(... Continued from the previous episode...) 

At around 4 o'clock, near Nilesh's building, a Volvo AC bus is parked. The children are going camping, and there is an NGO banner on top of the bus. Sayali is waving goodbye to both the excited girls. 

Inside the bus, there are other children from the NGO, including Jignesh and some other boys and girls.. Adinath, Mrs. Shrivastav, Rohan, and Johan with Sushmita. 

Outside, some mothers are talking to each other, while in the distance, the sound of a local train and dogs barking can be heard. 

Mrs Shrivastav has organized the camping program to identify the root sources of the human trafficking of girls from Nepal. She has been in contact with NGOs in Haridwar and other parts of Uttarakhand. 

Nilesh's bedroom, with the light coming from outside. Nilesh is lying on his bed, partially naked, with his hand on his stomach, restless and sleeping. 

He is having a terrifying dream. The sound of dogs is growing louder. 

'Telari' village in Kanakavali, 1975 - 

At two o'clock in the night, a frightened woman in a torn sari is running through the village. An elderly man is wearing a half-dhoti chasing her, thirsty for her blood. The barking of dogs intensifies. 

The woman falls, banging on people's doors, but no one opens. People are scared inside their homes. The woman keeps running towards the jungle. 

Nilesh is restless in his dream. 

A woman and a man are running, and a ten-year-old boy is chasing them, shouting, "Uncle, uncle!" 

The woman and the man have entered the dense and terrifying forest, which appears like a maze to the village. 

The boy is trying to find them. The rustling sound of dry leaves underfoot creates an eerie and eerie atmosphere. Night insects are busy with their rituals. 

In one spot, a child stops and moves aside some leaves to see. The place is such that there is a small mound (anthill) of ants, which appears as a snake's nest. Black snakes are slithering here and there. It was a moonlit night during Sharad Purnima.

 A woman has been forced to lie down on a small mound, moonlight is falling on her body.. Uncle himself has left his dhoti on.. 

he was punching the woman.. her blouse had been torn. Her breasts have come out.. Her saree has been torn.. 

There are torn rags of clothes on her body.. 

Uncle jumped and sat on the woman's chest and started rubbing her breasts with strong hands. Then he sat on the woman's face and put his penis in her mouth. 

A donkey-like long penis went inside the mouth to the throat. 

The brutal man inserted both the bolls in the woman's mouth. Then started shaking her vigorously..

 The woman's breathing started to chock up.. she was finding it difficult to breathe.. then he started punching her in the face.. he strangulated her and inserted more inside.. the woman died.. After doing this, semen came out.. the man ran away.. 

The child stands there, stunned, as some snakes slither over the woman's body. Some snake hatchlings enter the nostrils and mouth of the corpse. Big rats come forward and start nibbling at the corpse's nose. The child loses consciousness and collapses.

The child's breathing becomes heavy, and his body tightens with fear. 

The baby's cock was very tight. 

The next day, the police and representatives from the insurance company had gathered at Uncle's house. They were presenting Uncle with a natural death certificate. 

Uncle was giving everyone a generous tip of one thousand rupees each. In Uncle's hand, a check of one lakh rupees was being handed over, and he was stroking his moustache with satisfaction. 

The maid had placed four plates filled with mutton and bottles of desi liquor on the side. They were going to have a grand party today. 

The child noticed that three photos of women were hanging on the wall next to them, with a garland around their necks. 

The last photo included the dead woman, with a fresh garland placed on it. The spirits of all three women were haunting Uncle, like the Rajdhani Express. The three women were strangling Nilesh's throat. 

The tension grew stronger. 

The girl whom he has just killed, along with five other girls and Joseph, who is holding his throat, is screaming in the sleep. 

Amidst the chaos, Sayali enters the room, and upon hearing the scream, she runs into the bedroom. 

Sweating profusely, Nilesh is awakened by the commotion. He clings to Sayali like a scared child. Nilesh says, "Oh, Mommy, I'm scared." 

Sayali holds his head in her lap. She opens the chain of the feeder gown. 

Gives breasts in his mouth.. The relief that a mother gets by giving breasts in her child's mouth is similar to the peace, on her face.. The sound of breast sucking increases.. The sound of sex .. 

********** 

Sex is over.. 

Sayli is broken.. she is crying and sitting on the ground.. 

Nilesh is lying with tears in his eyes... his naked body is visible from one side. Sayli is moaning in pain.. her clothes are completely torn. There are many wounds on the body, marks of bites by teeth and nails. 

Her nicker is under the bed, which is torn from the middle. This gives an idea as to where Sayli's vagina might have been torn. .. 

she wears the gown while crying. She puts her hands inside the bra pulls her breasts up and sets them... 

Nilesh, "I am sorry, Sayali." 

Sayali crying and screaming, "Sorry?' Sorry for what? This is your habit every time. You engage in sex as if I am not a living human being, but a corpse. How demonic and savage you are... Are you a human or a beast?.. 

Fuck me below.. I have opened it for you.. Why do you eat skin and flesh?.. 

Look down, my pussy, and see how many wounds you have inflicted. You have gone mad... You need a psychiatric treatment." 

Nilesh sits in silence. I was seven years old when my uncle committed the act... That nightmare haunts me whenever it comes. I am so scared... 

In my childhood, I used to wet the bed. Mother... (laughs) 

She used to think, I deliberately wet the bed. Then, in front of everyone, my underwear would be taken off, and the cane would rain on my buttocks. 

The cane was with her for many years. Whenever she used to beat, my 'small dick' would stand erect." 

Nilesh assumes a thoughtful pose, reminiscing about the self-realization. 

"The dream of blood... the wet bed... then my mother making me naked... spanking me in front of everyone on my buttocks... experiencing arousal in that pain and then the fulfilment of sex... I got trapped in this dreadful cycle of agony. I feel so guilty... When I was in Ratnagiri Hostel, while masturbating, I used to tell a 'friend' to keep hitting my naked buttocks until I got total satisfaction..." 

Sayali, overwhelmed by madness. She curls up her entire body and sits. 

"..while doing this, I became a sadist and he became a masochist.

But I am not mad.. people may say anything.. I am not a brute who has sex with dead bodies.." 

Sayali exclaims, "Enough! Stop this act, Nilesh. I feel disgusted by you. I hate you, and I hate your love. You've become impotent these days... impotent. 

When the strength of manhood fades away, I've seen many weaklings like you who resort to beating their wives." 

Sayali gets up, combs her hair, and goes inside the kitchen. 

Nilesh hears a resounding echo in his ears... "Impotent, you are... impotent." 

His face displays a mix of anxiety, anger, and fear. Sweat begins to pour down his face. His entire body trembles. Drops of sweat flow down his back and something dreadful churns in his mind. 

******* 

It's 8 in the morning, and Nilesh and Sayali are getting ready for the office. 

Sayali is silent. Nilesh breaks the silence, "Where did the girls go?" 

Sayali replies with a sullen face, "They went to Gangotri. It's a national-level camp arranged by Adinath. They might be going up to the Nepal border. He's a good boy." 

After a long pause, Sayali drops a bombshell, "Who is this other person? Is it your ex-friend?" 

Nilesh is taken aback, stealing glances. 

Nilesh, 'Alright, I'm getting late, baby. Okay, bye.' 

Suddenly, it dawns on Nilesh that he forgot his lunchbox. Sayali notices and looks at him. 

********

The bus... outside Mumbai. 

The morning sun is rising. The children are having fun. 

Johan is filming Sushmita's video. Sushmita is listening to a song on her headphones. She's wearing a Nepali hat, and Johan pulls her dress off her left shoulder, stylishly exposing her shoulder. 

After that, Johan puts a two-thousand-rupee note in Sushmita's fist and quietly starts editing the video. 

Johan updates his WhatsApp status saying, "With a Nepali cap, yes, I showed her left shoulder." 

A message pops up, "Is D'suza with you?"

On WhatsApp, Johan replies, "D'suza uncle? I don't know. I'm two hundred kilometres away from Mumbai..." 

The children are tired. They woke up early in the morning, so everyone is taking a nap. The bus swiftly cuts through the road. A banner is hanging behind the bus that reads, "Journey from Mumbai to Gangotri." 

******** 

It's Sunday afternoon at Shankar's house. 

Ajit, Shankar, and Pramod have finished half of their meal. Janakibai is serving them. 

Ajit, "Aaji, (granny) give me some rice and fish." 

Janakibai "Why do you eat so much? I feel nauseous just by looking at the food... Shankar, tell them.. we were five people. We used to buy 250 grams of mutton. With 250 grams, I would make curry for three meals... 

Five kilograms of flour would last the whole month for rotis." 

Shankar, "That's why we were like dry bones in our childhood. Monica says you have 'Food Allergy Syndrome.' We didn't even know that throughout our lives, you never let us have a filling meal. They say this illness is more prevalent in Kokan." 

"Think about it today, if 250 grams of mutton has one hundred grams of bones, then what did the five of us eat with two hundred grams? How did five kilograms of flour sustain five people for a whole month? It's unbelievable. We weren't so poor that we couldn't have enough food to eat." 

Ajit, "Exactly! And Aaji's illness took Grandpa's life. If she had been given a proper and abundant meal, he wouldn't have suffered from paralysis. It was his weakness that led to the paralysis."

Janakibai, "You all always come up with excuses to eat more. I didn't have any health issues. I used to make just five rotis as thin as paper, and everyone's stomachs would be full." 

Shankar, "Stomachs would be full? Aai, forget it.. Give rice to Pramod." 

She serves a little more. Shankar angrily takes the plate himself to give more to Pramod. Janaki snatches the plate from his hand. The plate falls and breaks. 

Anjana has fetched a water jug on her waist and enters in the courtyard. She has many threads on her wrist with bangles. Janaki goes ahead to take the water jug.

 Anjana, "I have brought fresh water from the well. Aai, you go, I'll serve. You have a habit of not eating. Leave it." 

Janakibai is crazy, "Yes, finish all the grain... If a famine strikes, let everyone die of hunger." 

Anjana, "You never let your husband, or children have a full meal. You've saved grain so much. Now go away from here... you are a lunatic." 

She changes the subject and says, "Listen... There's a saint in Ghodegaon... I want to go there... Today is Amavasya, the new moon night." 

Ajit, "Can I also go to the saint?" 

Anjana, "No, today is Amavasya, the new moon night, so I'm not allowing you to go.. let it be for me." 

Pramod finishes his meal and lies down there. Janakibai brings Alphonso mangoes for everyone. 

Pramod accidentally spills something on himself. Everyone is eating. 

Ajit (on the phone), "This week it's 8 tons... We used to get some advance payment..." 

The voice on the phone, "No, there has been a bad incident at Sah's place... Take the money as soon as the goods are sold... No advance, no credit." 

********* 

It's 4 o'clock in Mumbai's CST Station. 

Platform number 7 there is no rush. 

Sayali and Vilas are sitting on a bench. They have finished eating sandwiches on a paper plate. Two, three cigarette butts are around the bench. 

Sayali is crying, her eyes are red. There are dark marks on her face and neck. 

"Such strange behaviour, isn't it?" Vilas says, "Wait, I'll get some coffee... you'll feel good." He gets it. 

Carelessly, "Nothing new... You always vent your frustration on me! I'm just... I'm just your dustbin. Whenever you talk to me, it's either about your husband or the kids. Why don't you, women, come out of the disguise of 'men's property'? Why do you turn your husband into a god and spend your whole life in his adoration... the endless struggle to please everyone..." 

Railway announcements are being heard in three different languages. Sayali touches his hand, "Sorry... even the kids aren't home." She is lost in her thoughts. "When the kids were young, they needed me. Now they have grown up... the need for a mother is gone... You know, Vilas, now I feel a stagnation in life... 

another day, suddenly Nilesh said.. It hurts me deeply from within... I feel shattered. Tell me, what is my mistake?" Tears flow from his eyes. "I left my parents for 'him'... I dedicated my entire life to building his home... What have I received in return? Nothing... From the outside, everything seems fine... but inside, I feel empty." 

She falls silent. She observes the long-distance train passengers in the crowd. A woman is running to catch the train with four or five young children. The railway announcements echo in the background. 

"When he starts foreplay, it feels like on the seventh heaven, but in no time, something changes... he turns into a monster... it starts gnawing at you... I have been wounded so deeply... it even hurts to walk.

 It is a burning sensation during periods... I always think, what will He like? What will upset him? What do the children need?... My life seems to flow in the same direction... I don't know why. 

I have become like a broken branch that fell into the raging flood of a river, flowing rapidly without direction... Lost. I don't know why... 

Do you remember, you used to say, 'Not every corpse needs a shroud...' Vilas joins in softly, "Not every question gets the answer..." She pauses. 

Sayali continues, "His love, his needs... for him, I am like a big vagina, that's it!... The children... I have forgotten to live for myself". 

A big pause... Silence... She looks up. A pair of pigeons sits together. Some pigeons flutter and fly away. 

She shows her feet. "Yesterday, I bought a new high heel shoe... They are a bit expensive. I had to explain my need to the children...and Nilesh... (Sadly) 

I earn for myself too, so can't I spend on myself as I wish? Is it necessary for me to seek everyone's permission every time? I feel broken..." 

Vilas looks into her eyes deeply, taking a long pause. "If you don't mind, may I suggest something? How about going on a day trip? It will refresh your heart. Away from the crowded world of daily routine, close to nature... Leave by the 5 o'clock morning local train... Return before 8 p.m... What do you think?" 

In response, she rests her head on Vilas' shoulder, feeling a sense of tranquillity. 

One blind beggar is playing harmonium, singing.. Tum itana jo Muskura rahe ho, kya gam hai jisako chhupa rahe ho. 

Sayali is torn between conflicting thoughts. She can't understand whether to say yes or no. She finds the offer appealing, but her mind is lost in thoughts. She tightens her grip on Vilas' arm. The half-filled glass of coffee spills down.

(...What happened next?...)