BOOK

 THERE IS A GHOST IN MY LOVE STORY

                                  

                                                CHAPTER: I - BROKEN HEARTS

Few days ago

Outside of a mining field:

“AHITA… AHITAA… where are you? Come out it’s dangerous to play games in here. Please come out where are you?” He knows she is teasing him but he is not enjoying it today he is feeling that something is not right.

He is searching and shouting for his lover outside of a mining field. It is not new for them to be in there but he was afraid about the newly planted landmines to prevent the attacks of wild animals around the camp area. It is their usual place to meet since outsiders are not allowed inside the camp. Just a couple of hours ago she texted him… “come and meet me in our regular place”.

“I am here SANDY” he heard a voice from behind a tree near to him.

He went there and look behind it but there is no one behind the tree, “BOOOO” a mild voice very close to his ear even though it sounded romantic he was not prepared for it he shook his body to get rid of the goose bumps.

He turned around “never do that again please” while exhaling.

“Why sandy you don’t like it or do you afraid,” she asked him while resting her both hands around his shoulders and gently pushing him towards the tree.

“Uhmm…” he felt the tree touching his back “I like it but I am afraid of this place also I am feeling something strange today” he started to grab her waist slowly with his one hand and adjusting the hair falling on her face back to her ear “and you know I really hate that nickname and what is that important to tell me in person”.

“First thing it’s not your nickname it’s my new pet name,” she said it as she is coming closer to his face and leaving just enough space to not to touch his lips with hers.

With a smooth voice “so I am your pet now. ok, I’m fine with it and what is the other thing” while trying to fill the remaining gap between their lips.

Suddenly she pushed him little hard to make herself out of his arms around her waist she started to run “for that catch me”. “hey… it’s not fair to stop” he started chasing her.

“Then catch me,” she said while she is running away from him. Suddenly he realized that she is running into the landmines “AHITA.. stop don’t go there its dangerous”. She turned towards him and running backward “then come and get me quickly”. He started shouting loudly “AHITAAA…. stop”.

Suddenly a huge sound a landmine went off…and the air full of smoke and dust…

Present day:

Secunderabad railway station, 23:45

[Train announcement: For your kind information please train number 10212 Telangana express from Secundrabad to New Delhi is ready to leave from platform number four]

Train started to move. A man with messy hair and wearing usual sleeveless t-shirt and a blue jeans weird violet colour sports shoes running on the platform to catch the train wearing a huge rucksack on his back and a zip of it still open because of the last minute packaging, A water bottle in one hand a small plastic bag filled with fruits and chocolates to eat in the middle of journey. Somehow he managed to catch the train door handle with one hand which he is already holding the water bottle and he managed to jump into the train. But he slipped his leg because there is no grip on the metal base of the train, but he suddenly pushed into the train from behind. He said to himself that “ooh… that was close very… very close” he turned back to than the person who helped him, but there is no one, he thought he missed the opportunity to thank him because the train is moving.

He started the search for a seat. The compartment is almost filled up with people and he is really praying for a seat because he has a long way to travel. Fortunately, he found a window seat he managed to remove his rucksack and shove it under the seat and he open his bottle and drink some water. And he kept his fruits bag inside his bag before he shove it under the seat.

He pull out his headphones from his pocket connected it to his phone and put it in his ears, he lean on the window and after some time he started to fell asleep, and drowning in his memories and started to see the incidents he want to forget.

                 Do you believe in love?

I don’t at least that’s what I believe until I saw her. No, she saw me first actually.

I still don’t know if she is an angel came to rescue me. Before you know about her story you need to know my story.

It all started two years ago. My name is ‘SHASHIDHAR’, my friends call me ‘SHASHI’, I am an engineer, a mining engineer to be specific. I have a beautiful family, a sister who loves to tease me all the time, a father who let me do anything I want without any objections or conditions unlike most of other fathers out there, and finally my lovely mother who always want me to get married.

My mother says that “if you are above twenty-five years old you are old and if you are old you don’t get a beautiful wife”. But somehow I am skipping my marriage with the help of my other family members. I am twenty-seven now.

The reason I am doing that is I want to marry a girl I love but the problem is that I never loved anyone. But one day in a weird way I met a girl “YASMIN”. She is the girl of my dreams. she has everything I wanted in a girl.

  [That’s what every man thinks about the girl they love. Right?]

One day I went with my friends for coffee. On our way to the coffee shop, we saw a crowd on the roadside, I and my friends are wondering what’s happening over there. Suddenly from behind “dude come on hurry, open the camera someone is going to jump that cell tower. We don’t get a chance like this again make it fast we can shoot it with mobile”

[That’s what everybody thinks these days. Aren’t they? The World is getting really crazy]

My friend said, “Let’s go guys see what’s happening there?” We all went near to the cell tower and looking at the man on the tower. Suddenly I started some girls are whispering from my side “I don’t think she is going to say it. She will say it just wait”. While listening to them I managed to take a look at the front side of the crowd.

Some people are trying to convince a girl to say “I love you” to the man on the tower. I understand the situation. Girls from my side are like “I bet thousand rupees she will say it. I bet two thousand rupees she won’t say it.”

[I thought those men with the cameras are crazy, But these girls are super crazy!]

 Out of curiosity, I turn my head to see them. There are four girls and she is one of them “YASMIN” wearing a red colour full sleeve t-shirt with a yellow smile from front side with a caption on the bottom of the smile “smile always” which suits her perfectly, a sky blue colour belt which matches her heels colour with black jeans and she knots a ponytail with a band matching with her t-shirt colour.

She looked perfect. Yasmin Suddenly “where is the man I can’t see him”. One of her friends replied, “he is right up there look”. “Where I can’t see him,” she said. Her friend again said, “How could you, you forgot your other two eyes at home”.

[Well they say love is blind. In my case it’s really blind]

“Hehe, funny. I don’t care about the man but she will say I love to him” YASMIN looking at the girl.

I can’t help myself I just want to talk to her. So I move closer to her and said: “I don’t think she will say it”.

She and her friends looked at me with a question mark on their faces, “And who are you?” YASMIN asked me. “I am just a normal person like you, I bet she won’t say it. What do you say?” I asked. “She will say to him. What is the bet?” she replied to me with a question. “If the girl says I love you to that guy I will buy you a coffee. If she don’t say…”  “You have to by coffee for all of us” her friend cut me in the middle and said. I said Ok without hesitating for a second.

[Either way I am getting what I want so what’s there to hesitate]

                                                 We all are eagerly waiting for the girl to say something everyone else worrying about the man on the cell tower. Suddenly girl yelled towards the man in tower “I love you… raj… don’t die for me please come down…”

[Okay she said it]

I turn my head towards YASMIN and her friends. All of them are looking at me with a crazy expression on their faces. “Okay. I get it. There is a café nearby shall we go there or do you girls have any other place in mind”. I said. They all agreed to come with me to the café along with my friends. We introduced ourselves one another properly at the café had coffee and talked for some time also planned for next meeting.

One meeting led to another and within three months we proposed each other.

[It’s all happened so quickly like a magic]

                                                Like any other love story, we also had a problem.one day she called me and asked me to come to her home immediately, so I went. She came to the door to receive me. She took me into her home and introduced me to her father, “DAD he is SHASHIDHAR. I love him and I want to marry him”.

[Ooh boy, I completely screwed up. What happened to her all of sudden?]

“Hello, sir my name SHASHIDHAR” I cut her in the middle before she could speak anything other stupid words while offering him a hand.

He gave me handshake, a firm one, but I cannot see his expressions because of his big neatly combed long beard. “What do you do?” he asked me. “I am a mining engineer, I work for the mining company” I replied.

“Do you have any family?” he asked me. “Yes sir I live with my family, I have a mother, father and a sister,” I said.  “I need to discuss it with my daughter and my other family members you may leave.” He said it with a commanding tone. I said “take your time sir goodbye, bye YASMIN” and I left their home.

After that incident, I didn’t get any calls or messages from YASMIN. Two days later I get a call from YASMIN at 1 A.M, she told me “my parents didn’t agree with my decision”

[How can anyone reject a young, handsome, good looking person like me?]

“Forget about me and don’t try to call me. Bye.” She ended the without giving me a chance to speak. I tried to call her mobile but no use.

I went to her home next day morning to talk to their parents, with a little hope that they may change their mind, but they blow my mind. Their house is locked, neighbours told me that they moved to somewhere else and they didn’t even tell them where they went. I tried to get her details through her friends but nobody knows anything about her. I just wanted to know what happened in her home after I left, why her parents didn’t agree with her. Maybe I’ll never know the answer. But I am little depressed after all these things.

[Actually a lot, they say first love hurts you like hell and I thought it was just an exaggeration. Now I know it’s damn true]

After that, I didn’t step out from my room for two weeks. Now my parents are started worrying about me.

One day my father entered into my room with an envelope holding in his hand and said “you have got an appointment letter” while showing the envelope to me.

I took the envelope from his hand. While I am reading the letter “are you planning to go there or not?” my father asked me. “I haven’t decided yet” I replied with a tired tone. “Why? Is it because of the girl?”

He asked. “Maybe, I don’t know.”

He sits by my side and hold my hand and said: “you may get another girl like her but you don’t another opportunity like this think about it.” He left the room.

[It’s ended quicker than I thought]

Well, I have nothing to do at home so I decided to join in the job. About my job I got an assistant field engineer post in a mining company. This evening I packed my luggage and started to go to the mine.

He opened his eyes from sleep he started to feel hungry he checked the time he realized that he slept for twelve hours continuously. He opened his bag he kept under the seat and grab an apple to eat.

Suddenly he heard that the person next to him arguing with his wife not that loud but he can clearly hear what they are talking about his daughter loved someone and she want to marry him but he is not okay her decision.

Suddenly another person sitting in opposite seat asked him that “what’s wrong with her decision sir now total generation is like that.”

The person next to me replied that “I know that sir I raised my daughter for 22 years and now suddenly an idiot knock my door and asked me that I want to marry your daughter how can I agree to that. When she once she was a child I refused to buy her a chocolate even she is crying because it will spoil her health. How can I believe that a person is not even capable of convincing me can take care of her entire life? And my daughter said me that it’s her life she can do whatever she want and she is going to marry him even without our permission. Do you know how much it pains me inside sir? ” With a helplessness in his voice.

He can clearly saw the tears in his eyes, and started to think about the YASMIN father. He thought that her father also probably felt the same way about him.

While he was thinking there was an announcement about his destination.

It nearly took me 16 hours to reach the destination by train. When he reached the station there is a man waiting for him to pick up.

He introduced himself as “SAKSHEEM”

CHAPTER: II - A PROMISE TO KEEP

Few days ago: Two minutes after the explosion, in Security and command control room:

A guard rushed into the security control room, and headed towards the chief of the control room, and done a typical army salute “sir”

‘Yes soldier what is the problem you look disquiet’ the chief turned and to the guard and asked him with his commanding base voice.

“Yes sir there is news from our outpost camp on north side that there is a blast near the post” guard replied.

Chief got some enrage look on his face “those bloody villagers again I just want to crush them all with my hands”.

“But it’s not the villager’s sir” guard said to the chief with a pulsation.

“What? Who is it then?” chief asked the soldier.

“It’s one of our men sir. According to the guards at the post and entry book record it’s one of our engineers from the officer’s camp from the north camp area” guard replied.

Chief face turned into red “those educated morons can’t even read the sign boards, guard get me a line to the north outpost NOW”.

[Walky-talky ringing at the north outpost. ‘this is control room anybody there hello…’] A soldier picked up and answered “yes sir this the guard from north outpost speaking”.

Back at the control room “sir a guard in online you can talk to him now”. Chief grab the mike “soldier this is Assistant Commandant MARANE speaking what is the situation there”.

“Sir it seems that one of our men engaged in the blast sir. We are planning to rescue him if possible or at least collect the body if there is any.” Guard replied with a hurry voice.

Chief “no soldier don’t do any futile things. Try to analyse the situation first if those villagers reached there before us we can’t do anything. ”

‘But sir… ASP. Saksheem Singh is already on his way to the blast area” guard replied to the chief.

Chief squeezed the mike with his hand it instantly divided into spare parts and a rage in his voice “that stupid saksheem Singh promised Me he won’t do any idiotic things again and he made me a fool, Do we have a name on the person who went outside”

“Yes sir it’s a female name Ms. Ahita” guard next to him replied with a shake in his voice.

Chief surprised and shocked “WHAT THE HELL…..”

PRESENT DAY: Inside the railway station

While I am getting off the train there hardly seems a hundred people inside the station so I believe it’s not the popular station then. Then a tall man maybe an inch above the six feet height and a white turban on his head neatly dressed and with little heavy beard walking towards me and asked me “are you Mr. Shashidhar from Hyderabad”.

“Yes I am and you are…?” I asked him. “Myself Saksheem Singh and I am here to pick you up to the camp”.

“CAMP!?”  with a confused expression on my face. “Yes Mr. Shashidhar why do you look so surprised” he asked me. I cleared my throat and said “Uhemm… I thought I am supposed to hear more like an OFFICE may be”.

He laughed “hahaha… so I assume you have no idea what you signed up for” he said.

“YEAH… I am also getting that feeling now” I replied.

“Well then Mr. Shashidhar come with me I’ll explain you everything on the way” said to me while he is leading the way.

“By the way you can call me Shashi no need for formalities” I said while following him carrying my bag with me.

“In that case you can call me saksheem” he said.

“Saksheem How much time will it take to reach the camp” I asked him.

He turned his head to me and said “so eager to work already?”  

“Aah… nothing like that. I just want to relax a bit, it feels like I am still walking inside the train” while rubbing my forehead.

He smiled gently and said “we are going to the camp tomorrow Shashi”.

“Then where are we going now?” I asked him. “To VARANASI” he said.

I can clearly sense the despair in his voice. “To KASHI” I asked with a little anxiety.

“Yes you can say that also” he replied but again with same feel in his voice. “But aren’t we supposed to go to the camp now?” I asked him.

He again looked at me “don’t worry Shashi I already took care of everything there is no hurry”.

[I have no option but to follow him now anyway I want to visit Kashi for so long, this might be the chance]

“Ok then Saksheem as you say, but how are we going to Kashi?” I asked him. “In the vehicle provided by the company we are working for” said to me while pointing his figure to a red color vehicle.

“Of course a jeep” I said. He said while we are getting in the jeep

“It will take forty-five minutes from here to Varanasi”. Why are we going to Varanasi anyway?, Asked him while making myself comfortable in the seat.

“One of my friend’s family is here to visit Varanasi and I planned to meet them” with same despair in his tone.

“Where are we going to stay until tomorrow?” I asked him again.

He took a deep breath and answered that “don’t worry Shashi there is a company guesthouse in the Kashi we will be staying in there until get back to the camp.”

[I can see that he is in pain I just want to know what it is, besides I have no one to talk in the vehicle so…]

“Would you mind if I ask you a question Saksheem?”  I asked him with a slight hesitation.

“You are going to ask me anyway aren’t you?” he said.

I can see a gentle smile on his face and I said “yes I can’t help it! Why are you looking so disturbed? I am just asking out of curiosity if you don’t want to answer I don’t mind”.  

“There is nothing to mind Shashi do you ever thought sometimes some things in your life happen suddenly that you can’t even imagine and you can’t do anything to stop them and you are forced to watch them happening in front of your eyes just like you are a statue” he said with a mild tone.

I took a deep breath to comfort myself and said “believe me you have no idea” I started to gaze into my memories while resting back in the seat.

Five days ago: 

While I was still figuring what to do with my life, early morning 3:30am my friend SHANKAR called me and told me he needed me urgently. So I took out my bike and went to his place, when I reached there he seems to be in little rush and asked me to drive his car while he throwing the keys to me.

[What the hell is going on this is 3:30 in the morning and this idiot is not telling me anything and my patience getting very thin]

“I asked him would you please tell me what is going on here?” I asked him because of the irritation caused by the disturbance of my early morning sleep. “Just take right and stop the car” he said it while answering his phone call.

[He ignored me. Bloody idiot have no concern about my sleep]

I stopped the car, he get down and went to a mortuary van and talked to someone and came to the car. “Get down I am driving” he said I can see the seriousness on his face.

I moved to the driver’s next seat and he started driving.

[It’s been ten minutes. Damn it. I can’t hold it any longer]

“Would you please tell me why there is a mortuary van following us behind?” I asked him. He took a deep breath and said “we are not being followed, we are guiding it”.

“Okay but why” I stressed my tone a bit.

“My cousin sleeping inside the van” he said to me in a low tone.

“You mean…” before I complete my word he said “yeah…”

[Now I am wide awake. Now I know the reason behind his silence and my morning adventure]

After sometime he stopped the car in front of a house but he is not getting out of the car and the men inside the van are got down and waiting for my friend to give the instructions. But I can see he is lost in his thoughts and not ready to step out the car. “Hey, what’s happened? Family must be waiting just take the body and go inside.” I told him while tapping his shoulder.

He looked into my eyes and told me “that’s the problem yaar…, nobody knows about this, last night they contacted me because of the emergency contact number in the file. How could I tell them that they lost their child”

I can clearly see the tears in his eyes. “But we can’t change the past. Can we? Just go inside the house and tell them what happened I will bring the body inside, go… ” I send him into the house and went to the van.

Told those people waiting outside the van to take the box outside and put it inside of the house. While I was at the gate, entering in the house along with the box I heard a scream “Shashi…come inside quickly…need your help”.

I ran in to the house and saw an old lady lying unconscious on the floor and my friend holding her head in his arms. I ran to him asked him what happened, he told me “when I told her about the death she just fell down I don’t know what to do”.

Suddenly her daughter came from another room and just shocked by the incident; she rushed towards us and asked us in a loud voice “what happened here”.  I and my friend lift the women while telling her daughter “there is no time, just stay in the home we will take her to the hospital” I told her.

We took her to the nearest hospital in our car while left the dead body at her home. After thirty minutes of waiting doctor came to us and tell us that she went in to a cardiac arrest and there is very less chance to recover from that.

My friend started crying tears flowing from his eyes. I hold his hand firmly “don’t panic just go to your sister she is alone in the home with a dead body it’s not good for her, I’ll take care here just go to her”.

I sent him home and hoping for the best. After two hours doctor came to me and said “we did everything we could, but she is no more”.

[Is it only to me or all the doctors in the world says the same thing. Don’t know why I got tears in my eyes, maybe because of too much tragedy for one morning]

I called my friend told him what happened. And completed the remaining formalities in the hospital took her body to the home. I saw her daughter and who just lost two people in her family, and the only family she had crying helplessly saying that “mom promised me that she will be with me forever but she died” sitting beside their dead bodies, just by seeing her I can’t stop tears in my eyes.

[Suddenly a whisper in my ear wake up When I turn back I saw glimpse of a scary face]

I wake from my sleep with a shock. Saksheem still driving the jeep saw me and asked “what bad dream?” 

“Yeah, kind of” told him while adjusting myself in the seat.

Saksheem stopped the car “here we are, this is the company guest house go inside and take some rest I will pick you up tomorrow afternoon” told me.

“What should I do until tomorrow afternoon?” I asked him with a tired voice while I am getting down from the jeep.

He smiled and told me “do whatever the hell you wanna do, but be here by tomorrow 4 pm okay. Bye” and he drive away.

I went inside the guest house and watchman gave me the tour of the house and went outside. I removed my clothes to take a bath and went inside the bathroom. When I was about to complete my bath I heard some noise in the room, I quickly wrapped the towel around my waist came outside to check but there is no one in the room I thought it was wind. I wiped myself dry and put on some fresh clothes from my bag.

Meanwhile watchman brought some food for me and kept it on my bed, I ate that and went to outside for some fresh air. I saw watchman doing something in the garden I went to him and asked him there is any particular places nearby to visit.

“Is it your first time visiting the Kashi sab?” he asked me with a weird look on his face.

“Aah…yes why do you ask?” I asked him.

“There is a ritual going on from last two days on ASSI GHAT, people and sadhus from all around the country are coming to see that. It’s just 15 kilometer away from here” he told me with a little excitement.

“Really!” I said.

While showing me the way he said “haa… sab just take a taxi from here and just tell him to go to Assi ghat you will be there in twenty minutes.”

I went outside and took a taxi just like he said, whatever the watchman said it’s true I can see the narrow roads filled with people and vehicles. Looking at the number plate of the vehicles I can see that those vehicles are really from all over the country. It took me more time than the watchman said but finally I reached to the famous Assi Ghat.

Watchman said ritual will start exactly at 6:45 pm everyday but it seems that I am early so I decided to take a walk around the place to look around….

[Why I started to feel something strange…]

Same day morning somewhere in the Varanasi:

Middle-aged women opened a door and walked into the room. She went near to a young women who is sitting near the window probably don’t even know someone entered in her room.

Middle aged women went near to the young women and sit next to her and said “look dear everything is going to be fine. Just cheer yourself up, see there is a ritual going on at Assi Ghat you will find some peace I PROMISE” she left a Boucher about the ritual side to her and she left the room.

After sometime young women slowly picked that Boucher and started looking deeply into the Boucher and 

Slowly whispered herself “yeah I made a promise too”

Chapter: III - B. O. O. K

Few days ago, ten minutes after the explosion:

‘Come on, drive faster we have to be there as soon as possible’. Asst. commandant Marane is said to the driver in a loud tone to make him drive the vehicle faster because he doesn’t want anything bad happen to that girl.

Suddenly he turned his head back from the front seat and ordered one of his soldiers in a hasty voice ‘make a call to the north outpost and get a confirmation on the person who went outside? and went to his normal sitting position.

One of the soldiers sittings behind the commandant reached to his walky-talky and made a call to the north outpost and replied to the chief ‘sir according to the logbook entries the person name was Sandeep’

Chief completely turned his body back to the soldier and said ‘ask him if it is the officer from the engineer's block’.

Soldier again spoke in the walky-talky and replied to the chief ‘yes sir. It is him.’

‘Ahh… what a day’ said chief, and he is barely having his patience and said to the driver come on drive faster…

As soon as the vehicle reached the outpost chief ran to the guards at the outpost and asked the guards…

‘Only one girl or is there anyone went outside before the blast…’

Guard stand in a standard military position replied no sir according to the log book only one female is went outside before the blast.

‘Now close the gates and don’t let anyone inside or out. DO YOU UNDERSTAND?’ Chief raised his voice and ordered the guard.

‘Yes, sir,’ the guard replied to the chief.

Chief turned to the jeep and shouted ‘come on we need to go there what are we waiting for’. And he whispered to himself that ‘I hope nothing bad happens there…’

Present day in Kashi…

Because there is so much time for ritual Sashi went to some sightseeing near Assighat….

He decided to take a walk to see around and started walking in the bank of the holy river ‘Ganga’.

He was watching everybody paying respects to their loved one and bringing the ashes of the dead once for immersion and he also saw that some people burning the dead body.

Suddenly he saw that some people called ‘Aghoras’ considered to be the greatest devotees of lord SHIVA, who are eating the flesh of the dead human bodies. It is his first time seeing them. He was petrified by that visual and started to walk away quickly, when walking quickly he accidentally collide with a person who is meditating.

Shashi fell on the ground because of the impact. When he got up and looked at the other person he is also the Aghora, still sitting in the same position and gazing at him.

‘sorry… sir. I didn’t notice you. I am very sorry…’ shashi said in a frightened voice and ran from there.

In the process of escaping from there he entered in a street with full of people.

‘Ok this looks more pleasant than the other one’ shashi murmured to himself in a relaxing manner. He started to walk on the street and looking around him.

There are shops both sides of the street. Not huge but big enough to display their products. They are selling almost every kind of household products and most of them are handmade also some of them are selling books too.

He heard someone talking in their mobile saying that I’m in ‘Abeeti Street’.

[Ok, it’s called Abeeti street. Good to know]

 While looking around him he forgot to notice about the people around him and ran into a woman.

‘I am sorry… I didn’t seee….’ When he saw her he felt something mesmerising in her eyes.

[She is so beautiful Shashi…say something to her…]

He wants to say something to her but he lost the words for a moment. She looks like an angel in a white Patiala suit, a typical Punjabi women outfit.

‘It’s ok. It’s my mistake. I am sorry’ said the women without even looking at him and walked away.

Shashi started following the girl unknowingly even the street is crowded. But the women not even noticed him. He followed the women for some distance, he suddenly lost the women in the crowed.

Shashi started searching for that women and he couldn’t find her anywhere. He kept on searching for that woman, while searching for her, he finds himself at the end of the street, no shops and no people around suddenly he finds it creepy.

He wants to go back and when he was about to turn back he heard a sound, a sound of a stick, when someone hit the ground so hard with one end of the stick.

He slowly turned back and saw what is behind him. It’s a man, an Aghora, the same person he hit accidentally some time ago.

He holds a stick longer than him in his right hand and it’s got holy threads are tied to it at the top of it. He’s got a long hair almost covering his waist. His body completely covered with ashes of dead bodies.

Shashi stood right in front of him. He was so afraid that he couldn’t even move a bit. He didn’t noticed before because he was sat down but shashi can now clearly see him.

[OHH…MY…GOD he is naked. Completely naked]

Shashi wanted to shout it loud but he couldn’t dare to speak a word.

Aghora placed his left hand on shashi’s chest and started to say something which he couldn’t understand.

But shashi’s concentration is not on what he is saying, he was more on  to his appearance because he looks more frightening.

After a minute the Aghora pushed shashi with only slightest of his hand moment. But shashi fell on the ground even for that little force.

By the time he is back on his feet and looked around the Aghora wasn’t there.

[I guess now we are equal then…]

Shashi said to himself thinking that the Aghora was followed him to take revenge on him because of the previous incident.

Shashi again started to search for the women. He started to walk back to where he saw the women first time. When he was going back he saw a young man sitting on the side of the road but he was wearing neat clothes with red shoes.

Shashi stopped walking and asked the man ‘Hey… have you seen a woman in white dress around here?’

The young man raised his head and started to look at him. But he was not answering the question.

Shashi asked him again ‘you there Mr have you seen any woman’

The man still wasn’t answering the question. Shashi got irritated and left from there.

The young man got a very surprised look on his face, stood on his feet and gazing at Shashi while he was walking away.

Shashi went to the place where he saw the woman for the first time but he couldn’t find her there.

After some time he realised that it was almost the time for the ritual so he started to walk back to the Assi Ghat.

When Shashi was about to reach the Assi Ghat, he felt that someone is calling him. But he thought it was just in his head. He felt the same again but this time he heard the sound of a known voice calling ‘Shashidhar…’

Shashi looked at the direction of the voice, he saw Saksheem the other side of the road, signalling him to come to his side.

Shashi crossed the road and met Saksheem on the other side of the road.

‘I was about to call you’ said saksheem.

Shashi got surprised and asked ‘Me! Why?’

‘We are leaving now’ said Sakseem.

‘You said we are leaving tomorrow. What happened?’ Shashi asked in a low tone.

‘Just finished my work early and also got a call from our office so we need to be there as soon as possible.’ Said Saksheem.

‘So… we are leaving now’ Shashi asked him again.

‘Yes. First we go to the guesthouse, pickup your stuff and straight to the office you’ve been dying to see.’ Saksheem said it in a little sarcastic manner. He observed the little uneasy in Shashi’s face and asked him ‘Do you want to stay here for little longer.’

‘Aah..no, no… I have enough adventure for one day. Let’s go back. By the way what is it in your hand’ asked Shashi while looking at some book Saksheem holding his hand.

‘This is just a book my friend wrote about the mining details.’ while looking at the book in his hand.

Shall we go back to the guesthouse?

Ok.

“They both started to go back to the guesthouse”

Meanwhile: In the Abeeti street:

The girl in white patiyala suit walking on the street. She slowly stopped walking and looked to her right side. She is looking at a shop with full of books and also some stationary stuff. She took a step towards the shop. Slowly drowning into her memories, everything around her remembering the events happened in the past…It was a fine evening, sky is full of clouds and it was already feeling looking dark. Every shop keeper is wrapping their stuff up and closing the shops predicting that it was going to rain.

She was wearing red and blue Patiyala suit and waiting for someone. She looks at her mobile to check the time. She knows it was already getting late. She unlocked her mobile and speed dialled a number…

Hello… where are you?

Where are YOU?

I’m already here, and it’s getting late.

I know. But why are you looking so nervous.

What? Are you watching me?

Of cores I am watching you. Can’t you see me?

No. just stop playing games and show yourself.

OK! Turn around then.

When she turn around she saw him standing in front of her so close that she had to take a step back to see him completely.

‘Where have you been?’ Disconnecting the mobile

‘Don’t be angry I’ve got you something for you.’ Taking out his other hand he was hiding his back.

‘For me? What is this?’ Taking the little object wrapped in gift paper. She put her mobile in her bag and started to unwrap it. It was flat and small, no bigger than the size palm. When she completed the unwrapping and saw the object and looked at him with a weird expression.

‘What! Seriously? Note book… a small note book. Can’t you find anything else to give me?’ Looking at him with the same weird look on her face.

‘Well it’s not note book it’s actually a notepad just see inside please.’ Pointing his figure towards the little red notepad.

‘What’s in it?’ She flip the cover of the notepad and saw what’s written inside of it.

‘You wrote this?’ She asked him with a surprised look on her face.

‘Yes.’ He replied with a little smile.

‘For me?’ She asked him with a little excitement.

‘No. I just happened to saw a beautiful girl on my way here and I can’t help it to write for her.’ He told that just to tease her and she knows that too.

‘Then give it to her. I don’t need this take it.’ She said it in a fake angry tone giving the notepad back to him.

‘I really want to but I think it’s too late for that now. You can keep it.’ He said looking at another direction pretending that he was really saw another girl.

‘I’ll kill you.’ She grinned and raised her hand to hit him.

‘Ok. I am sorry it’s really for you.’ He has a huge smile on his face.

‘I know.’ She came close to him whispered in his ear.  ‘What should we do now?’ She gently pushed him with her shoulder started walking away from him.

‘You know we don’t have much time. Don’t you?’ He held her hand and started walking with her.

‘Oh don’t worry about that just come with me.’ She started dragging along with her without showing any concern to what he said.

‘Can you please tell me where are we going now?’ He asked her but he didn’t get any reply from her. After a couple of minutes of walk they both found themselves in front of a book shop. She dragged him into the store.

‘Pick one.’ She turned to him and said. But he didn’t understand.

‘What?’ He replied with a little confusion on his face.

‘You pick any book from this store I will buy it for you.’ Waving her hand in the direction of book shelves.

 ‘Really…? Ok then let’s find a book shall we?’ He started to look for the book and she is following him. After a couple of minutes they both reached the corner the end of the shelves and there is no one is around them.

‘Haven’t you found anything?’ We went through all the shelves and racks. She asked him.

‘Actually I have a book in my mind. But I’m not sure whether you give it to me or not?’ He was looking deep into her eyes.

‘I promise any book you choose.’ She replied with a form tone.

‘Well I need BOOK.’ He asked with the same look.

‘Tell me the name of the book already…’ She was about to complete what was saying he grabs her waist left hand and pulls her close to him. She was surprised by his sudden action. He started tucking her hair back to her ear and runs down his fingers slowly and gently on to her neck and to her shoulder.

While he was doing that ‘book means B baby O only O one K kiss’ said it in a mild tone and stared to approach her lips with his and she started to feel the same way he did. When their lips are about to meet each other they heard some noise. They realise someone coming she freed herself from his arms and took a step away from him.

‘I think we better get-out from here.’ She said it adjusting her throat and started walking towards the exit.

‘Yeah I think that too.’ He started following her.

When they both are again on the street he came close to her to hold her hand. When he is about to hold her hand she hit him with her hand on his shoulder.

‘Aww… what’s that for?’ He asked her while rubbing his shoulder.

She grinned and said ‘nothing’ while trying not to show him her feelings.

‘When will you come back?’ He asked her while checking time on his watch.

‘It may take a week or so.’ She replied.

‘A week. How can I live without you that long?’ He said with a weak sensation in his voice.

‘Don’t try to fool me you have MAN and I know you love him more than you love me.’ She replied him. Suddenly he got a call he check his mobile and turned to her.

‘I have to leave now they are waiting for me.’ He holds her hand tightly. She understands that he doesn’t want to leave.

‘I know. I’ll be there as soon as possible and we can meet at our regular place.’ She said it with a little sadness in her voice.

‘Just come soon. Bye.’ He said and left from there.

Suddenly she heard a bike’s horn and feel the presence of people around her and realise she was standing on the crowed road. Girl in white patiyala suit stopped remembering the events happened in the past. She took out the little red notepad tale a look at it. She dropped it in front of the store and left from there with tears in her eyes.

When she was walking away from there the man in red shoes come near to the notepad. Pages of the notepad flipped because of the wing. He saw some writing on one paper. He knows the handwriting in it. He kneeled next to the notepad and read it.

YOU NEVER CAUSED PAIN TO MY HEART. YOU JUST SIMPLY RIPPED IT FROM ME.

Chapter: IV - Rules

soon...

                                                                                                                    - By

Rajesh Yanna