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Walk With Me
women, but could not figure out why a woman would be so cruel to her. She had survived the bleak past, but now both the present and the future also appeared bleak and dark to her.
On the fourth day, when Dhanvah was to return, Mula went to her mother's house to avoid facing her husband. Dhanvah returned to an empty home. He was surprised to see no one around. Suddenly he heard a faint sound coming from the basement. As he opened the basement door he heard the muffled sound of a woman. He grabbed a lamp and rushed down the stairs. There, in the dark was Chandanbala, gagged and tied to a post, with hand-cuffs, leg-irons, and shaven head.
"Chandana, is that you? What happened"? Dhanvah could not believe his eyes. He quickly removed her gag.
“Yes master! I don't know why, but soon after you left the servants brought me down and tied me up. “Baiji (Dhanvah's wife) and the servants then left home." Said Chandanbala
"You mean Baiji" ... He stopped short. He was shocked. He cut her lose from the post.
“I have to get an ironsmith to remove these handcuffs and legirons. Meanwhile, you must be hungry. Can you walk up the steps with me and I will try to find some food for you." Dhanvah said.
Chandanbala had not eaten for three days, and there was no food in the house to give her. Dhanvah found some urad lentils that had been cooked earlier for the animals. He asked Chandanbala to eat the lentils
while he left to find an ironsmith to remove her handcuffs and leg-irons.
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