YELLAMMA (The Secret of Azalea Village) PROLOGUE🌓 By GAUTAM K MIRCHANDANI ✍️

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The heat was unbearable, the temperature hovering in the region of 44 degrees; there was no breeze, none at all. The heat shimmered in the air, hitting the hard-baked ground, only to rise again in a new heat wave, encircling the entire surroundings.

The villagers of Azalea Village had gathered outside in the open field, as the heat in the open field was a bit bearable compared to inside their houses that had turned into furnaces, where one couldn't sit still unless one started to sweat like pigs, as their bodies turn hot and damp when the heat increased.

The women were standing with their heads covered by their sari pallus, some of them carrying toddlers in their arms and small children standing closer to their mothers, looking bored, while men kept wiping their sweating faces constantly with the long scarves hanging around their necks.

The field was bare, except for one lone forlorn tree, standing right in the centre of the field and on one of its higher branches sat a black Raven eyeing the assembled crowd below then suddenly it gave a shrill cry, flapped its wings and took to the sky, sensing something sinister was going to take place.

A murmur went among the villagers as they saw a horse carriage with a red flag heading towards the open field. Behind the carriage rode four equestrians dragging an iron cage. The procession stopped near the old, gnarled tree.

The four equestrians got off their horses, and then one of them hurriedly opened the passenger's door and stood at one side; meanwhile, the other three stood near the iron cage.

Patil Kashirao Gaikwade, the headman of Azalea Village, exited the horse carriage and following him were his two bodyguards who carried a huge chair and a large fan made out of peacock feathers between them.

The villagers remained standing with their heads bowed down.

Patil Kashirao Gaikwade smiled and then raised both his hands in the air, and the villagers looked up again.

The two bodyguards placed the chair an inch away from the old, gnarled tree, and one then stood on either side of the chair. Patil Kashirao Gaikwade sat down on the high chair, under the shade of the umbrella and for a few minutes, he just sat there observing the villagers and then clapped twice.

The four equestrians unlocked the iron cage and then dragged out an old woman.

A loud murmur went among the villagers as soon as they saw Yellamma, the oldest woman in the village, and now she stood naked, beaten, and bathed in her blood, her long white hair cut to a short pixie.

The four equestrians grabbed Yellamma and tied her to the old gnarled tree, and then they stood by, waiting for the Patil's next order.

Patil Kashirao Gaikwade touched his expressive headgear while smirking at Yellamma and thinking that at last, his three months of patience had been worth it.

For many years, the Gaikwades have carried out the tradition of being the headmen of Azalea Village. Patil Kashirao Gaikwade was yet another link in the long chain that surrounded the village, and he was the most crafty and ruthless individual among his ancestors.

The villagers were getting impatient, and Patil Kashirao could see that, so he stood up and walked towards his prey.

Yellamma glanced at Patil Kashirao and, upon acknowledging him, muttered a curse under her breath.

Patil Kashirao said, '' Yellamma.'' loudly enough to be heard by the villagers.

Yellamma looked balefully at Patil Kashirao.

''Yellamma, your time has come. Do you want to ask for forgiveness?'' Patil Kashirao stated.

Yellamma stared at Patil Kashirao, who was standing in front of her, hate swam in her grey eyes, and she worked her mouth and spat a glob of spit on his face.

A loud protest emerged from the villagers.

One of the four equestrians came forward; he carried a long stout stick in his hand, and with that he struck the old woman in her stomach.

The powerful strike of the stout stick caused Yellamma to scream, and she sagged against her rope.

The villagers mumbled their approval.

The equestrian now raised the stout stick high above his head and brought it down on Yellamma's back.

A loud snapping sound of a broken bone could be heard!

Yellamma screamed and flung her head back, squirming against the rope to set herself free; her whole body felt as if it were on fire from the intense pain in her back. One of her bones was broken, and the pain brought tears to her eyes, and snot dribbled out of her nose.

A child started crying upon hearing the painful cries of Yellamma, and his mother pulled the child near to her and comforted him by pressing his face against her breast.

The villagers shuffled on their feet. The men observed the entire scene with grim determination, while the women were anxious about knowing what would happen to one of their sex.

Patil Kashirao wipes the spit from his face with the back of his hand, smiles mischievously at the poor old groaning Yellamma, and then he gets closer to her and whispers, ''You old hag! All that strategic land which you own near the river will be mine after your death, and it will be added to the Gaikwade legacy.''

Yellamma continued to moan with pain.

It had been very easy for Patil Kashirao to take over Yellamma’s land, and easier to get the old woman out of his ambitious way; all he had to do was start a rumour about her.

The children of Azalea Village started to fall sick, and the village doctor was perplexed as the illness turned out to be very strange; it made the children weak and unable to move and then the fever vanished for a few months until it returned, and this time it fell on the women and the elders.

The villagers grew worried, felt helpless, and flocked to Patil Kashirao Gaikwade's large mansion, begging for his advice, his help, and begging him to take some action.

Patil Kashirao Gaikwade was astonished by his luck; he could see his dreams coming true, and if he played his cards well, he could become the largest landowner and the richest man in the village. He promised the villagers that he would look into this problem personally, and quietly started a rumour that the village had fallen under a bad omen of a Witch and then sat back to watch the spark light he had thrown turning into a wildfire.

The villagers were lost, confused, and scared; they began to question each other about who the Witch could be in the village to put a bad spell on their women and elders.

Then a whisper flew around the village about Yellamma, the oldest woman in the village who lived all alone by herself near the river. Could she be the Witch, after all, she hadn't fallen sick?

The rumour about Yellamma being a Witch spread rapidly throughout the entire village, and yes, an evil eye has fallen on the village.

Patil Kashirao made the villagers see what he saw and highlighted the things he believed in, within a short period.

Yellamma was a barren woman; her husband had died five years ago, leaving behind a land and a house for her where she lived all alone, growing her crops and doing her breeding, never interfering with the village or with the villagers.

What did Yellamma do living all alone, and what led to her husband's death? It's speculated that he was lost in the mountains or drowned in the river, or was it the poison that killed him, as he had planned to remarry for a child, which Yellamma had opposed. Was she a barren woman, or did she not like children? Could it be that she was the one? The Witch!

These rumours kept on floating all around the village by Patil Kashirao's men, and soon more rumours were added.

Rumour one: Once, someone had seen Yellamma walking into the woods in the dead of night with wolves walking alongside her.

Rumour two: Someone had heard strange noises coming from her hut and had seen the old woman looking into the mirror and cackling crazily at her reflection.

The villagers nodded and soon their weak minds started to work against the old woman, and they started to question Yellamma's appearance. How tall is she, almost 6'2, and why did she keep her long white hair open all the time? Have you seen her cold, grey eyes? They hardly blink, and her fingernails are long and sharp. Why would an old woman of sixty-two need to grow such long nails? Does she use it like a fork to poke at young, tender human meat?

These rumours against Yellamma were going all around the village, and the villagers were getting impatient, but before they could take any action against her, the women and the elders were back to their good health, and for a few days, everything was back to normal in the village.

This made Patil Kashirao restless as he did not want the villagers to get back to their normal lives, and so he played his last card.

One day, the water dam broke, and someone mentioned seeing Yellamma near the dam. The villagers went amok, and they dragged the sleeping Yellamma out of her house, thrashing her on the way to the big mansion of Patil Kashirao Gaikwade.

Yellamma was unable to speak or act; after all, no one would give her a hearing. Who will be in this world?

Patil Kashirao's men easily broke the dam in the middle of the night, and the outburst of villagers' anger did the rest.

“Yellamma, you have sinned! Sinned in this land of god,” Patil Kashirao said, flinging each word at the old woman.

Yellamma whimpered due to the severe pain in her back, which shot up sharply whenever she made a slight movement.

“Yellamma, you are responsible for the repercussions. Today, whatever happens, it will be a lesson for your peers.” Patil Kashirao spoke and then spat on the ground.

“Patil, Patil, Patil.” Yellamma whimpered.

Patil Kashirao glared at Yellamma.

“Patil Sahib, please, forgives me. I will do whatever you say.” Yellamma whispered in a hoarse voice.

Patil Kashirao exclaimed with joy to the villagers and said, “The witch is speaking to me and she pleads for mercy and forgiveness.”

The villagers moved uncomfortably, and then someone among them shouted. Witch!

And soon a chant went up. 'WITCH, WITCH, WITCH.'

Patil Kashirao lifted his hands, and the villagers became quiet. And then he retraced his steps and nodded to the four equestrians.

The four equestrians took hold of their long, stout sticks and at their ends tied a red piece of cloth all around it, and then one of them uncapped a huge can and dipped his stout into it. The other three did likewise.

The villagers were aware of what was going to happen next, except for Yellamma, and soon she would also be aware.

Mothers pulled their children near them, shielding their innocent eyes from the scene, which was about to unfold, but the children howled and struggled against their mothers' swings, and they fought between desires to watch or to flee, while the men waited impatiently to watch the whole progress like a game.

The four equestrians approached Yellamma, and then one of them glanced at Patil Kashirao, waiting for his signal.

Yellamma could sense strongly that Patil Kashirao was head-bending to kill her; she saw one out of the four equestrians holding a large can in his hand. She looked at the villagers, and they looked back at her with an absent mind; they were clueless about what to do or say.

The equestrian who held the large can in his hand approached Yellamma.

Yellamma looked at Patil who was standing a few paces away from her and then she thought, “If only I had agreed to give him my land none of this would have happened.” then a thought came to her, “Is it possible that my life would be spared if I agreed to give my land to the Patil now.” thinking these thoughts, she again tried to beg for his mercy.

However, it was too late!

The equestrian who held the can in his hand toppled it all over Yellamma, in one swift motion, drenching her from her hair to her toes, and the strong scent of cooking oil was in the air.

Now, it comprehended to Yellamma what Patil intended to do to her, and with a cry of fear, she struggled against her rope and watched her struggling with her fate. Patil Kashirao grinned.

The equestrian dropped the empty oil can down and keeping a safe distance from Yellamma, he removed a matchbox from his shirt's pocket, struck a matchstick and touched it to his stout, the oiled cloth around the stick burst into flames and then he touched his burning stick to the other three equestrian sticks, and soon there was four stout stick bursting in flames.

Yellamma observed the burning sticks, cringed and screamed as the four equestrians approached her, one by one. Her back started to ache again, and she opened her mouth to say something, but no sound came out. She was completely terrified.

"Watch how the witch fears the fire." Patil Kashirao shouted, looking at the villagers.

The villagers nodded.

"This is the final proof of her conviction." Patil Kashirao shouted.

The villagers murmured, and although many of them were shocked at what was going to take place, none of them dared to say or do anything against the Patil, for they didn't want to find themselves tied to the same tree, and so they all stood silently, watching the upcoming horror.

Yellamma screamed and shivered, red welts rose on her body as she struggled against her rope!

Patil Kashirao gave another small nod to the four equestrians, and the first one of the four stepped forward and touched his burning torch to Yellamma, causing her naked body to burst into flames.

The fire soared upward and wherever it found the cooking oil.

The other three equestrians move forward and touch their torches to the already burning Yellamma, and then they carefully place the burning torches at the old woman’s feet to help the raging fire rage more.

In the crowd, a woman swooned and fell to her knees, and a man vomited while peering at the scene.

As the fire devoured Yellamma's body and the flames increased, her terrible screams were the only sound that echoed around the open field.

Patil Kashirao retreated a few steps as the heat from the fire became unbearable.

The air was filled with the smell of oil and burning flesh.

Yellamma's skin and hair cracked and melted away, and it dripped, burned, and snapped, like molten lava, and her screams were rising at a higher pitch. Suddenly, she flew forward from her place of captivity and, with a horrible shriek, ran forward, her arms outstretched, and her mouth open in a scream.

The villagers looked in shock as Yellamma hurled herself at Patil Kashirao Gaikwade and wrapped her arms around him.

Patil Kashirao screamed for help while attempting to free himself. Nevertheless, to no avail, Yellamma held him like a leech.

The four equestrians and the two bodyguards attempted to encircle Yellamma and Patil Kashirao and try to part them, but they couldn't, and so, feeling helpless, they stood with the villagers watching in horror as Patil Kashirao's body caught fire, and now, his painful screams merged with Yellamma's screams.

One of the bodyguards shouted for someone to obtain some water quickly, but his call for help was too late.

Yellamma clung to Patil Kashirao in her arms tightly, until he had a massive heart attack, and collapsed on the ground to his death with Yellamma atop him. They burned to death in an embrace!

A lone vulture circled in the yellow sky, looking down at man's folly.

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