At night, where whispers start,Kubja roams, seeking a heart.Sleep now quick, or you'll find,Kubja's coming, just behind.
Children, too, caught in the web of their parents' prejudices, would stare at Kubja with wide, terrified eyes. They saw not the woman with a big heart but a figure from their nightmares, made real and walking among them. They would hide behind their mothers' skirts or run away screaming if she came too close, convinced by tales spun in fear and ignorance that she was a ghost or a witch lurking at the edge of their world.
However, the fragile peace of this newfound friendship was soon shattered. Children, often incited by the village's whispered tales of Kubja's supposed witchcraft, frequently trespassed near her humble abode to throw stones at the solitary figure and her companion. The puppy, grown now into a loyal dog, stood by Kubja's side through these trying times, a steadfast guardian against the malice that sought her out.
One unfortunate day, as a group of children approached, emboldened by their numbers and the stories they had been fed, the situation escalated. In the midst of the chaos, as stones flew and taunts filled the air, the dog, in a desperate bid to protect Kubja from the onslaught, leaped towards the main aggressor, the mean girl of Devadatta Tarkaratna, Devadatta. The resulting scuffle left the girl with a minor wound, an accident born out of panic and the instinct to defend.
This incident fanned the already smoldering suspicions of the villagers into a raging inferno of hatred. Misinterpreting the dog's protective instincts as aggression, they labeled it a devil dog, a lethal weapon wielded by a witch intent on harming them.
The tales grew wilder, and the fear deeper, until it culminated in a horrifying act of cruelty. The villagers, consumed by their misguided fury, seized the dog, binding it mercilessly with ropes. Kubja could only watch in horror as they proceeded to beat it with rocks, demanding that she witness the punishment of her only friend for crimes neither had committed.
Overwhelmed by the brutality of the act, the injustice of it all striking a blow as harsh as the stones thrown at her loyal companion, Kubja fainted, the world around her fading to black as the echoes of her dog's suffering merged with the darkness encroaching upon her consciousness.
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Indrani - Gods, Demons and Timeless Legends
Mystery / ThrillerA cold whisper hissed to Devadatta's ears, chilling and clear, "You think you can challenge me?" He spun around, but there was nobody there. But where is he? Suddenly, he realized he was standing alone in the middle of a festival ground, a place tha...
