tales of Suchita

It is the year 1920. Ramshackle has not discovered suits yet and it is dressed in the same fashion as the people around: a loose white tunic that comes to its knees, loose white pyjamas that are a horror to maintain as the ends get caked with mud no matter how careful or fastidious it is, and sandals that at once burn its feet but also keep them cool.

The house too mimics the humble surroundings. It has a small bedroom, a kitchen, a dining-cum-drawing room and a bathroom. The bathroom is the only indulgence it has allowed itself. It is the only room that disappears when people visit. Time, you see, does not work the same way for Ramshackle as it does for us humans.

It is a dry morning, with clear signs of winter to come. Ramshackle has been summoned to the town council for a disciplinary hearing at noon. It knows what the hearing is about and is as prepared as can be with a speech.

There is a reason Ramshackle had taken the masculine form when settling into the town of Rege. It had hoped the form would protect it from unsuitable scrutiny. But perhaps its services have gone on too long in Rege for the council to ignore the repercussions.

Thirty minutes before noon, Ramshackle dresses in black pyjamas and a bottle green tunic. It wears the mask of a man the town is familiar with. It takes but a minute. Ramshackle is of average height, average built, with skin the colour of the earth – brown and warm.

He decides to walk to the council. His days in the town are numbered, he knows. Now that he is a marked man, no one greets him or asks after him. Where he received at least a few friendly hellos, there are none now. Had he been human, it would have hurt. He still feels a twinge of discomfort. Humans, he has realized, are quick to befriend and discard.

He reaches the council with five minutes to spare. He knows he will be made to wait, to sweat in the heat and to worry about his fate. It’s a tactic they have used often. But Ramshackle misjudges their urgency. He is ushered in at once, and perhaps for the first time in the history of the council, the hearing begins before time. It makes Ramshackle chuckle, something that does not go unnoticed.

“You think this council’s business is funny?” The man who speaks is greying and has stern eyes.

“No sir,” he says, bowing his head and taking a seat.

He is faced by five men and one woman. The woman is not a council member. She is only here as a representative of other women of the town.

“You have been called here because we wish for you to leave, at once, our town and our vicinity.” This is from another man. He has hair that is a strange orange and black colour.

“May I ask why?”

Because it’s asked politely, the council cannot deny an answer. “Your services have led to a loss of 20% of the female population in this town. Our boys are going without suitable wives. Had it only been the older women, we could have allowed it. But we have lost young ones, childbearing ones. You must, in good conscience, leave sir.”

“I see,” says Ramshackle. “You said vicinity? What does that mean?”

The members of the council look at each other in alarm. They had expected Ramshackle to either get violent or leave, not have a civil discussion with them.

“You will have to leave the general area. We have informed the nearby towns to hunt you out if you try to settle there. They have been told about the…services you provide. They concur.”

“And do you concur madam?”

Before she can open her mouth, there is a shout from the five men on the table. She presses her lips, her face pale.

“And you wonder why these women come to me.”

There are more shouts from the members. The woman is staring at him as if seeing him in a new light.

“Give me twenty-four hours,” he says, standing up.

The council is relieved but also shell-shocked. When they had allowed Ramshackle to settle in their town two years ago, he had explained the service he provided. They had thought it a joke. No one man could fulfill someone’s desires in twenty-four hours. It just wasn’t done. Now, they don’t know what to think.

Ramshackle walks back to his house, upset. He will have to be careful from now on. Before he can fully undress though, face and all, there is a knock on the door. On the other side is the woman who had been on the council.

She looks at him and says, “Take me with you. I’ll sign your contract but I’ll tell you when to fulfill it. I don’t want it fulfilled immediately.”

Ramshackle asks no questions. It isn’t his place. He simply opens the door wider and admits her in.

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11 of 26 of an ongoing series The Dream Maker. You can read all posts here. Written as part of #BlogchatterA2Z.

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