The next few days passed in a blurry as the girl they now called Devi would wake up each afternoon to have some water and medicines and again enter into a sleep.
Lata tended to her like a sister.
She noticed that Devi was different from them. Her bony structure, her eyes, her hair, her clothes, etc. everything was different, though just a little bit but still different from them.
She reached a conclusion that Devi was not from anywhere near them.
'She must have been in the river for days! How did she survive?' thought Lata.
Suddenly a voice called Lata from outside of the room.
"Arey oh Lata! Where did you get lost these days? I havent seen you since so long!"- It was Vishwa, the local goon who was apparently lusting after Lata and often used to harrass her.
"How dare you enter my home? Who let you in? Maa! Why did you let this man in?" - shouted Lata.
"Haha! Nobody is in the house Lata rani. I sneaked in to see you."- Said Vishwa.
"It has been so long waiting for you. And today I finally got this opportunity. Now where will you run off to dear Lata?"- Said Vishwa laughing maniacally.
This time Lata was really scared. Vishwa was a feared goon. Many a times in the past she escaped him. But today she was stuck. Lata tried to run out of the room but was suddenly caught by Vishwa.
Vishwa laughed and pushed her towards the wall of the room. Lata struck the wall and cried in pain. Vishwa held both of her hands and pinned them above her head. He was now really close to Lata and was whispering in her ear- "Why struggle dear Lata? You cannot escape me. I will have what i want from you."- Saying this Vishwa ripped Lata's Duppata (Long scarf covering the body) off.
Lata screamed loudly and tried to struggle against Vishwa. But Vishwa was much stronger than Lata.
Suddenly a blow struck Vishwa's back of the head. Vishwa was startled. He turned back to see a girl standing with a wooden rod in her hand. She was the girl who apparently drowned in the river, Devi.
"How dare you struck me?"- said Vishwa and lurched towards Devi. But Devi was swift to act and slid sideways. Vishwa fell forwards. Devi made a sudden turn and hit Vishwa full on the face with her knee. This broke Vishwa's nose. He cried in anger. He again made a grab at Devi but she using her special karate skills which she learnt in childhood for men like Vishwa, hit him repeatedly at various weak points and soon Vishwa was on the floor with a dozen fractures.
He fell unconscious.
Lata saw all this with her eyes wide open. She picked up her Duppata and moved towards Devi.
"Are you all right?"- she asked Devi. But Devi was too preoccupied to answer.
At that moment Shantidevi and Lata's father made entry into the room.
That evening:
Shantidevi- "See I told you she is a good omen. She saved you my girl. From now on you are my second daughter Devi."
Devi was now fully conscious after the incident but was in some shock as she was not able to speak even a single word. She was looking around her wildly trying to register where she was and what were people saying around her.
She quietly ate the food given to her and later went to sleep as directed by Lata.
The next morning:
Devi woke up with a fresh mind and clear conscience the next day. She remembered everything. Her tripping into the river, being saved by some girl, being tended to, etc.
"Looks like I floated to some nearby village in Varanasi."- thought Devi.
As she was getting up, she saw the girl who saved her entering the room.
"oh good you are up. How are you feeling jiji?"- asked Lata.
Devi looked at her confused. she did not understand the language the other girl spoke.
"I am sorry I didn't get you. What did you just say?"- asked Devi in English.
Now it was Lata's turn to look at her confused.
Lata called out- " Maa! I think Devi hit her head on a stone in the river. She is speaking in incomprehensible tone."
"Huh?"
"Huh? Is your head paining jiji? Did you hit it somewhere?"- asked lata.
But this time Devi could register one word- "Jiji?"
"Yes you are my new jiji. My elder sister."- said Lata.
To Devi such words appeared familiar as if she knew this language from somewhere but could not remember.
She again tried in this time in Hindi- "I am Saanvi Mehta. And you are?"
Lata looked confused,- "Wait I will call maa." and went out of the room.
Meanwhile, Devi who is actually Saanvi looked around her trying to decipher the place. Suddenly her eyes fell on a few leaf like structure at the bed side. She picked it up and saw something written on it. As Saanvi was looking at the leaves something in her mind clicked and she remembered where she had read such language before. It was in the scriptures she read in the ashram library.
"But this is ancient Sanskrit. Nobody speaks it now." thought Saanvi.
Author's Notes: How is the story going so far? Do vote and comment!!