Hidimbi paced back and forth in front of a crackling fire. Her mind was in a dark place. A place of anger and vengeance. She could feel Bhima in the forest. She knew he would be upon them by nightfall. She gnashed her teeth in anticipation. Her hands formed into knotted fists that whitened her knuckles. Over time, Hidimbi allowed her rage to consume her. She restored herself to her full and true power. She was a demoness aching to kill the man who had broken her heart.
Her sons busied themselves by sharpening their weapons. Hidimbi approached them. As her shadow crossed their crouched frames, they looked up at their mother.
"Laghu and Ghatokacha. My sons, you have been reared for this moment. I am so proud."
Hidimbi touched her heart. With the same fingers she pressed each of her son's foreheads. "I have bestowed my power on you. You are stronger than any man. Now, I feel your father's presence drawing near. Laghu, go into the trees and wait for my signal. Ghatokacha, go and prepare for your fight."
The twins ran off into the forest. Hidimbi took a deep breath to steady herself. She stood in the middle of a small clearing, a place she had purposefully chosen to be the scene of Bhima's final fight. It was surrounded on three sides by dense woods and backed into a steep rock face. There would be no place for him to retreat.
Hidimbi remembered Bhima's disgust for her. An apparent disgust that had slowly ripped her heart out of her chest. Hidimbi transformed herself into a jaguar and leapt onto a precipice overlooking the clearing. Now she only had to wait for the fight.
A few hours had passed. The sun dipped below the trees, painting the clearing in auburn light and shadows. Hidimbi stretched out on the rock face. Suddenly, she caught the scent of man. She transformed her head into a bird and let out a ringing cry. It was a signal to her sons. Their father was here. She regained her full feline form and growled softly into the evening air.
Ghatokacha's war-cry signaled the fight had begun. Metal clashed as father and son engaged in rigorous sword-play. Slowly, the giant Ghatokacha cornered Bhima into the clearing. As the pair, fighting vigorously, emerged from the forest, Hidimbi perched on all four legs and let out a menacing growl. This caused Bhima to pause and turn to look at Hidimbi. At this same moment, Laghu leapt from the trees upon his briefly disengaged father. The violent attack left Bhima kneeling on the ground with a gash across his cheek. Ghatokacha took this moment to lift his father and throw him against the rocks. Bhima was slow to regain his breath as his sons cornered him. Bhima's eyes pleaded for his life. The eyes of his sons only glowed hot and angry.
Hidimbi jumped down from her post, transforming mid-air into the body of the maiden she had become when she first met Bhima. She approached her cowering former love.
"Remember me?" She asked in a voice that oozed with faux-sweetness. Bhima simply glared at her. "Well," Hidimbi continued to walk towards him. "I sure remember you. Maybe you will remember this better?" Her cloaked facade dissipated to reveal her true form. Bhima looked at her in horror. "Yes. I see. You are more familiar with this form. Afterall, it is all you ever saw me as anyway."
Hidimbi was so close to Bhima now that she practically whispered into his ear as she spoke. Ghatokacha and Laghu held him in place with their swords at his neck.
"You lure me here. Turn my own sons against me. Parade your revolting face in front of me..."
"They are not your sons. They belong to me and only me." Hidimbi fired back to Bhima.
"Then that makes this easier. And you are foolish Hidimbi, for expecting me to come alone." Bhima's distress disappeared in an instant. He grinned towards Hidimbi.
An arrow shot out of the forest and pierced Laghu's shoulder. He screamed out in pain and dropped his sword. At the same time, three men ran into the clearing hailing a battle cry. Ghatokacha turned his attention to them. Bhima realized his inattention and grabbed Laghu's sword. In one swift motion he threw Laghu onto his back, the arrow forced deeper into his shoulder. Laghu yelled out. Bhima silently asked for the forgiveness of the gods as he plunged the sword into the heart of his son.
"No!" Hidimbi screamed and lunged at Bhima. Her hands turned into claws and her teeth into fangs as she ferociously attacked Bhima. One of the men accompanying Bhima grabbed a torch from the fire and flung it at Hidimbi, scorching her back. She screamed and let go of Bhima. She lay in the soft earth, reminiscing of the time, long ago, when Bhima had thrown her to the ground out of disgust. She was no longer a slave to her love for him. She stood up and shrugged away the pain. She glared at Bhima. He offered her a condescending smile. She looked to the body of her murdered son. Her anger renewed. She lunged at Bhima. He flung her away from him. Two archers appeared from behind Bhima and each shot an arrow into Hidimbi's shoulders. She cried out and fell to her knees. Bhima approached her and assessed the damage. "She will bleed out soon. Let her suffer."
Hidimbi lay in the mud made from the dirt and her blood. She watched through sinking eyelids as Bhima turned his attention to Ghatokacha. "Detain him. We will put him to use at war."
Author's Note: For the final story, I wanted to end on a really dramatic note. I also wanted to remain true to the story summary provided by the narrator at the beginning of the story collection. This final version is completely different from any other retelling of Hidimbi and Bhima. It is hardly the same story. However, I think it is more along the lines of hwat would actually happen if a man broke a demon's heart. Typically, it ends much more pleasantly. They fall in love and when he leaves it is amicable. In the original story, Bhima does employ Ghatokacha in a war to defeat his enemies. I have kept this element in the story.
I wanted the background for this story to be representative of the story as a whole. That is why I chose a flame that moves in a circular motion. The story ends where it began: with Hidimbi and Bhima in the forest. The colors are red and angry. However, there is a tinge of blue to represent the justification Hidimbi has in her wish to destroy Bhima. Ultimately, her revenge plot is is not successful. In the end, Bhima takes everything from her: her heart, her sons, her revenge, and her life.