The Life and Adventures of Naushati Lal- 1.3 The Scavenger

Naushati Lal would often recall later seeing Kichlu that night. He remembered that Kichlu came to him when he had fallen asleep under the tree and tried to wake him up. When he opened his eyes he saw Kichlu standing near him, whispering in his ear.

A loud thumping noise woke Naushati Lal up. He got up immediately and looked around. He saw something running and hiding itself in the bushes behind the tree. He could not see the little creature clearly for it was still dark. Before he could move, he heard a loud howling from the nearby field. Naushati wasted no time and ran towards the bushes to save the little creature. He found that it was not Kichlu. He looked at it for sometime, smiled as if he had recognized it, then took it in his arms and carefully came back to the tree. “Don’t worry Bhoora, I will save you from the jackals. You are my new friend.” He decided not to risk Bhoora’s life on his way home should the jackals attack him again. He hid him in a large cavity in the tree trunk and covered the hole with a stone as big as he could lift.

When Naushati reached home, it was broad daylight. He found his mother waiting for him, sitting on the steps outside the house. Her eyes were red and swollen. She could not sleep but cried for the whole night. When she saw Naushati, she ran towards him and hugged him. She cried for sometime, before Naushati told her that he was hungry. Torn down by hunger and fatigue, Naushati Lal ate and slept like a pig.

Later that day, he decided to bring his new friend home. It was just after sun set when he came back with his friend. When he couldn’t find food or water for Bhoora in the house, he decided to go to Karchhi Chachi’s place despite being scolded several times in the past for doing so. He found no one in the house but a large cauldron filled with water and potatoes. Happily, he kept Bhoora in the cauldron and covered it with a lid lest Karchhi Chachi should find his friend dining in there. Then he left to look for his mother and tell her about his new friend.

When he came back shortly afterwards, to his utmost horror, he found the cauldron kept on a fire. The sound of water boiling inside the cauldron made his worst fears come true. When he tried to lift the metal lid, he burnt his fingers and gave a loud shriek. The lid made a louder noise when it fell down. Karchhi Chachi came running towards him, calling him names, and slapped him as hard as she could for entering her house again. She pushed him hard and threw him towards the gate. She lifted the lid and was about to cover the cauldron when she looked inside it. She gave so loud a shriek that it would have brought the dead to life. It was the last sound she would ever make for shortly afterwards she fell down, lifeless, in shock. She accidentally hit the cauldron and spilled the contents all over the place. By this time, almost whole village had reached there. They had never seen in their lives, at one place, so many boiled potatoes spilled over a dead old lady, a crying little miserable child and a half burnt human head rolling here and there.

Naushati Lal would often recall later what Kichlu had whispered in his ear, “Don’t worry Naushati, I will never leave you again.”

(End of Episode 1)