Untouchables

Raina sighed, depressed, as she sat in her bed. Her thoughts were far away, out of the village, were her poor, unfortunate friend struggled to sleep.

Her friend, Farah, was an outcast. But this was done wrongfully. Farah had been a Vaishyas, or one of the People, once. But then she made the mistake of feeding a poor, abused Slave child.

With that, Farah had been thrown out, now an outcast. The unfortunate Slave girl, named Nishi, had also been exiled. Now, the two girls were forced to live outside of the Indian village.

Raina felt depressed. Outcasts were called “untouchables”. This was because Raina and the other People, even the Slaves, were forbidden by law to talk to, connect with, or even touch an outcast. Raina missed Farah. She pitied Farah and Nishi for being forced to live such a harsh life.

Raina was angry at the Indian laws. They seemed so unfair. And Raina knew that they were. It was a harsh punishment, to be an outcast, for taking pity on someone less fortunate then you.

Raina wondered what Farah and Nishi were doing, far away from the small Indian town, right now.It was a comfort to Raina to know that the two were friends, but how were they? Were they sick? Or hurt?

The questions tugged at Raina’s brain, willing her to discover what the answers were. What lay beyond the Indian village? But Raina pushed her thoughts aside. She couldn’t allow them to cloud her mind like this.

With that, Raina snuggled into her blankets and, continuing to think about unfortunate Farah and Nishi, gave way to a restless sleep.

*****

Raina blinked away the golden sunlight. She yawned and smiled. Today was a new day. A fresh start. Time to start with a clean slate.

Raina’s smile almost instantly turned into a depressed frown. She thought about poor Farah and Nishi. How did they feel this morning? Raina wasn’t sure if she wanted to know the answer.

Raina wondered if she could help her friends....No, she stopped herself from becoming to hopeful. She couldn’t.

Raina dismissed the idea. But, instead of shoving the thought out of her head, her brain stored it deep with the back of her scull. Just for safekeeping....

*****

An ancient Indian legend asks that, if Man was divided up into different parts, what would his mouth, arms, thighs, and feet be called?

The answer, according to the ancient Indian religion, is that Man’s mouth would become the Brahmin, or the persists and scholars; Man’s arms would become the Warrior, also Kshatriyas, the warriors and rulers; Man’s thighs would become the People, also the Vaishyas, the traders and merchants; and lastly, Man’s feet would become the farmers, laborers, and slaves, or the Shudras.

These were the castes. Brahmin was the highest caste, then the Kshatriyas (the Warrior), next the Vaishyas (the People), then the Shudras (the Slave), and finally the outcasts. Outcasts are the most lowly ranking of the ancient Indian castes. They are people that have done something against the law, such as (as in the book) eaten a meal  with someone of a different, more lowly ranking. In this case, the meal was shared by one of the Shudras and a Vaishyas, Farah and Nishi.

I hope that this has given you a better understanding of what is happening in this book.
*****

Raina looked down at her small black tomcat, Sadi. Sadi had dark green eyes that were swirled with lighter green. He was presently washing Raina’s shins. Raina loved Sadi. He was so sweet and comforting, and he always managed to make her smile, even when she felt as depressed as she did today.

“Hello, Sadi,” Raina murmured, her brain thinking about Farah and Nishi.

Raina was always trying to treat animals as equals. It could, as she would admit (when she was alone), be hard with so many people out there who thought that animals were mindless organisms that were taking up space. Of course, everyone had their own opinion, but Raina would beg to differ when someone said something like that.

So, Sadi was the most pampered cat in all of India. Raina loved him and figured that he loved her back. Although she might not be able to afford a fancy cat bed or even cat food for Sadi, he managed with keeping her warm in bed at night and by keeping the mouse population in check.

“Meow,” Sadi replied brightly. “Meow, meow. Purr. Purr, purr, purr.”

Raina laughed. “I know, it is a beautiful morning, Sadi. A bit hot, I must admit. How do you think the mouse-catching will be on a day like this?”

“Meow, meow,” Sadi replied, sencer.

“Well, then,” Raina decided. “You had better go off and hunt some then! Perhaps, although I don’t mean to make your hopes sore to high, you will catch a rat or maybe even a snake.”

“Meow,” Sadi agreed enthusiastically.

With that, Sadi raced off, leaving Raina alone with a troubled mind.

*****

Raina sat down, smiling and looking down at her delicious pongal. Pongal is an Indian breakfast food. It is a creamy, rice-based dish cooked with spices and nuts. She also had some sliced mango, her personal favorite food.

Raina was also serving herself some wonderful herbal tea. The rich smells of her breakfast, the sweet, sticky scent of the mango, the savory, spicy scent of the pongal, and the peaceful, energizing scent of the herbal tea, wafted up to her. It made her momentarily forget about her friends, Farah and Nishi. Forget all of her troubles.

She sat down and took a spoonful of the pongal. She stole another sniff from the beautiful  spoonful of the Indian dish. With that, Raina leaned foreword and ate the creamy dish. She loved the spice of the pepper and other spices and the crunch of the nuts.

Soon, Raina finished her breakfast. She thought about Farah and Nishi. What did they have for breakfast? Did they even eat a breakfast? She couldn’t help but think about them.

In distress, Raina recalled her and Farah’s last conversation.



Farah was standing a little ways in front of Raina. The two were having lunch together with another friend, Ismat. Raina and Ismat had finished, and Farah was almost done, when a soft, weak knocking emanated from the door.

Farah regretfully stood and strode over to the door. Then, a bit cautious, Farah opened the door. There stood a small, thin girl whose ribs shone through her ragged, torn clothing. The girl couldn’t be more then 14, and was obviously a Slave.

Looking up at Farah with pleading eyes, the young girl asked in a weak, trembling voice, “Can you spare some food?”

The girl had probably not expected to get any food, much less be able to eat at the same table as a group of People were. But the world was full of surprises, so why not? Farah had always felt strongly that the Slaves should be treated the same as the People, and so did Raina and Ismat. This was Farah’s way of showing that all four of them were equals, no matter what there caste was.

The girl was Nishi and, somehow, the news got out that Farah had shared a meal with a Slave. Raina and Ismat were not punished because either the person who had told the ruler had not noticed them or forgotten to mention them or because they hadn’t shared a meal with Nishi, at least not technically.

And, despite Ismat and Raina’s efforts to make Farah just give Nishi food and not share a meal with her, Farah would not listen.



And that was how it had happened. Now both Farah and Nishi were outcasts, abut good friends.

Raina, though, would not allow this. She had held back for three days now and was not going to sit back and watch her innocent friends suffer. No, she was going to take action. She was going to set them free.

*****

Raina slipped, unnoticed, out of the village. She knew that, sense her friends where outcasts, they would be outside of the Indian town.

Sure enough, there, imbedded between two tall hills, was a group of people. Try as she might, though, Raina couldn’t spot Farah or Nishi. They were lost in the throng.

It saddened Raina that there were so many outcasts. There were about two dozen. Although Raina knew that quite a few had done wrongs that were not to be taken lightly and where rightfully there, Raina also knew from bitter experience that not all of them were guilty.

By now, Raina was in the bunch of outcasts. She searched for Farah and Nishi, but it was a fruitless hunt. Although there weren’t to many outcasts, they were always shifting like water in a fast-flowing river and some were yelling or arguing or even fighting.

The landscape also made it hard to maneuver. Small rock slopes dipped into the earth and miniature hills protruded upwards.

It seemed hopeless, but at last--at long last--Raina spotted Nishi.

Above the clamor of the other outcasts, Raina called, “Nishi! Nishi!”

Nishi responded, to Raina’s great relief. The small outcast hurried over to Raina. Nishi looked like she was trying to place Raina’s name with her description, but then asked, “Raina, right? What are you doing here?”

“Well,” Raina began to explain as the two girls headed away from the noise. “I came here  to bring you and Farah out of this place. We can all return to the village and become what we once were. You could start a new life as one of the people, Nishi.”

Nishi brightened at that. “A chance for a new life,” she murmured wistfully. “That does sound nice.”

“Yes,” Raina agreed, nodding, with a smile. Now, the sounds of the crowd were distant, and Raina’s headache began to fade. Then a question played across her mind. “Do you know where Farah is?”

Nishi thought for a moment. “She’s probably on the other side of the hill,” Nishi decided. “She’s found a cat and named him Bangle. He doesn’t like anyone but me and her.”

Raina nodded. She knew what Nishi meant. Sadi acted feral around anyone he didn’t know. He really only showed his full love and compassion to Raina. “Could we go and see her?” Raina wondered, eager to see her friend.

“Why not!” Nishi exclaimed. Then she grabbed hold of Raina’s hand. “Come on, I’ll lead you there!”

And so, with Nishi eagerly leading the way, the two reached the other side of the hill.

“Farah!” Raina exclaimed gleefully.

“Raina!” Farah gasped happily.

The two sprang towards each other, then the embraced one another. Bangle, a brown tabby tom with one green eye and one amber, strode up and sized up Raina, sniffing her legs for what seemed like forever. Then he finally stopped and rubbed against her calves, purring loudly.

Raina laughed. “What a sweet cat!” she exclaimed.

“What are you doing here?” Farah wondered, the exact same question that Nishi had asked when Raina had first arrived.

Raina told Farah about the plan.

“Wow,” Farah murmured, grateful, in disbelief. “How are we going to do it?”

“Well,” Raina started, her brain’s gears beginning to turn. “Maybe, sense I’m still one of the People, I can simply walk in with you guys. Then we can refuge in my home for a while and you two can re-enter the society.”

“It’s that simple?” Farah inquired, wondering if she was dreaming. “What if it doesn’t

“It’s a desperate plan,” Raina agreed. She, too, wondered if this would work or not. “But we have to try. You two don’t deserve to stay here.”

“But, if the plan doesn’t work, you could become an outcast, too,” Nishi argued fretfully, fearing for Raina.

Raina smiled and locked her hands with her friends’. “That’s a risk I’m willing to take.”

*****

After thanking Raina profusely, Farah and Nishi (along with Raina) left for the Indian village. The three of them had twisted stomaches and fidgeting fingers, but they were determined. Today they would once again be able to live their lives.

Raina lead the trio into the town.

“What if someone sees us?” Nishi asked nervously, eyes darting back and forth. “And recognizes who we are?”

“Did you see how many people are outcasts? People surely can’t keep track of all of them,” Raina rezoned. “No one will see you and Farah.”

Still anxious, Nishi nodded.

But, lost in the throng, a face watched the trio as they set for Raina’s home.



The face’s eyebrows knit with concern. The person knew who they were. And the person was sure not to lose them. She set off, closely following the trio. A smirk played across the woman’s lips. She, Zelda, had, once again, found them breaking the rules.

“Tut, tut,” Zelda muttered disapprovingly, a voice that was lost in the clamor.

But she truly was smiling. She knew that they could not escape her....

In the shadows Zelda crept. The closer she got, the larger her smile became. Then her smile became a frown. Raina, Farah, and Nishi shut the door to Raina’s house. Now Raina prepared some food for them to eat. Together.

Zelda narrowed her eyes, scowling with hatred. These three were all disobeying the laws. They were spitting upon the Indian culture. She would not allow this.

Zelda then, having instantly memorized the location of the small house, raced off to find the ruler and tell him about the disgrace that was happening right under his nose.



Raina frowned. For some reason, she felt as though she was being watched....

Raina looked at Farah and Nishi. They were petting Sadi. He was acting extremely nervous and kept on yowling and slinking about.

“You nervous too?” Raina inquired. She had giggled before saying, thinking that it was funny that, for some reason, they were both on edge, but now she frowned. Why was Sadi acting like this? Why did she feel like someone was watching her? It was a bit weird....

Raina gasped and stumbled back. The face of an apparently angry woman was staring into Raina’s window wit unblinking eyes.
“What is it, Raina?” Nishi asked, having felt the same way as Raina and Sadi. “I-is something wrong?” Nishi hardly dared to ask.

Raina pointed at the window with a trembling finger. Farah and Nishi leaned foreward and looked, but nothing was there. Raina blinked and dropped her arm. She must have imagined it.

“No,” Raina decided, shaking her head. “I just thought that there was someone looking in the window. But I am just feeling nervous and imagined it.”

“Okay,” Farah and Nishi said, resuming their visiting with Sadi.

Nishi seemed less certain, though. She kept on glancing over her shoulder as if she were being stalked.

Soon, the tension left the room. Raina smiled. She had finished their lunch. She was serving some stir-fry rice with peas and a verity of other vegetables. Along with this, their lunch was made up of nan bread and fried veggies covered in bread crumbs. Raina particularly liked the spinach and onion vegetables.

They all ate, content. Little did they know, Zelda would soon be arriving with the ruler, Opu, to confront them.

*****

A loud bang sounded from beyond the door. Gingerly, Raina opened the door. There, much to her surprise, stood Opu, the ruler, and a tall, strong woman with a scowl on her face.

“Yes?” Raina asked politely, squeezing out of the thin opening in the door and shutting in behind her, worried for her friends’ safety.

“Hiding something?” the woman snarled, fire burning in her brown eyes. The woman leaned down so that her nose was almost touching Raina’s.

After a few moments passed, the woman somehow managed to make herself look even more angry. “Well?” she questioned in a growl.

“Zelda!” Opu scolded. “We must treat them fairly.” Then he directed his attention to Raina. “May we come in?”

Raina knew that saying “no” was not an option. So instead she muttered, defeated, “Of course. It’s just that my house is a mess and maybe if you could come back later--”
“We are not coming back later!” Zelda interrupted, spewing silva onto Raina’s face. “You must let us in, girl!”

Opu attempted a peaceful entrance once more. “We would very much like to see what is inside of your home. You can clean up after we leave.”

“But--” Raina started weakly.

“No buts!” Zelda hissed, angry.

“O-of course, sir,” Raina stammered, sure to address Opu and not Zelda. “Come right in.”

Silently, Raina pleaded that Farah and Nishi were hiding or had gotten out. It was a pleasant surprise to see that they had both hidden or fled.

“I guess that it’s case closed, then,” Opu said hopefully.

Zelda skeptically pointed at the dishes on the table. “You were eating a meal for three with yourself?” she inquired dangerously.

“Um,” Raina muttered weakly. “I had people over before you came. They left.”

Raina hated lying, but she would for her friends.

“Well,” Zelda continued, her facial futures wrinkled in disgust. “We didn’t see anyone leave.”

Raina almost allowed herself to smile. Zelda was falling. “They left a while before you came,” Raina said simply. “That’s why I’m embarrassed about the condition of my house.”

Even Zelda couldn’t argue with that. Then, Zelda’s gaze turned towards the window. She jabbed a long finger at the window. “Are they the people that you were sharing your meal with?” Zelda questioned menacingly.

Outside, Farah and Nishi were fleeing. A muscle-bound man lumbered close behind them. He was screaming, “Go away! Away!” and looked about in his late 30s. He held a small knife, but that was, strangely enough, for cutting vegetables.

“What?” Raina gasped, racing towards the window. Then she quickly corrected herself, “I don’t know these people. I just think that it’s strange that they are being chased by some guy with a vegetable knife.”

“Ah,” Zelda said in a venomous tone. “So that’s why you seem to recognize the people. And, if you don’t mind my asking, did you know that these people are outcasts?”

“Um,” Raina muttered nervously. “No.”

“Then you won’t mind us making them outcasts again?”

“Well,” Raina said, struggling for something to say. “Why would outcasts be in the village? Don’t they live outside of the town? How do you know that they’re outcasts, anyway?”

“Yes, of course,” Opu, who was nervously sweating quite a bit now, budded in. “But Zelda here was the one to tell me to outlaw them the first, and now she saw you sharing a meal with and speaking to them. I’m very sorry, but I will have to make them outlaws again and I will have to make you an outcast.”

Raina, stunned, was tongue-tied. “But--”

“I said no buts!” Zelda hissed, seizing Raina’s arm in an iron grip. “Now, you must come. Quietly.”

Raina did not come quietly. She struggled and screamed and kicked, hoping to warn her friends about Zelda and Opu’s approach. But, busy trying to evade the angry man, Farah and Nishi didn’t realize that they were about to become outcasts again until it was too late. Powerful-looking Warriors sprung upon them. They held them tightly.

And, Zelda (now empty-handed, sense and Warrior had now taken hold of Raina) proudly led the way out of the village, to where the outcasts lay huddled. Soon, Raina, Farah, and Nishi would join the group.

*****

Farah and Nishi waited. They caught a glimpse of Opu with a tall, angry-looking woman. Knowing what was in store, Nishi whispered sadly, “They’re going to make us outcasts again!”

“What do we do?” Farah wondered aloud.

“I don’t know!” Nishi murmured under her breath.

“No!” Farah gasped. “They’re coming in! Look!”

Sure enough, Raina was begrudgingly turning the knob. Any second now, Nishi, Farah, and Raina would become outcasts again.

“We have to hide!” Farah decided, not wishing to join the outcasts.

“They’ll just find us!” Nishi wailed.

“Then what should we do?” Farah inquired, heart pounding.

Not thinking, Nishi grabbed hold of Farah’s arm and jumped out of the open window. Together, they fled as Raina, Opu, and the strange woman entered Raina’s home.

They found a large bush and hid within it, terrified. A heartbeat later, Nishi gasped, pointing at a window, “This place is someone’s home!”

“It doesn’t matter,” Farah said, thinking about poor Raina. “They might be making Raina an outcast right now! What if she needs our help?”

“No,” Nishi said, pointing at and angry man that was lumbering towards them, a knife with bits of cabbage stuck to it in his enormous hand. “That’s the danger!”

“Oh no,” Farah squeaked.

The man had reached them not. He pated his knife in his hand like a batter might with a baseball bat. “You’re in my yard,” he grunted sourly.

“Oh hello, Badal,” Farah managed, weakly waving her hand. “We didn’t know that this was your yard. We’ll go now--”

“Hey,” Badal growled in realization, kniting his large, fuzzy eyebrows. “You’re outcasts, aren’t you?”

“Oh?” Farah said casually. She and Nishi were slowly inching away from Badal. His cabbage knife looked pretty sharp, and he obviously wasn’t afraid to use it.

“Yeah,” Badal said, jutting his chin out. He meant for it to give him a menacing, intimidating look, but it made him look more like he was a small child pouting about something.

With that, deciding not to take their chances, Farah and Nishi raced off, Badal pursuing them.
*****

After arriving at the outcast group and trading stories. They were all distraught. Now, they figured, there was no hope for them to become people again. If they did, they guessed that Zelda and Opu would just throw them out again.

“Why don’t we just flee?” Raina suggested, hating being an outcast.

“And live out in the wilderness with no one who knows about survival on their own?” Farah said.

“Well, isn’t that better then being an outcast?” Nishi reasoned. “I, personally, would much rather be alone in the wilderness then be an outcast.”

Raina and Farah nodded in agreement.

“We can’t just walk out, though, can we?” Farah wondered anxiously, eyes darting about and taking in the other outcasts. “Wouldn’t the other outcasts see us?”

“I guess we’ll just have to sneak out,” Raina decided.

“You don’t understand,” Nishi said, feeling crushed. “Farah is right. They’ll spot us for sure if we attempt escape. Then they’ll riot and want to come with us.”

“We’ve got to try!” Raina said desperately.

“You’re right,” Nishi agreed. “I hate this place.”

Farah nodded. “When do we execute the plan?” she inquired.

“Well, I guess at night,” Raina decided.

“But isn’t nighttime when people most expect an escape?” Nishi asked.
“Yeah,” Raina agreed. “But we can’t flee in broad daylight.”

“Why don’t we leave at dusk?” Farah wondered. “Time isn’t that important, anyway.”

“Then it’s decided,” Raina said happily. “We leave at dusk. Now we’d better get some sleep.”

They all agreed, and drifted into sleep, their dreams filled with thoughts of freedom.

*****

“Raina,” a voice whispered.

Raina jumped awake. Farah was standing over her, waiting for her to wake up. “What?” she asked. Then she remembered the escape plan. “Oh. Let’s go.”

Nishi was waiting a few yards away. She gestured for them to hurry, eyeing a giant man  in a too-tight, pea-green teeshirt and ripped jeans with brown, close-cropped haircut.

And they raced towards the darkening horizon, They raced towards freedom.

-KittyLover8
 © 2012