by Anmol Batra
Mr Sharif keeps his face expressionless and asks him, “Where is Billal?”
Altaf averts his eyes again, steps back a little and mutters, “I…I...I don’t know. I haven’t heard from him in weeks.”
Altaf turns around and starts walking towards the crowd as if avoiding a conversation. Abbas closes the logistics compartment shutter and the train starts to move. He moves closer to Mr Sharif and mutters. “Chacha, believe it or not but this carton will go past the border to Ferozepur in India.”
“Mr Sharif continues to look at Altaf who has now stepped into the crowd. He replies to Abbas without looking at him. “I know... One can’t afford an Apple phone this early in a railway job.”
Arjun starts walking towards Altaf when the station clock diverts his attention. Foreseeing time constraints, he decides to return.
25th December 2012 1:30 AM | Swati’s Residence
Arjun wakes up in bed and looks at wall-clock placed in the room. He tries to move but finds his limbs almost lifeless. He finds Swati alongside the bed, sleeping in a chair placed next to the study table. In a low voice, he calls Swati who is in a deep sleep. Swati doesn’t respond.
Arjun takes a deep breath and shouts loudly, “Swati!”
Swati wakes up with a start and looks around. “Wh...What happened?”
Arjun shouts, “I need help!”
Swati wakes up and returns to her senses. She looks at Arjun and steps closer to him, “What happened?” Asks Swati.
“It seems like they are paralyzed again,” says Arjun in a tired voice.
Swati recalls Nidhi’s advice and starts with the physiotherapy procedures. A hot oil massage and muscle exercises. It takes two hours for her to revive Arjun, and he finally steps down on to the floor to walk over to the toilet.
25th December 2012 11:15 AM | Swati’s Residence
Another bright Sunny day, Arjun and Swati sit in the front yard basking in the sun. Though Arjun is now able to walk, he still feels numbness in his legs. He frequently stretches out his leg muscles and jerks his arms trying to bring his limbs to life. His face contorts with unease. Swati can now clearly understand the prolonged effects of his travelling as a soul.
In a worried voice, she says to Arjun, “Do you have any further plans once you find Ankita?”
Arjun stares at his toes, which are shining in the sunlight. Though the sun feels good, he could still experience a pricking sensation in his feet. He turns his head towards Swati but replies solemnly, “First, let me find her. I’ll kill all of them.”
“Relax, don’t end up doing any foolish things. You are no good on your own in Pakistan. Any other suggestions?” Asks Swati.
“I can call the local police and simultaneously track their movements as a soul. Hopefully they can help,” proposes Arjun uncertainly.
“Ok! This may help police track the drug peddlers but how will Ankita justify her nationality? Also, what if the police have been bribed? We’ll end up making things worse for Ankita.”
“I know if Ankita is found across the border I will need to visit Pakistan as my physical self. I don’t think there is any alternative to this,” acknowledges Arjun.
“You can get a visa to Pakistan and you can also travel there. But how will you get Ankita back to India without a passport or visa?” Questions Swati
Arjun thinks for a moment and proposes, “By sneaking across the border.”
“Too risky! Terrorists, drug peddlers, the Indian army, not to mention the Pakistani army as well – you won’t be spared by any of them,” warns Swati
“I have a plan, risky but less so than illegal border crossings.” Swati continues, “Can you get me Ankita’s Passport?”
Arjun curiously looks at Swati and says, “Yes, I have it but what do you want to do with it?”
“I’ll get a visa for three of us. If required, both of us will travel by air and bring Ankita back along with us. Before we leave for Pakistan we will get a duplicate stamp made from Chandni Chowk. A stamped passport and visa is all we need to get back to India by air,” proposes Swati.
“Two of us will be having genuine stamps. It would be less likely that they would suspect us. At worst, even if they catch us, we might face a jail term but we won’t end up in the hands of the Pakistani army who might declare us to be terrorists,” says Swati.
Arjun peacefully listens. His pulse starts to race on hearing her words and now he is worried about her as well. In a hasty, anxious voice, he utters, “Your idea does make sense and thank you for your help. In fact, thanks for everything that you have done for me so far, but this is where it ends. You are not coming along with me. It’s too unsafe.”
Swati makes a face and tries to convince Arjun, “Look, I can help over there as well. I can…”
Arjun interjects, “Aren’t you going too far to know the future?”
Swati remains silent for a moment. She is emotionally charged. Her eyes well up but the tears are loyal enough not to fall without her command. She buries her sentiments within and calms herself. The next moment, the doorbell rings. The gate is few steps away from the metal chairs where Arjun and Swati are sitting.
Without answering, Swati goes and opens the gate. A courier in blue shirt hands over a white envelope with her name and address written on it. This reminds her of the fifth Envelope. She walks back to Arjun.
“Yes, it is unsafe, or rather far more unsafe than I might imagine it to be, but you did see me finding my soul mate. If that event is pre-written then it is not possible for us to end up in a prison or die in Pakistan,” Swati asserts.
With a worried face, Arjun looks back at Swati and pleads, “Yes, I have seen the future and I always believe in destiny, but I won’t be surprised if the future has changed. As a child, when I woke up with this ability it was a book that started it all. I believe I am not the first one nor the only one with this ability. I am not sure if the future can be changed or not. In fact, the more I know about it, the more likely it is that I might end up changing it which means that you may not meet your soul-mate at all. If I live, I die or get imprisoned for life in Pakistan it would be my destiny and I won’t share it with you.”
“I also believe in destiny and fate. I don’t think my fate will do injustice to me.” Swati replies emotionally. Next, she gets up and starts walking inside.
From the front yard, as Swati is about to enter the drawing room she calls back, “Take a few hours’ break and then you need to visit Pakistan again.”
“My selfishness is going too far,” curses Arjun. As he bleeds with emotion, he puts his hand over his eyes, pressing them against his fingers, and bows his head.
25th December 2012 1:15 PM | Swati’s Residence
Two Hours pass by, the sun shifts its position and the sunny front yard is now covered in shade. Arjun continues to think of a solution.
Swati steps into the front yard again and looks at Arjun, who is lost in his thoughts with his eyes wide open. In a calm voice she urges him, “You can’t afford to waste time like you did in the office. You need to visit Pakistan again.”
Arjun grins at Swati. Confused by the look on his face, Swati questions him. “Now what?”
Arjun replies, “I’ll get mine and Ankita’s passports. Could you please get visas for the three of us?”
Swati is filled with joy. Inside, she bursts with joy, but is able to keep her outward emotions in check. She calms herself, holds back her blushes and questions him, “So you are OK with me coming along with you now?”
“Yes I am but we’ll book tickets with different seat numbers on our way to Pakistan. On our return, Ankita and I will book seats together and yours will be a separate one. In case we get stuck, you leave for India,” proposes Arjun.
Now he requests, with his eyes full of concern, “Can you promise me not to wait around if Ankita or I get stuck in Pakistan?”
Swati doesn’t hesitate. Without a second thought, she nods her head in agreement. With a smile on her face, she replies, “The
visas will take at least 10-15 days. So, we need to act quickly. While you go and visit Pakistan, I’ll get the passports from your house. I hope you would have discovered Ankita by the time I get back.”
25th December 2012 3:00 PM | Swati’s Residence, New Delhi
Arjun hands over his house keys to Swati and she leaves for Mayur Vihar. A few minutes later, Arjun slides into yesterday afternoon and flies to Pakistan.
24th December 2012 12: 45 PM | Chak-Jumera Station
Arjun is back at the station near the same food vendor on the crowded platform. The same train is parked on the track alongside the platform. People are carrying luggage and kids are briskly walking towards the train. Arjun floats slightly above the crowd, looking for Billal’s father and Altaf. He traces them from a distance, near the logistics compartment.
“Mr Sharif is looking at Altaf, who has now stepped into the crowd. The next moment he says to Abbas, “I know one can’t afford an Apple phone this early in a railway job.”
Arjun recalls the same moment and then tries to look into the crowd where Altaf had disappeared. There he is; a man in a blue suit running briskly in the crowd. Arjun starts following him.
Altaf walks briskly, parallel to the moving train. In the wake of cold winter, he is sweating, wearing a worried face. He pulls out a handkerchief and wipes the sweat from his face.
The train gradually speeds up and Altaf enters a passenger coach with sleeper beds. He walks further down the aisle and takes a seat alongside the window. He pulls out his phone and drops a message to a contact named Omar Qadir – “Carton loaded in carriage.”
Lost in his thoughts, Altaf gazes at the empty seat in front of him. He thinks for a while, takes out some headphones from his pocket and starts listening to music.
Soon, the train reaches the outskirts of city, between the patchy green fields loosely aligned with pieces of barren land, and across the bridges built over the canal.
An hour passes by and the train reaches Sangla Hill railway station, a small station with merely a few commuters.
Altaf steps off the train and starts walking towards a narrow gated exit in the compound wall. The exit is closed with a rusted metal gate with spikes at the top, and latched with a brass lock. He pulls out a bunch of keys, opens the gate and steps in. Arjun follows him inside.
An open storage yard with a huge stack of wooden cartons placed on the left-hand side of the entrance. The yard also has a railway track with a goods carriage parked on it. Altaf goes straight pass the yard and enters a shipping container painted white, placed in one corner of the yard alongside the wall. The container hosts an office with a table and chair placed inside.
Altaf sits on the chair and starts looking into one of the files. Two hours pass by. In between, he occasionally gets up when a train arrives and co-ordinates with station staff for the loading and unloading of goods on the train.
Arjun patiently follows him, but is not able to find any clues as to Ankita’s whereabouts. The clock on his desk strikes 3:45 PM and Altaf is carrying a handbag placed in the rack adjoining his desk.
He passes through the same storage yard and boards a train back to Faisalabad. Arjun continues and follows Altaf to his home; 76, Umair town. Not to his surprise, Altaf lived a few meters away from Billal’s house.
Though Arjun wants to follow Altaf, he foresees time constraints once more and recalls his limitations. For him, 4 hours had been wasted for no good reason. With an air of disappointment, Arjun flies up in the sky and returns to Swati’s residence.
◆◆◆
Chapter 17
The Carnage of Innocents
25th December 2012 9:00 PM | Shekhawat Palace, Jaipur
A palace spread across four acres, it has more servants than residents. The Royal residence of the Shekhawat family is being watched by armed bodyguards patrolling every single inch, from rooftop to entrance.
A sprinkle of water from the fountain diffuses the decorated light flashing on the tip of the structure. The garden is decorated with white and green lights placed in trees and along walkways.
Among the tall palm trees hides Zaffar, observing the movement of servants and guards across the place. He is armed with darts wrapped around his waist and forearms.
Minutes later two high-end luxury cars enter. A guard standing in front of a tall archway steps closer to the Land Rover and opens its door. Two women, one in her late 60s and the other in her late 20s step out of it.
Ranjeet steps out of another car right behind the white Land Rover, wearing pointed, sharp boots. He moves closer to the aged lady and touches her feet. As the three enter the palace, guards standing near the archway guide the drivers of both cars towards the parking area at the back.
Just as the cars leave the porch, a poisoned arrow strikes one of the guards in the neck. The second guard rushes towards the first one and is targeted by another poisoned dart. White froth oozes out of their mouths as they lie at the entrance breathing their last.
Zaffar pulls both the guards into a corner and quietly sneaks in the grand entrance that opens into a huge hall with a two-storey roof. Huge crystal chandeliers hang from a tall ceiling, which is double the height of a normal roof. The walls are decorated with huge, vibrant paintings and the decapitated heads of different animals.
“Who are you?” A voice calls from a balcony within the hall along the stairs and the next moment, a poisoned dart strikes the lean servant in his chest.
Another servant steps out of a door carrying a tray with a tall kettle with a cover mounted on top of it. From a distance, Zaffar fails to identify the contents of the tray. He shoots a dart at the servant and immediately regrets it.
The dart hits the servant in his head and the tray along with the kettle bangs on the floor with a loud echoing sound.
More servants rush into the hall and a guard standing near the entrance blows his whistle. Soon, two armed guards enter the premises. The next moment, one shoots at Zaffar.
Zaffar swiftly hides behind the furniture. The guard fires more bullets at the sofa shielding Zaffar and then pauses for a moment to listen for any movement.
A moment of silence, the vigilant guard gazes at the torn apart sofa, pointing his rifle at it. The other guard carefully circles it to look for the infiltrator.
He scuttles around, only to find no one sitting behind the sofa. The silence is soon torn to pieces with the sound of ceramic hitting the ground. The first swiftly swivels his gun towards the source and fires a bullet. Another sound amid the silence is responded to with another shot by the guard.
The first guard swiftly turns back, only to find his colleague lying on the ground. In fear, he gasps and gently takes two steps backwards. A creaking sound, the terrified guard swiftly looks around, only to realise the sound is coming from above his head.
The guard breathes heavily. Next, he looks up with his mouth wide open. In the blink of an eye, a poison dart flies into his mouth, lodging itself in his spine and popping out of his neck at the rear.
The guard drops to the ground and Zaffar jumps off the chandelier. He picks up his rifle and quickly climbs the stairs.
In the corridor, he finds a door, strongly bolted from inside. He first tries to push it open but fails to do so. He fires shots around its edges.
SMASH! He bangs the door so strongly that it falls apart from its hinges. He quickly looks around and finds the elderly lady wearing a Rajputi Poshak holding a sword in her hand. Sweat runs down her face in the chilling winter and with a red face, she looks at Zaffar with abhorrence.
“Where is the hourglass?” Inquires Zaffar, looking straight into her eyes.
“I don’t know,” answers the old lady, with a wrinkled face and partially white hair.
“Where is Ranjeet?” Questions Zaffar, as he pulls out a dart tied along his wrist.
“I won’t let you touch my son,” growls the old lady.
“So be it,” murmurs Zaffar, and shoots a dart towards her.
Ranjeet’s mo
ther falls to the ground. Her bright, wrinkled face turns blue and the old lady dies almost instantly.
Zaffar looks around the room for a while and then walks outside. He looks across the palace, killing every guard and servant who tries to stop him.
Searching through different rooms, he finally enters the last corridor of the Shekhawat Palace, located on the top floor. The palace is now filled with silence. On a tall marble table stands the hourglass, with its purple sand locked in its upper chamber.
Cautiously, Zaffar takes a few steps towards it when Ranjeet walks in between him and the hourglass. He stands closer to the hourglass facing Zaffar, with a Rajputana Sword in one hand and a metal shield in the other.
“Do save your last breath for an answer, because I won’t let you die before you tell me why you did all this,” threatens Ranjeet, pointing his sword towards Zaffar, who has three darts remaining.
Zaffar pulls out one dart and shoots it at him. Alert Ranjeet guards himself with a shield.
Ranjeet starts running towards him and attacks him with his sword. Zaffar rolls out of his way. Ranjeet scratches Zaffar in multiple places but Zaffar is not mortally wounded. Zaffar manages to kick the shield out of Ranjeet’s hand. Furious, Ranjeet tries to attack him again but misses with his strike.
Zaffar pulls out another dart and shoots it towards Ranjeet. The vigilant prince is sharp enough to strike apart the dart in mid-air, slicing it into two pieces.
Ranjeet and Zaffar are standing face to face now. Blood runs down Zaffar’s arms and chest, and both look ferociously into each other’s eyes.
Ranjeet takes a deep breath and attempts another strike. Zaffar rolls forward and pulls a curtain hanging on the side window. The falling curtain eclipses Ranjeet for a fraction of second.
As Ranjeet looks at the falling curtain, a dart tears it apart and strikes him in the head. Within seconds, Ranjeet falls to ground forever. Zaffar walks closer to the hourglass, grabs it from the top and walks out.