chapter 2

{ SHAHI KOTHI }From a distance it looks like a palace. Very beautiful. Magnificent. Royal. But it's truth is as dark as the night is dark without the moon. But the pride of this mansion resides in the moon here. Not one but thousands.The pride and prestige of the mansion lies in the prostitutes here. There are many beautiful girls present here. From the age of 18 to 30. This brothel is the most famous brothel here. And its owner is a cruel, ruthless and greedy womanMohini.A beautiful prostitute of her time. After her mother's death, she tied the key of the whole palace in the pallu of her saree and became the destiny of the girls there.From the moment she took over it seemed as if the brothel's fortunes had opened up. There was an increase in money. Business quadrupled. And in this way, she transformed her humble brothel into the most luxurious and famous brothel in the city.In fact, Mohini gives credit only to herself that it is because of her wisdom that they have reached this position today. But she forgets the tears of the girls in her brothel, their painful screams and the atrocities committed against them. She has reached this position today by climbing over the bodies of many girls.Men have wasted money on them for which she is very proud today.For some, one day may be different from the other, but the evening in the Shahi Mahal was the same as before. There was no change.The girls were walking here and there, flaunting their beautiful bodies, some were teasing the men from the balcony and some were preparing for today's party." Mohini Mausi?"The woman put Paan in her mouth and looked at the man in his late 20's." What?"She asked with her sharp voice and watched the decorations while sitting on the swing." Many rich princes will come to the party and spend money, but will your golden bird be there at the party?"She stopped chewing and looked at him before continuing to chew. The man continued," Her owner has not been seen for the last 2 months. I don't think he will come now. Maybe he has gotten bored with that girl now. There are many buyers who want to spend money on that girl. Don't you think that she should also be allowed to join the party today? I am telling you the truth, a bed of money will be prepared today."He squealed with excitement and greed. Mohini chuckled." Sometimes it seems that you are more greedy than me."He laughed along with her. She took a deep breath." He has locked his golden bird in a cage. The cage will open only when he arrives. He will waste more money alone than the total money wasted by everyone here."" Means...he will come tonight?"The man asked. She smirked and it was enough for him to understand the answer.Mohini called a girl, " go and see if Pari is getting ready or not. Tell her that her master is coming tonight after 2 months. She should not leave any stone unturned in her dressing."The girl nodded and made her way to a particular room on the 1st floor. She stood outside and stepped inside without permission. She found 3 girls with Pari." Mausi wants you to be ready properly. Your master is also coming tonight."Hearing her words, everyone turned their gaze and Pari stopped applying koyl in her eyes for a moment then continued.A girl chuckled, " after 2 months. Must have missed our Pari, no?"She glanced at them sitting on her bed and teasing her for the past 15 minutes." I don't know what magic Pari has done on her Sahab. He just doesn't leave her for anyone else."The second girl said." Exactly. Sometimes, give him to us as well, Pari. We will take great care of him."They laughed and Pari shook her head in disbelief. She started putting her bangles on her wrist while listening to the useless talks of her few friends who didn't leave a chance teasing while taking his name." We have to manage with anyone but your Sahab is permanent. Tell him how many girls are crazy about him," the 3rd girl said." Will you be able to handle him? It is said that he has a short temper and looking at his body, it does not seem that he is going to stop in 5 minutes."They laughed and Pari's bangles and anklets tickled together when she stood up and faced them." Can you guys stop now?"" Look at her. How she is showing off. Ok girl, we don't need your sahab. Keep him with you," first girl giggled.Pari turned her back to them and grabbed the waist chain from the dressing table." But seriously, tell me once, what magic have you done to him? There are thousands of girls in this brothel but his eyes don't even move to them. And he spends money on you like a carefree person so that no other man buys you. I am telling you the truth, the day your Sahab gets bored of you, there will be a crowd of men outside your room."Pari made a disgusting expression and hooked her waist chain." Has he fallen in love with you-"" Zabaan sambhal ke, Pallavi."( Mind your language, Pallavi.)Pari interrupted her." Why are you getting so angry? Isn't it normal? Anybody can fall in love with you. Look at yourself. You are young and beautiful, then the men's pants will definitely get tightened."Pari let out a deep sigh as they again cracked a dirty joke she did not want to hear." Still, there is a difference between love and lust."They chuckled and the 3rd girl said, " there is no place for love in our world. The day we set foot here, we become the property of the men who come here."Not a single word of hers was laced with lies. Pallavi stepped down from the bed and walked toward her. She cupped her cheeks and said in a comforting voice," It's been a year since you came here. Now forget everything. This is your destiny. Now you will go out of here only when death embraces you."Pari shook her head and moved her hands down." I can't. It is because of my past that I am imprisoned here today. I don't like the customs and traditions here. It's been a year but it seems like I came here just yesterday and Mausi-"She stopped in the middle, feeling her words stuck in her throat. She let out a deep sigh and shook her head." Just forget this. One day I will leave here."" But how?"She looked at the one who continued," Pari, You neither came here on your own will nor will you go on your own will. Do you know what Mausi calls you? The golden bird. How can a bird whose wings have been clipped fly?"Pari fluttered her eyelashes down. It was not that her friends were de-motivating her, they were just making her unaware of the dark truth of this place which she has not been able to accept for the last one year." Just don't think stupid. Get ready. There is not much time left for the party to begin. Your Sahab must be arriving too."She hummed and they left her room one by one. Pari took a deep breath and sat on the stool behind.It's been a year since that awful day that left a permanent stain on her. The place where she neither wanted to see nor set foot, today she was pushed to that very place by some of her own people. She was thrown away for money and now she is kept here for money. The hunger for money has increased so much among people that it never ends.Not a single night goes by when she doesn't hear the screams of the girls in the rooms next to hers. They must be in a lot of pain. They must be wanting to do something. They must be wanting to run away. She kept thinking about all this.She is not from a very rich family. She belongs to a middle class family.Her parents passed away a long time ago when she was just 10 years old. Since then, her uncle and aunt started taking care of her. They have two children. Due to lack of money, she was not attending regular college and was taking tuition to help her family. Then one day her guardian brought a marriage proposal for her. The boy was handsome, intelligent and only two years older than her, but she did not want to get married yet. She wanted to help her brother and sister in their education.Because of her there were a lot of fights between her Kaka and Kaki at home. She just wanted to help them in any way she could, but they wanted to remove a burden from their shoulders by getting her married. "If you get married, your brother and sister will be able to study better. Your Kaka's shoulders will be relieved of some of the burden."Her Kaki tried to make her understand. She had not yet completed her graduation but ultimately gave in to their insistence. In this difficult time, she had a companion who gave her support. There was a boy of her age with whom she had done her schooling. That boy was very close to her Kaka-Kaki and used to come home quite often.She liked him. His bubbly personality attracted her a lot. But how could she know that there was someone else behind the mask? One day she heard that the man was talking about helping her family for some money. That day she did not understand much. But in the next few days she was told that the boy would help her in getting a job." But I have not graduated yet."She told her Kaki.." He will take care of everything. He will use his own resources to help you."She refused, " I don't want to. I will graduate in a year. I will find a decent job for myself-"Her Kaka interrupted her." But we cannot bear you for one more year. Your parents died and forced you upon us. People are asking for so much dowry for marriage. Where will we get so much money from? We also have our own children. Who will take care of them?"Someone has rightly said that no one can take the place of parents. Her mother's family did not want to adopt her and her father's family kept her in their house only for the sake of some land. Her parents had left that land for her.Somehow she refused to go but soon her wings were about to be clipped. One day her aunt and uncle were talking to her with great love, they were crying while telling their sorrow about how her uncle had taken a big loan and now he was facing difficulty in repaying it.She was convinced by their words. She got carried away by emotions and signed her land in his name. A memento of her parents was taken away from her. The very next day they showed their true colours. That day was her birthday but no one remembered. It was night and some guests had come to the house. That guy was also present. While serving tea to the guests, she saw a woman giving them a lot of money.She was none other than Mohini.Everything happened so quickly that she could not understand anything. Suddenly she was told that she is now the property of these people." Wh..who are they, Kaki? I feel they are bad people."She asked who was hurriedly packing her clothes." From now on, Mohini ji is your guardian. Serve her and never refuse.Tears gathered in Pari's eyes as she stammered while saying, " y..you all leaving me? Trust me Kaki, from now on I will not ask for anything. I will marry wherever you ask me to, just don't push me away-"" Shut up!"She flinched and took one step back. The woman glared at her." Now stop following us. How much more should we tolerate you? Go with Mohini ji. If you earn something, you will be able to bear your own expenses."" W..what will I do there?"Pari asked but received no answer from her.She tried a lot to convince her family but no one paid heed to her tears. Everyone turned their back on her and sent her to some unknown place with unknown people.She mustered courage and tried to ask Mohini and was stunned when she told her-" Your family has sold you. Now you are going to a brothel. You will also earn the same way all the girls earn there by using your body.."She got scared and started insisting to stop the car but they tied her hands and mouth and locked her in the trunk of the car. She cried throughout the journey and the time she woke up, she found herself in a completely different place.There were many girls present there. She was very scared so she gathered her things and sat in a corner.Those girls told her about the place in detail. Mohini did not come that day so she decided to escape in the night but it was a failed attempt. Some guards caught her and took her to Mohini." Where were you running? I have given money for you," Mohini yelled at her and controlled herself from hitting her.She adjoined her hands and pleaded, " pl..please let me. I will return all the money. Please let me go.."Hearing her, people laughed at her." Someone make her understand. Nobody leaves from here on their own will. From now on, only your coffin will be taken out from here."Pari burst into sobs and tried hard to convince the woman but she was as cruel as her so-called family.When she was being taken to her room, she could hear the screams of the girls from the rooms. She did not understand. She knew what was happening to them. She couldn't tolerate all this so she decided that it would be better to embrace death.She sobbed while looking for a sharp thing in a room." I..miss..you maa baba. I.. can't anymore. They will.. they will eat me alive. Everybody here is an animal."She grabbed a vase and threw it on the ground. She grabbed a sharp piece and aimed it at her wrist. She never wanted to do this. She was not a weak girl to accept defeat but it seemed like society had troubled her much.She did not even receive death because when she cut her vein, someone came into the room. That person had heard the sound of the vase breaking.She woke up the next morning and found her wrist bandaged. When she tried sitting up, someone slapped her." Ahhh!"She grasped her cheek and looked at Mohini with tears filled eyes who cupped her jaw harshly." Don't you have much courage? Bitch, you will ruin my business."She jerked her back and called a girl out loud." AYE!"" Ji mausi?"" Get her ready. I wanted to give her some time but her misery will end only when some man will tear her body apart."Pari's heart sank. What else happened later?She was made ready. She sat like a doll and some girls adorned her. There was a party that night too. Many rich men were coming. He also came that day." Pari?"She came into the present and looked at the door." Be ready. Guests have started arriving."Pari nodded lightly and Pallavi left. She sighed heavily. She was free for 2 months. There was nothing to do. He had gone somewhere and probably returned today. She finds the lustful glances of men very dirty. She wants to poke out their eyes but can't do anything.Her courage has been broken. Now she is waiting for a flood or an earthquake to come so that this brothel collapses and she can run away.She touched her waist chain. He really loves when she wears a waist chain. She stood up and fixed her dupatta on her chest. She stood before the mirror.She is wearing an outfit of pink and orange colour. The blouse is of pink colour while the dupatta and lehnga is of orange colour. The border is quite heavy.She tucked the curly strands of her hair behind the ear and let out a deep sigh. She just wants to go to sleep and wake up to find herself somewhere else and this all turns out to be just a bad dreamUnfortunately, this can never happen. This is her world now. She walked toward the window and looked down from it. A lot of rich people are coming to the house. Just for what? To see the girls, to touch their bodies and relieve their frustration. Mohini will be very happy today because she will make a lot of money today.She narrowed her eyes, staring at his car as well. Means, he has arrived already." Pari?"She looked at the door." Let's go."She hummed and followed the girl out of her room.⋆༺✷༻⋆