A golden cage is still a cage.

****

Dressed in purple robes, Maya took a candle in her hand and went outside her room. The electricity was gone. Possibly there was a loadshedding.

The mansion of the Das was a dark maze of twists and turns. The andarmahal had bowed to this darkness with its mouth clamped and eyes soaking wet. It survived in the dull adventure of escaping and by putting up a show of normalcy. Maya was probably the only woman who dared to step outside her room alone in the night. She was barefoot, her silent steps on the marble only known to the omnipresent.

The wax melted and solidified, a ever boring circle of life– to fall and glide, reach the bottom, and stay there, thinking it is stable and harmonious where no one would notice, and yet, after feeding on the ones at the very top, the fire reaches for the ones hiding amidst plain sight. No one is spared from the seething wrath of Time. They must burn to live, live to burn.

Was it the heat of the candle's flame or the horror of the house that made Maya sweat, she didn't understand. Maybe it was a mixture of the two. She didn't know where to find Ram. No one seemed to be awake, no one seemed to be bothered about this disturbance. Here Maya was unable to breathe properly in her suffocating room, and surprisingly the mansion was deadly quiet.

Like the personification of Abhinoy's death itself. The mansion, after mourning so much over the death of its beloved young Babu, had turned itself into the beast itself which sucked his life.

Or was the beast really here, or somewhere else, perhaps in the forest?

A guttural noise escaped Maya's throat. This whole ordeal was getting on her nerves. She was a guest of the Das, the sole woman on whom they had entrusted the search for justice, and still no one cared to visit her when she should have been uncomfortable?

Perhaps it was for her own good, because she heard the muffled cries of a woman.

It was coming from a room towards the left. She entered that particular turn and followed the noise. It was so very faint, like the drowning whispers of a child lost in the sea. She stopped outside the room. Shadows danced inside. She kept her ear on the door.

"You women don't give in easily, when you actually should."

"Spare me, please! I beg you!"

"Why should I? One day, this must happen. I don't think anyone else is going to marry me, the only bachelor of this family, after the crumpled reputation we have come to build."

"But that–" The woman's words died into a screech. Maya heard a thump, a creaking noise. It must be the bed.

"That means, you are mine, Khirodh. You are mine."

Immediately Maya flung open the door. The man was startled and gave a yelp. Khirodh shivered, blinking open her eyes slowly.

"Manihar," Maya said through clenched teeth. "This is what goes on here, I see."

Manihar left his grip on Khirodh. She took her wrist, now imprinted with red marks of his fingers, and caressed it gently. When sanity hit her and she understood she was with a stranger woman in her room, she covered her body with the aanchal, barely trying to stop sobbing. Manihar had almost disrobed her and she could do nothing against his so-called manly valour.

Manihar mustered up a sugary smile laden with a bitter aftertaste. "You see, these are our family matters. In this area, you would find relationships happening within the family. It's nothing odd with the upper class."

"I understand it can be a cultural uniqueness, though to be honest, I find it absurd– the fact that she is, after all, the sister who shared the womb you have come from, and keeping that in mind, you should have given her some respect."

"I do respect her."

"I see no consent in her teary eyes."

Manihar wrapped his arms around Khirodh. She flinched. "Oh, she was just shy," he defended. "You know, women are afraid of physical intimacy." He raised his brow and smirked. "Well, maybe women of the cities have no problem in sharing themselves and embarking on lecherous adventures, but here in rural areas women still uphold traditional values. They keep their legs close and tight."

Manihar sized up Maya, and her hands itched to throw the candle at him. Knowing she could have done it in the heat of the moment, Maya thought it best to keep the candle on the table. "You see, Manihar Babu, Calcutta is very progressive. After all her name is derived from Kalika herself– Kalikut to Calcutta. Women of cities are bound to be as brave as her. We aren't afraid of our bodies, our sexuality, and don't feel bad to cut the balls of men who think we are mere toys of flesh."

All the while speaking, Maya had kept her voice low and soft, like a kitten purring to be loved. It irked Manihar. "Memsaheb, it will be best if you stay away from my family matters and focus on the death of my brother."

"To find out how Abhinoy Das died, I must know everything. Starting from when he died to who all could have killed him. That includes paying attention to every minute detail. And this, what you are doing here, is very interesting."

Manihar swung the uttariya over his left shoulder in a display of authoritative power. "Maya, you are our guest and detective. But I do not understand how my relationship with Khirodh should be connected to my brother's death. You are disrespecting our family now."

"It's not me who is disrespecting your family. You are doing it on your own."

"I can do whatever I want. This is my family, my house. I will treat Khirodh the way I like. She is a woman and my sister. Both require her to submit to me."

"She is a woman and your sister. Both require you to preserve her dignity."

This time, Manihar was losing his calm. He made his way towards Maya. Both were of equal height, so the battle of gaze ensued with a severe intensity. "It is best for a woman to give in to a man. They must follow the lead and not lead themselves."

"You are standing in front of a woman who is, by every standard, better than you."

"You are too nosy, aren't you? Mingling in the affairs of others and not doing your work."

"Who knows, maybe Abhinoy had found you and Khirodh in a compromising position, and lurched at you?And you killed him to pursue your lust."

"Maya!" Manihar shouted. He grabbed her wrist like she wasn't Maya and instead his sister Khirodh. But as soon as he touched Maya, he shrieked and retreated his hand. His palms were a dirty red and blistered. He bit his lips to keep down the pain. He glared at Maya's wrist, now noticing the silver bangle she was wearing. Maya herself was too shocked and couldn't process what just happened. But she understood one thing– Manihar was repelled by this bangle. This simple piece of jewellery became her saviour.

Outside, a crow came and perched on the window sill. All heads turned to that creature. It was a strange bluish black colour and had red glimmering eyes. It cawed incessantly, its eyes resting on Manihar, as if it was cursing the Babu.

"Damn these crows!" Manihar spat and left the room. The crow came and landed on Khirodh's lap. It's gaze had softened, and it rested its head against her soft skin. She took up the crow and kissed it between sobs. "You are my only friend. You understand me. You always come when I am in trouble."

"Really?" Maya was astounded.

Khirodh wiped her tears. "Yes. I know because this crow looks different from the rest. See, its colour is different and those eyes are so deep! They pull me in..." The crow acted like a loving pet upon hearing her words. "This little bird cares for me more than my family."

"Does your father know?" Maya asked. Her voice was unnaturally hoarse.

Khirodh pursed her lips. "My family is more warped than you can ever imagine, Maya."

"The cut." Maya pointed at Khirodh's neck. "It was inflicted upon you by Manihar, isn't it?"

"Yes." Khirodh sniffed back her tears. "I don't know what sins I committed in my past life to have got such a family now. I want to escape this place. I want to escape my identity, who I am. I-I don't want to be Khirodh."

The crow flew to Maya and sat on her shoulder. It nuzzled its head on her neck. It tickled Maya and she smiled. She felt the bird's soft feathers and looked into its beautiful eyes. Were those irises wet? Was the crow crying too? Maya was consumed by sadness. She kept the crow close to her heart, and the bird tried to merge with her heartbeats.

"It likes you, Maya. How about you give it a name? I never did... I never got time amidst so much chaos."

"Chandrasekhara." Maya gasped as the word left her lips. Chandrasekhara?

Khirodh laughed. "Too heavy a name for a bird, but if you wish, it will be called Chandrasekhara from now on."

Maya had heard Ramlal, the priest, mention this name. Maybe he had meant it as a god, but Maya then felt this could be a human. And now, Chandrasekhara turns out to be an out-of-the-world crow?

The crow adored Maya's hair with its beak and after it was satisfied, left through the window. Maya took her candle. "I had actually been finding Ram. There's no electricity."

"I think there is an issue. Ram will solve it on his own. Please go back to your room and don't come out unless there's a serious emergency."

"I am completely capable of protecting myself."

Khirodh snorted. "Maya, you don't know how far my family has gone in the past and how far they can go in the future." Khirodh clutched the bed sheets. "I think, you should leave this case and find something better in Calcutta. Staying here will only endanger your life."

Fear flickered in Khirodh's eyes. Maya heaved a sigh and left the room.

The family was getting darker than she had imagined.

****

The electricity came back around midnight and Maya slept long after that because she was feeling exhausted. Her dreams replayed the events she had seen last night along with additional psychedelic details that left her feeling tired when she awoke. Her forehead throbbed. She massaged it and sat up. It felt like she had slept for just half an hour and someone intentionally broke the spell of slumber.

She was going to brush her teeth when a knock sounded at the door. Who can be coming at this time?

Maybe it was Ram with her breakfast. But on opening the door she found the most unexpected person– Kalikacharan Babu.

"Sorry to disturb you in the morning. I am probably interfering in your routine."

Maya didn't understand the need for his politeness. Her intuition told this was just a cover. "Please come in."

Maya stood near a table while Kalikacharan Babu sat on the bed. "Slept late at night?"

"Yes. There was loadshedding."

"We are quite used to this. It happens in the village. We might be rich but still no competition for the advancement that cities boast of."

"Why did you take the pain of coming here? I would have visited you."

Kalikacharan smiled behind his bushy moustache. "You are my guest. I must come. I wanted to inquire– how is the case going?"

"I am building upon the clues." Kalikacharan scoffed under his breath. Maya's brows furrowed. "Excuse me?"

"You are such a brilliant detective. I have heard a lot about your name and fame. And yet you are this slow?"

"Have you counted the days for which I am here? Keep your patience if you want to find out the killer of your son."

"I have got news that you are poking your nose into affairs which are not related to the death of my son."

Maya snickered. "If you know which events are connected to your son's death and which aren't, why not investigate on your own, Kalikacharan Babu?"

This silenced the man. He didn't like it and groaned. "In our family, we keep women under our feet. They are not expected to raise their voice against us. They are expected to do what we want. I understand, being from a different upbringing, you will find this revolting. However, learn to respect the rules of the family where you live."

"Very well, but I cannot work on the case if you hide secrets from me. But to be honest, I am knee deep in this mess to come out now. One way or the other, I will find who is behind the death of Abhinoy Das." And who is behind the death of the girls. "And whatever I do, you need to trust me."

"What if that destroys the reputation of my family?"

"I have guarded both hilarious and horrifying secrets of families in the past for whom I worked. I promise to uphold my values."

Kalikacharan Babu's shoulders slumped. He got up and went outside the door without another word.

He depended on Maya. He couldn't harm her to satiate Manihar; it would be too reckless. He had to see she was working diligently. And if that required her to explore the depths he had otherwise curtained, he would let her venture for it.

"But if she ever tries to force me into things I won't ever do, I will kill her."