a spot above his head.
“Python,” she breathed, clutching her throat.
A large brown and white python was curled around a branch just above Suraj’s head. Its small head swung a hair’s breadth away. It slithered lower. Still lower. Tara could not breathe. Suraj tilted his head back and stared straight into the black beady eyes of the snake. Sensing movement, the python opened its powerful jaws and lunged toward Suraj’s head.
Tara’s and Suraj’s screams echoed through the Kalesar Forest.
CHAPTER 7 IN THE KALESAR FOREST
Suraj ducked.
At the same instant, the python whipped backward on its branch. Suraj ran to Tara, shaking so hard that he stumbled twice before he reached her outstretched arms.
They both looked up. A black cobra had dug its fangs into the tender belly of the python. The python tried to coil itself around the cobra, but the cobra was too small and agile. In a flash of black it disappeared into the leaves.
Tara held her breath as the heavy python uncoiled itself and slithered over the branches, trying to follow the smaller, suppler snake. Without warning, the black cobra dropped on the python’s head from above. The python tried to change direction but it was too late. In a lightning strike, the cobra’s fangs sank into its head. The python writhed in the throes of death as venom coursed through its body. The cobra flew from side to side with the thrashing python, but held on. Within seconds it was over. The python gave a last spasm, slipped off the branch, and fell with a resounding thud onto the forest floor. The cobra, whose fangs were still buried deep in the python’s head, fell with it.
Tara and Suraj stared at the fight, holding hands so tightly that their knuckles were white. Once the python fell, the cobra disengaged its fangs from the python’s lifeless body and dragged itself wearily toward the thick undergrowth. Before it reached the bushes it looked back. It raised its hood and stood still for a moment, staring at the children intently, and then disappeared.
Tara pulled Suraj and they hurried away, further into the forest. In a few moments they were out of breath.
“We have to stop now, Didi,” gasped Suraj. “I can’t run anymore.”
They had reached a small clearing where the trees had thinned out and sunlight filtered in. There was very little vegetation on the ground. Tara scanned the clearing for any sign of danger. Finding none, she sank down on the ground holding the stitch in her side and Suraj flopped down beside her.
For a few moments, they looked at each other in relief and silence. Tara undid the heavy bundle she carried and took out some chappatis, an onion, and some pickles wrapped in a dried banana leaf. She put the onion on a rock, smashed it with the heel of her palm, and peeled it. The pungent vapours from the onion made her eyes water and nose twitch. She wrapped onions and pickles in a chappati and handed it to Suraj. Then she made one chappati roll for herself. They chewed the food, listening to the sounds of the forest around them.
A koel cooed and was answered by another. A golden oriole rose from one of the trees and flew off, a fistful of sunset across a canopy of green.
“I’m thirsty, Didi. Did you bring any water?”
Tara handed him the animal skin.
“Drink sparingly, Suraj. We may have long to go before we find a stream.”
“Today the wicked witch will have to do her own work,” said Suraj, with a grin on his face.
“Yes,” said Tara. “The queen must be waiting for her tea. Except today she’ll have to make it herself. And bring the water from the well, and cook and clean.”
“And wash the vessels,” piped in Suraj. “Can you imagine how angry she’s going to be when she discovers her two servants have run away?”
He’s hit the nail on the head, thought Tara. We were her servants, but now we are free.
“We need to move on, Suraj. We have to find a safe place to spend the night.”
The anxiety in her voice made Suraj look up from the anthill that he was prodding with a twig. Large red ants swarmed angrily to the top and spilled over the side. Suraj jumped back. He dropped the twig and ran up to her.
“Didi, what would you do if you had to carry on alone?”
Taken aback, she stared at him. He looked back at her with a serious expression.
“What do you mean?”
“What if I am not around, Didi? Can you carry on alone and find Mother and Grandfather? You must, Didi, with or without me.”
“Don’t say that, Suraj. I need you with me,” said Tara in an anguished voice. “You’re scaring me. Do you know something I don’t?”
“I had a dream last night, Didi.”
“And?”
“I saw you climbing a mountain with a strange boy.”
“And where were you?”
“I was not there.”
Tara lunged and hugged him.
“It was just a dream, Suraj. Dreams don’t come true. We’re going to do this together, you and I. Don’t you want to find Mother and Grandfather and be a family again?”
Suraj nodded.
They marched steadily as the day blossomed to a bright afternoon and then drooped into evening. Tara was so hungry that it felt as if there was a huge, gaping hole where her stomach should have been. She was sure Suraj felt the same. They stopped under a large kaurnar tree whose red flowers stood out like bright drops of blood amongst the dark green leaves. A welcome carpet of red petals at the foot of the tree beckoned to them. Tara unpacked some food and they chomped hungrily.
“I have a surprise for you, Suraj.”
“What Didi?”
With a flourish, Tara produced a small mango from the depths of the bag and held it out to him. The sparkle in his eyes was worth the effort she had gone to get it.
“Oh, Didi, I love you!” he said, jumping up to hug her.
Suraj peeled off the soft skin of the mango with his teeth and within seconds was biting into its sweet, orange flesh. A rivulet of juice made its way to his elbow and Tara watched, astonished, as Suraj licked it all the way from wrist to elbow.
“You dog! Stop doing that!”
Suraj continued sucking the seed that was now devoid of any flesh. At long last he stopped and buried it in the soil next to him. “Didi, how could I waste a single drop of this lovely, tasty ...”
Tara smiled. “Enough of this. Now wash up. Quick.” A couple of squirrels zipped down the tree and sat, unafraid, a few feet away from them. Barking deer and antelopes passed by in a blur of brown and white. Where there were deer, there were larger predators. Tara packed up and soon they were on their way.
They
