The Trickster

by Vinaya Bhagat

  They heard footsteps; someone was running through the woods, blindly, heedless of noise.

  They saw him stumble into the clearing, trip and recover.

  It was Raghav…

  …Or the trickster pretending to be Raghav.

  ‘Diya, I know you are here and I know she brought you here,’ he shouted. ‘Do you know why that ugly bitch brought you here?’

  Diya moved closer to her grandfather; her every sense warned her of danger, but she had no idea where the danger lay. Doubts buzzed like hornets in her head.

  ‘She brought you here to be sacrificed, to be one more of her victims.’

  Diya had verified that the woman’s feet and footprints were normal. She knew Raghav’s feet too pointed the right way. It was true that the woman had done nothing but help her, but Raghav was right; it could have been the ultimate trick, gaining her trust to lure her here.

  The woman looked at Diya with teary eyes and shook her head.

  ‘Come here and see my father’s dismembered body. I am sure you have not forgotten that dog of yours and how he was butchered, or that nosey old woman who should have known better than to snoop.’

  She had never told Raghav about Zorro or Mrs Bhat.

  Finally, the trickster had slipped and revealed his identity.

  ‘You are her next victim. If you want to live, come out and tell that bitch that she cannot get away. We have been kind to her all these years, and had locked her away to spare her miserable life, but not anymore; now she must prepare to die.’

  Raghav circled the clearing. ‘Today there will be no mercy!’ He shouted.

  He looked like a deranged animal, prancing around the clearing, pointing the blinding torch into the trees at random.

  ‘Diya, now let’s not waste time. I can play this game the whole night if you want, but you know that in the end, only I will win. If you come out quietly, I will think about sparing your life and the two of you can stay alive.’

  ‘I think he is mad,’ Professor Mishra whispered.

  ‘He is lying,’ the woman said. ‘He will kill you.’

  The woman was shaking with fear, tears running down her face. Professor Mishra supported her and helped her sit on the ground.

  Raghav was silent now, standing in the middle of the clearing listening intently.

  They stayed still. Any sound could mean the difference between life and death.

  ‘You don’t believe me, do you?’ Raghav shouted. He stood in the centre of the clearing, listening intently, wishing Diya would respond and betray her hiding place.

  ‘Very well then; let me show you something. Don’t blame me, because you alone are responsible for what’s going to happen now,’ said Raghav before running back into the trees.

  ‘Where did he go?’ Professor Mishra asked.

  ‘I think he is in the woods searching for us.’

  They huddled in a circle with their backs to each other, watchful for any signs of the Chakwa.

  A crackling sound, like flames licking at dry wood, came from nearby.

  ‘Something is burning!’ Ronnie said. ‘I think I smell smoke.’

  ‘Let me check.’ Diya’s grandfather climbed up a tree to get a better view.

  ‘Look at this!’ he whispered from the tree.

  He held something small in his hand. It looked like a box, from which they could hear a slithering sound.

  ‘Tricks!’ Diya whispered as thoughts raced through her mind.

  The crackling subsided and a soft moan came from the small camouflaged speaker. Then it fell silent.

  ‘Let’s move,’ Diya said. ‘We must find Rini.’

  She had evaded the Chakwa or Raghav, or whoever it was, several times today. The end was near and she had no intention of letting Rini become his next victim.

  Something rustled through the dry leaves, soft and sinuous, but it did not come from the speaker. The sound seemed to approach closer as if someone was crawling on the forest floor on the other side of the clearing.

  They shrank back from the clearing, deeper into the trees. Was it a ruse to distract while the real danger came from another direction?

  ‘Let’s be watchful,’ Ronnie said. ‘I don’t trust that guy.’

  Someone screamed; a sharp shriek of pain that tapered into whimpers – the primitive language of pain and fear common to man and beast.

  Raghav came into sight dragging someone behind him.

  ‘Rini!’ Diya recognized the red and black plaid shirt she had given to Rini.

  Ronnie started rushing to the clearing.

  ‘No, Ronnie, wait!’ Diya clung to Ronnie’s arm. ‘He has a gun.’

  ‘What is his name?’ Professor Mishra asked.

  ‘Raghav,’ the woman replied.

  The old man ran into the trees.

  ‘Where is he going?’

  ‘Raghav!’ Professor Mishra’s voice rang out through the woods.

  ‘Raghav! Silly, stupid Raghav!’ Diya’s grandfather said in a lilting sing-song voice.

  ‘Who is it?’ said Raghav.

  ‘Poor little rich boy, Raghav.’

  Professor Mishra’s voice mocked him through the trees.

  ‘Come out of there, you coward.’ Raghav let go of Rini and pointed the gun at the woods.

  ‘Come and get me; impotent asshole,’ Diya’s grandfather replied.

  ‘I think Baba is trying to distract him so that Rini can escape,’ Ronnie said.

  ‘Can she run?’ Diya was worried. ‘She seems hurt.’

  A stone sailed out of the trees and hit Raghav.

  ‘You bastard, I am going to kill you.’ Raghav took aim at the trees, but he made no move to go into the woods.

  Ronnie too picked up a stone and threw it into the clearing.

  Raghav swung the gun in their direction. Rini stirred and started crawling towards the nearest edge of the forest. Another stone came out of the dark and hit Raghav. Diya too picked up a stone and threw it at him. Raghav aimed the gun at Rini.

  Diya put the golf club through the waistband of her jeans behind her back and ran out into the clearing towards Rini.

  Raghav swung around and pointed the gun at Diya.

  ‘So, my dear niece, you have given up, at last.’

  ‘Keep dreaming!’ Diya retorted.

  From a corner of her eye, Diya caught a glimpse of her grandfather emerging out of the forest behind Raghav.

  ‘Who else is with you?’

  ‘No one.’

  ‘Someone was shouting in the woods.’

  ‘I didn’t hear anyone.’

  ‘What about that ugly woman?’

  ‘Which woman?’

  ‘The Chakwa, your nemesis,’ Raghav laughed.

  ‘I have not seen any woman.’

  ‘Look there, behind you!’ Raghav shouted.

  Diya held her ground and stared at Raghav.

  ‘Why is she wasting time?’ Ronnie murmured, moving towards the clearing. A soft hand restrained him.

  ‘She is a brave girl, trust her,’ the woman said.

  ‘Thank God, Diya, it’s you. I thought you were the Chakwa.’ Raghav lowered the gun. ‘You know the Chakwa can take the shape of those it has killed. I was worried sick about you. I thought it had killed you.’

  ‘Aren’t you glad I am alive?’

  ‘I am relieved, kiddo.’

  He looked sincere, as if he had really been scared for her wellbeing. This time there was no doubt in Diya’s mind, as the stray incidents of the past few months fell into place.

  Rini was now near the first row of trees that lined the clearing. A few more feet, and she would be able to get up and vanish into the safety of the trees.

  A few more minutes, and maybe she would get some answers. ‘Where is your father? You said the Chakwa killed him.’

  ‘I don’t know where he is; let’s go find him before the Chakwa kills him, just the way it killed your parents.’

  ‘There is no Chakwa, Raghav. You killed my parents.’<
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  Raghav looked confused and stared at her with a blank expression. ‘I can assure you I have never killed anyone in my life.’

  He looked so innocent anyone would believe him, but Diya stayed firm.

  A smile finally curved Raghav’s lips and broadened into a hideous grin.

  ‘Well, well, well, my dear niece, took you a long time, didn’t it? And my father thought you were intelligent.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘Doesn’t matter. All that matters is that I have tricked you and you will be dead soon.’ He aimed the gun at Rini. ‘Why don’t we start with the wannabe tennis star?’

  ‘Raghav is a coward! He can only fight little girls.’

  Professor Mishra’s laughter mocked Raghav from the woods once again.

  In the split second that Raghav turned his back, Diya pulled out the golf club and swung it with all her might at Raghav’s gun-wielding arm.

  Bang!

  A shot rang through the mountains, but it wasn’t from Raghav’s gun.

  A hand reached out from behind the trees and pulled Rini into its dark sanctuary.

  ‘Bang!’

  Another shot.

  Someone tugged at Diya’s arm and pulled her into the woods too; it was her grandfather. Raghav was still standing in the clearing with his gun. He made no attempt to follow her into the trees. Another shot rang out, making them jump.

  Raghav ran back into the woods.

  ‘Where is he going?’ Ronnie wondered.

  ‘He is going to let the dogs loose,’ the woman said.

  In the silence that followed, the soft hum of Ronnie’s phone sounded equally loud.

  ‘Do you want to get us killed?’ he whispered into the phone.

  ‘Arun and Shyam have just shot the dogs at the two gates. They are coming in the car from that gate while father and George are approaching the smaller gate. Our best bet is to try and reach one of the cars.’

  ‘But which one?’ Professor Mishra asked. ‘Should we split?’

  ‘No, let’s stay together,’ Diya said.

  ‘The smaller gate is closer,’ the woman said. ‘But he will know we are going there.’

  ‘We should split,’ Diya’s grandfather repeated.

  ‘Ok, Ronnie and I will create a diversion and make him think we are going by the smaller gate while the three of you go to the main gate.’

  ‘No, I will create a diversion,’ Diya’s grandfather protested.

  ‘I will not allow you to take any more risks, Baba. Whether you like it or not, I am younger and stronger and we need you to help Rini.’

  Diya hugged him tight. He had already taken a chance by running into the forest and distracting Raghav.

  ‘But …’ Professor Mishra started protesting but stopped at the look on his granddaughter’s face.

  He carried Rini while the woman guided him. With a last glance in their direction, Diya and Ronnie ran deeper into the forest.

  THE DIVERSION

  ‘S

  o, it’s up to us now,’ Diya said.

  ‘Are you ready?’ Ronnie asked, holding her hand.

  ‘Yes,’ she nodded. ‘But what do we do?’

  ‘What was it your father said would keep you safe from the Chakwa?’

  ‘What?’ She was confused.

  ‘You know, splashing yourself with pee …’

  ‘Eww! Ronnie! How can you joke now?’ Diya pummelled his back.

  ‘Ok, Ok,’ he laughed. ‘We can’t allow him to see us. He will know it’s just the two of us.’

  ‘Yes, we can’t be too obvious; he will suspect us,’ Diya said. ‘Let’s go to the gate as fast as we can.’

  They walked through the dense woods, avoiding the gnarled roots and branches.

  ‘He must have reached the dogs by now.’ Ronnie looked back towards the hill whose faint outline was visible high above them through the thinning trees.

  Diya took out the torch from her bag and switched it on.

  ‘What are you doing? He will see the torch beam.’

  ‘Exactly!’ She smiled and switched off the torch.

  A figure was silhouetted against the lightening sky with two dogs on a leash.

  ‘He is coming down the steps. We’d better run.’

  They skirted the edge of the mountain and waited for signs of Raghav and his dogs.

  ‘Do you think they have reached?’

  ‘I don’t think so. It’s uphill and Rini is hurt.’

  ‘Why is Raghav taking so long? Are you sure he is coming?’

  Raghav came into view with the dogs, sauntering casually as if he was just taking them for a walk. The dogs strained at the leash and dragged him to the gate. They sniffed at the carcass of the other dog lying on the ground and howled.

  The thin wail set Diya’s teeth on edge. She shivered. Had they made a mistake? They had had enough time before Raghav came; maybe all of them could have reached here before Raghav, jumped over the gate and escaped into the night.

  ‘Where are the other dogs?’ Diya asked. ‘Why does he have only two of them with him?’

  They got their answer as Raghav tied the two dogs to the gate, jumped in to a nearby truck and roared up the road that the workers took from the mountains.

  The rattle-trap of the truck sounded like the roar of a wild beast.

  ‘He is going to let the other dogs loose!’ Ronnie held her hand.

  ‘There is no time to lose. We must reach the others and get them to safety.’

  END GAME

  ‘D

  iya! Ronnie!’ Professor Mishra called. ‘What are you doing here?’

  ‘There is no time to waste. He is going to let all the dogs loose,’ Diya panted. She hadn’t run this fast in a long time.

  ‘We are coming to the car,’ Ronnie whispered into his phone.

  Car horns blared in response.

  They heard the truck screech and the door slam with a sharp ominous crack.

  ‘He will set the dogs on us any moment,’ Diya said, trying to calculate how long it would take the dogs to reach them.

  ‘We can’t take the path, we have to climb up the hill,’ Diya said.

  They ran up the slope clinging to the sparse plants and bushes, with the fear of feral dogs at their heels.

  Diya turned back and saw the dogs bounding across the terrace, avoiding the patches of drying coffee beans.

  They scrambled up the steep slope as loose stones skittered around them.

  Ronnie was the first to reach the cars with Rini in his arms.

  Diya was next; she climbed up and helped her grandfather. The woman was still midway up when she tripped over the tattered hem of her night gown and fell.

  The dogs were closer now. The lead dog — a fierce large brute, black as charcoal — was just a few feet behind them.

  Diya scrambled down the slope and helped the woman up the slope from where her grandfather pulled her to safety.

  The dog was at Diya’s heels now. She manoeuvred her way around, in an attempt to evade its gaping wet jaws.

  The dog caught the hem of her jacket. Diya stumbled but did not fall. She struggled to slip out of the jacket, aware that the other dogs were just a few feet behind. The dog let go of the jacket but there was no escape; its comrades had arrived.

  Diya retreated without turning her back to the dogs. She had a vague idea of how to reach Raghav’s car and get on top of it.

  The dogs came towards her like slowly-flowing molten lava.

  Diya felt the cold metal of the car against her back. Something hard poked her between the shoulder blades.

  Her heart was in her mouth.

  The hard object wasn’t a gun as she had imagined but the golf club that had miraculously stayed in place.

  The dogs circled her with bared fangs. Their low-pitched growls made her teeth chatter and her heart thud. Her body felt like a tuning fork vibrating at the frequency of fear.

  Diya felt behind her for the car door and tried the handle. The door was locked.
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  Diya held her backpack in front of her hoping to fend off the dogs and save her vital organs from their claws and fangs.

  She knew her efforts were pitiful. These brutes had torn Mrs Bhat to shreds. Her backpack would not deter them for even a second. She had to climb on top of the car.

  The dogs still growled at her but maintained their distance.

  Diya spotted Raghav down on the terrace. He was slowly sauntering towards her without a care in the world.

  The dogs must be waiting for his command. The car beeped as it was unlocked. Diya grasped at the handle but in the split second, the car was locked again. Raghav began to hum.

  Diya felt anger bubble inside. Raghav was toying with her, knowing she was at his mercy.

  Things had happened so quickly that her companions had probably not realized that she was not in one of the cars.

  Diya started screaming at the top of her lungs to let her companions know she was in danger. Startled by her piercing screams, the dogs stopped growling. They became restless and one of them started moaning, but they held their ground.

  Diya heard the car horns blare and her friends shout at the dogs. The car lights blinked and flashed but the dogs did not retreat.

  Diya pulled out the golf club and waved it around. She hoped the dogs would not see past her belligerence into the terror that trembled through her heart. A dog caught the golf club in its teeth and tugged. Diya tugged back and felt the hard metal bend.

  ‘Attack!’ Raghav shouted.

  Diya was sure she was about to die a painful death under the dogs combined frenzy.

  A shot rang out and Diya felt the pressure ease, but the dogs still held their ground.

  ‘Attack! Kill!’ Raghav commanded.

  One of the cars came closer and began flashing its lights. Two more shots rang out and the dogs retreated. Strong arms pulled Diya into the safety of the car.

  ‘Raghav, drop your gun and stop this nonsense. The police are on their way,’ Arun called. ‘It’s over, son. Give up all this madness.’

  ‘Arun, go inside. Those dogs are killers,’ Diya screamed.

  Her grandfather pulled Arun inside just as one of the dogs came bounding up the slope, its legs pumping like pistons.

  ‘Attack!’ Raghav shouted once again.