Nge Michu, Chapter 11

No matter how much Khandu asks her by showing different degree of anger, Tshoki does not speak a word as if she has become dumb. Not knowing what to do, Khandu stands up and looks at Tshoki, who stands in front of him wearing an innocent face. He cannot force her to speak by beating as he is worried what if she blackmails him again.

“Tshoki, just tell me the truth?”

He requests going in front of her but she is silent. Getting mad by her silence, he shouts, “I am going now. If you want to tell me, just text me.”

Banging the door, he walks out. Getting inside the car, he calls Tencho immediately. But he is not responding the call. Driving for a few minutes, he says to himself, “What am I doing?”

Before heading back to Motithang, driving through the town, he parks in front of a restaurant and gets inside while his phone rings from the car. Going back to the car, he gets the phone.

“Tencho, come to Deki Restaurant.”

Getting inside the restaurant, sitting at a table, he waits for Tencho. Placing coffee on the table, a beautiful waitress asks, “Anything, sir?”

“Umm, chicken fried rice.”

As she walks away from the table, he looks at her back, taking him back to the moment when he met Tshoki for the first time. It was then in mid-May, one evening, he was driving towards Taba, when he saw a girl in school dress, sitting at the Indian House junction in Langjuphakha, drenched in the heavy rain. There were many taxis speeding in front of his car but she did not stop them. Thinking that she had no money to pay taxi fare, he stopped his car in front of her. Lowering the window glass, he asked, “Waiting for someone? Get inside, rain is heavy.”

Surprised by that, looking at him thoughtfully for a while, Tshoki said, “It’s okay. I am waiting for the city bus.”

“Please, get in. You will fall sick.”

Since that evening, he always travelled to Taba picking up Tshoki from that junction. Days after days, weeks after weeks, then he fell for her and proposed her one evening, while she said, “I will think it over.”

The next day, she said, “Okay.”

“Khandu?”

“Oh, Tencho?”

Dressed in gho, the smell of perfume circling round his body, Tencho sits down on a chair opposite to him. The waitress walks to the table with the fried rice, when Tencho asks him, “What’s the emergency?”

Wearing a beautiful smile and innocence glowing from her cheek, the waitress keeps the plate on the table, meanwhile Tencho says, “Coffee for me, please!”

He says in a teasing tone. Taking the plate, observing the rice carefully, Khandu says, “I am in trouble.”

Telling Tencho everything about Tshoki and Dorji, he takes a spoonful of rice into in his mouth, when Tencho speaks softly, “Just leave her.”

Munching the rice, he takes a sip from the cup and raises his eyebrows at Tencho, “She still has the footage. She will blackmail me again. What if she tells Yangchen?”

“Didn’t you delete the footage when she was asleep?”

“Her phone is coded. I don’t know the password,” says Khandu, looking desperate for the ideas.

“Don’t worry, I will help you with that.”

“How?”

“I will let you know.”

At the same time, at Motithang, Yangchen keeps the plates into the wash basin gently after the breakfast. Going to the rice cooker, she keeps the light on thinking that Khandu will be back for breakfast. Walking back to the sitting room, looking at her mother, she says, “Ama, can you keep the child on the bed and help Yuden to wear kira?”

Holding the child in her arms, her mother stands up, when Yuden shouts from the bedroom, “Ama, where is my kera?”

“Angay is coming to help you,” replies Yangchen and walks towards the bathroom. Pushing the door gently, she says, “Apa, let me help with your back.”

Taking a jug, she fills it up with water and pours it down on her father’s back. Rubbing his back with a scrub, she pours water. Having finished washing his head, her father walks out back to the sitting room when the doorbell rings. Closing the tap, she gets out and goes directly to the door with water dripping on the floor from her wet hands. Catching the door knob, she pulls the door gently when a woman, unknown to her, stands at the door wearing a lost expression.

She greets her, “Hi, how can I help you?”

The woman looks hesitant and looking at other doors, she asks, “Is this Khandu’s quarter?”

“Yes, it’s.”

As the woman mentions Khandu’s name, thinking that she is known to Khandu, Yangchen says, “Please, come in.”

The woman waits for a while and then she walks inside. Sitting down on the sofa, the woman observes the room carefully, making a suspicious face and finally, she says, “I am here to seek help from you and your husband. Is he here?”

“Umm, he is not here. Please, tell me.”

“I am Tshoki’s sister.”

Story by: Phurpa Dorji (PJIKKS)

Chapter 12 Tomorrow @9PM

Animals Speak, The animal's world.

I was wondering whether animals speak for freedom. Yes, they do speak for freedom. I didn't know animals do have the freedom called animals freedom like we humans have human rights.

Why do people hate animals as if they have done something wrong to us? We can't justify by saying I love animals. Our justification should be in action. What we can do to show that we love animals. There are many ways that we can show love towards animals. Treating animals as good as we treat our pets is one way. That isn't enough. Not consuming animals' flesh would be the finest love we can show to animals.

Why do we have to love animals? The reason is so simple because of hate we have for animals they are suffering a lot. If we have the finest love as I mentioned before, animals won't suffer. The immense pain and torture in a dark house are unbearable. Animals never wish to go to the dark house to end their life. They want to end their life peacefully like ours. They never want to end life when life is not come to the end. Animals do wish for a peaceful life.

What if we don't consume animals, will we starve and die? The answer would be no. We won't starve by not consuming animal flesh. We have many alternative plant-based foods that will keep us healthy.

Why we have to refrain from consuming animal flesh? Do you believe in happiness? All living beings wish to have happiness and avoid suffering. In this transient period of life, how can we be selfish that we want to live long and stay strong by consuming animal flesh? That idea is not an intelligent idea from a most civilized man on the earth.

Nge Michu Chapter 10

Opening his eyes slowly, listening to the noise of people from the other buildings, Dorji looks at Tshoki, who is sleeping so beautifully beside him. Many boys fell for her but she always rejected them. He feels lucky to be her boyfriend. Her eyes closed, face glowing as if to smile, which touches his heart deeply; she is a ‘sleeping beauty.’ Stretching his hand slowly, he grabs the phone from the table. As he looks at the number of missed calls from his parents, he gets up immediately, waking up Tshoki.

Opening her sleepy eyes, a little, she utters, “Going?”

“Yeah. I have exam today.”

As he wears the jeans, an unusual headache pricks his head. He feels as if the building is shaking. Grabbing the coat from the bed, leaning forward he kisses her and walks away towards the sitting room when the doorbell rings, frightening Tshoki. She gets off the bed instantly and dresses up.

“Shhh!”

She follows him, taking gentle steps towards the door. The doorbell rings again. Going to the door looking very frightened, she slides the latch slowly. Opening the door, a little, she stands frozen. In the meantime, Dorji asks her, “Who is it?”

On hearing this voice from the inside, pushing the door hard, Khandu walks in. stepping inside, looking directly at Dorji, who is the brother of his younger sister’s husband, he asks, “Dorji, what are you doing here?”

Dorji takes a glance at Tshoki, who stands at the door, looking very terrified.

Instead of responding, Dorji walks away from him. Standing in front of Tshoki, he says, “I am going. Catch you later.”

As he leaves the room, face burnt by his anger, looking very dark, Khandu goes in front of her. Catching her shoulder, he pulls her towards him. Looking deep into her eyes, he asks, “Tshoki, explain me, why was he here?”

Keeping her head down, she stands like a deaf, who has not heard a word of him.

Khandu shouts, “Tshoki! Explain me.”

He looks around the room and finds beer bottles, lying on the floor. Cigarette butts are scattered, at the kitchen doorstep. He jumps on the sofa, hunching back, ruffling his hair with his hand, he shouts, “Tshoki, please. Say something.”

Tshoki stands like a statue when he gets up and looks at her neck, lifting her hair covering her neck. Observing carefully, his eyes getting out of its socket, he asks, “What are these?”

At the same time, at Taba, Dema stretches her hand and picks up the phone and checks time. Keeping the phone down, she closes the book in front of her and arranges the books. Folding her hands, she closes her eyes and prays facing the picture of Jampelyanng pasted on the wall. As she tries hard to concentrate on the picture, her mother walks into the room, distracting her prayers.

“Yes, mom.”

She comes closer to the table and sits down on the bed, looking at her as if she wants to say something.

“Mom?”

“Dema, I understand that Tshoki and you are very close friends. Please, tell me the truth about what is Tshoki up to these days? Our neighbor’s son Dorji is missing since last night. Her parents contacted every classmate of him but nobody knew about Dorji’s whereabouts. Now they are going to report the missing case to the police. Other students say that only you know about Dorji and Tshoki,” says her mother, when she has no idea about this. If Tshoki is with Khandu, why would Dorji go to Tshoki’s place? Dorji does not know about Khandu and Tshoki relationship.

As she stays silent, thinking about these possibilities, her mother pleads, “Say something.”

“Umm, I will call Tshoki once.”

Grabbing the phone, she dials her number and waits. Even after repeated calls, getting no response, she ends the call and looks at her mother.

“Not responding.”

“So, you know the truth?”

Her mother asks, when she lies, “I don’t know. I thought, Tshoki may know.”

“But last time you told Tshoki’s sister that Dorji is Tshoki’s boyfriend,” says her mother, “please, if you speak the truth before it’s too late, you might be able to help both Dorji and Tshoki. You don’t know, how much pain Tshoki’s sister is in these days.”

“Okay. The truth is,” says Dema when her mother interrupts, “come on, let’s go to Tshoki’s sister house.”

Getting up, Dema follows her mother, confused if she should the truth or lie? Horrified by not being able to make the decision, taking her slippers out she walks in when Tshoki’s sister, Lhaden, stands up excitedly on seeing her.

Her mother greets Lhaden and sits down, when Dema stands beside the sofa. Tears filling up her eyes, jumping on to Dema’s feet, Lhaden cries out loudly, “Dema, please help me!”

Story by: Phurpa Dorji (PJIKKS)

Chapter 11 Tomorrow @9PM