Fear gripped me and I froze. Was it really a shadow moving on its own or did my eyes play tricks on me? Khan Chacha called the unknown hiding behind the door in his raspy voice.
His third call revealed the unknown hiding behind the door as the shadow slowly moved from the ground to the wall.
"Ah, it's you, Sabina!" exclaimed Khan Chacha.
Both me and Khan Chacha felt relief in our hearts. She was quietly standing beside the door; her gaze was fixed on the ground.
Khan Chacha in a stern voice asked, "Sabina, are you eavesdropping on our conversation?"
In response to that Sabina quickly walked into the room and stood in front of me. From this distance, I can clearly see her head to toe in the candle lights.
Sabina leaned in closer to my face and said, "Choto Babu, I wasn't eavesdropping."
It was impossible to look anywhere else because her cleavage was so close to my face. Her plain and round face had a sweet smile on it. Her eyes were dark as polished jade. Her lips reddening a flirtatious smile at me. Revealing her pearly white teeth. She has a small mole between her dimples that adds an exotic touch to her lusty beauty.
"What are you doing, Sabina? Come here right now," Khan Chacha ordered.
She quickly turned around and moved back a few feet. As she moved back, her hips danced up and down in a rhythmic pattern. Her fine round breasts defined the laws of gravity. The thing that made me nervous was that she didn't wear a blouse. Her entire body was wrapped in a green saree. In that dim light, I could clearly see her nipples.
"Father wasn't feeling well. So, after preparing the meal he left and ordered me to serve the dinner." Sabina explained.
She quickly picked up the empty plates and teacups and left. She didn't wait for our reply or permission. However, before leaving, she turned back and looked at me. Giving me a seductive smile.
"Who is she?" I asked.
"Raman's youngest daughter." Khan Chacha said.
"She also works here?" I asked.
"Not exactly, sometimes she comes here to help her dad at work." Khan Chacha explained.
"Is she married?" I asked curiously.
"She had been married twice, but for some unknown reasons both of her husband's left her." Khan Chacha explained.
Raman's cooking was excellent. The food was delicious and as Khan Chacha told me, his chicken curry was fantastic. However, I couldn't enjoy my meal peacefully, and the reason behind it was Sabina.
Despite wearing a traditional saree, Sabina's breast nipples were clearly visible through her saree. It looked like she was intentionally doing this to seduce me. She sat beside me in a squatting position after serving food.
I wanted to tell her to move, but as I looked at her, she gave me that same seductive smile. She was like a poacher, always looking for her next target. No wonder her marriage didn't last long. She was a whore.
I didn't want Khan Chacha to have any wrong ideas about us, so I kept my head low and ate my dinner.
After dinner, Sabina brought a jug of warm water and slowly poured it into my hands. I noticed Sabina was coming extremely close to me while pouring water. She came so close to me that my left elbow touched her right breast.
We both noticed what had just happened, yet there was no sign of shame or guilt on her face. At that point I understood what Sabina wanted. She was playing with me.
Sabina covered her mouth with the endpiece of her saree and started to giggle softly. If I didn't act fast, she would have thought I am enjoying her slutty behavior.
"Idiot girl! Can't you even stand properly?" I said in an aggressive and harsh tone.
Khan Chacha and Sabina were both terrified by my sudden outburst. Khan Chacha who was standing behind us didn't know what had happened. He tried to calm me down, but I stopped him and walked inside the Halder Mahal. Now I have to deal with another problem, I thought to myself.
I stayed in Khan Chacha's room. The room was pretty big to be used as a bedroom. There was a single size bed, topped with an old mattress, an old pillow, and a blanket. On the left side of the bed, there was a small table and that's it.
"Do you need anything else, Choto Babu?" Khan Chacha asked.
"No, I'm good," I replied.
Before leaving the room Khan Chacha put the oil lamp in the corner, and dimmed the light. In new places, I usually have trouble falling asleep, but this time it was easy. I fell asleep as soon as I lay down.
I don't remember when it happened, but my sleep was interrupted by a sudden sound. I quickly got up and started looking around. In the dim light it was impossible to know what was happening, so I got out of my bed and turned the light up.
As I turned back, a cold gust of wind entered the room through the open door. I quickly ran towards the door and closed it. But then I froze in fear. There was no door latch to lock the door.
Deep down I felt a tremendous irritation and anger toward Khan Chacha. How can that old bastard gives me a room without a basic safety system? I closed the door tightly and hoped it wouldn't open again.
My hands and feet were shaking from the cold. I quickly jumped back into the bed and pulled the blanket over myself. I closed my eyes and waited to fall asleep. But unlike before, I didn't fall asleep. For a few seconds I turned sides, trying to get comfortable. And then I felt a sudden uneasiness in my lungs.
A foul mixture of odor was emitting from the blanket. It felt like the blanket had been soaked in a mixture of fish and the urine of a pregnant woman. The smell burned my nostrils. I quickly removed the blanket and got up.
The room felt like cold storage. The door was closed, but still, I could feel the cold wind moving inside the room. The flames of the oil lamp were doused a while ago. In the dark I sat quietly for a few minutes, shaking and cursing my luck.
I pulled out my torch from under the pillow and started to look around aimlessly. Soon I noticed small holes. The cold winds were pouring in through the small holes in the ceiling. I curled up on the edge of the bed for the rest of the night.
The moment the first rays of light appeared, I thought quietly, I would find Khan Chacha, wrap him in that blanket, and beat the crap out of him. I smirked as I imagined beating Khan Chacha in my head.
I don't know when I fell asleep but all of a sudden, I felt a soft tap on my shoulder. Immediately, I opened my eyes wide and came back to my senses. Sabina was standing in front of me. She was holding a cup of tea in her hand.
The door was closed, and the lamp was re-lit. When she came in, she didn't make any sound.
As I was lost in my thoughts, Sabina said, "Oh... Choto Babu, how long will you make me wait? The tea is getting cold."
Several questions danced in my head, but only one found its way to my lips.
"Wha...What are you doing here?" I asked in a shaky voice.
I swallowed hard as my heart pumped tensely. My eyes were locked into hers, making sure that she didn't make any moves on me.
"Oh dear, it's already 4 am," Sabina replied calmly.
I slowly checked my wristwatch, which confirmed my doubts. Despite the time, an eerie darkness still lingered outside.
How can she enter my room without knocking or asking? Doesn't she have any decent sense of privacy? It would be foolish for her to think I am the same as other villagers who fall for her whore like personality, I thought to myself.
I swallowed my anger, knowing it would do no good for me. The steaming teacup looked very promising.
