The Universe Conspires

‘When you want something, the universe conspires in helping you to get what you want.’

Where had she read these words? No, she had not read these words. Of course she was not illiterate. She was a student of class ten, though she was a bit over aged for that class. No, she had not read these words. She had perhaps heard these words somewhere. Someone had spoken these words somewhere and she had heard them. She had thought the words were a magic chant. It must be magic or else how could the universe conspire to help someone?

She tried to look through the dark and dingy haze that had clouded her mind. She tried to look for the person who had spoken these words. She could see no one; she could see nothing but the hole where she was confined. She felt miserable; and the pain was unbearable.

But she relentlessly kept on wanting; hoping that the universe would conspire to help her to get what she wanted; she wanted to escape from the hell she was in. Every time she was raped her desire would become intense; she would chant the magic words. Through her swollen eyes she would look for the universe; her eyes said everything that needed to be said; she wanted nothing but an escape from hell.

She was not aware of how many times she had been raped; she did not know how long she had been confined in that hole; but she was certain that she had prayed the universe hundreds of times; she had hoped that the universe would eventually conspire and help her to get what she desperately wanted. But despite her endless entreaties her nightmare seemed endless.

One day the universe did choose to conspire; the universe conspired to help her captors to get what they wanted. After nerve wrecking negotiations with a number of buyers they were able to sell her for fifty thousand. No one was willing to pay even a rupee more than thirty thousand for a skinny girl like her. But they wanted nothing less than fifty thousand. They even spread a word that they would rather kill her but they would not sell her for a lesser amount. The universe conspired in helping them; and they were ever grateful to the universe.

When light entered the hole where she was held for over a month, she felt a glimmer of hope. Was the universe finally going to conspire in helping her?

© i b arora