The forced inhabitants of a hilly terrain

The girl looked out of the one-roomed house at the dark clouds. The breeze sweeping through the Kans grass smelt of Durga Puja. A year back, she had celebrated their biggest festival with her parents in Bengal. Now she didn’t even know which part of the country they had kept her hidden.

Shades of perception
Photo prompt – copyright@soniasmusings

She had been kidnapped on the way to school. The kidnapper had gagged, blindfolded and sexually abused her. He had sold her at a brothel in a faraway hill station. She had been shocked to see his familiar face by chance.

Night after night, she bared her body to strangers as they raided it to satisfy their lust. She cried for the first few weeks and then converted her soul to stone. Last night she had spotted her kidnapper. She had covered her face and lured him into the room for the final act.

She turned to look at the brothel women watching the TV. The inspector spoke, “The man, stabbed to death has been identified as the maternal uncle of the girl who had sold the teenager for money. She lost her life due to strangulation during the struggle.”

But she had succeeded in seeking her revenge.

(200 words)

This is the 4th post written as part of the #MyfriendAlexa campaign as per my theme ‘Shades of Perception’. You can read the first three here.

For this challenge, I am using four photos as prompts to weave two flash fiction stories and one real story behind the picture. This is my second picture prompt. Stay tuned to read the second flash fiction that I will write around the same picture in my next post. You could also consider subscribing to my blog if you like reading my stories.

I am taking my Alexa rank to the next level with Blogchatter

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Author: Sonia Chatterjee

An alumnus of Presidency College (Kolkata), Delhi University, and XIME (Bangalore), Sonia Chatterjee holds two post-graduate degrees in Chemistry and Management and an MFA in creative writing from Writer's Village University. With eight years of experience in the banking sector as a Branch Head, she took a sabbatical from the corporate world to start her blog soniasmusings.com. Her blog consistently featured in the Top Indian Blogs list from 2019 to 2024. Her articles have been published on various digital platforms such as Women's Web, Youth Ki Awaaz, Tuck's Magazine, and Period Magazine. She was invited as a speaker at the Breaking Barriers, Kolkata 2018 event by the Women's Web, at the Women Writer’s Fest, Kolkata, 2020, and the Crime Writers Festival, Kolkata,2025. Sonia has written two detective thrillers titled ‘Deal of Death – Introducing Raya Ray’ (2019) and ‘Diary, Deceit, and Death – A Raya Ray Adventure’ (Vishwakarma Publications, 2024) and a non-fiction book on true crime titled ‘The Sanyasi Who Became a King’ (Sristhi Publishers, 2025). Her book ‘Diary, Deceit, and Death’ was shortlisted for the PVLF Awards 2024-25 in the Best Fiction Category. Sonia lives in Kolkata with her doctor husband and nine-and-a-half-year-old son.

161 thoughts on “The forced inhabitants of a hilly terrain”

  2. This is the ugly side of the society and hidden from the glaring media and the eyes of police, and many times all are part of this heinous crime that is perpetrated in our society so blatantly executed and we get agitated when we hear such stories and we take few steps in zest but it does nothing to deter such predators. The way you have started the story and taking from the days of celebration to such dark days, and the betrayal of such magnitude you have hit the button, losing faith in humanity. Stories are made to show the mirror, the true side as much dark and barbaric it may be and we need to have the courage to see the harsh reality and do something to eradicate such mentality and crude mind out of the purview of society. We are all part of the same society…very well crafted story.
    😀

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      1. It so happens in many fiction we read and as writer there is always that deep connection with the world around us, we subtly connect with the things happening around us, and the fiction is a form of fact…
        Always a pleasure Sonia.
        😀

        Liked by 1 person

  4. The last line was such a relief. Sad but true, really wish this ends somewhere. Everytime you read such a news, it only scares us more, for us and for our kids. Loved how you created the visual beauty of Durga puja and a barbaric end of life, in a flash fiction. Will wait for the next one.

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  7. such a brutal life for the teenager. you have brought out an important problem that is happening throughout the world. most of these kinda brutal acts to girls happen with them through the family members. glad she had her scores settled.

    Liked by 1 person

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  12. Little boys and girls are not properties or heirlooms to be pawned or sold when the going gets tough. I know this is fiction, but the deep-rooted reality behind this story shocks, disgusts, and disenchants me. The story was well written, Sonia. Your narration is improving by leaps and bounds with every new piece of fiction. Keep up the great work indeed.

    Liked by 1 person

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    1. Thank you Varad. Your comments are always full of value. I have definitely been inspired by my fellow blogger friends like you who write amazing fiction. This might be a piece of fiction but unfortunately it is a reflection of the sorry state of affairs.

      Liked by 1 person

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  14. I was just reading about the film, ‘Love Sonia’ that is on the exact same issue you have written about. It is not only sad, but it fills me with such rage just thinking about how one human being can do that to another! Don’t they have a conscience?

    Liked by 1 person

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  15. What a terrible terrible story. Unfortunately this is the bitter truth- kidnapping , sexual abuse and worse still crimes perpetrated by ‘loved’ ones . How can we call ourselves human when we have such base values ?
    I really can’t begin to understand how man can be so cruel.

    Liked by 1 person

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  21. Too bad the girl had to die, too, in the process of getting her revenge. But perhaps she had a moment of satisfaction, at the end. I’d suggest an edit, as this line is confusing: “The man, stabbed to death has been identified as the maternal uncle of the girl who had sold the teenager for money. She lost her life due to strangulation during the struggle.”
    I’d suggest: “The man who was stabbed to death has been identified as the maternal uncle of the teenaged girl who killed him. He had sold her to sex traffickers for money. During their struggle, he strangled her to death.” It seems a bit abrupt for an ending; maybe something like, “Her torment, like her tormenter, has been ended.”

    Liked by 2 people

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    1. Holly, I can’t express enough gratitude for the suggestions. I have been asking for honest feedback because I look forward improving my craft. Your comment has really made me happy today. I wasn’t happy about the last line either but the whole story had to be fitted in 200 words,so I let it be. However let me try to rework on the suggested points. Thanks again for your time and effort.

      Liked by 1 person

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      1. Ah! I’m not big on arbitrary word count limits, though they can help as an editing challenge. It’s a good discipline, but I think every story should be just as long as it needs to be, and no more or less.

        I was just a little confused on the pronouns and who did what to whom, which is why I proposed the edit. I’m glad you were open to it! 🤗

        Liked by 1 person

  26. I am glad she had her revenge. She was already dead when her trust was shattered. Why no values and meanings are left in any relationship? Why is a girl just a toy for these people? I am all in tears after reading this story as it is not a fiction, a scary reality of today’s world.

    Liked by 1 person

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  28. A tale that makes one go through a myriad of emotions and makes the reader identify with the trauma of the character. Compliments to you for beautifully weaving so much into 200 words. A big fan of your writing! Looking forward to more stories. Cheers!
    Dipali

    Liked by 1 person

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  37. Hey Sonia, The cool green serene beauty in photo contradicting the title , confused me in the beginning but it’s commendable how you managed to convey darkest agonies and revenge story within 200 words. #MyFriendAlexa #SujatawdeReads

    Liked by 1 person

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  38. Though it is saddening, it has a touch of reality. I am completely in agreement to the plot of seeking the revenge by the girl. It was a heinous task committed by that family member. He needed to die. I liked the way you have used the power of words to rattle the emotions through this tale. Well etched…

    Liked by 1 person

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  41. Well written. I fail to understand what pleasure men get when they rape young girls and teenagers. But I am happy that the girl courageously took revenge even if it meant death for her. #MyFriendAlexa

    Liked by 1 person

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  46. These stories are and have been a part of our society for long. Somehow we tend to push it under the carpet. it is heartbreaking to realize that it is always someone who is a close relative that takes advantage of your trust.

    Liked by 2 people

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  47. That was one bitter revenge. I like how you cater to issues that we all only read about with such clarity of thought and detailing of emotion. It feels as if you made personal a tour into their heart and back. And this one being a flash fiction was even more brilliant a job. Keep it up!

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  48. What a heartbreaking tale, spun so realistically by you, Sonia. I know it mirrors the society we live in that is full of perverted human beings who prey on little girls and young boys alike. I feel the world is getting increasingly unsafe for our children and shudder to think what it will turn into by the time our kids grow up.

    Liked by 2 people

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  49. It gives a shiver whenever I come across such heinous acts. Specially when it comes to small kids, who doesn’t even know what’s happening to them. This girl can be anyone and the shameful thing is that such cruel acts are a part of our daily life. What a trauma it is! The only thing that we can do is to educate our kids and make them prepared for any adverse situations rather falling a trap to it. You have beautifully carved the fiction Sonia, right from the celebration of Durga Pooja to the end where she takes the form of Durga itself and ends the evil.

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    1. Rashmi I came back to reply to your comment last. I’m so happy that you could identify the purpose of mentioning Durga Puja in this story. This is the unfortunate state of our society where we worship Goddesses and rape girls and women. I wish I could say this was a piece of fiction but sadly it is a reflection of the society. Thank you for reading and sharing your thoughts.

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