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Rahim and Raika - Suruchi Thakur

Once upon a time long, long ago in a far away land there lived a great but evil king called Kaaz. He had conquered many powerful empires, defeated many strong kings and collected treasures of unimaginable worth. He had, through his powers, forced the gods to give him immortality. Yet Kaaz was unhappy and lonely for he had no one to share his lavish life with. Orphaned at an early age during a raid on his kingdom, Kaaz never knew the joys of a family or the worth of a companion. He wandered aimlessly around his vast kingdom along with his council to amuse his lonesome life.

Not far from the great King, at the banks of the longest river in the Kingdom, there lived a shepherd called Rahim and his beautiful wife Raika. Now Raika had a beauty that went unmatched across the seven seas and Rahim loved her deeply. He worked hard to get her things and keep her happy. Every morning after Rahim took the herd out for the day Raika would bath in the river.

One day while the King was relaxing in his royal boat on the river he happened to notice a strand of hair float in it. This strand of hair was not ordinary looking. It was long, beautiful and had the heavenly shine in it. Enchanted by this beautiful hair and curious as to whom it belong to, the Kaaz summoned his council head. The head council examined the hair indecisively and suggested to Kaaz that the oracle, more apt in these supernatural matters, should be called.

So the strand of hair kept under glass was carefully placed in Kaaz's throne where he admired it everyday and the old oracle was summoned to the court. The old haggard lady who gave the king supernatural advise whenever needed, entered the court in her usual tattered attire of rags and quickly set up her crystal ball examining the hair intently. Then she applied to it some of her herbs...and invoked the crystal ball. Soon the King could see Raika in it taking a bath in the river inside the crystal ball. The oracle began to maunder loudly to her guiding spirits then turning to Kaaz she told him that the hair belonged to the woman in the crystal and she was his perfect match in every way. But with grim face she also told Kaaz that Raika was married to. Kaaz, who now coveted Raika and her beauty, was disheartened by what the oracle had told him. Watching this the head council suggested abducting Raika. The King over powered by his desire and blinded by his newfound treasure agreed.

After a few days of planing the disguised Oracle was then sent where Raika and Rahim live under the pretense of selling hairpins. Raika hearing the Oracle came out to see what the old lady had to sell. The Oracle showed all the beautiful pins she had alluring her into buying a pair. Raika selected a pair rushed back to her house to ask Rahim to buy it for. By the time Rahim returned outside with the money to buy the pins, the old Oracle was walking into the forest behind the house. Rahim followed the Oracle where she trapped him and blinded Rahim with a pair poisoned hairpins. Meanwhile the Kings soldiers abduct Raika from her home and take her to the palace.

Raika was then kept there for days with no one to talk to or explain to her why this had been done to her. She had assumed that the cruel king killed Rahim. Soon she was told that Kaaz planned to marry her and that the kingdom was preparing for their wedding. Saddened by all the injustice that had been done on her and the loss of her love, Raika stopped talking. She would only sit by her balcony that over looked the river she used to bath in and sing for her dead husband.

Rahim somehow found his way out of the forest and began to look for his wife. Days together he traveled on lands that baked under the sun. As the gods watched Raika and Rahim in pain they were angered by the cruelty that Kaaz had done to them. They guided Rahim to the banks of the river and out a heavenly shield around Raika so as no harm would happen to her.

One day while Rahim was washing his wounded eyes in the river he heard a melancholy voice singing and soon recognized it to be of Riaka's. Following the voice he reached under her balcony and called for her. Raika was overjoyed beyond heavens when she saw her Rahim and began to cry. As the tears rolled out of her eyes they fell on Rahim and miraculously healed his wounds. The god who had been silently watching this were moved by their love and sent an angel to help them escape and teach the evil Kaaz a lesson.

The angel told Raika that her long hair was the only thing that could kill the king and suggested that she made a rope out of it. Raika cut her beautiful hair and made a long tight rope out of them. The next day on her wedding night she attached the rope to her head and when the king came in her room she wrapped it around his neck. The King's soul soon left his body and was taken away by the god who wised to teach him a lesson.

Soon after Rahim and Raika fled from the palace and went far away to start a life anew.

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