A Lonely Burning Moon!

Written By Srija

Chapter 1:

Kamal Singh, in short Kamal was sitting and pondering over the incidents happened the day before. Kamal was 25, caramel brown skin, with black eyes to match his hair. He was a strongly built man, living in Jaisalmer Rajasthan, India. He was working as a guide to the tourists from all parts of the world and showed the ancient beauty of Rajasthan.

He was a sincere worker, with a great dream of starting his own hotel one day. He could speak good English, and knew what to talk to white people and more than that, he knew what not to talk. So, he was popular among the tourists. Their generous tip, plus his charges made a good amount. He started saving separately for his dream project, which was increasing with passing time.

He was able to send money to his parents living in a small village near Jaisalmer, and support himself. He had a sister Priya Singh, who had to be married off, which needed a lot of money. In India marrying off a girl is parent's responsibility, the entire wedding had to be sponsored by the bride's parents. Above all, the groom's parents demanded gold and goats as dowry. Kamal's mother Mira saved every paisa (Indian nickel) for her daughter's wedding.

Priya was educated till middle school, and could read and write Hindi. She was beautifully trained in household chores, cooking. She looked beautiful too! So, Mira was hoping, the demand from the boy's side might be less because of all these desirable qualities. The money Kamal sent was very useful. By God's grace, she could gather 10 grams of gold, 2 goats and be ready to marry off her beloved daughter Priya. Everything was fine with her life. She just had to walk 2 miles to fetch water, they were able to eat 2 times a day and her husband worked hard in a small piece of land which produced, corn, maize and some vegetables.

Kamal visited his village every weekend and asked his mother, whether any one came asking for the hand of his sister. He was in a hurry, because, once Priya was married off, then his parents think of his marriage. He was hoping for an educated, fashionable wife from city. He had an eye on a particular girl working in a hotel, but he had to wait till Priya was married off. It never occurred to him for a single second, to ask the consent of the girl, whether she was willing to marry him. That was not customary. The parents of the girl decide, whom she will marry, not the girl herself. If she did, that would be a shameless act.

Kamal was a normal, conservative man from Rajasthan, who never thought of women having any dream beyond to get married and bear a child. Not only he, most of the men in his village thought like that, and women never told them any dream they might have. Kamal was happily doing his job of explaining the ancient histories, myths and beliefs to foreign tourists.

The day before he went with a group of white people from far away land where Sun shine was very scarce. (So, they said). As a person living in a desert, it was impossible for him to accept this and was a bit scary too! They all went in a bus first to Khuldara an abandoned village near Jaisalmer. There are more than 75 such abandoned villages in that area, with empty houses and empty streets. The village Khuldara was nearer to the highway, so tourist operators preferred the location for tourists to see.

Kamal had visited the village many times and felt a spooky feeling every time. The houses were made of yellow stones, which stood empty, some had a few broken utensils, some had patch of land in their barn, some had even writings on the wall. Those villages were abandoned by the people who were living there around 17th Century. Why they abandoned, whether they abandoned or something bad happened to all of them? Or did they sacrificed themselves to protect the honor? No one knew.

The Government had taken good care of the place as it was an international tourist place and fetched money. There was a big parking space, where more than 10 busses and 15 cars could be easily parked. Near the parking, there was a small shop which sold ice creams, juice and water. Sometimes caps were also sold. After the pandemic, mask was also included in the merchandise. Just a little distance from the shop there was a big arch which proclaimed the entrance to the village Khuldara. Immediately after the Arch, some steps had to be climbed to reach the village. On the right there was a Mandap, (a stage like setting) which was the spookiest of all. Whenever some tourist climbed that Mandap to take a photo, Kamal would have goosebumps. As per the instruction form the agency which hired him, he would never tell any personal feelings to the tourists. He felt, something very bad happened in that village and the place was haunted. But it was his duty to bring tourists here and explain them about the place. In broad day light, one can easily shun the thought of ghosts or any other mysterious powers. But once, the Sun goes down and darkness prevails, all sorts of phobias came to mind.

Like every trip, Kamal went with the group of tourists and started telling them about the place. They were delighted and walked through the streets, explored empty houses. 45 minutes were given to the tourists to roam around and take photos. As they were busy taking photos, creating memories, Kamal was standing alone near the Mandap, waiting for his tourists to return. He was really puzzled as the same spooky feeling did not enter his mind this time. Feeling elated, he was casually looking around the place.

Other than the tourists he brought, there were an Indian newly married, a group of teenagers, that's all! Everyone was busy taking photos and chatting about the probability of the reason the village was abandoned. His eyes suddenly felt very happy. There was a girl with an old woman, who was just coming out of the abandoned temple. The old woman was wearing a saree in a traditional way and the girl was dressed in salwar. Her beauty stunned Kamal and without his knowledge he was staring at her.

The frightened girl went inside the temple leaving the old woman alone. The lady was struggling to get down the steps of the temple. She was about to fall, but luckily held on to the rails. Kamal ran to her and helped her up. Now he was furious with the girl. This old woman might be her mother, this is not the way to treat one's mother.

"Be careful Auntiji! Sit here for some time. I will fetch your daughter." Said Kamal making the old woman sit down. "Thank You Beta! I don't know why she suddenly disappeared into the temple." said the old woman. He felt guilty and said nothing to her. Silently he walked inside the small temple, found the girl near the main statue. "I am sorry madam! It was wrong of me to stare at you! Please don't panic. I will leave now and you can take care of your mother!" saying these words, he turned and left the temple. The girl said something but Kamal could not hear. "Excuse me?" asked Kamal from a dignified distance. "Thank You for the help." Said the girl with a smile. How her smile lit up her face and my heart? Thought Kamal, with supreme effort he moved his eyes from her face.

As he was crossing the old woman, she called him and asked for water. Still 30 minute was left for the tourists to return, so he went back to his backpack came back with a water bottle. Now the girl was also sitting next to the old woman. The elderly lady drank the whole bottle and offered an apology for that. Even though her saree was grand, it looked as though it was very old and torn in a few places. The girl's salwar was also in the similar condition.

"Beta! We live beyond this village. My girl is employed here for sweeping and cleaning. For the previous month, the contractor had not paid her. I came to demand the amount. I was curious about this old temple and somehow managed to climb." Said the lady.

Now Kamal understood, why their dresses were in a pathetic state. He felt pity for these 2 ladies who had no one in this world. "Did he pay you Auntiji?" asked Kamal with interest. "O yes! He did! Poor Tamra, she had to work among men for a living. I could not afford to say, stay at home dear, let me take care of you!" said the woman with tears in her eyes. "Ma! Please! We just met him!" said the girl with dignity.

"Oh! Its Ok madam! I don't judge people by their money. Please don't be embarrassed." Said Kamal in a very soft tone. "Where do you come from beta?" asked the old woman. Kamal told his name, the village he comes from about his parents and everything. It was clear that he was trying to impress the girl. "Good! Good! You are a nice son! As a guide, you will visit this place more often, please see that Tamra is safe." Said the lady. "sure" said Kamal and started descending the steps as his tourist were gathered near the Mandap waiting for him.

All these happenings, Kamal was just going through again and again in his mind. Each time he remembered the incident, his feeling for the girl Tamra increased. "Poor girl! No man to take care of her. It looks like, they also belong to the same caste as mine. Have to tell Ma, about her and start the negotiation for marriage. Initially mother may not agree, as these people are poor. But I have to convince her."

"Hey! What happened? You look worried?" asked Pravin Nikunj. Kamal came to his senses. "Oh! Do I look like that? No, I am not worried Pravin, but concerned." Said Kamal with a smile. "Any prospective groom for Priya?" asked Pravin. Pravin Nikunj and Kamal Singh were friends since their childhood. Both of them came to Jaisalmer City in search of job at the age of 15. Pravin worked for a Retailer of groceries, where Kamal went on to work in a hotel. With Pravin's encouragement Kamal learnt English and wrote the exam for licensed guide. That was 4 years ago. They were staying together in a small room in the outskirts of Jaisalmer.

"No! No Pravin. Not yet. But I was thinking about my marriage" said Kamal with a smile. The smile was contagious, Pravin smiled broadly and patted his friend's shoulder. "Proposals came for you?" Nodding his head in negative, Kamal told the entire thing to Pravin. After Kamal finished, Pravin got up and paced the chai shop.

"Listen Bro! Think straight. You say she is poor, and no male member in her family. Don't you see the problem?" said Pravin with concern. Kamal simply blinked. Pravin sat down near him in the bench and explained patiently. "Look at it this way! Point number one Tamra is poor, means she cannot bring even 5 grams of gold, or even a single goat. Point number two, there are no male members to take care of the mother. So naturally she would come and live with Tamra. See the problem?"

Now Kamal understood the difficulty in this proposal. His parents would never agree to bring a daughter in law who could not afford even 5 grams of gold leave alone the goats. Over that, the old woman could be an addition to the family which father would not accept at all! Kamal rubbed his chin.

"It's very easy to talk about love, sacrifice and big things Kamal! But just think, you want to start a business on your own, which needs money. You are well employed so your parents can demand more. Your bride could bring in even 20 grams of gold. The gold and goats would come handy when you start a business. "

Kamal realized every word of his fried was true. People like him could not afford to dream of marrying for love. The thought of separating from Tamra made his heart ache. But as a poor man, he had to decide what his brain wanted, not what his heart wanted. A lump was caught in his throat. He felt a strange miserable feeling of being lost, or missed the most important thing.

"I understand Kamal! This decision is very difficult to make, but…" Kamal gestured him to stop. "Tamra's chapter is closed Pravin. I won't see her again!" said Kamal with conviction. But he did not know, the next day was going to be a test for his conviction.