:Chapter One : The Lonely Damsel:
"The thing that irks me most is this shattered prison, after all. I'm tired, tired of being enclosed here. I'm wearying to escape into that glorious world, and to be always there: not seeing it dimly through tears, and yearning for it through the walls of an aching heart, but really with it, and in it."
-Emily Bront, Wuthering Heights
The strong odour of the kahva filled up her nostrils as she sipped the liquid intently while looking out of the window at the meaningless motions of trees. She clutched her shawl closer to herself and wrapped herself in the cocoon of her own arms. The cold had started to get deadly since a week and there seemed a bit of a drug in the zephyr of Kashmir that represented tranquillity.
She'd been alone for so long now that it almost seemed stupid to get out and have fun. Eight years ago when she'd married to her husband she was 19, it was impulsive and she regrets it to this day. How life would have been if she'd stuck to her 'No' of an answer rather than swimming gut deep into his charming and chivalrous tactics. She'd gone ahead picked up a way out of her melancholic life and taken up a rope to get out of the quicksand that he was.
She still remembered the day her Amma and Papa died in that horrible accident. They'd been on a trip to Nishat baagh when they'd hit a hill and gone down the cliff, their bodies had been found one month later in a pathetic condition and she was taken to her grandmother as she had been a minor.
When she turned 18 her Grandmother had suffered an unknown illness, due to lack of funds she couldn't be provided for and died almost immediately leaving a shattered little girl behind.
She'd gotten in a college on the availability of scholarship and met HIM. He'd charmed her to an immeasurable extent, she'd fallen for him hook, line and sinker. An impulsive mind is deadly and she had invited her own hell to herself.
The man of 22 had left her after spending a night of passion. He left behind a sorry corpse of a human being. She'd been a mess for long, too long and searched door to door for her husband but got nothing in return. She had even filed a complaint but lack of evidence had closed the files very quickly.
And now after whole eight years of drowning within the waters of her own demons she sat here pacifying herself that he didn't deceive her he's in some danger. He couldn't ever deceive her but there was a bit of a part of her that knew the truth. He was never coming back. Ever.
As the time went by she learned to live with it. She knew her life will never be a frabjous journey it will always have thorns but at the end of the day every woman wants a strong pair of arms that securely hold her at place after she had fought with wolves the entire day and she didn't have them.
She often thought what more amount of hard luck was left in her existence and what possibly she had that could be taken away. Sometimes she wondered what else can go wrong, what else can be a downhill she was left with nothing but a bit of dignity and she prayed every God damn day of her remaining life that she didn't have to part ways with it. No matter what the situation is.
She got up from the wooden chair that she was sitting on and dumped the cup in the kitchen sink. Her hand automatically went to a book kept on the dinner table just outside the kitchen. She picked up and read the quote she'd underlined as a child 'To the person in the bell jar, blank and stopped as a dead baby, the world itself is a bad dream.'
She'd loved the writer instantly and the book was one of her favourites. How easily it described the pain that she felt, the pain that didn't even let you go. She loved him, with all her heart and he took it and strangled the mismatched nerves of the object for his satisfaction, leaving a corpsical behind.
She re-wrapped her shawl on herself and hugged her arms together feeling the extreme chill that coursed through her spine. She had been working in a small start up company since five years after he had left her, trying to think what would have happened if she'd been more careful with herself and thought about the consequences that her actions were about to bring in near future.
She was about to get up and retire to bed for the remainder of the night when the shrill ringing of the landline caught her ears. Groaning visibly she sighed and got up, dragging her uncovered, bare feet through the path she rushed to the living room to pick up the receiver. She clutched the device in her cold hands and placed it on her ear.
"Hel-loh? " She asked in a polite manner and waited for the person to speak.
" Hello?! Am I speaking to Mrs. Anika Bharadwaj?" The voice on the other side of the line was excruciatingly manly and hoarse. For a moment she felt her cheeks cluster up a strong red hue but overcame it immediately.
"I'm Anika Rai." She stated blankly thinking who knew about the surname of her missing husband.
"Ms Rai this is the head investigative officer of Kashmir Police special branch. I want to ask you for an immediate appointment on a subject that needs my attention. I'd like to meet you as soon as possible so as to have a word with you in person, of course." his authorative voice shook the walls of her eardrums and she shivered within herself from the cold or the effect of his voice that was unanswerable.
"Y-Yes I'll be m-more th-than glad to help. I could clear anything I have and meet you at whatever time y-you wish." She had started stammering because of the ruckus thudding of her heart. This call meant a possibility that HE was found or maybe can never be found.
"Then I'd like to schedule an appointment with you on 19th of this December. Is that fine by you? I'll reach there in three days after completing my other engagements." He stated ever so nicely causing her to sigh audibly.
"Is this related to my Husband?!" She questioned back not being able to resist the urge anymore.
"I'm afraid it is. And I wouldn't- couldn't say more over phone. Sorry." He instantly dropped off the receiver and hung up on her while she stood there in a daze trying to recover from the interaction just occurred.
She knew the day would come when she'll get face to face with the reality of his betrayal and had hoped numerous times that he hadn't betrayed her intentionally, that he had been stuck somewhere else so as to not break the shackles of her trust.
Sighing deeply she leaned back on the headboard of her bed thinking what more badluck her existence had to offer her now and closed her eyes to vanish into her own world of peace and tranquillity.
Writer:Euphoric Damsel
:Chapter Two: Savior Comes Calling:
"Melancholy were the sounds on a winter's night."
-Virginia Woolf, Jacob's Room
He gazed at the road in a monotonistic manner thinking about the deed he was about to do. He had been wanting it since the day Rizvi had told him everything , in fact it was partially a reason why he wanted to meet her personally . Four years ago when he'd joined the force he'd been vulnerable,two years prior his father Tej Oberoi the head of the department and an encounter specialist for the Kashmir police had lost his life in a showdown with a gangster.
His life had come to a standstill in a minute. His plans from going to a big University and then getting a Masters degree went down the drain. His mother Jahnvi, worked her toe nails off for the firm that offered her a job in the time of need. Soumya Oberoi was all the little bundle of joy that he and his mother had after his father's death, his little baby sister. He'd been thrown a job offer from the Kashmir police as soon as he graduated due to his father's reputation.
He had accepted it with open arms, never once snickering at it. Jahnvi Oberoi had been reluctant to let her son go ahead and take up the job, she knew it would ruin his dreams that he'd concocted in the due course of his life.
He however convinced her that they needed the cash to go on not for them but for Soumya, who had just cleared her class tenth boards with flying colours. He began his job from a week late of graduation and was getting good reviews within his second month.
The 'Bade Sahab' as all the office called was a very dear friend of Tej Oberoi, he was the only one who accompanied him on his last mission. He always had a soft corner for him and that helped. Soon a year flew by like sand from palms and he was excelling in his job.
He was good better than his father and now he didn't regret joining the force, though his dreams for a Masters degree were ruined he still was happy because his family was happy. Soumya kept excelling in her studies and made him proud, so what if he couldn't get a degree for himself his baby sister will get it for him.
As two years went by Mr. Ali Rizvi the 'Bade Sahab' and the friend of his father was invited to his house for a small supper as Soumya had topped her school in twelfth boards. And a large helping of 'Rogan Josh' with the flavoursome 'Yakhni Pulao' was something Rizvi could never resist. After they'd finished the hearty meal the two men sat down drinking coffee outside in the small garden of the Oberoi house. Rizvi knew it was the time to tell him something that his friend insisted on.
"You know your father knew you'll be a fabulous police officer. He wanted you to be one, but you had denied it so many times he believed his dream would go down the drain." Rizvi completed.
"I did Sir. I had dreams but most importantly I wanted my family to be happy when he died, so I took the job. And I've never regretted it." He replied haughtily.
"You're one hell of a man. Any woman will be lucky to have you." He sighed deeply, he'd never had that special someone in his life and now with so much workload it seemed he'll face a lot of difficulties to find one.
"I need to tell you something. Your father always had this regret, even before he went on to his last mission. He wanted it to be solved but couldn't. It was the only case he shut down without a possible explanation." Rizvi said in a calm manner.
"I had no idea. He was always so good with the cases , no matter what he always had a conclusion,a proper closure. What was the case?" He asked.
"Missing person. Husband of a girl. She was a pretty 19 year old newly married. For just a day. Poor girl didn't get to spend any time married he just vanished in thin air." Rizvi spoke and his heart fluttered, a meager girl of such a young age. What a Pity.
"Sir I doubt it was just a missing person case. How can father not find anything he was a specialist in these matters. Absurd."
"That's why he regretted it. He hated revealing it to the girl that he couldn't do anything. He told me the look on her face was pure demonic. Tej wished he could have done something." Rizvi completed.
"I'll handle the case. If this was his wish I'd like to complete it. What was her name? I'll need to contact her before I reopen the case Sir." he completed.
"Mrs. Anika Bharadwaj she wrote on her filing report. Poor kid, she was alone, no family nothing. I wish I could help Tej in some way but I had my engagements at that time. If you can solve this you'll make your father proud in every wish." Rizvi stated simply.
"I'll do whatever I could."
And with that his fate was sealed he knew he had to talk to her but before that her case file needed to be read. A couple of weeks later he sat in his office with the file on his lap and caressed the lapels of the file. He opened it swiftly and read the information of the girl. She was indeed 19 years old, good in studies and had recently lost her only guardian her grandmother when she married Sankarshan Bharadwaj. A man of 23, four years elder than her.
She'd been trapped he'd made up the conclusion almost immediately but after investigating in the direction he dropped it off. He knew he went away with the obvious choice and that was possibly the thing his father Tej Oberoi must have done. He churned the wheels of his mind to come up with a conclusion that maybe she wasn't trapped, maybe something did happen to the guy and he didn't get identified. But before he can go forward he needed the lass's permission to go on with the investigation.
He had contemplated all the things that could go wrong, she could deny the reopening of the case for starters, she could slam the door on his face or she could simply say yes. Nothing was known to him but he wanted this case solved once and for all. His father had, had a couple unsolved cases before but all had a proper conclusion this one did not.
He dialed the number he was given in the file, a landline number, of Kashmir. As soon as he heard her soft, melodious voice his heart fluttered, but he recovered. This was absurd to him, he called her name after seeing in the file. She however corrected it to her maiden name but he didn't miss the long sigh and change of voice.
The meeting was set and here he was standing outside her house, looking at the cosy place he felt at peace. The zephyr had increased in the drive of mere two and a half hours and he clutched his coat tighter to himself. Finally after taking a few steps he knocked on the door once, twice and paused. He rubbed of his shoulders to dust off the specks of snow from his coat and wrapped his muffler closer.
The door opened and his eyes met hers the beautiful hazels. His jaw dropped and he gazed at her for a long two minutes before recovering and clearing his voice. She waited up in a curious express adjusting the edges of her kurta.
"Ms. Rai?" he spoke.
She looked up at him and made a sturdy nod legitimising his claim. He knew this wasn't going to be easy. Anyone would never leave such a beauty willingly. It was definitely more to the story.
And he will make sure he finds it.
:Chapter Three:Midnight Ramblings:
"I needed her to stop. Needed not to hear the pain in her voice--to see the way she was twisting the pocketbook strap. If she kept talking, she might break down and tell me everything."
- Wally Lamb, I Know This Much Is True
He wrapped his hand around the cup filled with pipping hot 'Kahva' and blew out the brim to make the liquid edible. After he had taken a big enough gulp he looked above at the surroundings in front of him.
The house was warm and had an old aura to it. The furniture seemed at least a good fifty years old, the fireplace was pretty worn out and the living room had a minimal amount of showpieces that consisted of mainly old lamps and lanterns.
He took another sip and moved his gaze on the woman in front of him. She sat there holding her own cup and rotating her index finger over the brim. She was dressed in a plain lemon salwar - kameez and sat there with a shawl wrapped around herself. She was breathtaking if he had to sum it up, the woman had made electricity jolt through his nerves when she'd accidentally touched his neck to take off his ruined coat.
The chill of the atmosphere had left a red hue on her fair skin. After almost a minute she looked up at him only to find him staring back . He diverted his gaze back to his cup feeling extremely conscious about his behaviour. He rubbed the back of his neck to avoid looking embarrassed and finally spoke.
"I'm sorry to be here at this hour Ms Rai. I- I couldn't do anything the storm got pretty nasty out there." He stated hesitantly.
"It's- Okay, I'm sorry I didn't even ask your name. How silly of me officer." She spoke in a meek voice.
"It's okay Ms Rai. I'm Shivaay Oberoi, I'm the head investigative officer in Kashmir police." he introduced himself immediately.
"It's good to meet you... Ummm... Why exactly did you want to meet me?" She finally looked up to his eyes and spoke.
"I know it might have been a shock to get a call all those years later. I couldn't be more... Sorry for not contacting you. I have read your case file Ms Rai. I want to reopen the case again." He said and his breath hitched after he looked at her slightly wet orbs.
"Why now? It's been eight years now. Back then when he left... vanished, I had filed a report immediately but no one can find anything. The case got closed and I... Somehow managed." She told him correcting herself from spilling her own thoughts that may be highly wrong.
"I'm not sure how to put this Ms Rai, I don't think you have any idea about this but my father was Tej Oberoi, the one who was the investigative officer of your case. Yours was the only one which he couldn't conclude. He died shortly after your case was closed in an encounter. " he said looking away from her. While she looked at him with a pained expression and then finally back at her lap.
"Your father was a good man. I remember his guilt ridden face when he had told me he couldn't find anything that would make him conclude anything. I was... Devastated, cried till my eyes hurt." He gazed back at the brim of his cup trying to hide the slight formation of tears in his eyes.
"I can understand, it must have been difficult. Ms Rai I want you to let me reopen the case. I know it'll be hard for you, to relive the trauma but I need to form a conclusion. It was my father's regret that he couldn't do anything. Let me help you, Please." he completed his request with a small pleading please.
"You can. It's not going to be anymore agonising, he's already gone and I know whatever happened to him he isn't coming back. I'll let you reopen the case Mr. Oberoi." She kept fidgeting with the hem of her kurta.
"Thank You so much, I'm really grateful to you Ms... "
"Anika." She looked up and finally lifted her lips in a thin lip tight smile, to which he smiled back.
"Ummm... I think I should leave. It's pretty late I'll have to drive back before morning. I've got a duty from 7 am. Goodbye."
He spoke and Anika nodded. Getting up from the place where he was sitting he nodded politely at her and turned around. She walked ahead of him to assist him with the door. With a slight force she pulled the door open to shiver badly. The storm had raged extremely and her front porch was covered in snow completely.
"Y-You can stay here if you want it's pretty bad out there. If you're not uncomfortable..." She offered him to stay in her house. She had plenty of room and letting him go in this unlikely weather condition would not be feasible.
"I can drive back, Anika, it's no big deal." he said.
"You can certainly, but you shouldn't it's risky. I'm not forcing you just telling you it's unsafe.." She said and looked up at him. He gazed outside the window and heaved a sigh.
"Okay, I'll stay till the storm dies down."
And with this their fates were sealed.
Forever.
:Chapter Four:Strangled Hearts:
"The sky grew darker, painted blue on blue, one stroke at a time, into deeper and deeper shades of night."
-Haruki Murakami
She stirred the soup in her bowl with a slow motion trying to get the content consumable. The temperature had experienced a significant fall since he'd arrived at her doorstep and it would have been a stupidity to let him drive back. She'd insisted on him staying back, in order to be relieved about his safety.
The accident of her parents had made her extra careful with things and she had no intention of taking a chance with anyone else's safety specially when he travelled all the way to her abode.
He'd refused instantly when she'd asked him for food indicating his thoughtfulness about her but she had not stopped, gone ahead and prepared a pot of shorba for both of them. She'd served the dish into two bowls and placed it in front of him to which he had smiled and muttered a low thanks.
"Do you want to tell me some things about your husband?" Shivaay had been waiting to utter a word since so long. He had seen her working her way through the kitchen and he haven't been able to get his eyes off from her. She was beautiful and he'd felt his heart flutter in his chest everytime she looked in his eyes.
"There's... Not much to tell if you ask me. He was with me for only a month or so and then we married." she looked away from the man sitting in front who reminded her of her missing husband. They weren't similar physically but the ways of their speaking and behaviour was quite similar.
"I know it is hard for you to go through everything again after so long,but the truth needs to be out. Ripping the band-aid off is not easy but once you do you're free." he knew his words weren't any consolation on her wounds but somehow he didn't want to see her tears.
"It was like the floor had slipped off my feet in an instant the next day of my wedding, I was sitting at the porch after he'd left in the morning claiming to have an important assignment to finish. He never returned." She completed her side of the story remembering what had occurred.
"I'm sorry, I can imagine how it must have been. Can you give me a bit more details about him? His height, hobbies, appearance anything that could be of any help?" he was being a tad bit overboard but he knew he needed all this to proceed with the investigation, but it didn't stop him from staring at the beautiful lass crying in front of him.
"Sankarshan was never too elaborate about his job. He used to freelance basically, even I never asked him any details about it. He just earned enough, he had a birth mark on the joint where his back and neck met, it was a dark brown patch. And he sang really well, apart from this I don't know anything." Shivaay cringed at the thought of her knowing a single intimate detail about another man. He felt extremely peculiar about the feelings he had experienced in the past three hours after meeting her.
"Thankyou for telling me these things it will help me with the case. I hope I really find out what was the reason he disappeared all of a sudden." he spoke after noting down these minute details into the Notepad of his phone.
Time passed bit by bit and the storm didn't seem to get quite at all. The two people ate in silence glancing at each other in between. It was an odd phenomenon that Shivaay's heart fluttered everytime she looked directly into his eyes. He came to a conclusion that after so many years of his life he had finally found someone appealing.
"Are you alone in your family?" she asked finally breaking up the silence that had prevailed for over half an hour.
"No!, no I have my mother Jahnvi and a little sister Soumya. She's about to start college and thinking of going through with literature." he replied proudly.
"That's excellent, really, literature is the one of the most amazing subjects if you have a knack for reading. It is like being on a full on reading spree." she replied excitedly.
"Yeah I know. I really hope she gets by nicely." he smiled looking at the enthusiasm of the woman in front of him.
"She will, don't worry. Do you mind if I ask something?" She asked him in a polite manner and gave him an apologetic smile at the end.
"I need you to tell me the truth, whatever it is. What do you think happened with my husband?" he knew this was coming sooner or later.
"I think he's no more Anika. I'm not going to lie to you, it's been eight years and absolutely no record of him. I'm not sure if he met with an accident or he left willingly but I promise that I'll find out, whatever the reason for his disappearance is." he glanced at her eyes and saw her tearing up which made his heart crack into two.
The cries became evident in the room of the big house. The walls felt enclosing and finally the window pane broke open bringing in the snowy zephyr from outside. The hearts had started opening up to each other.
The winds of Kashmir was about to witness a new story.
