Part 11

“Ho Ho Ho.. Ha  Ha  Ha... I will eat you... with Jam....!” Dhatri raised her hands scaring everyone, daubed with white and green paste.  Bijoy grinned.  He had managed to make a fine paste of Rice and Bermuda grass.  That made the right effect.  She felt better and her boils too were cooled down.  He had painted her body with that bright white and green paste. She was in a playful mood making everyone students and was playing teacher-teacher game giving them dictation.  The grumpy man walked in after talking to the head through a portable satellite communication system.  They were deep into the jungles of Panna heading back to Chandrapur.  Dhatri’s fate was to be decided.  

“Shut up!” the grumpy man shouted.  “Shut up!” his tone echoed in a child’s voice.  “Bijoy..!” he shouted.  “Bijoy!” came a shout back.  “Agrrrr.... !” he growled.  “Agrrrr...!” she imitated. Others tried to hide the smile but grumpy man looked around.  Dhatri was looking at him innocently; her face covered with white and greed stripes. 

“I want this kid out, right now!”  Grumpy man said again with echo “I want this kid out, right now!” Bijoy hurriedly lifted Dhatri and dashed out.  They laughed their heart out teasing the grumpy man. 

“How can you do that?” Bijoy asked wondering at Dhatri’s ventriloquism.  Dhatri raised her head. “I can do it!” she said proudly.  Bijoy lifted her to plant a kiss on her dimples.  “No!” she pushed him away and she laughed kissing the kid forcefully.  She slapped him sulkily.  “No, kissi... I don’t like it!” she said trying to get down.

“Ok! Sorry!” Bijoy surrendered not letting her down.  “Good boy!” she patted on his back.

“Bijoy....!” someone yelled from inside and he ran towards their shelter.

“Good girl, ok?” he asked.  She promised. So far for a month or so he had managed to save her from wrath of the leader the grumpy man.  “Chocolate?” she asked in his ear and he nodded. 

They came inside and he put her down.  Another woman took charge of her making her sit on her laps.  The men talked to Bijoy in some unknown language.  Dhatri looked on.  “Why is he shaking his head?” She didn’t understand.  But something was wrong.  The grumpy man looked grumpier. 

“Time to move!” he said and everyone started packing up.  Bijoy came to her and picked her up.  The woman too looked serious.  They had to move and reach next destination before dusk.  Dhatri had learned to keep quiet when they moved through villages.  She was beaten up badly for shouting and screaming when she saw other human beings in the villages.  Bijoy had hidden her and tried to explain to her in some unknown language that she should not attract the attention of people.  She didn’t understand but learned to keep quiet to save herself from the slaps.  Her boils were subsiding, but the itching was not stopped.  The rice paste had made some difference.  She was happy to get her body painted with white and green and giggled in excitement. 

But this meeting was different.  Everyone walked briskly with Bijoy leading the path and Dhatri on his back with painted face.  They had reached the next cave before nightfall.  Dhatri had fallen asleep.  Bijoy woke her up and fed her.  She gulped it with water and went back to deep sleep.  She was on drugs, to prevent her from creating nuisance.  Sixteen hours in a day she used to sleep like a cat feeling dull and dizzy.

They had reached  jungles of Gondia where a vehicle was waiting for them.  They  were heading down south to Andhra Pradesh.  Search and combing  operations were carried out in Chattisghar and Maharashtra.  Andhra, their headquarters was the safest place for them.  Dhatri was sleeping on the back on Bijoy, her only ally; that’s what she thought.  There was another ally in disguise for her who would do anything for her safety... No one knew about it.

At every toll booth, on highway, she was hidden under the car seat and the grumpy man showed the VIP pass to escape from the free route.  They were again in dense forest of Pottangi.  They were frequently crossing borders of Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and back to Chattisghar.... Communicating with the headquarters. 

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Fifteen days, they were moving relentlessly in the forest, on highway, in the villages sometimes staying in the small hotels, sometimes in caves, sometimes just under the tree in some clearing in the dense forest with the help of campfire and patrolling by turns with their fully loaded M16 rifles and M1 carbines...  They had well built support system and often used old methods of communication with the help of tribal deep into the forest.  Dhatri now had acclimatized with the movement and forest area had come to terms with the kidnappers.  She didn’t know she was kidnapped.  She thought she was being carried to take her home safely by the group.   She listened to what they asked her to do and made them bow before her tantrums...! She used to order Bijoy to stop, who was leading and the group used to stop.  Even the grumpy man stopped yelling and scolding.  The two ladies, Bijoy and Grumpy  were constand the other men kept changing at every destination.

“What is this?” she asked half astonished, half scared.  “We have reached the city!” for the first time Grumpy answered her in  what can be called as milder tone.  They stopped at the hotel on the outskirts of Hyderabad early morning. 

“Time to change!” Grumpy ordered hiring a double room for all of them.  The woman took Dhatri to the bathroom to get her ready.  In half an hour they all have changed themselves into a casual attire doing away with their military uniforms.  They looked like a family of six people with one servant and one kid.  Another SUV with Andhra registration was waiting for them. 

They entered a tall business condominium.  Others waited at the lounge on the 12^th floor while the grumpy went inside to report.  Bijoy looked nervous but Dhatri was trying to splash water for the nearby fountain.  He held her tightly.  “Will you remember me? Yaad Karogi?” he asked in a hoarse voice.  She looked confused.

“Haan! I remember tables and poems ... and also all the answers.... and the song you taught... and the boat you made.... and you!” she tightened her grip around his neck.  He patted on her head. 

“Kill her!” Kesanji said and the grumpy man got up with a jerk.  He was not to ask questions, he was to obey the orders...!  This was the conclusion of a closed door meeting with the chief for three hours...! No one had the faintest idea of what was going to happen with the kid.  

“Bring her tomorrow morning!” Kesanji, the leader of maoist People War Group gestured Grumpy to go out!