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Love Through Cobra’s Eye

  Kimaya Mathew

  Copyright Kimaya Mathew 2013

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  “Hello” I held the phone next to my ear. It had been ringing from such a long time, I had cut the line but it was unavoidable now “Rashi,” Deepak said from the other side “Thank God you picked up the line. Where are you?”“Me?” I stopped near the staircase “I am here in the temple right now.” I started descending the stairs. “I have bad news for you girl” his voice sounded sad “Bad news” my mind went into alert mode and I nearly missed a step. Is Mum all right? Has she met with an accident? Or worse, is she in the hospital? My mind went in all possible directions. “What is it?” I said, “Tell me quickly Deepak, what happened?”He hesitated “The Company where you interviewed” he paused “So, I guess even this job is off for you”“Oh” I exhaled heavily “That’s it”“What do you mean? Aren’t you sad that you didn’t have the job?”“Yes” I complained “But, you made it sound like something scary has happened”“Leave that for a while,” he said “I have to begin a new search for you now I guess. Hey” his tone changed “You are coming for tonight’s party, aren’t you?”“Deepak” I said “what will I do there? You know me, right?”“Ra, no more excuses now, you understand. Some industrial people who will be visiting me there… Who knows, you might get someone interested in you there.”“The chances of that are rare.”“Don’t be such a pessimist” he said and disconnected the line. Mussoorie, located about 35 km from the state capital of Dehradun, known as the queen of hills, was the place I lived in. At an average altitude of 1,880 metres, along with its green flora and fauna, it is a fascinating resort. The town was said to present a “fairyland” atmosphere. Being a hilly area, the weather here was always cold, may it be winter or summer. I, Rashi, had been living in this mini paradise from twenty years. You can say that my entire life i.e. from childhood to adolescence and then to adulthood, had been spent here. According to me there was some magic which had kept me tied down to this place. I was just thirteen when Dad passed away, along with my uncle. My mind wandered off to the memory where I was getting down from the school bus, eager to meet him. Dad, Arnab, had gone to Jaipur for pilgrimage along with Uncle, Vikas. My little heart floated with joy at the sight of his jeep parked outside for I knew he was back from his tour. With dancing steps I literally flew inside but, what I saw there was the scene which I had never imagined in my nightmares. Dad’s, uncle’s corpses and a white cover sheet on their face. How did this happen? Snakebite was the reason why both of them were lying with their pale ashen faces. So many years have passed since that but everything still felt fresh. Today it happened to be Dad’s death anniversary. So, up in the main temple, I was praying for his soul to rest in peace. I had long black hair just like my Mom. People said that my eyes belonged to that of my father. As the climate here was 12 months cold with too much humidity, I preferred keeping myself all wrapped up from head to toe. Dressed up in leather jacket, denim trousers, hair loose and black framed glasses on my eyes. Glasses, my friends said, kind of spoiled my beauty. I couldn’t help but give them a smirk because, I never considered myself beautiful.After Dad was gone, financial and family responsibility came on the fragile shoulders of Mom. Relatives, friends, so-called well-wishers, advised her that she should remarry for my sake. I have already given my heart to someone, she said, how can I restart with someone else? I totally admire my mom for her courage and bravery. After finishing my graduation, I wanted to continue with my post-graduation too, but, seeing the economic condition through which both of us were going, I decided to give up my dream of studying further and started looking for a job. Currently, I was working as a librarian in the public library of the town. The job was not bad but, it was not paying me much. In order to look for a higher pay, I have got myself registered in the local job agency. Deepak, to whom I was talking before, was my agent from the agency. I had appeared in three interviews till now but, it looked, as if nobody was interested in taking up a mere graduate girl. So, now I was thinking to do my post graduation through distance learning. But, I still needed a job. I cannot just sit at home. Deepak had helped me a lot till now and today there is a small party in his house on the occasion of his wife’s birthday. I didn’t want to go but he will be offended. He is not wrong. Maybe, it occurred to me, somebody might get interested in my resume. I had descended down the final steps of the temple when cover-your-ears scream erupted from somewhere nearby. A small crowd has gathered near a tree, situated next to the temple. Scream so loud, that every sense of mine got focused in that direction. With quick pace, I reached the place at no time. Making my way from the midst of the crowd, finally, I managed to see the sight which frozen me on the spot. A black giant King Cobra was coiled near a girl’s feet.