Short Story
Weapon
artwork by amina
With hunger gnawing at his stomach Mafiz was walking very fast, and his three companions walking behind and beside him were having trouble keeping up with him. Rashid said, "Why are you racing like a horse? Go a little more slowly." Munir also agreed, "The whole day without food, now this running, my legs don't want to move at all." Mafiz screamed, "That's exactly why we should hurry home. If we stop you won't be able to start again. The thing is to get home on the verandah--then just drop there! No more worries. Hot rice, curried fish. Or maybe mashed potatoes with brinjal…" Even before Mafiz had finished Ashek laughed out loud, "This Mafiz, his only thoughts are of food." "And why not? If an engine doesn't get coal at the right time, will it run?" It was amidst such joking and leg-pulling that they reached home. But what was this? Why was the house so dark? The main door was wide open. There was no light inside; there was no sound from inside. Their chests began to thump with fear. Mafiz began to walk towards the house, saying, his voice breaking, "Oh my God, what's happened? Is my sister alive?" Munir tugged at his shirt and said, "Stop. Who knows, somebody could be hiding inside for an ambush. Take up positions." The four of them aimed their rifles and stood. Munir fired a shot. Not a sound. After they stood in silence for a minute, Mafiz shouted out, "Chobi, Chobiron, Kala's mother--where have you all gone?" Still there was no sound. Then Ashek and Rashid with their rifles cocked began to creep around each side of the house. Mafiz began to advance towards the main door, and Munir stood behind him with his rifle on his shoulder in order to give covering fire if needed. But there was no sign of any foe lying in ambush, nor of the goddess of hot rice Chobiron. The four of them stepped into the inner courtyard and began to shout out the names of Chobiron and Kala'r Ma. After some time from behind the house came a noise: the sound of footfalls accompanied by a wet swish. Mafiz again cried out, "Chobi, Kala's mother, where have you all gone?" Now they heard Chobi's voice, "Brothers, here we are. There's a lamp in the kitchen, light it." Mafiz entered the kitchen, and drawing a matchbox out of his pocket, lit a matchstick in order to see where the lamp was. What he saw was chaos. Pots and pans were lying scattered all round. It was impossible to see where the lamp was. He came out, lit another matchstick, and said, "What happened? Did a bull run through the house? I can't find the lamp. You go and find it." Wrapping the wet cloth securely over her body and with her head bowed, Chobiron crossed the yard to enter the kitchen. Now they knew the source of that wet swishing sound. Someone must have entered the house. Either the army or Razakars--and these two had hidden themselves in the pond behind the house. They had emerged from the water on hearing their voices. But this village didn't have any army or Razakars. So what had happened? Mafiz kept lighting one match after other until Chobiron managed to find the lamp. While lighting it she said, "Let me change my clothes. By the time you fellows have finished washing up I'll have the lentil-rice kichuri all done. You'll get to hear it all after you've finished eating." The kitchen was also the place where Chobi slept. It was a large room. On one side was the space reserved for cooking, and on the other was a cot. On the cot was a mat and pillow, while above it on a string on the wall hung some clothes. There were a few clay pots lined up on the floor. Stored inside them were her few personal possessions. Mafiz went outside. Chobi went to a corner of the room, and after changing from her wet clothes, began to shout "Kala's Ma, Kala's ma…" Kala's mother lived in the hut directly behind the house. She could hear if somebody called out to her. She too in the meantime had changed from her wet clothes. Entering the kitchen she said, "What shall we cook?" "You chop some onions and potatoes quickly. Let me put the lentil-rice on the stove. There's two eggs, right? We'll put in the onions, potatoes and eggs in the khichuri. They've to eat soon. My brother has a hunger like an ogre," and saying this Chobi burst into giggles. After eating they heard it all. Chobi and Kala's mother had gone to bathe in the afternoon in the pond, when suddenly they heard unknown voices from inside their house. They had immediately gone into the water and crossed over to the other side of the pond, where they had submerged themselves in the dark shallows under overhanging branches and leaves with just their noses above the water. Rashid queried, "Who were they, did you get to know?" "No, we didn't see them, the moment we heard them we jumped into the water. But we did hear talk in Urdu." Ashek said in a thoughtful voice, "I don't understand it. There are no Razakars in this village. No army either. So…?" "Let's go to Moti Bhai. He should be able to explain this." Motiur Rahman was the Union Council chairman. In truth, his house was the Mukti Bahini camp. This village was yet to be attacked by the army, and it also didn't have any Razakars. The Mukti guerrillas, rifles and grenades in their hands, would march out for their distant operations without fear. Motiur Rahman was in his sitting room, surrounded by a lot of people. When the four led by Mafiz went inside he said, "O Mafiz Miah, you fellows can't go on operations from this village. The army's encamped near the Betal Dighi. That portion of the bridge you fellows destroyed this past month, they are now repairing it. Going to build bunkers too. All this work means labourers. All of us chairmen have been given notices to provide them with labourers. All nine villages in my union have to provide ten men each. Just imagine the trouble it's going to cause!" "Betal Dighi is five kilometers from here. We hear the army came all the way from there to the village?" "Yes. To serve that notice. One captain and ten soldiers, along with some Razakars from Betal Dighi. They came to my office to talk about labourers and then left." "No, Moti Bhai, they didn't go straight back to the camp. They entered my house." Motiur Rahman was surprised, "What are you saying? I haven't heard of any such thing. Tell me everything that happened." Mafiz related everything he had heard from Chobiron. Motiur Rahman replied after sitting silently for some time, "They'll come again. You Mukti Bahini fellows should leave this village and set up camp somewhere else. This place isn't safe for you any more." While they were talking, a few more villagers came by to say that when leaving, the soldiers had entered their houses, taking with them chickens, pumpkins, brinjals, bananas, etc. Motiur Rahman let out a long sigh, "Hide all the women of your households deep behind their purdahs. Those soldiers have nasty habits. The tales I've been hearing--hope to God nothing like that happens in this village." Upon returning home Mafiz told Chobiron and Kala's mother all that had been said. Chobi on hearing that Mafiz and his companions were going to leave the village started to cry. Mafiz got angry, "What's there to cry about? We won't go far, just a few villages away. Kala's mother will sleep in your room, and Kala will sleep on the verandah. There's nothing to fear." "No, take me along with you." "What are you talking about? You're a woman, where can we take you?" "Why not? I'll stay wherever you stay. I'll cook for you, wash your clothes, keep your house clean." "Oh, you madwoman! Do you think we know in advance where we're going to stay, in a house or underneath a tree? Listen, you have nothing to fear. I'm going to tell Moti Bhai, Baset Uncle and some others to look after you." But Chobi does not stop sobbing. At last she said, "At least give me a weapon." Startled out of his wits, Mafiz exclaimed, "Weapon? What will you do with that?" "Why, I'll kill the army when they come here." Mafiz laughed sadly, "My dear ignorant little sister! With this old worn-out rifle you're going to kill Pakistani army men? Don't you know that one brush fire with a stengun can kill twenty men in a minute? Leave aside such mad talk, stay here quietly, don't step outside the house. I'll come around, check on you from time to time." 2."A weapon! I want one. I couldn't say it openly to you. I didn't need a weapon to kill the army. I needed one to save my honour from the army's clutches. I could have taken my life before they got me. What am I to do now?" Chobiron was swimming in circles in the pond and talking to herself. Kala's mother, having gone out in search for her, now sat down by the pond with her face in her hands, "O my girl, why are you in the water? Do you want to die?" Chobiron climbed out of the water, saying in an unnatural voice, "No, Kala's Ma, I'm not going to die before I've killed some of those military men." Looking at her red eyes, Kala's mother shivered. Two nights back, three soldiers accompanied by a Razakar had come to the house and did whatever they could to this girl. From then on Chobiron had seemed somewhat demented. Since then, from bathing six or seven times a day, the girl had caught a high fever. Even then she would refuse to lie down. After the incident Kala's mother had wanted to flee with Chobiron and Kala. But the girl refused to go. She wouldn't go, she wanted to kill a few of those Pakistani army men. Kala's mother had gone to the chairman's house and told him everything. He had told her to bring Chobi to his house for shelter. But Chobi refused to go there too. Kala's mother was in a dilemma: she couldn't leave Chobi behind, yet was afraid of living in this house. Last night the men hadn't returned, but Kala's mother had stayed awake the whole night in order to bolt out of the back door if she heard anything untoward. But who knew if they wouldn't come tonight? In response to Chobi's words Kala's mother said, "I don't know what you're talking about--what are you going to kill them with?" "I have something, a big and sharp weapon. I didn't know about it before, but now I can finish off a few of them with it. Come in, there's work to be done." Kala's mother was surprised, "What work, where?" "Go to the village where our brothers have gone. Tell them that the night after next some Pakistani soldiers and Razakars are coming for supper at my house. They should come here and kill them all." Kala's mother thought Chobi was now stark raving mad. She led Chobi inside the house, and changed the wet sari for a dry one. She gently stroked Chobi's head and murmured, "Get well. This was your fate. Pray to Allah, He will grant you peace." Chobi angrily drew her head away, "Stop all this nonsense talk, Kala's mother. My brothers are fighting the enemy sleepless and hungry, and I should live quietly? I now have found my weapon. They fight with rifles and grenades, I'll fight with my weapon, kill a few of the bastards. You go now, Kala's mother, there is no time to lose. If you delay the war will be lost."
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