THE STORY-TELLER

THE STORY-TELLER

An Adaptation- Anukriti Kedia

The Shatabdi from Delhi to Dehradun had again been delayed by another hour, waiting on the platform for the past two hours, time was getting even harder for the passengers to cut. Sitting on one end of a rusted bench, towards, the end of the platform, was an old lady, busy trying to divert the attention of her nieces and nephews, who were sitting on a suitcase each around her, getting even more fidgety as the minutes passed. On the other end of the same bench, sat a dark broody man, a stranger to their party, who was quietly observing them, wishing for a miracle to happen by which the kids will sleep, and the noise they made would die down.

The aunt, who was tired of their constant questioning and the ruckus they were creating, decided to engage them in a story, said, “come here and listen to a story”. The children moved listlessly towards the aunt. Evidently her reputation as a story- teller did not rank high in their estimation.

She started her story, of a beautiful young girl, who had the riches of the world with her, with a character that was awe-inspiring and adjusting that got her to make friends with tons of people who loved and respected her, and in the end was saved from a mad bull on loose , by her well-wishers owing to her moral character.

"Wouldn't they have saved her if she hadn't been good?" demanded the eldest of the siblings. It was exactly the question that the man had wanted to ask.

"Well, yes," admitted the aunt lamely, "but I don't think they would have run quite so fast to her help if they had not liked her so much."

Upon hearing this, the children collectively trashed the story, claiming it to be extremely stupid.

"You don't seem to be a success as a story-teller," said the man  suddenly from his corner.

The aunt bristled in instant defense at this unexpected attack.

"It's a very difficult thing to tell stories that children can both understand and appreciate," she said stiffly.

It was then that she challenged the man to tell them a story, who then began.

“Once upon a time, there was a girl named Rani. True to her name she was a queen of intelligence and etiquettes, and her amicable behavior made her even more popular amongst her friends. The apple of the eye of her rich businessman father, stories of her good looks and charm reached around.

Hearing of that, she was invited to a minister’s annual party. A party of high prestige for which not every young woman was invited. The party was an extravagant event, set in a striking farm on the outskirts of Delhi. The party was mostly filled with ministers, diplomats, and high standing officials. Rani thought to herself, I wouldn’t have been invited to such an extraordinarily beautiful place and such a significant occasion had it not been for my impeccable nature. Feeling even more important amidst such powerful people, and even better about herself, she walked up and down, meeting new people, making new connections and exploring the party area. While doing this, she walked towards the far end of the farm, a little away from the party. Just then a man started walking towards her.”

“ Who was this man?” asked the children, interested in this new twist the story took.

“This man was dark and bearded, his breath reeking of alcohol, and his eyes, reflecting a hunger of sorts. The glow of Rani’s skin and the innocence which reflected on her face caught his attention from far off and he decided to follow her. Rani saw the man stealthily take small footsteps towards her, and she immediately started to wish she wasnt asked to come for the party. Sensing his wrong intensions, Rani ran as fast as she could and went and hid herself in the thickest of the bushes she could find. Praying to God with every step the man took closer to the bush, and cursing her goodness at that moment, she wished the foliage would provide her enough cover.

 The man looked and looked for his prey for the night but couldn’t find her, she had truly chosen her cover pretty well. Just when he was going to turn back and mix into the party once again, a shimmer in the bushes caught his eye. It was the shimmer of diamond which Rani was wearing across her neck, and he instantaneously knew where she had hid herself. His red eyes gleaming of ferocity and triumph, he dragged her out of the bush, and devoured her, extracting pleasure out of her body, till there was nothing more she could offer, and left her lying thereafter.

Her desperate pleads of help, and shouts of agony went unheard in the music of the party, where not even her friends of her remarkable character save her from what was happening. All that was left of Rani was her frail body covered in just her bruises her half torn clothes, and her jewelry.”

The children found sadistic pleasure in the end calling the story the most beautiful they had hear ever.

The aunt, however had a dissentient opinon said, "A most improper story to tell to young children! You have undermined the effect of years of careful teaching.”

“At any rate”, said the man, collecting his trunk, and walking towards the approaching train,” I managed to tell them of the happenings of the world they live in today and keep them quiet for more than twenty minutes, which was more than you were able to do."

As he walked towards his coach, the picture of the girl lying on the ground came flashing into his head,and he couldn’t help but suppress the shiver that went down his spine.