I was panting and perspiring in the torturous heat of the prison
kitchens as the smoke angrily sped into my lungs. Yet the exuberant chillness I
felt inside was unperturbed. I knew it was my last day there. Suddenly I heard
screams. It was the recent arrival Kapil; another
innocent yet misfortunate soul! That horrendous monster Ranga was crushing
him under his bulk and sniggering.
Scenes from the past unfolded. On the floor, I saw my quivering Reshma
and the brute who had destroyed her years ago; the man I murdered. Furiously I
brought the ladle crashing on Ranga’s head.
