Team Name : Maximus Dramaticus
Read the third part of the story The Enigmatic Exploration before proceeding please
~~~~~~~
Meanwhile, the days were rolling slowly in yet another part of the country. Shekhar sat stooped forward in his study drenched in the caressing gaze of the setting sun.
The mellifluous twitter of the birds outside had transformed unfailingly to a hullaballoo at the mere cue of the changing shade, from a vibrant golden to a subtle grey. The playful chatter of Roohi hung loudly in the otherwise silent house so much so that it had almost become an imminent ingredient of any day
Read the third part of the story The Enigmatic Exploration before proceeding please
~~~~~~~
Meanwhile, the days were rolling slowly in yet another part of the country. Shekhar sat stooped forward in his study drenched in the caressing gaze of the setting sun.
The mellifluous twitter of the birds outside had transformed unfailingly to a hullaballoo at the mere cue of the changing shade, from a vibrant golden to a subtle grey. The playful chatter of Roohi hung loudly in the otherwise silent house so much so that it had almost become an imminent ingredient of any day
.
He sat staring at the blank screen infront of him, the
silver rays emanating from the laptop screen dancing gleefully inside his eyes.
Being a freelancer wasn’t easy. It had its perks- like his hands brimmed with
one of the most precious assets in any writer’s life – time. But lately, the
burden of inactivity had started to take a toll on him, he knew. Bouncing from one
project to another, he was earning quite a decent sum every month, but then
there always existed a tempting tug at the back of his heart to come up with a
stupendous first novel, one that would take the literary world, or rather the
commercial league of the same by storm.
‘ Papa, come play with me !’
Roohi’s enigmatic voice pulled Shekhar back from his reverie.
He waved at her hopping outside, her pigtails jerking vigorously in the pale
evening light.
‘ Don't go far, Baby’ He called out to her through the window
smiling, wondering whether or not to hover over to her for another game of hide
and seek.
Tara – Where was she! One whole monotonous day had passed
since she called him up to discuss about the whirlpool Cyrus had dragged her
into. ‘I’ll be back soon’ – Her words echoed through him as a slow pang of pain
slithered through his heart, urging him to reach for his phone in a jiffy. Being a journalist, Tara used to leave in search of scoops at the most unlikeliest of the moments. Yet, Shekhar felt an inexplicable uneasiness this time around, the reason of which he couldn't fathom.
‘ Mr. Shekhar?’
‘Yes. Who is this?'
' I am Paresh - Cyrus's professor'
' Oh. what is it professor?'
‘I had been to cyrus's place a couple of times and came to know that he is staying at your house in Chuna Mandi now. You two are really good friends isn't ?
Shekhar nodded in reply bringing voice to his gesture with a soft grunt of approval.
'And that is exactly why I called you now. Have you talked to Cyrus
lately?’ Shekhar couldn’t help but notice the shade of apprehension that
lingered in his words, quite unlike something he would expect from a person of
Paresh’s stature.
‘Yes, I talked to him just yesterday. What is the matter, Professor?’ Shekhar lied in an impulse, not
knowing why the words slipped through his lips hurriedly.
‘Nothing serious, Shekhar.
Its just that Cyrus has been missing a
lot of classes lately. Being a law student out on an assignment this is not
something odd, but what bothers me most is the air of tension and apprehension shadowing his movements and words since around a month and half back'
Shekhar breathed heavily
through the speaker, his heart beats thudding so loudly that he feared those
would be audible enough to be transmitted all the way to Delhi.
‘ Having gulped down book
after book, facts after facts over the past few months, it would doubtlessly be a
different endeavour altogether to be out on the front cracking a case for real,
i know. I have seen students falter too many a time. But then, it should be
part of the growing process right, a crucial part in his metamorphosis’
‘ Sir, could you be a bit
more specific here. Is Cyrus out on an assignment? What assignment? I am sure
he hasn’t mentioned anything of that sort to me’
‘Oh, I am very sorry,
Shekhar. I deduced you to have known that Cyrus and one other student of his
group are on a practical assignment right now, strictly speaking for the past
three months. I had warned them sternly to work undercover, not to expose
themselves or to attract too much attention considering the graveness of the
case. I hope Cyrus sticks to my words for it is definitely a dangerous world
out there. And that is precisely why i called you up, to talk to him to pacify
his self to go slow and never to be over enthusiastic which a fresher like
Cyrus tends to be given the authority and the privilege that comes with being
granted the first case . Also like never before the academy has now come up with a
new scheme which Cyrus knows well enough-
Brownie points based on their performance for the scholarship which they
are offered for their internship abroad at the end of the last semester. Quite
a temptation to work all the more, isn’t it?‘
Shekhar mumbled in reply,
‘And what case is he working on now, may i know professor, if that is something
which can be disclosed’
‘It is a wrapped up case.
Something which happened two years back. The vital clues got erased away one
fine day forcing the judiciary to discard the case sans verdict. It was a
murder case and it was no secret how the mafia dons showered their usual nastiness
to cover up the proceedings of the case. ‘
The soft rumble of the ceiling fan was all that
could be heard in the overstretched silence that followed. Having promised
Professor Paresh on having a sensible conversation with Cyrus, Shekhar hung up
the phone.
‘See this papa!’ Roohi’s enthusiastic voice was what brought Shekhar
to his cheerful self once again.
‘What is it , baby. What do
you have here? Is that a puppy that you are holding? Eh, it is a big brown dog
or what. From where did you get it Roohi?’ Shekhar’s voice deepened which
erased the smile that had dangled on Roohi’s lips.
The golden tinge of the accessory that was clinging onto the toy's neck from a dainty chain brought a fresh tinge of pink to his cheeks - A razor!
‘Haven’t I told you not to
take anything from strangers!’ Shekhar almost yelled, his voice fluctuating
with fright as he ran to the backyard to throw away the stuffed doll as far as
his almost drained body could .
‘But he is not a stranger
,papa. I have seen him somewhere’
Shekhar stared at his
daughter who stared back at him, her beautiful large eyes welled up with tears
which started rolling down her flushed cheek in torrents smudging the kajal
lining her eyes.
``````````````````````````````
Cyrus winced as the sharp
needle pierced through his flesh insinuating the fluid inside the syringe into
the curvy crevices of his vein. A sudden bolt of pain shot through his head as
he jerked it to glance at his hand which was being deftly handled by the woman
in white. The nauseating odour of the room cleansed diligently with lotion and
dettol irked him more than the wound on his scalp that was sutured tight. His
senses slowly returned back to normal and his bleary eyes were welcomed by the
sight of Jennifer resting her head on the table next to his hospital bed.
In no time, the images of the
morning rushed back to his head uninvitingly.
Listening to Tara he had gone back to his
room to lie down alone for sometime. Jenny’s arrival had brought an
unprecedented joy to his otherwise weathered mind. Jenny’s presence felt like
an oasis amidst the the desert the pandemonium inside his head was, which had
been bogging him down for the past two months. How he wished she was single!
The tattoo of the fluttering butterfly on her arm was the first thing he had
noticed about her . It so suited her attitude – vibrant, alive, always on the prowl
for beauty in all its forms to satiate the photographer in her.
Nestling her thoughts inside ,
he had washed his face from the sink, the ice cold water easing the stress out
of him when a dash of movement on the mirror prompted him to turn back.
The scene unfolding swiftly
before him had knocked the senses out of him!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`
Read the next chapter of the story I warned you
Illustration sketched by Arvind Passey, team member.
Read the next chapter of the story I warned you
“Me and my team are participating in ‘Game Of Blogs’ at BlogAdda.com. #CelebrateBlogging with us.”
This story is now moving at a pace that is sure to unnerve the competing teams. Each segment is brimming with intrigues and twists that are sure to leave the reader gasping for more...
ReplyDeleteArvind Passey
www.passey.info
Excellent effort, Maliny.
ReplyDeleteSuperb expression and yes, the story is sure pacing up! :)
Wonderful twists in the story...it sure makes the reader turn the pages :)
ReplyDeleteExcellently described Roohi. Happy to be with this wonderful team
ReplyDelete