and strained to hear the conversation.
“Fool woman. You have failed yet again,” said a deep voice.
As the voice washed over Tara, she felt as if she was caught in a nasty thunderstorm with needles of ice-cold rain piercing her flesh. It sounded familiar. Where had she heard it before?
“Forgive me, Master, I am trying my best,” a woman’s voice replied in a grovelling tone. “But why can’t you help me?”
Kali! Tara shivered. What had that witch failed to do? And who was she talking to in the middle of the night?
“Shut up, you worthless lump. I have more important things to do. The children must be dead and soon. And,” he continued in an icy tone, “no one must suspect I have had a hand in this. I must see them while their flesh is still warm.”
“But why?” asked Kali.
“One drop of their blood, one tiny bite of their flesh, and I will have partaken of Prabala’s flesh and blood as they are his grandchildren. It will be harder for him to harm me. Do you understand?”
“Yes,” said Kali.
“Ruin my plans, woman, and you will die a very horrible and painful death,” the cold voice continued.
“One chance is all I ask for. Shiv will be going to Ropar this Sunday. I will have all day to carry out your command. This Sunday, Tara and Suraj will be dead.”
Tara almost gasped out loud. Kali and an unknown man were plotting to kill Suraj and her! Now she understood why Kali had made the kheer. She clenched her teeth to stop them from chattering. Bile rose in her throat and she had to swallow hard to stop it from flooding her mouth. Black spots danced in front of her eyes. They had three days to live before Kali carried out her evil plan.
“Till Sunday, then. I will return at midnight. You had better have two corpses to show me. Don’t forget, you have everything today because of me. I could take it away in the blink of an eye,” said the voice.
Tara stood still as she heard footsteps crunch and fade into the night. Kali went back into the house. Tara forced herself to wait till Kali fell asleep. The cold and the fear of what she had heard made it unbearable. After a long time, she slipped in quietly through the back door. Kali was snoring.
Should we run away right now? She had just extended her hand to wake Suraj when she thought about the Vetalas. Her courage melted away. One more night: they’d stay one more night and then they’d go. It would at least give her time to gather clothes, medicine, and food to survive in the forest.
If they didn’t escape by Sunday, their fate would be sealed. Kali would see to it.
CHAPTER 5 ZARKU
Tara awoke with a start and sat up. A deafening crash of thunder followed a jagged scar of lightning. Missing the warmth of his sister’s body, Suraj woke up, too. They hugged their knees to their chests and stared out through a crack in the window at the grey world beyond.
“Something happened last night, Suraj,” whispered Tara, leaning close to her brother. “I must tell you about it. I’ll make the tea. You go brush your teeth and come into the kitchen. Be quiet now. We don’t want to wake anyone.”
Suraj yawned, scratched his head, and stood up. Everyone slept peacefully.
Tara rolled up the bedding quietly and stowed it in a corner of the room. They tiptoed into the kitchen. Suraj had gone out the back door and a cold gust of wind and rain swept into the room. Tara shivered. Within minutes she had a warm fire crackling and made tea for both of them. Suraj came back from the backyard, soaked, but wide awake and grinning.
Tara brushed and came back within minutes, cold but refreshed.
As soon as they’d finished breakfast of stale chappatis, Tara led Suraj to the far corner of the kitchen. They cradled their glasses of tea and sat with their backs to the wall to get a clear view of the front room.
“We have to run away, Suraj. At first light tomorrow!”
“Run away? But why?” asked Suraj in a shocked voice. “I don’t want to go anywhere.”
“So you’d rather stay here and be tortured?” snapped Tara.
Suraj’s eyes filled with tears. “But where will we go? Who will look after us? And what if our real mother comes back? Will she know where to find us?’
“We’ll go look for Mother and Grandfather. My heart says they are still alive.”
Tara reached out and pressed her palm against Suraj’s chest.
“What does your heart say?”
“Thump thump.”
Tara smiled.
“That is your heart saying they are alive. Now, listen to me carefully: we have only today to gather everything we need.”
Tara gazed into space, making a mental list of the things they would need. A small hiccup roused her. Tears streamed down Suraj’s face and Tara put an arm around his shoulders.
“It will be safer than staying here. You trust me, don’t you, Suraj?”
He nodded as a tear plopped into his tea. He wiped his face with his sleeve.
“If we leave at the first light tomorrow, we should be far away before anyone wakes up,” she continued, speaking more to herself than Suraj.
Huddled close, they made a list of what they would need.
“Where will we collect our things, Didi? If we keep them anywhere in the house, the wicked witch will find them.”
“I know what we’ll do. We’ll use a corner of Bela’s shed. Kali never goes there. I am the only one who cleans her stall, anyway. Gather your clothes, some rope, a lantern, and matches and hide them under the jute sack I’ll leave there. And Suraj, you must take extra clothing and stay dry at all times. You attract colds the way Dushta the money-lender attracts money.”
They were so engrossed that they did not realize someone was towering over them till a voice boomed out.
“What is all this whispering about, you little cockroaches?” said Kali.
Tara and Suraj jumped.
“We were just talking about the ... uhhhh ... the ... rain,” answered Tara, standing up and shielding Suraj, her eyes steady as they met Kali’s.
The staring match continued for a while but Tara did not flinch. Good girl, said the little voice inside her. Their escape plan had made her realize that Kali had just one more day to bully them.
“Make some tea for your father and me,” commanded Kali.
“Make it yourself,” said Tara in a defiant voice before she could stop her herself.
Kali’s eyes widened in surprise. She stepped forward, her hand raised to slap Tara, when Shiv stepped into the room.
