She eventually crushed Tejeemola’s hands, feet and finally head by wooden husking pedal while husking paddy. This abuse resulted in Tejeemola’s death. Then the stepmother buried her secretly. Even after her death, when Tejeemola’s spirit got manifested as various plants, the stepmother continued her cruelty by destroying these plants. Mysteriously, a gourd plant grew from Tejeemola’s burial site, followed by a citrus tree and then a lotus plant, all of which cried out with Tejeemola’s voice when touched.
Finally, one day while returning from the business trip, father saw a beautiful lotus flowers and Tejeemola’s father thought of taking one for Tejeemola. He asked his boat-man to pluck a lotus and fetch it. When the boat-man stretched out his hand to pluck one, the lotus wailed and sang –
“Don’t extend your hand, don’t pluck a flower, dear father.
Along with silk-clothes, my stepmother pounded me,
I am only Tejeemola.”
Thus the merchant, upon his return, discovered the truth and revived Tejeemola from her enchanted form. He then banished his cruel wife from their home.
Illustration: Amrapali Das
Source: Lakshminath Bezbarua Book of short stories
