Just as he closed his eyes, within half a minute a few drops of cold water fell upon his head this time. He sighed and got up again and dragging the bed to another end of the room once again exclaimed,....
"I see, the cracks on the terrace seem to have spread from one end to another."
Again he lay down and once again water started dripping...on his toe nails!
Dragging the bed room to another corner was not helping in this matters in any way.
Water started dripping again.
Then he realized that the bed was so wet that he could no longer sleep in it.
Mawlana just realized how much trouble he was in...he was an old man in his early 70s', and although staying in the room in the cold floor was risky because of his arthritis,.....but at the same time he was too scared to go out of the room in this big unknown havelli.
but then what would happen if the cracked roof collapsed upon his head ? thinking about the worst possibilities he was scared to death,.....so he opened the door and came out to the verandah.
Though a lantern was lit there, it was pitch dark outside and no one was in sight...obviously last night everyone person was awake in prayer for Laylat al-Qadr and then today they host the iftar party for their known muslim community and for their business associates and the poor.....
so, everyone was dead tired!
The storm continued to rage in full swing accompanied by incessant rain...it was difficult to even stand still without flinching. He did not know in which room the servants slept. He shouted for them,...once but there was no answer.
There was sitting area made of finely crafted wood in one corner of the verandah. The Mawlana sat down there. Though he felt that it was beyond his capacity to do so,...after a whole tiring day, there were no other means left. The cold north wind sprayed some rain water on him and made him shiver with cold. Lifting his feet upon the chair, he pulled both end of his shawl over his body and tried to make himself as comfortable as he could.
Tired after the whole day, his body feeling numb, bitter at heart, with sleepy eyelids, and with the indigestion that had been caused by the rich food and sleepless night, Mawlana was really perturbed.
and as if that wasn't enough.....all of a sudden there was a new botheration. Huge mosquitoes started singing in his ears. Worried about the number of mosquitoes that were attacking him, at first he could not shut his eyes. But within two minutes he realized that the mosquitoes were innumerable. There was no brave man in the world who could counter such an army. The biting became unbearable, as did the scratching.
He quickly left the verandah, but the mosquitoes followed him.....and with that, much to his dismay that army made him take a tour around the whole Havelli.
The water in the room and the mosquitoes outside it really disturbed him. He started flapping his hands and feet, and even tried to hit them with his gamchha ( towel ),
but to no avail!
Running around from one end of the room to another, he perspired a lot even on such a cold night. He felt like shouting at the top of his voice but restrained from committing such a childish act. He imagined that Jubayda amma was fast asleep in her comfortable bed inside a mosquito net and that everyone else in the house was also sleeping peacefully.
Only he had no end to his running about. Somewhere around the havelli a grandfather's clock struck four and resigning himself to his fate he sighed in defeat and said,....."Go on biting as much as you can – I can't stand it anymore."
Going to one corner of the verandah he squatted on the floor, saving himself with his back as much as possible.
"If I survive till morning, I'm not going to stay in this horrible place anymore. I will take the first train available for home," He grumbled and promised himself.
Now he realized why he did not want to visit this place. But soon deep sleep erased all the sorrows of the night and he was nearly senseless in deep slumber.
Amma was always first to wake in the Havelli, so yes she did in the meantime woke up at dawn --- she had to look after Mawlana. Though he had had a heavy meal at night, she felt that the food was not sufficient enough.
She even resolved to compensate for it with different items throughout the day. Upon coming downstairs, she found his door open and frowned.
She felt slightly ashamed that the Mawlana had woken up before her. Peeping into the room, she found that he was not inside.
But what was wrong ?
The bed on the southern side was now placed north, his bag which was near the window was now in the middle of the room, and all the things of that room scattered around the room. She could not comprehend what had happened.
Coming outside, she called the servants but none of them had woken up.
Where did Mawlana go alone ? he hardly knew this place after all.
Suddenly she saw something –
what was it ?
In one corner of the dark verandah, wasn't it something like a man sitting there? Gathering courage she moved closer and bent down to find him.
In an unexplained fear she shouted, "Mawlana sahab!"
Mawlana woke up, opened his eyes and sat up straight very slowly. Distressed with fear, worry and shame, Amma started crying. She asked him,
"Mawlana sahab, why are you sitting here ?"
Mawlana stood up and said, "There was no end to my misery all night, Jubayda"
in meantime, hearing the ruckus Amarendra, Rahat and Shawkat came out as well as Rushda.....and started watching everything.
"Why ?" Amma asked
"You have built a new house no doubt, but the roof is damaged everywhere. All the rain throughout the night did not fall outside but upon my body. Wherever I pulled the bed, water kept falling. I came outside in case the whole roof collapsed upon my head. But here too the huge armies of mosquitoes kept biting me the whole night. I ran from here to there, again from there to here. I think half the blood in my body is no longer there" Mawlana complained in a distressful voice
Seeing the pitiable condition of the old Mawlana whom she invited in this havelli after a lot of effort, coaxing and cajoling, Amma was moved to tears....
"But Mawlana sahab," Amarendra Raichand said, "the house is three-storied. There are more rooms above yours, so how could rain water pierce through three floors?"
Rahat and Shawkat only exchanged a look...
'three guesses who is behind it' Rushda mumbled looking at all the scenarios that was unfolding infront of all of them.
Then suddenly Amma realized that this would definitely be the handiwork of that wicked little __ she could be the only one behind it.
She rushed to the room and started touching all around the bed and found that the sheet was totally wet at the center, and drops of water were still falling from the mosquito net. Quickly taking it down, she found many many cubes of ice wrapped up in a big piece of cloth – part of it had not melted and a little piece of it was still left...
Running out wildly, she dangled it infront of Amarendra Raichand...his eyes went wide as saucer plate and whichever servant he saw,...he started barking orders at them
"Where is that wicked little thing ? Leave all your work, go look for her, and wherever you find that spawn of devil and bring her back."
Ruthba was just coming downstairs. Perplexed at her grand mother's condition, she asked Rushda "What are you doing here ? What happened?"
Bursting into tears Amma said, "aaj aane do usse...pedho mein bariyan lagaoongi mein"
[ let her come....I'll shackle her down ]
"What has she done now ?" Ruthba asked looking at everyone
"Go and see for yourself what she has done to the Mawlana for no reason." Rushda grumbled
They all went into the room.....Amma narrated everything, showed all of them everything. Then she said , "Tell me, how can I run this house with her interference on everything ?"
the Mawlana was flabbergasted at first but understood everything. Realizing his own stupidity, he burst out in laughter. Insiyaa's father only turned his face the other way.....as well as her brothers trying to control thei laughter.
The servants came and reported, "she is nowhere in the havelli..."
Another one informed that someone saw her running toward the Nayi havelli...with bag of fruits, other dry foods and some cloths as well....they knew Insiyaa had no fear of darkness or being alone in big house.
After this incident, Insiyaa kept her distance to everyone in the house until the day of Eid...good things that Shawkat moved to that house to stay with her for last few days of Ramadan, Ruthba would visit every now and then...even Rahat came at last with Amarendra and Mawlana on his trail...
only person who stayed behind was Amma....still salty about that incident.
they had a mighty good laugh about that night...Mawlana even praised her wit infront of everyone.
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