch to her stomach. Only two walls remained standing. Tara walked up to the rubble, unable to stop the tears. A heap of charred wood and straw marked the spot where she had lived since her birth. Here and there she saw a flash of silver; the utensils were the only things that had escaped, though not without a thick coating of soot. No one had even been by to clean up.

Inside her, sadness hardened into a shard of pain that pierced her heart. It hurt so much that she couldn't breathe. She thought of Suraj and the haunted look in his eyes as he had tried to sip water using his bandaged hands. She thought of her mother's eyes, sunken into their sockets, as she tried to make sense of the senseless, and she remembered Bela's soft brown eyes as she stood patiently, listening to Tara's troubles when Parvati had disappeared.

Tara couldn't even begin to imagine the animal's pain and fear when she must have seen the fire drawing closer. Could not imagine her final moments when the flames must have reached and engulfed her.

An involuntary sob rattled up from her chest and burst out of her mouth. She vowed to destroy Layla so that there was not a trace of her evilness left on this earth. Even if it meant that she, Tara, would not survive.

Tara starting digging in earnest, looking for the remains of the cupboard where she had shoved the conch shell after her last meeting with Lord Yama. It had to be there. But what if someone had found the shell and taken it? She refused to think about that right now. If she did, she knew despair would overwhelm her.

She stepped over the rubble; stray objects her only guide to the layout of her destroyed home. The stone mortar in which they ground spices was an indication that she was in the kitchen. The wooden pestle she had used to break down the door was burned and gone.

This was impossible! How was she going to find the conch in this mess when she didn't even know where to start?

Use your heart not your head
, whispered the soft voice from within. Tara retraced her steps until she reckoned she was standing in the main room. She closed her eyes and envisioned her home as it had once been; warm, cozy, and full of life. In front of her was the door that led to the kitchen. To her left were their cots. The cupboard was a couple of steps to the right. Keeping her eyes closed, she walked over to it and reached out. Her hands clutched thin air. Tara opened her eyes and starting digging through the pile of ash and debris. Her hands touched something thin and hard. She pulled it out. It was her mother's necklace. The one she had given Tara the night she had disappeared. The mirror was shattered and shards of glass were still embedded within the triangular pendant. Tara had not wanted to throw it away and now she slipped the blackened chain around her neck. The cold metal against her skin gave her a bit of courage and she dug furiously. She had to be gone before someone came by and saw her.

Please let me find the conch, Lord Ganesh
, Tara prayed.
Please, I need it
.
I need it so very badly.

A few moments later, Tara's hands closed over a small rock with ridged edges. She snatched it up and scraped off the soot. A pearly white surface shone through. She stood up, her back aching, her pulse racing, and wiped the conch hurriedly with the edge of her kurta until it was clean. She looked at the debris one last time, then slipped between the huts toward the edge of the forest.

At the treeline she turned to look back. A starved moon hung over the village of Morni. She gazed at the village that had once been home, knowing that she would be living on borrowed time when she next glimpsed it. Once she called Lord Yama there was no turning back. Bela's soft brown eyes swam into her mind. She'd lost one member of the family. She couldn't bear to lose another.

Tara raised the conch to her lips and blew into it.