

#

# VOICED WHISPERS

# BY NAITIK JAIN

# Text Copyright © 2015 Naitik Jain

# All Rights Reserved

# To every person that's fighting the same fight. It's not over till you think it's over.

# TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

PROLOGUE

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER 4

CHAPTER 5

CHAPTER 6

CHAPTER 7

CHAPTER 8

CHAPTER 9

CHAPTER 10

CHAPTER 11

CHAPTER 12

CHAPTER 13

CHAPTER 14

CHAPTER 15

CHAPTER 16

CHAPTER 17

CHAPTER 18

CHAPTER 19

CHAPTER 20

CHAPTER 21

CHAPTER 22

CHAPTER 23

CHAPTER 24

CHAPTER 25

CHAPTER 26

CHAPTER 27

EPILOGUE

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

# INTRODUCTION

A walk in the lanes and by lanes of Kolkata will reveal stories that one can hear in no other place, and see through no other sight. Every single person has their own story to tell.

This book is about one such story that was wound in a web so large, that getting out of it seemed impossible at times.

A young college going boy meets a girl on a journey back home. His inquisitiveness gets the better of him, and soon this mundane looking girl gets a lot more interesting. The more he explores into this girl, the more he is drawn towards his past. Flashbacks from the past keep disturbing his mind, as he embarks on a journey that will change his life forever.

Travel through the lanes of Kolkata, and more, as this young boy discovers a lot more about the city he thought he knew inside out. Discover the deep secrets that the city has to hide, as the journey goes on, both inside his mind and out of it. Will he finally find what he is looking for? Or will he get absorbed into the snares of his own city? Read on to find out!

# PROLOGUE

It was just another day in a normal life that I had. The work was routine, the same analysis of different data that came my way. It was nearly seven when I left the office, after spending half the day there. The work was getting to me. I had become a member of the typical young Indian workforce – working day and night for a high salary, hoping to retire early and live off the savings.

I picked my laptop bag up from the desk and walked out of the office. I walked to my car and slid into the seat, exhausted. It was the last day of the working week, and I was really looking forward to the weekend. I needed a break from all the work.

I started the car and drove home smoothly. I was fortunate enough to not run into traffic on my way, and I reached home sooner than usual.

My wife wasn't home yet. She was to return today, and her flight was arriving at 6:30 p.m. I had sent the driver with other car to pick her up, since I couldn't go to the airport myself.

I hadn't slept well in three days straight. I had spent the night in the office working, as the job's deadline was today. It had to be done by someone, and that someone ended up being me. For some reason, I didn't feel sleepy when I came back home. I walked to the back of the house and eased myself into the chair, as I let comfort take over me.

I stared out into the garden as I thought about the last twelve years.

Twelve years of living a routine life, graduating from a nice college, then doing an MBA, and then a job at a multinational company had somehow become the dream I was dreaming. This was not what I had set out to do, but somehow had ended up doing. I wanted to take up something different, something that I had a passion for, something that would drive me every single day, and this just wasn't it.

It didn't really mean that I had to leave my job for that, though. I could do it on the side, maybe take up some work in my free time, however little that may be. I stared out into the dark garden. I could hear the insects making a noise out in the garden, as the darkness covered me.

The thought of not having done anything much seemed to come to me repeatedly. But then, it wasn't necessary to make life an adventure every day. It had been twelve years since it happened, but I had my fair share of an adventure, and it wasn't going to be forgotten ever in my life. A smile pasted itself on my lips as I thought about all of it, sitting by the garden, going back twelve years in time.

# CHAPTER 1

The train stopped at Panskura junction, as she walked in with her parents, occupying the seat opposite me. Both of us were sharing the window, sitting on opposite sides of it, staring outside into the darkness, occasionally looking at each other.

She wasn't exactly the textbook definition of what you would call beautiful. She had long, dark, oiled hair, neatly tied into a long bundle. Her eyes were wide, searching for something that seemed to be hidden in those tracks, invisible, yet out there nonetheless. She didn't smile much in the little time that I met her for, yet when her father bought her that handkerchief from the vendor, her face lit up with a kind of joy I hadn't experienced in months. Here I was, with earphones plugged in, a tab in one hand and an i-Phone in another, yet frowning, bickering and complaining, and here she was, happy and content with whatever little she got. The contrast was shocking, but what was more disturbing was that I was the one at a loss; I was the unhappy of the two, and all I could do was observe.

I wanted to start a conversation, but being the typical Indian guy, I couldn't. I just observed her movements, her actions, sometimes lowering the volume of the music to listen to her conversations. There was happiness in her face, yet a longing for something. There was love in her father's eyes, yet a sadness that he was trying to hide. Something was wrong with this girl - this little girl, who was probably a few years younger to me. I wanted to know what it was, but then again, I wasn't courageous enough to ask.

The train moved ahead, but my mind stayed right there, fixed on this one girl, who had managed to confuse me in a matter of minutes. What could possibly have gone so wrong, that this girl, who seemingly could be happy at every little thing, who appeared to be her parents' shining star, was so sad? What was this grief that her parents' had?

My stop was to come soon, and her father informed me about this, just as I had asked him to. Despite being a regular traveller, I would often forget when my stop would come, so I always used to ask a co-passenger to inform me when my stop would be nearby. That was when our conversation started. She asked me where I was coming from, and I coolly replied Kharagpur, where I was studying in an IIT. She didn't really seem to care too much about it. I asked her where she was from, and where was she going? She told me that she was from Panskura, and was going to Kolkata, to live with her husband.

It took me a couple of minutes to understand what she was saying. I stared at her father, who suddenly seemed to be very interested in the floor of the train. I could see a few tears in her mother's eyes. The girl smiled at me. She told me that she came from a very poor family, and her father needed to clear debts. He could not have supported his daughter's upbringing. In exchange for the sum, he was forced to marry her to a much older man. He had no choice in this matter- it was a decision between saving all lives from starvation and torture. I just sat and stared at the girl, who was still smiling at me, blinking her tears back.

Till now, I had only read about child marriages in newspapers. Sure, I'd condemn them, look down upon them, and sometimes say a word or two against them. But to see it in front of me, to see a beautiful life being torn apart because of it, it was something else altogether. Today, we talk about women's rights, debate about whether feminists are really required now or not. We talk about increasing rights for these women, but we forget that these women are not a statistic figure. We talk about them in percentages, we say that so many women are now x% safer on the streets, but what about the women behind these closed doors? What about the girl who would now work all her life serving a man she doesn't even know? Something is wrong with the way we see things, and it better start changing now, because if it doesn't, it's just going to go further downhill. Women need rights, but their fundamental right is the right to being an independent individual. Its time they get that back.

My stop had now come, and I got down, leaving the train and her to their fates, standing on the noisy platform, quietly.

# CHAPTER 2

The train started beside me, with her safely tucked in the window seat, looking out at me intently. I was everything she wished she could be, or so I thought. How different would it have been if she would've been a guy instead? Would it have mattered at all? Perhaps yes.

One has to be careful these days, for one doesn't know whom one can run into. This person, although distant, was more close to me than probably any of my friends now, for we had something in common.

The images, blurred by the gentle hand of time, had started to form again. The same little girl being dragged by her father across the hallway, crying and whining at being tugged away against her will. The other man was pulling her along with a satanic determination in his eyes.

"Father! No! Please!"

There was no reply from him.

"I love you father. I'll be a good girl! I promise!"

The same grim expression covered his face. He pulled her along.

"Father! Father!...."

The voice of the girl went away with her as the man pulled her along. I stood there, dumbfounded as she was taken away, unable to do anything, a powerless child.

I was jolted back to reality by my phone howling in my ears. Dad had been calling. It was customary for my parents to pick me up from the station; they wanted to minimize the time after which they'd see me, and they were ready to take the hour long journey back home for that. I took the call, and told dad that I had reached the station, and will be there at the car in five minutes. The car was parked in its usual spot- the No Parking zone by the side of the road. I'd tell dad off every time for this, but today I didn't. I had something else altogether in mind.

"Dad..."

"I know, I know. No Parking means that the car shouldn't be parked there. But paying Rs. 200 for fifteen minutes of parking is pointless! They really force us common people to break the rules," he replied, as he switched the air conditioning of the car on.

"It's not that. I met someone in the train today."

"Who was it? Did you meet a professor? Or was it a senior from your Robotic Society?"

"No dad. It was a person I hadn't met before. This girl (dad sighed), no, not that kind dad! Honestly! Listen to me first at least! This girl I met was married at the age of sixteen. She was going with her father to her husband. He had to marry her to him because he owed him money."

"So?"

"So I didn't like it. I didn't like to see laws being violated right in front of me. The girl wanted to study; she wanted to be like me. The gleam in her eyes when I said that I am a college student said it all. It wasn't a good experience Dad. I really didn't like this."

"There are thousands, maybe millions like her. You read about them in the newspapers, you see them in the news channels, then why has this sudden jolt of compassion and love sparked in you? Grow up son, you will never see her again, so it's best that you forget about her. These are things you should let the government take care of. Your job is to study hard and do well in your exams, focus on them. Your mid semester exams are approaching. Remember your performance last time? We do not want such dismal performances coming from you again. Just because you're in college now doesn't mean you can say and do anything you want to."

"But Dad!"

"What but Dad?! You're supposed to be an excellent student out there, among the best! You have to work hard! Get this nonsense out of your head now! Focus on your future, that's more important. Get good grades, study hard, and get out of this mess of a country. I don't want you to be stuck here for the rest of your life."

Dad was right. That was my dream. It was my plan of action. Get out of this country as soon as possible. There's nothing left in India. Whatever we pay as tax for our benefit fills the accounts of our politicians, and if something is left over for development, states like West Bengal stick to their age old tradition of stalling development and destroy that little hope. There was nothing left for India. I was the typical Indian export. All India could ever grow in was the brainpower, and that it distributed to other countries, who tapped the potential, and used it for their own growth and development.

But somewhere, deep inside, wasn't this our fault? Weren't we supposed to stay back and develop our country too? After all, we are the future of the country, its growth prospect. If we don't work towards its development, then who will? It's time we start thinking about change, and change had to begin today; change had to begin with that sixteen year old girl.

I didn't know what her name was, or her father's name, for that matter. But I had seen three faces I would not forget in a hurry. I had seen the desperation, the hunger, the gloom of a family about to be broken apart. It was time I went somewhere I should have been, and did something I should have done. I was no more a powerless child. I had to act today, had to do something about this. I could not let injustice happen right in front of me.

It was a decision that didn't require a lot of thinking. It was a decision I should have taken a long time back, but I couldn't. This girl would not go through the same fate, and I would see that it was done. This would be a payback for the little girl, the result she deserved, but could never get.

I would be giving the child her life back. Her marriage had to be broken. Her life had to be joined again, permanently.

#  CHAPTER 3

Home has this strange ability to make you forget all your worries and problems. We don't realize how comfortable we are at home till we have to step out into the real world, and once we do, we miss that comfort, the knowledge of a support always being there. So, when you do return, albeit for a short period of time, it makes you feel so relaxed, that you forget everything else that you had in mind, and start thinking about the pleasures of home. I was in a similar situation. Mom made food and the comfort of my own bed made me forget every worry that I had, including the firm decision that I had taken the night before. Sleep had washed my worries away.

The two days at home were peaceful and relaxed. I didn't do anything much, thinking that I'd take care of the piled up work once I go back to college, and two days of no work wasn't really that big a deal. So, I spent my time sleeping, eating and watching the television, till Sunday night arrived. I had to go back now. The train was at 10pm.

The station was filled with its usual buzz. The one strange thing about Howrah Station is that it's never asleep. It's always a hub of incessant activity, with ear splitting announcements, people sleeping on the floor, some others running around on realizing that their train was on the other end of the station all along. I was to go to the last platform. The train always came there. My parents insisted on dropping me off till the train, but I wanted to go alone. It becomes hard to see them fade, as you go back to the marathon that is your college life. The bright, crowded and noisy station faded behind me, as the train slowly moved into the dark night.

It was rather difficult to sleep in this train. Being too lazy to book tickets, I had ended up in a local, which stops at every station on its way. This meant movement of people, which caused immense disturbance to my sleeping habits. I put on some music and stared out into the darkness, occasionally marred by the unusual bursts of light coming from factories or small towns, as the train slid past them. Darkness often reveals to oneself his own true form, for in the light you are afraid of being seen by others. It is when you know that no one is looking that you reveal your true identity, even to yourself. Staring out into the darkness often gives me the illusion of being alone, as if Nature had decided to leave me to my thoughts, allowing me to believe in what I want to, to rest my head in her lap, and look at my life, with leisure.

The train stopped with a slight jerk, but I felt a rather hard impact on myself. The station was small, dimly lit, and almost empty, just like my train. There was no one getting up, but a few people did get down. However, I was no longer sleepy. In the dimly lit platform, I could see one word, written in English, Hindi, and Bengali. That word was something that reminded me of a promise I had made to myself: Panskura.

It was time for me to act on my word. I knew that if there was anywhere I could start, it was here. She had said that they lived in Panskura. But then, wouldn't they be in Kolkata now? Shouldn't I come back after a few days? After all, getting down here at this hour and then achieving nothing would be pointless indeed. It was the middle of the night, and obviously not an hour for an inquiry into the life of a family I had seen once! There was no way I could do this now. Besides, I didn't really owe them anything. I was doing this at my own will, and I was under no obligation to speed up my work. Taking an unplanned detour at this hour could prove to be dangerous for me. I didn't know the area, or the people there. I didn't have anything to do. The next train could be hours from now. What would I do till then, especially if the girl's parents would be in Kolkata. It was infeasible and pointless to get down no.

But then, she needed someone. A helpless father and an ignorant mother was all she had, and she needed support. The later I'd go, the more she'd suffer. I couldn't see her burn down to ashes again. This was not the 1950s now, and I was a part of the development of the nation. In fact, I was expected to be leading the development, given the stress on the youth today. Yet, I was backing out. Backing out from fluffing the duty that I was supposed to perform, backing out from completing a promise I had made to myself. Was that the worth of my words? Was I this reliable to myself?

Just when I had decided to move out, the train started its motion, and I conveniently blamed my inaction on the timing of the train, and, consoling and quieting down my conscience, sat down on my seat. The train went ahead, and there was an hour's journey left.

The emptiness of the train somewhat reflected the emptiness of my heart at that moment. "Why do I always cower out from my responsibilities?" I thought to myself, as I stared into the blankness of the train. I was being the typical person I always loathed- full on words, yet nowhere on the actions. I did take resolutions, make decisions, and come to work out things. Yet, when I had to act on them, there was something that was holding me back, and it was not just my fear. It was this inherent inertia that I had in myself, which society imparts into every human being as he grows up. We resist change, and believe that it will come by itself, or will be brought by someone great. We refuse to accept that we are capable of changing things by ourselves, and thus quit every single time. I, at that moment, knew that the girl needed someone to stand up for her, someone to voice her mind's opinions, yet my belief that I was not that someone stopped me from acting out at that point of time. "Some NGO would find and rescue her from this maybe, and there is so much of media coverage in Kolkata. There's no way any injustice would be done to her out there!" Even I knew that these arguments were not convincing enough. It had to be my job to do, yet I was backing out from it, being the typical Indian citizen, staring at the victim, cursing the government for inaction, calling the society a disgrace, yet, at the time of action, backing out. Not doing what had to be done, thinking that someone else would do it someday. The concept of waiting till the last moment has destroyed the work culture of our country. We never take any action till the harm knocks on our doorsteps. Today I ignored one girl being ill-treated, and tomorrow the bad treatment could be with my best friend. Yet, all I did was sit back down, and stare into the emptiness, trying to fill in the void of my inaction with false assurances.

I reached college an hour after midnight, dragged myself to the top floor, flung myself on the bed, and lay there, looking at the blackness, with sleep refusing to come to me. My brain was too exhausted to bring up any more logic to this discussion, and I knew that once I'd get busy with my work, I'd forget about her again, refusing to acknowledge the fact that unless I did something, she would spend the rest of her life being raped and tortured by her husband, both physically and mentally, yet there would be no one to come to her rescue, because just like me, the others would also wait for someone else to do the job. We all want the drain clean, but no one wants to get his hands dirty. That girl's sad smile had the ability to make any person feel bad for her, and I did too, but there was more that I had to do, and I had to do it soon. It was only that I chose not to do it, to live the same old ordinary life, adjusting to the system, happy as long as I was not crushed by it. I was content with earning enough and leaving this country for good, but was I really born into this country to run away from it? This was a question I was yet to answer, and the day I could answer it truly, would be when I would finally accomplish my true purpose.

# CHAPTER 4

"Please Father! Stop this!"

He didn't even slow down. His eyes showed a determination that wouldn't budge even at the plea of Gods. He kept dragging her ahead, deaf to the pleas of his own daughter, the woman his religion made him worship. There was no doubt about him being a religious man; he went to the temple every day, and prayed for an hour before he left for work. This was not about religion. What it was about, I didn't know then. I could just see that girl being dragged in front of my eyes, pleading hopelessly to her father.

She turned around, and looked at me. Those eyes had a hope in them as they stared straight into my blank face. I stood there, staring at her, hoping that something would come along to save her. I was powerless, just a little kid, who had no ideas of the working of things. How could I have saved her then?

She cried. For the first time since this episode had started, I saw tears in her eyes. Those tears were not of the sadness she felt at being dragged by her father, which was strange, I thought then. Back then, I couldn't figure out why she had cried after she looked at me doing nothing. It was later that I discovered the reason, as I relived those moments again.

"No. Stop. Don't take her away!" was all I had to say. But I couldn't say it. He kept pulling her along, kept dragging her down the corridor, and she kept looking at me. She wanted me, her best friend, to stand up for her.

And she was right in expecting so. I had assured her that I would be with her through every moment in her life, no matter what happened. There was no way that anyone would be able to do anything to her. Of course, I hadn't thought it through then. I probably didn't even mean it. But she took it quite literally. She was expecting me to stand up for her, to fight with her father, and save her life from wherever he was taking her. Both of us knew that if she went there, there was no coming back for her. But where was she going, and how did it all happen so suddenly? I needed answers to my questions. After all, I was just a little kid, unable to do anything by himself. I needed my parents' permission to go out and play, so how could I even think of fighting against another man? He was older, and very religious, so he must have been doing the correct thing. Besides, I was no one to interfere in the matters of another family.

But he was wrong! He couldn't have been more wrong, if there was any such thing. Every action of his showed that it was his fault, that she didn't deserve any of this. She was my best friend! I had to do something; I had to stop this madness.

She kept staring at me, tears flowing through her eyes. They were tears of disappointment, seeing her best friend, who had promised to stay by her side at every moment in life, doing nothing for her when she needed him the most. All I did was wish I could've done something for her. And I promised to stay by her side.

She was dragged away from me, her eyes fixed at me, her silence speaking more than anything anyone had ever said, and her tears telling me how wrong I had been for her. Moments after she left, everything began to shake, as if the earth had been struck by an earthquake. However, it was just me who was struck, as I slowly whirled and fell down on the ground, unconscious.

It was late in the evening when I regained consciousness, and I woke up with a burning pain in my head.

"He's running a temperature of a hundred and four degrees. This kid is on fire. We may need to admit him." Said dad, as he took the thermometer out of my mouth and checked the temperature.

"No! He stays at home. Let's wait for a few days before taking any such decision. He will get better under my care."

A week had passed since that incident, and the fever had not come down. My mother and grandmother had tried everything, from cold compresses to prayers. Nothing seemed to work, and the medicines seemed like useless pills piling up in my stomach.

It is said that the ability of the human mind is seamless. Psychology can often do wonders in situations where medicine seems to do nothing. However, this time, it had the reverse effect. The mind remained where it was, in the eyes of that girl, staring at me, looking hopefully, desperately, and then bowing down in disappointment. She had given up on me then, and I could see it in her eyes. I was not a bad person, but I couldn't just show it to her.

"Mom?"

My mother was sitting by my side, caressing my forehead. "Yes?" she asked in the sweetest voice she could make, without letting her worry come forward.

"Am I a bad boy?"

"No! Of course not! Why would you think that?"

"A week back, I saw her dad take her away. I didn't do anything about it. I should have done something."

She didn't need to be told who I was talking about. Everyone in the community now knew what had happened. "Son, you're not a bad person. It was just not a situation you could do anything in. The matter was not in your hands! It was not a decision for you to take. You are a good boy son, and that is why this incident has affected you so much."

"But she was my best friend!"

"There are times when you just have to let things be. When you cannot make a decision between what should be done and what shouldn't. Even if you would've tried, he wouldn't have budged. It was meant to happen."

"I saw her eyes mom. She was crying. It hurt me so much!"

"I can understand son, that it feels bad to see all this at this time. But you have to learn to forget. It was not your fault. Remember, how you were asked for a pen yesterday but you couldn't give it to your classmate because you had just one?"

"Yes."

"This is just like that. You wanted to help him, but you couldn't. You didn't have the means to do so. Similarly, you couldn't possibly have helped her in this situation, because it was not in your control. You did feel bad, but you will have to learn to forgive yourself. It is a lesson you must learn in life."

"Okay. Thanks mom!"

"Take good care of your health son. Get well soon."

In two days, I was back to my normal self. I was attending classes, talking to people, playing out in the open, having fun with my friends.

But that day left a memory in my mind that I couldn't clear from my head. I had to take it out of me, and today was the chance.

I had gone back on my word once, and had ended up destroying a life because of it. There was no way that I could do the same thing again. Repeating one's mistakes is foolishness. I had been given a chance to come clean, to clear my conscience of the guilt that had been on my heart for so many years. It was time to set things right. I had let one life be destroyed because of my folly, but I couldn't let another life go down.

It was time to do the right thing. It was time to get rid of this nightmare. It was time to prove to myself that I am a man of my word, and I do keep my commitments. It was only right on my part to go fight for her rights, even if it meant fighting against impossible odds.

Two days later, with permission from the director of the institute to leave the college for a week, I was sitting in the same local train. However, this time, my destination was not home.

An hour into the journey, the train stopped at a nearly empty station. A few people got down, and a few people got up. The train picked up speed as it left, for the driver was running behind schedule. As the train raced along the tracks, my heart started to beat faster and faster. Only that I wasn't in the train.

There I was, on the deserted station, standing at the only platform on Panskura Junction. All I had was a bag on my back, and my phone in my pocket. I plugged the earphones in, and played some calming music. I was about to embark on one of the most adventurous journeys of my life, and it all was to start here.

I walked towards the bench and sat down for five minutes, and then stood up, and stared at the town. The journey had begun.

# CHAPTER 5

Panskura is a small town located about a hundred kilometers away from Kolkata. It has nothing much except for its fields, on which most people depend on for livelihood. Agriculture is the primary occupation of the people there, and the one college there is unknown to most people outside. Despite the presence of two schools, the level of education in the town is quite low, which in turn leads to a greater belief in superstitions.

As I entered the town, the first house that I saw on the right had a rather large gathering of people, and quite a few of them had morose faces. It wouldn't have been wrong, therefore, to assume that someone had died. I walked into the house, hoping to find the girl's family in that gathering. What I saw instead shocked me beyond imaginable limits.

It wasn't someone's death. Instead, it was one of the most joyous and happy moments of a person's life. The family had just been blessed with a baby. However, they weren't really happy about it. The reason was something that the world has been trying to fight for decades – it was a baby girl. The birth of a girl was considered as inauspicious in this part of the world. The family, instead of being congratulated, was being consoled. "It's alright, I'm sure you'll have a boy next time." said one of the people around. "Maybe it's the punishment she is receiving for the sins of her past life! This is her second girl child after all!" suggested another.

The birth of a girl child is met with a great amount of disappointment in India, especially in smaller towns and villages, where the level of education is much lower than in other parts. Indians have the belief that the son will stay with them forever, and will be their support in their older years, whereas the daughter would have to be married off, for which the father would have to pay a large amount of money as dowry. Daughters were often given no respect at all. They were made to work in kitchens and denied education, for it was believed that the sole purpose of their existence was to serve their husbands after they got married. They would wear the old and worn out clothes of their elder brothers, for spending money on them now would be a waste, since the father would have to spend a huge sum of money later on for their marriage. How the girl of the house behaved mattered a lot, since if she wasn't 'proper', nobody would marry her.

The sons of the house, however, were free to do whatever they wanted to. Nobody would raise a finger at them, and nobody would care about how drunk he comes home at night. He was the 'light of the home', as the elderly would put it. The sons would be loved by everyone in the house, while the daughters would be made to sit in a corner and mind their own business.

I saw one person leaving the place, fuming. I immediately recognized him as the girl's father. I started to follow him.

"These people are sad by the birth of a girl child! Idiots these people are. I have a daughter and a son, and I will always love my daughter more. Poor girl had just completed her fifteenth year, and they I had to let her go. I love my daughter so much."

"That's coming from the man who married her off to a random stranger to clear his debt!" I shouted form behind.

"He turned around and looked at me with an angry expression. He remembered my face. "I couldn't help it! I didn't have a choice in this! It was a trade-off between my family's life and her marriage."

"What had happened?"

The expression of anger slowly changed into that of hopelessness. The same sad expression that I had seen that day on the train was back. He looked at the ground, and said, "The elders had predicted that the harvest would be great this year, so I decided to plant better crops. I needed more money for that, so I borrowed some from him. He is a moneylender from Kolkata, and visits our town from time to time. He lent me money quite easily, and I used it to plant the crops, in the hope of a good harvest.

It seemed all good, till the rains got delayed. I don't have the money to invest in those sophisticated irrigation systems, so I am heavily dependent on the rain to water my crops. The rains were disappointing, and the crops were destroyed. All my money was gone, and the money I had borrowed had to be returned. His goons would come every day, threatening to rape my wife and daughter, kill my son, and burn my house down, unless I paid him back.

Then, one day, he paid another visit to our town. He came to my house to threaten me again, when he saw my daughter. He said he was interested in her, and wanted to marry her. He said that he would lay off my debt if I agreed to it; otherwise he would destroy everything I loved. I had no choice in this matter! I had to agree to him, or he would've taken away every single thing I had.

So, we went to Kolkata, to marry my daughter to him. The marriage was a quiet one, and was done quickly at his house. She would visit us once every six months, for a day. She never complained about anything to us, so we thought that everything was fine there. He also helped me get back on my feet, and feed my family. We had nothing to complain about now.

But very recently I found out that it was not this way. He was not the man I had thought him to be. I used to think that he was strict about his money, but good otherwise. However, there is nothing good about this man. He makes my daughter work day and night, and treats her like a servant there. If she complains, he beats her, and denies her food. There is nothing left in my daughter's life now. She has been reduced to a slave in that man's house, and has no independence whatsoever. She was the brightest light of my family, the one person who inspired me to work hard. I had sent her to school, and she was the brightest student there. She would even do better than all the boys! I wouldn't listen to the neighbours when they passed comments about her upbringing, for I knew that I was doing the right thing in helping her grow.

Everything is gone now. My daughter, who was everything to me, is now the slave of that evil man. I even tried offering him his money back, but he wouldn't take it. He says that the debt has been settled now, and there is nothing I can do to change it. He is a very wealthy and powerful man, and I can't even do a thing to him. He can crush me like an insect whenever he wants to. All I can do now is sit and weep for my daughter, waiting for her to come for one day every six months, and then waiting for another six months, just to get a glimpse of her!"

He began to cry, his tears dropping on the dusty road that he kept staring at. He was disappointed in himself, and I knew that he felt guilty enough about it already. I was wrong to assume that he was unfeeling. He did love his daughter, but there are situations where you just can't help it, when the person you love the most is taken away from you, and all you can do is stare at them hopelessly. There was no question for him, there was no choice. He had to do what he was told to, or his entire family would have been wiped out.

It is this hopelessness that stalls the growth of an individual. The rich are getting richer by the day, and the economies are growing every year. But what we fail to see is the other side of the coin. The people in the backward towns and villages are not being given the opportunities to go forward, and they keep living there, in isolation from the rest of the world. They listen to the 'elders' of their locality, who themselves often know much less. The world is growing at an incredible pace, but these people are not. These poor people are becoming poorer in every aspect of their lives. Their wealth is declining, and so is their knowledge.

There are very few people who survive this hopelessness; most of them perish. The farmers are still the lifeline of the country, and they contribute to a large percentage of the Indian workforce. However, more and more people are leaving this profession now, as they are not being given their due respect. It is time we start thinking about them, start educating them, and helping them reach their true potential. This farmer's daughter would have still been at home had her father not trusted the moneylender. There were so many questions that were yet to be answered, but I had to start from the most important one.

"Where does this man live?" I asked, handing his a piece of paper and a pen.

"I can't write", he replied.

"I'm sorry. Dictate it to me then", I said, taking it back from him.

He gave me the address of the man, and I now knew where to go next.

# CHAPTER 6

Kolkata, the City of Joy.

Kolkata is one of the most intriguing cities in India, if not the world. A rather imperfect blend of culture and modernization, it stands out from all other cities, in that it could never adapt to either completely. It was always walking the rope, balancing between the two, never falling into either.

Not many people know that the city is the cultural capital of India, and rightly so. As one enters the city through the busiest station in the nation, one is nothing but overwhelmed, by the sheer number of people he is swarmed by. Be it rowing under the Rabindra Setu, or Howrah Bridge, as it is popularly known, or walking on the grounds of Victoria Memorial, or even observing the sunset, standing by Princep Ghat, one can find solace in this overcrowded beehive.

It is ironic that one never gets to visit the city one lives in. Even though I was born and brought up in Kolkata, I knew so little about it. The only part of the city I knew involved a completely different version of it. With its large buildings, magnificently designed hotels, posh restaurants, Kolkata had never been the old cultural city to me. I had always been under the care and protection of my parents. I had never wandered on the streets, never explored on my own, never been left out to find my way back. I always had my car with me, or maybe a friend's car. There had always been someone to look after me. My parents ensured that I was given as much comfort as I needed.

But what this comfort had taken away from me was equally essential. I was never free to go out and roam around on my own. I'd often compare myself to a caged bird, well fed, and well kept, yet in captivity. I always had had the dream of escaping once, and running all around the city, doing whatever I pleased, without any fear, without anyone looking at me like I had gone crazy.

Today, I stood at the station with a different purpose. For the first time, I stood here with a purpose. The train eased into the platform and the people around pushed me through the gate, nearly tripping me over on to another person.

"You mad or something?" he blurted, and before I could say anything to him, he walked off hurriedly. Everyone around me seemed to be in a hurry, but what surprised me often was that nobody ever reached on time.

I pulled my bag back on, and walked to the bus stand. Most buses were already full, and I really needed to sit. I walked to one of the buses in the end.

"Route 44."

It was rather empty, and I sat down on the last seat, by the window. After what seemed like an eternity, the bus finally left the station. Bus journeys in Kolkata are one adventure, especially if you're not used to them. Overcrowded, like everything else in the city, these buses ensure to test every shred of patience you have, and seem to take away every little bit of comfort you are used to. I soon vacated my seat for an elderly lady, and was being shoved and pushed by the people around me.

"Burrabazar!" howled the conductor. I started my journey to the bus door, pushing and elbowing most people around. When I did manage to get down, it was with the smell of ten other people. I regretted my decision of not taking a cab to the place.

The bus had dropped me of at the corner of the road, so I had to walk about five hundred meters to get to the place. The streets were filthy, with the smell of rotten fruit coming from both sides. The roads were muddy from the rain in the morning, and the footpaths were occupied by the hawkers. There was barely any space left to walk on either. I remembered coming down here every Sunday with my dad, to play cricket with my uncles on the terrace. A lot of my relatives lived here. The homes in Burrabazar were extremely contrasting with the outer appearances of the buildings. While the buildings would seem old and tattered, the homes inside would be splendid, reflecting the kind of richness that the businessmen of this area could afford.

I was finally where I was supposed to be: 201, Rabindra Sarani. The house, like everything else on the street, seemed to be in tatters from the outside. I walked inside the building, and rang the bell. The girl's father had told me that the entire building was owned by the man.

"What is it?"

"I need to speak to the owner of the building."

"Who are you?"

"err.. I am, umm, a student."

"Who shtudent? Saab didn't ask for any shtudent."

"I study in IIT Kharagpur. I needed to meet him for some work I had with him."

"Who is it Shankar?" came a heavy voice from inside.

"Saab, some shtudent from IIT Khadagpoor", he replied, adding to it a heavy Bengali accent.

"Send him in."

The house I saw inside would've made me want to live there forever. Just like any other house, there was a stark contrast between the inside portion and the outside. However, in this case, the difference was much greater. The house was magnificent in every sense of the word. The floors were paved with a marble that seemed as clear as water, and the furniture seemed like it had been bought yesterday. Inside was a winding staircase, with three exits, for the ground, first and second floor. The ceiling had beautiful patterns drawn all over it.

"You needed something?" said the same heavy voice. I was brought back to reality.

"Yes sir. I needed to talk to you about something very important."

"Please do so quickly. I don't really have much time. I need to attend an important meeting soon."

"Yes sir. Actually, I wanted to talk to you about your wife."

"What do you want to know about her? We've been married for twenty years now, and I have two children with her. That's all you need to know about my family. I don't want any more questions on this. I thought you needed to work in my company for that summer internship thing, which is why I allowed you inside. You may leave now."

"I'm talking about your other wife, sir. The one you married a while back."

As I had expected, he was taken aback by this statement. It took him a while to come up with a response. "What other wife? I don't have any other wife. I am married to only one woman. Now before my guards throw you out, leave now. I may even call the cops."

I left hurriedly, as I didn't want to attract attention. There were people in this area who knew me, and if my father would find out what I had been up to, I'd be in some serious trouble. I walked back towards the bus stop, intending to go back to the station. My job here was incomplete. I needed more information. I needed to know where the girl had gone. Was she still in the house, or was she somewhere else. Given the amount of money this guy had, he could easily have kept her in another location. I needed to know more about her, and I needed someone who could get this knowledge for me.

Every person has this one friend who 'knows' people. We often use them to get things done, or to get information about something. It was time for me to use that card of mine. Before I could do that, though, I had to find this friend of mine, and ensure that I'd be able to get the information out of him, and given the reputation I had built with my friends in the last few years('this guy has renounced the world for his JEE preparation', followed by, 'now he's an IITian. He is way too full of himself.'), I knew it would require a lot of hard work on my part.

I went back to the station, and got in the local train. In three hours, I was back to college, ready for the next week of college. Managing both would soon become difficult, especially with the pressure of societies increasing every day. I would have to quit one soon, but, till then, I needed to focus all my energy on my friend, for he was the one who could provide me with the next link.

# CHAPTER 7

"No!"

"Oh, come on! I really need this to be done!"

"There is no way in hell that I am helping you again! Remember what happened the last time I did something like that?"

"That was an accident! It won't happen each time, and you know that!"

"No. It's way too dangerous to do something like that right now. As it is I don't have a good name on the street now."

It was very hard to get him to agree to it. He was upset about the last time when I asked him for help, and both of us got into trouble for a stupid thing I did. "I've grown up now! It won't happen again. Trust me one more time man!"

"Okay. But it will never ever surface that I am doing this for you. We keep distance. I'll get you the information you need, but you'll have to just shut up and keep it to yourself. Do whatever you want to do with it, but do not get traced back to me. If you're caught doing something fishy, handle it yourself."

"Thanks a lot! I owe you one!"

"Oh, you owe me a lot more than one. What do you want to know about?"

"Well, there's this girl, used to live in Panskura, and recently got married to a guy who lives in Burrabazar. The girl's father claims that the guy is a jerk, and that he messes with her at home. I went to the guy's home, but couldn't see the girl. She's a stay at home 'housewife', from what I know till now. She was married to him in her childhood, and hasn't yet become an adult. She's allowed to come back to her home for a few days every few months, and it was during one of these visits that I met her, in the train.

The guy is not a good man. He looks like the average villain in a B-Grade movie. When I went to his house yesterday, he didn't mention about her at all. When I asked him about her, he threw me out of the house. Something is seriously fishy with this guy, and I really need to find out about this."

"What's the name of the girl?"

"I don't know."

"Why didn't you ask her father?"

"I didn't because I was stupid enough not to ask him."

"Okay. Do you know the guy's name?"

"No, I don't. I've told you everything I know."

"You do realize that you're making me work very hard for this, even though I'm getting nothing out of it? I really don't want to do this."

"Please man. This is someone's life we are talking about. I need to figure this out, and I have to do it soon!"

"Okay. Give me some time to do it."

"How much time do you need?"

"A couple of days should be fine. Most of my relations with the people on the street are a bit rusty. I will have to revive some of them, pull some strings, but yes, it can be done."

"Thanks a lot! I'll wait till then."

Two days. That wasn't a long time for me to wait, but was it so for her? Every single moment of delay was causing her more and more pain. I was so sure now that he was treating her pathetically, and yet there was nothing I could do about it. I needed to act on the information as soon as I would get it. All I was hoping for now was that he'd get what I needed.

The two days passed pretty quickly, with a messed up class test and quite a lot of catching up with work. The work was being done smoothly, except that I didn't want to do it. I finally got a call from him in the evening.

"What information did you get?"

"Dude. I don't think you should pursue this guy anymore. Leave him and move on. This shit keeps happening with people. It is not your responsibility to make sure that everyone gets what they deserve."

"What's with the lecture? What did you find out? I know he's a rich guy, and has a pretty large textile business, but why do you sound so serious about him? What information do you have about him?"

"This guy goes by the name Gujjar on the streets. People don't know his real name. He is one of the richest people in the city, but maintains an extremely low profile. Most people wouldn't even know that he is that rich.

He is quite literally a hotshot when it comes to the textile business. Owns a couple of the biggest shops in the area, and the money flow is decent. He's also a loan shark, and primarily targets the poorer sections of the society, who often are not able to pay him back.

But all of this is supplementary. That's not what he's primarily doing. This guy is a bloody pimp. He picks up girls from these families, by striking deals with their fathers. When the father is unable to pay him back, he agrees to let go of the loan, and sometimes even incentivizes the father with money, in exchange for 'marrying' the daughter. He then brings the girl to the city, and hands them over to the madams. He controls a majority of the prostitution networks being run in the city. Most people don't know about him because he hardly ever talks to anyone. Since his textile business does well, and he maintains good relations with the cops, nobody raises a finger at him.

This girl you're talking about, is actually lucky to be able to come back home. After a while, these girls start calling their centres home. They never go out, remaining locked inside the place forever. There is no escape for them, and prostitution becomes the only option, since their skills at other jobs are almost always zero.

This guy is very well connected. He knows way too many people to be able to be hurt by any of your attacks. Do not try any stunts with him. He will crush you like an insect, and you'll be invisible even before you'd make any impact. I really think you should just stay out of this. There is too much dirt in this, and you shouldn't get your hands dirty."

"Do you know the locations for his centres?"

"If she's new, she'll be located in one of the three low profile centres in the city. From the looks of it, she seems to be new to this, given that she hasn't been drafter in completely, and is still being allowed to visit her parents. I'll send you the list on hangouts."

"That'd be great. Thanks a lot for your help. Give me a call whenever you need any help from me. I will always be ready to help."

"For your own safety's sake, Ansh, stay out of this. You don't know what you're getting yourself into. There is too much trouble in this, too many issues. You shouldn't get into this. Stay away from Gujjar. He can destroy you."

"Thanks for the advice. I will keep it in mind. Take care. Hope you do well ahead."

"Hope you do well too. Good luck in IIT. Bye."

It was back to the contemplation. Gujjar was strong, and powerful. I was nowhere. There was no way I could match up to this guy. I did try, but there were better things to do for me. Trying this hard for something that could potentially kill me was stupid. She was suffering, but that didn't mean that I had to go ahead and save her. I was not the saviour for every person on the planet. I had my own things to do.

Fighting these powerful goons had never been my specialty, and this matter was best closed here. I had my studies to get back to, the exams would be here in no time, and then I'd complain about how tough things are. I had to study, work, and play. I had my own life too. This was too tough for a teenager to take charge of. It was best for me to leave this matter as it was, and pretend that nothing had ever happened.

I was back on the study table, with the fluid mechanics text book in front of me. Her eyes kept flowing in my mind. They were sad, desperate eyes that were hoping for a day when she would be free again, yet knowing that it was impossible. Why couldn't she tell her parents the truth? I was convinced that they would be able to do something about it. There was nothing I could do here. This was not my responsibility. I couldn't take charge of the situation. I was just another silent spectator, standing in the crowd and seeing the situation from far away. There was no way that I could take such people head on, and win the battle against them.

One must accept that there are some things in life that one can't change irrespective of how strongly they want to change them. I was sure that this was one such thing. I couldn't have done anything for her or anything to him. There was no point trying. It would be a matter of time before I would forget about all this, and move on with my life. My dreams were more important than hers, and easier to achieve. It was time to start focusing on them again.

# CHAPTER 8

It is said that when one sleeps peacefully, his subconscious rests too, and hence, one doesn't have dreams. I've had dreams since I was a child. Sometimes I would dream that I was flying around my house, while there were times when I was attacked by swarms of insects in my dreams. Often, the movies I watched and the books I read spilled over to my mind, and I would often see myself fighting basilisks with the sword of Godric Gryffindor, or travelling to Narnia through a cupboard. This was also a probable reason for my inherent fear of the dark, and of horror movies and novels. I haven't watched a single horror movie or read a scary novel till date.

I was back to college before my leave period had ended, which meant that I had a few days to spend just chilling, since the authorities wouldn't really care. Unfortunately, the people of my society did care, and soon I had scores of missed calls on my phone, and my friends', if mine was switched off(I'd often put my phone on air plane mode just to avoid them.)

After a busy week, I thought that I'd finally manage to get some sleep on Friday. Or so I thought. My dreams almost always ended with me being the hero of the entire scenario. The one I had on Friday was one of the few in which I was not.

It was probably three in the night, at least that's what the clock read, when I sat up. The dream that I had just had shook me out of my sleep.

"Ansh?" A familiar voice said. The voice I had not heard for years. It was the voice of a little child.

"Aliya?" It had to be her. Her voice was one I could never forget. I could see her, that little girl, right in front of me. She was the same little playful girl, who was once my best friend.

"I have missed talking to you. Life back then was so much fun."

"I have missed you too. You were my best friend!"

"Was I, really? You could have saved me from my father. You could have stopped him from dragging me all the way down into the hell I am in now! You were there, and you saw everything that was happening to me. You saw me begging and pleading to my father to let me stay. You knew that I was a good girl. Yet, you kept quiet. You didn't tell him anything, you didn't take any action, even after I was gone. You knew that I was not going to be kept safe, that I was being taken to a dangerous place. Yet, you kept quiet, like a mute. You let me go through the worst, and you still call me your best friend?"

"There was nothing I could do out there. I was a child, and was helpless too. I wanted to help you, but there was no way I could stand up to him. I had even told my parents about this, but they said that doing anything against him would not be possible. He was a very bad man, but I really couldn't do anything about him."

She stood right there, her eyes fixed on me. She hadn't changed a bit. Her beautiful eyes were staring at me in anger. Her smooth hair was running down just up to her shoulders, gently brushing against them as she shivered in anger. Her lips placed in a quiet frown. This was her anger, coming out on me after years. The disappointment had slowly manifested itself in this anger, as she poured it all out on me, sentence by sentence, reminding me of how I was at fault in this, and I could have helped her, only that I didn't.

"Both you and I know that you are just trying to excuse yourself out of this. If you had had the will, you would have done something!"

"I tried my best! There's not much that a four foot kid can do! My parents couldn't act at that time, and your father was not a person I could take on alone. Appealing to the community would have had no effect at all, and nobody would have cared much about my word anyway. Your dad had it all handled well Aliya. I'm sorry, but believe me, I tried."

Her angry expression slowly changed into a grave one. She assumed a more serious look. I had never seen this face of her before, even during the most serious of our conversations (which mostly involved the colour of our school bags and different methods of riding the broken slide). She moved closer to me, her face almost against mine.

"You can do something now."

"What can I do to save you now? Tell me where to find you, and I'll be there first thing tomorrow!"

"You can't save me now Ansh. But you can save someone else. Someone whose life you had promised to bring back. Someone you are giving up on without trying hard. It is time you learn to keep your word."

"The guy I'm up against is possibly one of the most powerful, and evil men of the city! There's no way I stand the tiniest of chances against him. Besides, I don't even know the exact location of her captivity. All I know is that she's kept in one of three centres that the man holds in the city. There's no way I can track her down. My exams are approaching in a few weeks, and I haven't even started to study. I have to maintain my own progress before I go on to save someone else! I did try hard to figure things out for her, but this is beyond my control."

"You've become really good at making excuses nowadays. Earlier, you at least had the feeling of guilt when you couldn't do something. Have you lost the conscience that I loved so much? Your heart was the one thing that separated you from everyone else, and it seems like you've lost that too with time. It was the fact that you put others before yourself that drew me closer to you. You were my best friend because you cared Ansh, not because you were special.

I wish you were still the person who I was proud to call my best friend. It turns out that these years have changed you immensely. You're grown up now, and have drawn a circle around yourself, inside which you keep only your loved ones. It's time to start caring about others too."

"But what can I do about this?! There is no way that I will be able to conquer this person!"

"For starters, stop lying to yourself. You know very well that you can do this. You have enough strength in you to take this person on. You don't have to destroy him. Just fulfil your promise: The promise that you made to yourself, the promise of saving that girl's life. If you can do that, it will make me happy. Consider it a fulfilment of the promise that you had made to me a long time back. Can you do just this much for me?"

I paused, and shook my head silently. There was no way I could do this.

"This was not what I was expecting of you. Ansh, you are supposed to be the saviour here, the hero for her. You can do this; have faith in yourself and your abilities. You can do wonders if you are determined enough. Please Ansh, do this for me. Please!"

I owed Aliya a lot of things, and the fulfilment of an age old promise was the highest on the list in that. This was my best chance to come clear to my conscience, to myself. I nodded slowly.

"That's more like my best friend. Thank you so much! You really are the best person I have seen in my entire life. Thank you so much Ansh, for doing this for me. You will always be a great person, because you have a pure heart. It's collected some dust as you've grown, but it will always be pure. You just needed some reminding from someone that you needed to do this. Thank you for taking the right decision. I'm sure you'll succeed."

She smiled at me, and those eyes changed back to the big beautiful eyes that I always loved. She was jumping up and down with excitement, as I smiled back at her. She held my hand and ran around the place, pulling me along with her. I had not been this happy in a really long time."

"I have something to ask you though."

"Go on Ansh, I'd answer any question you ask me right now!"

"Why do you still look like a kid to me? Aren't you supposed to be a grown up now?"

I sat up on my bed, and looked at the clock. It was 3 am, and I wasn't going back to sleep this time. 

# CHAPTER 9

I had a day left on my week long leave, and the test would be rescheduled for me anyway. There was no point staying on the campus, as I'd have to do tons of tasks I really wasn't interested in doing. I decided to pick up from where I had left off, and go back to Kolkata early morning the next day.

All I knew were the three probable locations of her presence, but for me now, that was enough. I was putting everything at stake here, just to ensure that I save the life I had promised to save. Somehow, I now began to feel that saving this girl's life would bring me closer to the peace of mind that I never had since that incident with Aliya, when she was dragged out in front of me. The dream had a huge effect on me, and it had changed the way I looked at things now. It wasn't the same again, it could never be. This was more of a 'want to do' thing than a 'have to do' thing now, and I had, over time, learnt to do things that I wanted to do.

My first stop was Shyambazar. A quick Google search will tell you that Shyambazar used to be the citadel of the aristocracy of Kolkata. A blooming shopping hub, this was, at one point of time, the place for the people of North Kolkata to shop. I knew the place a little more than Wikipedia could tell you, since I had a few relatives living in the area. It's both good and bad to be studying so close to where your entire family, cousins and others included, lives. This was one of the advantages.

Shyambazar, like a majority of places in the city, had become increasingly polarised in terms of the lifestyle of the people there. It included the rich, and the very poor. The rich were, of course, oblivious to the presence of the poor, except when the needed their toilets cleaned or the cars washed. The poor were content with their life, and except for the occasional abuses they hurled at the rich, with the surroundings. Both of them never interfered with each other's activities. The rich continued to stash their black money in the house, and the poor continued to violate almost every basic law in the constitution every day.

What I didn't know about the place was that amidst the slums and the nearly broken houses, there was a 'training facility', owned by none other than Gujjar. It didn't even require a front, since the cops never dared to go there. Even the bribe paid to them was just to avoid some fuss, as the cops were too scared of the people there anyway. Gujjar had three such centers across the city, and would basically send the 'new recruits' here. These places would also function as prostitution centers, and these girls would generally be cheaper than most other girls, since they were less experienced.

I knew the exact location of the place, and went straight to the place.

"You look new here. Coming for the first time?" asked the man in broken Hindi.

"Yes, I'm here for the first time. I'm looking for a specific girl though." I replied in broken Bengali.

"We don't cater to specific demands." He retorted, switching to Bengali now.

"But I was told a lot about her. One of my friends said that she was the best he's been with."

"Then your friend must've also told you that requesting specifics means triple the usual rate."

"Yes, I know. I'm willing to pay that rate. Just get me to her. She's got dark, black hair, and big eyes. Her skin isn't that white, but it isn't that dark either."

"You've just described 70% of our girls here."

"Can I look inside please?"

"Of course you can. Most of them are in here right now. Not much business in the morning time."

I walked inside the tattered building, and crossed each room, one by one. All the rooms looked alike, with a single bed, one window opening outside, and a door. I didn't have enough time to look at each room more closely. I scanned the girls in every room, but I couldn't see her anywhere.

"She's not here."

"She must've been shifted to Rajabazar. A good quantity was shifted there last week. You should check things out there."

"Okay. Thanks."

I left the place, and took a cab for Rajabazar, hoping that I wouldn't have to go to the third location.

Rajabazar, unlike Shyambazar, was not as polarised. Slums covered almost the entirety of the location. It was one of the busiest areas too, for there were tons of hawkers, occupying the pavement completely, often spilling over to the road too. The place always smelled of rotten fruit, and I used to cross it in an auto rickshaw every time I went to school. Traffic would sometimes be stuck here for hours, and it used to be a test of my patience every single time.

Gujjar had chosen a brilliant site in Rajabazar. He didn't require a front here, since the entire area was a front for him. Most women here didn't speak to men, and mostly kept to themselves. No one questioned these women, or disturbed their privacy, for they would then incur the wrath of the men 'protecting' them. This society was possibly one of the most patriarchal ones in the city, and therefore, women here were not looked at twice.

This time, I had to work a little harder to locate the area. There wasn't enough space to walk, and the constant pushing and shoving didn't really help me much either. I finally came to one small two-storied building. The paint was wearing off, and it almost looked like it could collapse any time. The building wasn't really the main attraction though.

In front of the building were standing two muscular men, staring straight into space. That was an immediate giveaway. I was surprised that nobody ever questioned the activities there, but then I thought that they probably knew about it already. Some of them may even be customers.

I walked up to the guards and tried to go past them.

"What's your business here?" asked one, in nearly flawless Hindi.

"My business is the same as everyone else's." I replied, happy to shift back to Hindi.

"I've never seen you around here. How did you know about this place?"

Things were getting weird here. The guard at Shyambazar let me in without even much of a query. This was probably a high profile centre, I thought.

"A friend of mine told me. He said he had the best time over here." I replied, taking out a hundred rupees from my wallet.

"Okay, go in", said the guard, as he pocketed the money without the slightest change of expression.

I was greeted by another man inside. He seemed more pleasant.

"Do you want the regular stuff or extra?"

"Regular, but I want someone specific."

"All our girls are the same quality. You won't need specific."

"I want only her. I won't go for anyone else." My tone of conversation and choice of words surprised even me. I didn't know that I could ever talk this way about someone.

"No. You can't have specifics."

"Then I won't have anyone."

"Get out of here then. We don't need such people here."

I knew I had to do something quickly, or I would be thrown out in no time.

"Let me be with her!" I shouted at the top of my voice.

"Stop raising your voice, and get the hell out of here!" he hushed back.

The trick worked. Soon, the women and girls came out of the rooms to see what was happening. A crowd was gathering.

"Pappu! Come here now, and throw this man out!"

"Why can't you let me have her?!"

The guards were here, with the same expression that they had when I came in.

"Get out of here", one of them said to me. I assumed he was Pappu.

The girls were all out, but I couldn't see her in the crowd. I needed some more time inside. "Let me be with the girl I want to be!"

"That's it", he said, and pulled out a knife. He then tried to grab my arm, but I made a dash in the opposite direction. He ran after me, and managed to grab my arm, slashing my forearm slightly with his knife.

In the commotion, I saw the one face I needed to see. The girl was there. I didn't know what I had to do next, but I did know where I had to do it.

The guards dragged me out by my arms and threw me on the road. Most people didn't even care to turn and look at me. Apparently, people were often thrown out of this building.

"Come when you can adjust to our rules, or don't come at all", said the guard to me.

I stood up, dusted my clothes, and walked back to the main road. I took a cab, reached the station, and took the next train back to Kharagpur. My leave period was ending today, and my day's job was done.

# CHAPTER 10

"What did you do this time?" Niki was furious. She had just seen the cut on my hand, and assumed that there was something wrong.

"I haven't done anything! My hand just got scratched against the railing of the stairs when I was running down today. Chill, things like these keep happening!"

"He must've cut his hand again," added Ayu, equally furious. Sitting and studying with these two people, while often helpful, put me in a terrible situation at that point of time. They knew nothing about what I was up to, and I intended to keep it that way.

"When did he cut it the first time?" That was why I hated such situations. I knew I had had it now. There was no way I was getting out of this. It was best to go with the flow.

"Niki. I'm sorry. I just got too frustrated with the academic pressure, along with the work that I do in my society. It's just a lot of hard work. I got irritated with all of that, and in my frustration, ended up cutting my hand."

Silence from both of them. What was about to come next would definitely be bad.

"It's such a small cut," I said, pointing to the two inch long gash. "It'll go away soon. I won't do it again, I promise."

Niki and Ayu both slammed their laptop screens down, as if my head was under them. Both of them got up and left, giving me angry stares in the process. The noise attracted the attention of every person sitting in Hall 4 of the library. I was sitting there, a little shocked.

"Just what I needed right now," I said to myself. "I run around between Kolkata and Kharagpur, get thrown out of houses, visit brothels, get slashed on the hand by people, just to save her, and these people think I'm going around slashing my hand out of frustration. I can't even tell them the truth! I have no idea of how I'm going to handle them. I hope they cool down soon."

I picked up my stuff and left quietly. I cycled around for a while, and then went to the Nescafe of my hostel. I really needed a cup of coffee, so that I could stay up at night and study for the class test that was coming up the next day.

"So, I hear you're going home way too often nowadays."

I turned around to see Chas and Surya walking up to me.

"Yeah man. Got some work to do back home. How's the midsem preparation going?"

"Don't ask about that. I'm failing in SigNet and Introduction to Electronics. Even studying this stuff doesn't help me understand. It doesn't matter though; I'll probably do an MBA later."

"Don't worry bro, you'll do just fine. What about you, Surya? Finished the syllabus?"

"No man! I still have the video lectures left to study in Fluids. I've just completed reading the theory from the book. I'm going to fail this time in at least a couple of subjects. I haven't studied at all!"

That was a statement I was expecting from him. Surya was the guy I quite literally ran to before every examination. He was the only person I knew who had the patience and the goodness to sit down and explain things to me. He was the principal reason of me being confident about passing the semester. Even though our streams were different, our department was the same, so we had a few common subjects, which he taught me.

Chas, on the other hand, was my wing mate. We'd spend time talking about random stuff, often singing karaoke songs and doing all kinds of crazy things at random times. He was one of the nicest people I knew, and would always be ready to help, no matter what the situation was.

Both Surya and Chas was really good friends of mine, and we would often debate together, roaming around the country for various debating tournaments.

"I gotta go man, got lots to study for the midsems," said Surya.

"Yeah, all the best to you man. Take care. Good night!"

Chas and I started to climb back up to our rooms. The four floor climb was probably one of the reasons why we started to talk so much.

"What happened to your hand?"

"Oh, you saw that? It's nothing much."

"Doesn't seem like it. Did you apply anything to it?"

"Antiseptic creams. I didn't apply much though. It will heal on its own."

"Take care of yourself man."

"So, how's everything with you?"

"Things are pretty great. Trying for internships and stuff you know. Second year is pretty difficult, and the professors, for some strange reason, are worse. I mean, the Signet professor literally puts me to sleep every time he talks. I don't even know why these people get hired here."

"I share the same sentiment man. I sleep in every dynamics class I attend, and thankfully the professor doesn't do anything about it. There were only 7 people in class today. I really need to start studying though, because I'm lagging way too behind the stuff being taught in class."

"I need to study too. I'll catch up with you later. Good night. Study hard for the exams!"

"Good night. Sleep or study well!"

He went into his room, and I into mine. I needed to study too much to allow myself to get distracted by my phone, so I put it into the drawer and took out the economics notes.

Despite being one of the easiest and my favourite subject, Economics seemed to run away from me tonight. None of the theories I was studying were actually going into my head. None of the concepts were understood, and I was just shuffling from page to page, thinking that there might be something that I would understand.

The problem, however, was not with the subject. It was with me. I was way too distracted to study anything. I couldn't get her face out of my mind. That look that I had seen on her face that day, was different our first meeting. When I saw her for the first time, she had an admiration for me in her eyes. She respected me, and thought highly of me. I think she misunderstood my intentions when I came there. I don't blame her for that though, because anyone would have thought the same. People go to such places only for such things.

She had a look of disgust on her face. No, it wasn't disgust. It was disappointment. The kind of a disappointment that one faces when one's hopes crash. She had probably thought of me as a morally high person, and, as of now, I had made sure those hopes had gone crashing down.

I needed to bring those hopes back up. I needed to give her the life she deserved, and not the life she was forced into. For that, I needed a plan of action.

I put my economics notes away. I didn't understand anything anyway, so there was no point studying it. I pulled out my laptop, and took out my phone from the drawer. It was time to organize things.

As I opened my phone to make the first call, my hand froze. The phone slipped out of my hand and fell on the bed. The home screen was displaying the most recent message received, and it was from an unknown number. I didn't have the guts to pick the phone up again for a while. When I did, I read the message again and again.

"I know who you are, and I know where you live. Ansh, if you want to save yourself, and your family, stay away from my areas. Maybe you don't care about yourself, but I'm sure you care about her."

Attached with the message was the Facebook profile picture of my mother.

# CHAPTER 11

"I don't know how he got to know who you are, or who your mom is! I had told you to stay clear form him, but you had your own intentions. Suffer for it now!"

"Come on! You have to help me out here. I'm working way too hard for this, and there's no way I'm giving up on this. I need to know whether this was an empty threat or whether he can actually do anything."

"You're getting into risky business. Gujjar is not a person you can mess around with. He will take you down pretty easily. He is a very powerful man, and knows how to use this power. Don't try to fool around bro, or he will pretty much destroy you. Maintain your distance. You still have time, take my advice, and get out of this mess while you can."

"We've had this conversation before. I am not getting out of this. Find the source of the number and give it to me. I need to get stuff done."

"Okay then. The drill stays the same. My name does not come up anywhere."

"Of course it won't come up anywhere. Just get this done for me. I promise you that your name will remain a secret."

"Actually, I've already done it for you. I knew you would ask for this. The number is local, and is owned by one of Gujjar's henchmen. He is rather high up in the ranks, and handles extortions for him. He's rather dangerous, and lives in Rajabazar. My guess is that he lives either in or near the centre Gujjar holds there. He has a weakness for prostitutes and alcohol, like most of Gujjar's men."

"How on earth did you get so much knowledge? I'm pretty sure Gujjar doesn't maintain records of his illegal activities and his henchmen on websites!"

"He doesn't, but the internet is not my only source of information you see. Anyway, this is all I know about him. Should help you get to some stuff. Just be careful, and make sure nobody finds out who you are. These threats are not baseless, and Gujjar can cause some serious damage."

"Okay. I will be careful with what I'm doing now. Thanks a lot."

"Good luck man. Hope you stay safe. Take care. Bye"

He hung up, and I was left to think of my next step. I couldn't go back as myself, because I had clearly given away more than I should have. I needed a source, someone inside that centre, someone who could help me get that girl out. I had no intention to destroy Gujjar; I just had to get the girl out.

The train whistled, and jolted to a start. He was in a hurry to get on, for this was his train back to Delhi, where he was going for the vacations. The exams were over, and after a day long trip in Kolkata, he decided to go back home for the week. He broke into a run, but just as he did, he collided into a young bearded man. He looked straight at him, apologized to him, and hurried off, jumping into the train just at the right time.

The man he collided into stood there and smiled. He was wearing a yellow t-shirt and track pants. His beard looked like it hadn't been shaven for a month, and he had a mole beside his nose. He looked dirty, drunk and ragged. He was just the kind of guy you'd expect to see in a brothel. That was probably why he had come to Kolkata at night, to spend the night there. The collision served as a perfect test. Nobody could recognize me in this get up.

I took a bus to Rajabazar, and walked straight to his 'centre'.

"What do you want?" Someone else was on guard today.

"What do people want here?" I said in the best drunk tone I could fake.

"You have the money? Drunken asses like you show up at our doors all the time. You never have the money. Get the hell out of here."

I took a hundred rupee note out and held it out to him. "Is this good enough for you?"

He took the money, and then ushered me in.

The man inside was the same as before. "Is this one good enough for you?" He asked, pointing you a youngish girl, who gave a weird expression and winked at me. She was scantily and provocatively dressed, with her hair flowing down her shoulders. Despite all this, there was a disgust that she had towards this job, and it was evident from her face. She didn't want to be there, and probably would have left at the first chance she got, but I guess she didn't get any chance at all.

"Yes, she's good enough." I returned that weird smile of hers, and she led me into a room and closed the door. It was time for me to take my chance now. This was the only way I could get something done. I had to do something quickly, to ensure that what I needed to do was done smoothly.

She started to undress, but just as she did, I asked her to stop. She gave me a weird expression. I handed her a hundred rupee note, and said, "We need to talk."

She gave me a puzzled expression as I motioned her to sit down, and then sat down beside me on the bed. "Are you actually interested in doing this?"

"I'm not here for interviews. Fuck me if you want to, or pay me and get out of here."

"Calm down. I'm not here for an interview. I'm here for something much better. Answer my question. Do you like it here? Will you leave if given an opportunity?"

"Of course I would. This whole place disgusts me. I want to get out of here as soon as possible. I was sold to these people by that jerk of a brother that I had, and have had to stay here since then. They keep me fed and pretty, and that is it. I don't have a life beyond this whore house."

"Good. Let's talk work then. There is a girl I need to help escape from here. I don't know her name, but I know her face. She came in here very recently I think, and she goes back to her home once a year for a few days. Do you have any idea of who she may be?"

"There are a couple of new girls here, but only one of them is allowed to go back home. Meira is her name here, and I don't know her real name. I talk to her from time to time. What exactly do you want me to do?"

"I want you to help me get Meira out. First, you're gonna have to get me to meet her once. I'll come again tomorrow morning. Try convincing the guy to let me go with Meira. Then, we'll decide on a time and day to escape, and get out of here. We'll have to leave at a time when the activity is low, and then get out of here as fast as we can."

"Easier said than done. The henchmen will start looking for us soon after we escape, and we'll be caught in no time."

"Not necessarily. If we get out of here soon enough, and leave the city, there is a good chance that we may not get caught. Gujjar, the owner of the entire business, operates principally in Bengal, Bihar and Jharkhand. If you can get out of this area, you will be safe. Just maintain a low profile."'

"You are right. The idea seems good. Come in tomorrow at noon, and you'll get to spend the time you want to with her. Talk things out, and you'll be good to go. What is your name, by the way?"

"My name doesn't matter. Just refer to me as the bearded drunk who came in the previous night."

"Alright. I hope you know what you are doing. Please get us out of here as soon as possible. Good luck." She gave me a quick hug, and messed her look up a bit, so that it didn't look suspicious."

In that brothel, among the sighs and moans coming from the other rooms, I had finally hatched my plan. Meira, or whatever her real name was, would be free soon, and my job would be done. I would finally be free from the guilt of not acting several years ago, and the bad dreams would stop coming. Redemption from my sins was difficult, but it would be achieved soon. I was finally happy.

I walked back to the road, and took a cab to a lodge nearby, to spend the night there.

# CHAPTER 12

The amount of stress laid on to the appearance of a person becomes evident when one is on the receiving end of the ugly looks. I got refused by cab drivers three times just, getting dirty looks from each of them. My rather ugly appearance seemed to have had a rather strong effect on the people around me.

Once I was on the road, though, nobody seemed to care much about me, despite me having a bottle of whisky in my hand. I walked past a cop pretty calmly, and he didn't even budge. I had thought drinking in broad daylight in such public places was a crime. It turns out that nothing really is a crime, because the people responsible for enforcing the law don't really care about the law.

I reached the brothel around noon, and walked straight inside. The guard there didn't really do anything, since he recognized me from the previous night. I was greeted by the same guy, this time with a grin. They treated the returning customers better than the new ones. He smiled at me and said, "The girl you were with last night told me that you were too much for her. You seem to be quite a man."

I grinned back at him.

"We have just the right girl for you then." He said, pointing to a rather athletic looking girl.

I looked around for the girl I had spoken to last night. She was nowhere to be seen. Did she fool me? Was I stupid enough to trust a stranger and put Meira's life in danger? Of course I was! How could I put Meira in danger because of my own stupidities? I should have known better than that. Now she had no escape, and would probably be caught and killed.

The man looked at my blank expression, and assumed that I was not interested in that girl. "I think I should listen to that girl now. She told me you needed something purer, but I didn't listen to her. Don't worry, our latest is free right now, but we'll charge extra for her."

"That's okay. Bring her to me."

"She'll be here in a minute." He held out his hand, and I gave him double the money that I had given him the previous night. He put the money in his pocket, and signalled to a man standing at the door.

After what seemed like an eternity, I finally heard footsteps coming from behind me. She walked towards me, her head fixed on the floor.

"Take good care of this man Meira, he's paying quite a bit for you. If we hear any complaint from him, you will be taken care of pretty well." He grinned at her as he said that to her, and she looked at him with fear.

She took my hand and walked me into a room nearby, shutting the door behind her. She bolted the door, and walked slowly towards me, faking a smile and completely at it. Her discomfort was evident from my face.

"You didn't recognize me too, Meira. It's me, the guy you met in the train."

She had a shocked and disgusted look on her face. She certainly didn't expect me to see me in a brothel like this for the second time, and this entire thing came as a huge shock to her. "What do you want me to do with you?" she asked me, the disgust evident in her tone.

"I'm not here for what you think I am. I am here to get you out of this mess. It's time you leave this place. I've spoken to another girl, and she has agreed to help. We must get out of here."

"What? Are you serious? There is no way I can escape this place. They keep a constant watch on me, because they know I can escape at any point of time. This place is guarded very well, and escape from here is practically impossible."

"There has to be some way to get out of here. Plus, we have another person helping us now, so that should make things easier. We should be able to get out of here."

"There is a door on the back side of the building which leads to a walled backyard, but the wall is eight feet high, and jumping it will gather attention from the people on the front gate, and we'll get caught easily."

"Why can't I just pay your debt off and free you from here?"

"That is because they don't want me to leave this place now. Some other people had tried to buy me from these people too, but they turned out every offer made. Apparently, I am too valuable to them to part with."

"I see. Our best option then is to ensure that the jump is as soft as possible. Where is this door, and when can we do this?"

"The wall is the one you see after you go to the next building. It leads to a small lane, which is connected to the main road. It is basically behind the building, so that makes it easier to get out. I think a time of around 3 a.m. should be fine, because the people coming reduce then. I will fake an illness that night, so that they don't force me to work. Who is the other girl?"

"I don't know her name, but she will contact you soon. I need a date too."

"How about we do this tomorrow?"

"No. my work ends day after. Can we do this two days later?"

"Okay. Make sure you're not seen by the people around. Everyone is afraid of these goons, and they'll do anything to get in their favour. So you will have to be very careful around them. Just make sure you get here on time. I will be ready."

"Okay. I'll make the other arrangements. The other girl knows you, so she will contact you. Inform her about the date, so that both of you can escape together. We have to be very careful about this. One small mistake can put both of you in serious danger."

"I know that very well. I hope we get this done well enough. I really want to get out of here into a safer place. This is not what I was born for."

"I know. Don't worry; I'll get you out of here safely. You don't need to worry about that."

We followed the same drill. She gave me a quick hug, and then messed her look up a bit, so that the people outside didn't get suspicious. "I hope you had a good time this time," the man outside said, grinning at me. I grinned back at him, not wanting to say another word.

Another cab ride took me back to the lodge, where I dumped the beard and lost the ragged clothes. I changed back into my former look, picked up my stuff, and took a cab back to Santragachi railway station. I took my phone out and called my dad. "The train was early dad. I'm back in Kolkata."

The car came an hour later, and I went back home for the two days, knowing very well that I wasn't going to see my parents for quite a while after that. It was time to act soon. Everything was in place now, and all I needed to do was ensure that the plan was executed smoothly. In two days, Meira would be free, and she would be able to start a new, independent life for herself.

Life is one hell of a roller coaster ride. Just about a month back, I was an ordinary student looking for a decent score in my exams. I had no clue that this could have happened to me. In two days, I would be rescuing two girls from a brothel, with my parents having no clue of my whereabouts. I had finally grown up to do something that I should have done a long time back- fight for what is right.

# CHAPTER 13

"Are you sure you'll need only this bit of luggage?"

"Yes mom. I don't want to slow stuff down. We'll mostly be travelling, so too much of luggage will be a problem."

"Who are you going with again?"

"I'm going with Ayu and Niki, my friends from college."

"How did their parents allow them to go?"

"It was quite a struggle, but the genius that your son is, he managed to convince their parents to let them go," I joked.

"You being a genius? Ha-ha. You're the stupidest member of our family Ansh. You can't survive a day without our care!"

"Stop it mom! I'm not a kid anymore."

"Alright, whatever makes you happy. Where will you be meeting them?"

"The train goes via Kharagpur. They'll be boarding it from there."

"Okay. We'll leave at 10p.m. from here. That should get us there on time."

"You're not going with me to the station mom. It's pointless. Dad isn't home anyway, and calling the driver for this is too much. I'll take a cab."

"No you won't. As it is you're going away on this stupid trip. I don't even get to see you nowadays. I am coming with you."

"Mom, you're not coming with me, and that is final. I can manage myself. You stay at home, and stop this emotional blackmail. I'll be back soon enough. Take care of the house till then, and don't get too angry."

"Fine then, do whatever you want to. You're a grown up now, who doesn't need to listen to his parents anymore."

"Don't be like that mom! Let me go alone this one time! You will be coming to the station to drop me back to Kharagpur anyway!"

"Okay. You can go alone. Give me a call when you reach the station, when you board the train, and when your friends board the train, okay?"

"Should I also call you when I eat, drink, wake up, go to sleep, or say any word?"

"Shut up. You will make those calls, or you won't be allowed out on a trip again."

"Alright, I'll call you all of those times."

"And take care of yourself. Don't talk to any stranger, don't eat any unpacked food on the train, or take any kind of food someone you don't know offers you. I hope you understand my concerns for you."

"Yes mom, I do. I will take care of myself."

"That's like a good boy. You're my little baby, how can I let anything happen to you!"

"Mom! I'm a grown up now, and I can take care of myself. Now can you please get me my chocolate chip cookie?"

"Of course you can, my little grown up!"

"I'm nearly six feet tall, and can pretty much pick you up easily. I'm not little anymore."

"You'll always be little for me."

How I wished I could tell my mom that her 'little' son was about to rescue two girls from a prostitution centre in a while, and then take them away from there to a place far away from the city. She would probably get a heart attack right there! This was not the right time to tell anyone. Also, mom would probably just freak out about it, and not let me pursue this further. I had to keep it to myself for now. Mom could find out once it was done.

"Fine, whatever makes you happy. I'll go recheck the stuff you've packed for me."

I went back into my room to check whether I had taken everything, or rather, whether mom had kept everything for me. Mom always packed my bags for trips. I was this spoilt, pampered kid who did nothing on his own.

There was a small bag with all the things I needed, and my laptop bag with just my tablet and some food. I had made sure I didn't keep too much stuff with me, because it was extremely important for me to travel light.

"Everything is fine. I'll leave in a while."

I left at 9:45p.m., with mom insisting that she drop me to the cab. I couldn't refuse again, so I went ahead with it and let her do so.

"Make sure you keep calling, and don't forget to have your medicines."

"Yes mom."

"Also, keep eating well. I've packed some food for you in the bag."

"So that's why the bag is so heavy! Okay, I'll eat it."

"And don't try to act too smart there. Stay careful, and take good care of your belongings."

"I will mom. Taxi!"

Surprisingly, and thankfully, the first cab that stopped agreed to take me.

"Take me to Howrah station."

"Take care of yourself son! Keep calling!"

"Yes mom, I won't forget to keep calling you. Stop worrying about me so much!"

The cab drove ahead now, and as mom went back inside, I told the cab driver, "Rajabazar."

"But you said we were going to the station."

"Yes, but now we are not. We are going to Rajabazar."

Twenty minutes later, I was standing in front of an eight foot wall with a bag in my hand and another on my shoulder. I had to wait for a little less than two hours for them to come. The process had begun.

# CHAPTER 14

Time is a rather relative quantity to the human mind. Scientists may advocate its absolute nature, but to an average human mind, the concept of time can never really be absolute. Only a few days back, I had spent 3 hours watching a Batman movie, and it flew away like a breeze.

However, these two hours that I had spent waiting for Meira and her accomplice to come out had been excruciating. Standing in a dark corner, in front of that eight foot wall in a small lane behind a brothel isn't exactly the best way to spend time. Thankfully, most people crossing me were so drunk that they didn't really notice me, and passed by me with a glance or two even if they did. I kept to myself, and tried to avoid any form of contact with any person there.

Midnight struck, but they didn't come. Then I realized my how stupid I had been, and my obsession with midnight. She had asked me to come at 3 a.m., and I had made arrangements according to that too. Only that I forgot at the last moment, in my excitement, and I had come much earlier for that. Three more painful hours on this shady lane with these bags would kill me. I sat down on the least dirty looking part of the road, and waited for them to come.

Thankfully, they decided to come a little early. The road was deserted by the time they came, so there was no one who could see them leaving. I heard their soft footsteps on the other side of the wall, and propelled myself up on top of the wall, with support from the pipe on the side wall. I jumped to the other side, landing softly on my feet.

"Where is Meira?"

"She's coming. She needs a little more time than me. I made sure the guards were out cold, but we still need to be careful.

"Did everything go according to plan?"

"Better than the plan, you may say. Everything has been perfect so far. She should be out in five minutes."

"That's great."

"I still don't understand why you're doing this for a girl you met just once."

"How do you know I've met her just once?"

"Girls talk, especially when they have no other source of entertainment. She mentioned you quite a few times during our conversations."

"I see. Well, good to know that she remembered me."

"So, why exactly are you doing this for her?"

"It's not just for her. This feels like redemption from my sins for me."

"What do you mean?"

"Let's just say that I did something wrong a long time ago, and I want to cover up for that now, and this is the best way to do that."

"You're one crazy person. I don't know what you are up to, but as long as you're helping us out, it doesn't matter."

"I'm glad to know you think so highly of me."

"I didn't mean to offend you. I'm sorry. You're a great guy, but it still seems strange to me why anyone would do such a thing for someone he barely knows."

Our whispers were cut off by the footsteps of Meira approaching. She stepped out of the back door, barely being able to conceal her smile.

"You look beautiful in that smile you're wearing," I said, smiling at her.

"It's all because of you that this smile is there," she grinned back.

"I think we should leave now. The guards may wake up, and if we are caught, all three of us will be dead."

"Yes, you're right. We should go soon. Being caught is the last thing we want after so much effort. We are very close to being free now!"

The three of us stood against the wall. The first girl climbed on my hand, then my shoulder, and then jumped across the wall, landing safely on the other side.

"Send the bags across."

We threw the bags over, and she caught them on the other side. Meira was next. She followed the same routine, and reached the other side too. I was the only one left to go across. However, there was no pipe here on the side wall to help me climb the wall, and jumping two feet up wasn't exactly something I was an expert at.

"C'mon, hurry! We have to get out of here as soon as possible!" they whispered from the other side.

I was trying as hard as I could to get out of there, but jumping the wall seemed more difficult than ever. I wasn't being able to jump the distance. I looked around for something to climb on to so that I could leave, and found a small broken stool. I took the wobbly stool and placed it in front of the wall. In one quick motion, I was on top of the wall.

The stool shook and fell, creating a noise slightly audible. I heard footsteps coming from inside.

Human beings, in shock, often fail to do the thing they're supposed to. A man slipping and falling on the tracks may not be able to get out of the way of an oncoming train even if he has the time, simply because he may be too scared to move. Similarly, despite knowing that the best thing for me to do was to leave, I sat on top of the wall, frozen. The whispers of the two girls were inaudible to me, and the wall was too high for them to reach me.

The footsteps drew closer, and got louder as they approached the door. They were clearly not of a man. I had to know who this woman was now, even if it meant landing us in trouble. I was sure she wouldn't reach us in time. The car I had hired for the job had smoothly pulled over on the road, and we were just a small dash away from reaching it. Three train berths to a safe haven had been reserved, and all I needed to do was get in that car.

The door opened slowly, and a slender figure stepped out of it. The darkness ensured I couldn't see her face. She could see mine, though. She walked slowly towards me, and as she did, she stepped into the faint light that shone on the small space there.

Her face looked tired and worn out, her body exhausted. She was pretty, but I wasn't interested in how pretty she was. My gaze was fixed strongly at only one place – her eyes. Those were eyes one wouldn't forget in a hurry. Those were eyes I had seen several times before. Those were eyes that I hadn't seen in years, except when I dreamed of them. Those were the eyes of a person I had thought was long gone, whom I would never be able to see again. Yet, I saw them again, and I was shocked.

A faint voice left my mouth, barely being audible.

"Aliya?"

# CHAPTER 15

Some things in life are best deleted from your brain, some memories best forgotten. Some people are better off disappearing into a state of oblivion from your mind, because their presence there brings you only pain. You know they will never come back to you, yet you keep hoping that some day they will. All they cause with this presence is pain, and lots of bad memories.

Until this very moment, that is exactly what Aliya was to me. Her physical absence in my life for so many years had pushed her back as a memory that would never go. I knew it was best for me to forget her, for she would never come back, but there was too much pain and too much guilt to forget this girl. I would think about her all the time, thinking of ways to apologise to her. But today, as she stood there, right in front of me, staring back at me as I looked into her eyes, there was not a word that came out of me.

"Ansh? Ansh! How did you get here? Why are you here? What the hell are you doing? Why are these two girls in the cab?"

"I'll explain all of that to you later. First, you need to come with me."

"What are you up to? Tell me now!"

"Trust me Aliya, please. Have faith in me this one time, and I promise you that I will not disappoint you."

"The last time I trusted someone, it led me to spending so many years in this hell. I will not make the same mistake again."

"Please Aliya, try to understand! I assure you that you will not regret this decision. Just give me your hand this one time, and I'll get you out of here."

She moved towards me, and stretched her hand out. I picked her up and set her down on the wall in front of me. Both of us jumped down, and walked towards the cab without uttering another word to each other.

The cab ride was one of the quietest rides I had ever been in. Meira and the other girl were very excited at being released from that place, and their excitement kept them quiet. Aliya, on the other hand, was in a state of shock, and it seemed like she would take time coming to terms with the fact that her childhood friend had just helped her get out of the place she had been dragged into years ago, and she had really escaped from the fate she had eventually resigned herself to. I, too, was spellbound at finding my lost friend again. Nature has its way of playing things out, and this time it did that in the most dramatic way possible.

Finally, Meira couldn't hold her excitement in, and burst out. "So what's the plan now? How do we escape from the city? We obviously can't stay here, because Gujjar's men will know that we are here, and they will make sure we are found and killed. We need an escape plan, and need to get out of this city soon."

"I have told you all of that already. We are headed to the station now, from where we will take a train to a far off place from here, where Gujjar has no influence. This will ensure that he doesn't get to know where we are, or who you people are with. He will obviously try to look for you people, and given that you three have gone missing at the same time, he will safely assume that the three of you have run off together. I have three tickets with me, since Aliya was a surprise addition." I said, grinning slightly at Aliya. She looked at me and smiled back faintly. She clearly wasn't in a state to talk. " Anyway, we can bribe the ticket checker, so that wouldn't really be a problem."

"You won't need to do that." The other girl said.

"I think it's safer to do so, since we won't have any trouble later on because of this. It is a rather long journey."

"I'm not going with you to wherever you're going."

"Are you in the right state of mind? Gujjar's men will be all over the place looking for you, and it's extremely unsafe for you to stay in this city. You should come with us for now, and maybe return to the city later."

"I won't be staying in the city. I'm coming with you to the station, and then leaving for Bhubaneswar. That's out of the region Gujjar operates in, so I should be safe there. I have a few friends there, and I will be safe in that place. There's a train that will leave in a few hours. I'll buy a ticket in that one from the money I stole from the hell-hole. I will be perfectly fine, so you don't need to worry about anything."

"Whatever you think is right for you. I still think that we should stay together till the heat is down, so that we can at least know we are safe."

"Getting me out wasn't part of your plan anyway. Besides, it's more logical for us to split, since they'll be looking for all three girls together, as you've said yourself. It should be much safer for us to go our separate ways. You've done enough for me, and I hope I can pay you back someday for getting me out of there, but I shouldn't be taking any more help from you. I can fend for myself, and I will do so. Thank you so much for being here with me through this tough time."

"I'm glad I could help you so far. I wish you would come with us, but I think now that you're right. This will keep all of us safer. I hope you stay safe wherever you are, and your friends take good care of you."

She smiled at me, and the silence took over the journey once again. It was funny how the streets that were bustling with activity throughout the day looked so odd in this calmness. Being brought up amidst the car horn noises and people shouting at each other for nothing on the road, the silence was unnerving for me. I wasn't used to such quiet. My ears had started ringing."

"Where will we go from the station?"

"It's a surprise for you people. I hope you like it. It is one of the few places I know that will keep you both safe and unknown, and is also really beautiful. I think you can settle down there for a while."

"I hope it doesn't turn into a shock as we reach there." Meira said, giggling slightly.

The cab pulled over at the station, and we got off, with me being the only person with any luggage. I paid the cab driver, and we walked to the giant screen where the trains with their departure platforms were written.

"My train is on time. I should go and buy my ticket."

"Our train leaves soon, so I think we should hurry and get into the train now."

The girl went to the buy her ticket, and we went off to the platform to board our train.

The train left in ten minutes, and took us away from all the troubles, the issues, and the guilt. More than that, it gave me hours of time to catch up with someone I wanted to talk to for years; someone who had troubled me in my sleep for so many nights. There were so many apologies to make, so many tears to shed, and so many things to say. It was time for me to talk to my best friend again, and I was sure that I wouldn't let her down this time.

All three of us lay down in our berths after a long day, but I don't think anyone really slept. I just stared at the berth above me, finally happy about what I had achieved. My job, to a great extent, was done.

# CHAPTER 16

I didn't realize when I slept, but I sure knew when I woke up, because that's when most other passengers woke up too. Aliya was screaming. I woke up in a hurry and looked at her berth, where I saw her sitting up straight, looking petrified.

"What happened? Are you all right?"

She didn't reply to my question. I shook her gently, and she responded by a rather violent shake. She got back to her senses then.

"I'm sorry. I just had a very bad dream. I'll take care of things now. What time is it?"

"It's 5 a.m., but you don't need to worry about all that. Take the rest you deserve. I'll manage these passengers." I said, and then turned to the concerned looking passengers who had gathered around, looking visibly grumpy at being woken up so early. "I'm really sorry. She had a bad dream and got scared. It won't happen again. Please go back to your seats."

"Why do you people even travel like this, disturbing the entire compartment due to your fussy habits? Kids these days, I tell you. They have no manners at all!" Grumbled a passenger as he went back to his seat and fell asleep almost immediately.

I lay back down and stared up again. Sleep had surely escaped this time. There was no way I was going back to sleep again. My thoughts were all about Aliya, and how things had now changed. Her world had been completely ruined, and there was no way she could get those years of her childhood back. I just hoped she would be able to lead a normal life again, even though some part of me was afraid that the damage done was now irreversible.

The sun rays gently brushed across my face through the windows just above my seat. I sat up and looked out into the fields, staring at the golden grass, as the bright sunlight shined upon it, with the wind blowing it gently. As the sun kissed grass went past me, I could feel the distance that we had travelled. I walked towards the door of the compartment, and just stood there, gazing out in the open. These beautiful fields often gave me a sense of freedom, a medium to let my mind escape into the open and run wild, sending my imaginations to the most distant corners of the world, just like these never ending fields went beyond the horizon. Sometimes I would regret the growth of cities, since they ate into these beautiful lands. The trees, the fields, the birds, all seemed so perfect at that moment.

I turned around to see Meira looking at me and smiling. "Hey. Good morning. I thought you'd be sleeping till late today, given you probably haven't slept well for long."

"No. Aliya's screaming woke me up too. I can understand what she went through, given that I went through a similar thing myself. Where are we going by the way? You haven't told me that yet."

"It's a surprise. I assure you that the place is completely safe, and that nobody will be able to hurt you two there. I'll book a guest room for you both, and get you jobs so that you can sustain yourselves. Take good care, and be careful there, okay?"

She moved forward and took my hand in hers. "I'm really thankful to you for doing this. You're really the greatest person I have ever met."

The look on my face probably showed her the awkwardness that I felt then. She withdrew her hand after completing her sentence. "I'm glad to be able to help you two. I just hope things go fine from here."

"They will, don't worry. I will handle things here once you leave. It will be perfectly fine, and I won't let anything hurt the kind of effort that you have put for me. I will take care of Aliya too. She will be safe."

"That means a lot to me. Thank you."

"I think we should go back in now. She must be awake too."

We went back inside to our seats, where Aliya was waiting for us with the breakfast that the train attendant gave.

"Thanks a lot Aliya for waiting for us before you ate. Shall we get started now? I'm famished."

"So am I! The kind of food that we are given there is terrible."

"Even I don't really get the best of foods, you know. I live in a hostel, and the mess food there is terrible."

The look I got from those two was enough to shut me up. I finished my breakfast quickly and quietly, and then tried to resume conversation. "I've briefed Meira about what you two are to do after you are settled, and I'll be there to help you two settle. It should be fine for both of you."

"Thank you so much for helping us out Ansh, but I think we can manage from here. You can go back from the station itself. We will be fine, since Gujjar won't be able to reach us wherever we are going."

"No, you won't be. Let me just get you two settled, and then you can live by yourselves. I just need to make sure that you two will be in a safe location, so that my worry is reduced. Can I do at least that much, please?"

Aliya nodded a yes, and then we resumed conversation. We talked over a lot of things, and she was surprisingly knowledgeable for, well, someone who had been cut off from things for years. Or maybe she had access to the media. I didn't really know how her life had been in those years, and I wasn't going to bring that topic up anytime soon. She needed her space, and I wasn't going to force anything upon her.

The conversations were an effective means of passing the time, especially since the train was so late. Soon the morning turned into the afternoon and then into the evening. Our destination was just a night's sleep away now. Soon, Aliya would reach her new home, her safe haven. My job would be done.

#  CHAPTER 17

It was the crack of dawn when the train halted to a stop at platform six of Vishakhapatnam Railway Station, several hours after its scheduled time. I woke Meira up, and then proceeded to wake Aliya up. As I took the blanket off her face, I could see the prettiest face I had ever seen. Her lips were curled into a very slight smile, her forehead absolutely relaxed. She was in a sleep that she hadn't had, but deserved, for years, and it was a pity that this sleep had to be broken so early in the morning. She looked like an angel was resting on that narrow berth of the train.

Vishakhapatnam, or Vizag as people nowadays call it, is the largest city in Andhra Pradesh. It is situated along the coast, and most of the activities happen in that area. The city was known to be generally peaceful, except when nature wanted its revenge. Those days would lead to hell being unleashed upon the city, through massive storms engulfing the coastline.

I woke Aliya up, and we got down soon, since the train wasn't stopping there for too long. As we did, the sun rose from behind one of the many hills of the city, showering us in its majestic golden light, as we walked towards the exit. The station, unlike most other railway stations in the country, was comparatively neat, and rather decently organized.

We left the station and walked towards the traffic booth, where some autos were parked. The early morning timing ensured that the queue was nonexistent, and we got an auto almost immediately.

"Jalaripeta", I said to the driver, and he started the auto, taking us to our next destination.

Jalaripeta, or fishers' town, was right near the sea and one of the places in Vizag where one could get a house for a cheap price. I knew the place from one of my friends, who informed me that the other places in the city might just get too expensive for someone without a strong income. That was enough for me to settle on this location, since they wouldn't have much money, at least not for the first few months that they were there.

We finally reached the building where I had rented an apartment. It was a small, old looking building, which seemed like it had taken a lot over the years.. The landlord lived a few kilometres away, in the much better to do Kirlampudi layout area. The apartment that I had rented for them was on the first floor of this building. We moved up to the apartment.

It was a small, pretty dirty, two-bedroom apartment. Yet I could see the joy on both their faces when they saw the place. This small, dingy apartment was a lot more than just a house for them. It meant a freedom they had craved for so long, it was the ray of hope they had never thought they would see. Their life was about to start afresh, and this tiny apartment was the start of a new beginning, and they were happy with it.

There was a lot of settling that needed to be done. This place had to be converted into a home, something liveable, with whatever limited funds that were available with me. We had to get to work immediately, since I couldn't stay there for too long. I had to go back home too. My 'holiday' couldn't last forever. I had to get them jobs, get them on their feet. Liberating them wasn't the complete task. I had to make sure they could sustain themselves in the world.

We got to work as soon as we could. The landlord hadn't provided too many facilities in the house. Thankfully, there were beds in each room. There was a small living room, and a common washroom. The kitchen was practically nonexistent, and it took me a while to notice that it was not a store room. It was a place that we could make liveable with some good effort.

Thankfully, there was a market nearby, from where we could get some basic things which were necessary for daily living. The kitchen utensils came in a few hours, and the gas cylinder subscription was made in my name, since I wasn't going to need one in a while anyway. We got a small sofa for the living room, and foldable racks to work as shelves for now, till they could buy a cupboard. After an entire day of cleaning, it was finally a place one could live in.

"I think we are done here!" I exclaimed.

"Thank you so much Ansh, for helping us out with everything. This is so amazing of you. I could never have imagined that someone would ever do this much for me. I am really grateful to you for doing this. Thank You." Aliya said, tears on the corner of her eyes.

"I'm just glad and honoured to be helping you in this. I'm happier at your safety than you are, Aliya. And Meira, I know you're still a little upset at being away from your family, but you will go back home soon, as soon as this panic mode settles down."

"I'm just glad to be out of there as of now, Ansh. I hope I can go back to my parents soon, but till then, I can manage here."

"Okay. The house has been settled now. It's time to get you two jobs then."

"But why will we be hired? We have no skills, and haven't worked before."

"So what? There has to be some job where they'll see your conviction and let you in."

"I hope so. I'm sure both of us will work hard enough at the job we get, and make sure we earn an honest living to support ourselves."

"I'm sure of that too," I said, and smiled at both of them.

Much of the next day was spent in looking for jobs, as we went around the area from place to place enquiring if anyone would give them a job. There were apparently no vacancies anywhere in the city. Finally, after an exhausting day, we decided to eat at a roadside restaurant.

"Three masala dosas," I said to the waiter, and then turned to the girls, "It's okay. We'll find some work tomorrow. It's not that easy to get work nowadays, so it will take a day or two. I'm here till tomorrow night, and I assure you that you will get a job before I leave."

"I know that. Don't worry Ansh, we'll manage something."

The dosas came while we were in conversation, and all of us ate hungrily. We were exhausted from the long day of seeking jobs, and just wanted to go back and rest.

I paid the bill, and we were about to leave, when a man came from behind and called out to me. "Are you three looking for a job?" he asked.

"Not me," I said, "but these two are. It would be great if you could help us."

"As a matter of fact, I can. I run this restaurant, and we are in need of cleaners. Most of them don't come on time, and the ones who do, laze around all day. The restaurant is in a mess. I heard how much you were willing to work. If you assure me that you will work properly, I'm ready to give you two jobs here. But you make a mistake, and I fire you."

Our faces lit up like candles of a Diwali night. "That is so great of you sir! We are more than happy to be working for you!" Replied Aliya, in the happiest voice I had heard since I met her. Independence clearly meant a lot to her, and this was her independence, from everything.

"Good then. See you tomorrow morning at eight."

"Good night sir."

"Good night."

The three of us were skipping along the road as we want back. The happiness had driven the weariness away. We chatted for quite a while. Finally, the two of them went into their rooms, and I retired into the sofa. The tiredness of the day came back to me, and I dozed off immediately, pleased with myself now.

# CHAPTER 18

I didn't know what time I woke up, but when I did, the apartment was empty. I almost got a heart attack as I searched the entire apartment, and then I found a note stuck on the door, with the words written in nearly perfect English.

"Aliya and I have left for work, and since it's our first day, we decided to go early. You were sleeping peacefully, so we didn't wake you up. I hope you didn't mind us not informing you before we left. We really thought you deserved to rest that much. Enjoy roaming around the place, and meet us too if you get the time!"

I heaved a sigh of relief, and then a thought of sadness gripped me. This was sure to be the writing of Meira. She had been educated till the age of twelve, and yet wrote in English, and that too, English that was grammatically flawless. I felt sad for the poor girl, whose education stopped even before it took off properly. I wished I could do something more for her. I took my phone out to look at the time. It was nearly 10 a.m. now. I was sleeping for a really long time. The weariness of the last few days must have got the better of my city bred, well fed, always pampered self. I quickly changed, and, with one look at the washroom, decided against a bath. I used the deodorant to cover up for that, and then moved down and towards the restaurant.

The girls were delighted to see me, with wide smiles plastered across their faces as they worked diligently. The sense of freedom and happiness that they got from this couldn't come close to any other joy that they could've received from any of the riches, the gifts or the 'fun' that I had over the years. The comparison in itself was doing injustice to them.

They worked through the day, while I roamed around. Vizag is one of the most beautiful cities in the country, or it may have just been my bias for beaches. I spent most of my day around the beach, and considered it as a city tour to satisfy myself. Sitting on the beach and gazing at the waves was, in my opinion, heavily underrated. As I sat there, exploring the meaning of every little thing I did, every instance that had happened to me all my life, my thoughts seemed to wander into the strangest parts of my mind. It was almost poetic, the way my mind spoke to me.

"Every activity that we do in life,

From being a little baby whose smile

Converts darkness into light,

To a full grown man,

Who fends for himself with all his might.

If all of it were to differ,

By just one little act,

It would be a different life,

Different rules with different facts.

Every single step in a drop,

In the ocean of our life's journey.

Sometimes you're as calm as the sea,

But at times, you are fiercely burning.

But you choose your path,

At every crossroad of life.

Sometimes you go down the easy road,

Sometimes it's nearly impossible to survive.

But all of these little choices,

Combine together to become you.

And had you been a little different anywhere.

Your life would've had a different hue."

After spending nearly the entire day at the beach, I left for the restaurant again at around 5pm, when their shift was ending. We ate right there, as all three of us were starving. We then went back home, as I needed to start again for the journey back home

"Let us come with you to drop you to the station at least!"

"There's no need for that. I can manage on my own. You two need to rest right now. Besides, you don't know the city well enough yet. You might get lost."

"Okay." Both of them said, shooting me a slightly upset look.

"Take care of each other, and yourselves. Don't go around a lot into the city right now, you don't know this place well enough. Get settled well here, as this has to be your city for a while now at least. If you ever see any suspicious activity, or need anything from me, just give me a call. You both have my number written down with you, so reaching me shouldn't be a problem. Meira, no matter how strong a feeling you get, do NOT call home. It's going to be extremely risky and problematic if you do so. Gujjar will be all over the place now, looking for you. We have to remain as safe as we can be. Have a good time here!"

I boarded the cab I had called earlier, taking whatever little luggage I had with me. I could see tears in both of their eyes, as we said our goodbyes.

"Thanks for everything you've done for us Ansh. We can never repay you for this, and will always be grateful to you."

"You don't need to ever repay me. Just keep smiling, and don't let those tears come down on your cheeks again. That is enough for me. As I've always said, I'm glad I could do this for you two.

Oh, I almost forgot! I got you two some presents. Meira, here's a book for you to read from. I thought you'd like to resume from where you stopped, so I got this educational book for you. I hope you learn from it. For you, Aliya, I have a bouquet of roses that look as beautiful as you do. I hope you both like your presents!

I should get going now, or I'll miss my train. Take care both of you! See you soon!"

The cab started and I left for the station.

The station arrived soon, and I boarded the train, praying that it wouldn't be as late as it was the time we came to Vizag. As the train left, I felt a sense of pain gripping me. I didn't want to leave her again. I couldn't bear the thought of staying away from her. It pained me to be so close to her, yet going far away again. I could picture her sweet eyes, staring at me with tears in them. I could see that sweet smile, just as innocent as it always was. It was inevitable, yet I was wholeheartedly trying to deny it. This wasn't something that was supposed to happen to me. I couldn't let myself get distracted. Yet, it did happen, and in a fashion that was nothing less than an epic.

I was in love with Aliya.

# CHAPTER 19

The journey back was thankfully not as long, and I reached Kolkata the next morning. I took a cab back home, and was greeted by a relieved mother. She looked at me like I had come back from a war, even though it was just a 'holiday'.

"How are you?! I was so worried about you! Why weren't you responding to my calls most of the time? I didn't get to talk to you at all. You shouldn't get so involved with your friends that you forget your parents completely! You look so weak. Haven't you slept at all in the last few days?"

"Cool down mom. I'm pretty much fine, and pretty happy. We had a great time out there. Vizag is a great city, especially the beach. You're going to fall in love with the beach if you see it even once! The place where we stayed had a direct view of the beach, so it was just amazing. We had so much fun all the time, roaming around the city, walking and playing around on the beach. It was the best time ever!"

"That's great! I hope you clicked tons of pictures, because I want to see all of them! I'm so glad you had so much fun on this trip. Now get ready and come to the table for breakfast. I've made cheese balls for you!"

"That's amazing! I'm starving right now. The dinner in the train was pathetic, as usual, and we forgot to pack any food. So I'm very hungry, and I'm going to dig into the food once I'm done with my bath. I'll be at the table in five minutes!"

I took a quick bath, and came to the table to see my breakfast ready and hot, with a glass of cold chocolate with it. Nothing could ever beat the comfort of home. I ate like a glutton, and when I was done stuffing myself, I picked up the newspaper to catch up with the world around.

The front page article sent chills down my spine, as I read through every word of it.

"GIRL FOUND DEAD IN AN APARTMENT IN BHUBANESWAR

A twenty year old girl was found hanging in an apartment in the Bhima Tank Housing Colony in Bhubaneshwar. The girl worked as a servant in that colony. While initial reports suggest a case of suicide, the police are investigating further into this case. The apartment was empty at the time of the incident. When the owners' knocks were going unheard, they decided to break into the house and saw the girl hanging."

The picture of the girl was what caused me to go cold. I had seen this face not long ago. It was the third girl.

"What happened to you Ansh? Are you alright? Why are you looking so scared?"

"nn.. Nothing..nothing...... I'm fine. I'm just surprised why a girl this young would commit suicide. I don't understand their logic of doing such things."

"It might be due to poverty. She may not have seen a way out."

"It's still very surprising. Also, I don't understand why the police are dismissing it as suicide so soon."

"It all connects pretty well, and there seems to be no other reason for such a thing."

"But it could be that somebody killed her. They should at least explore that possibility!"

"Stop being a detective now Ansh. The police will do its job, and you don't have to do it for them."

"If they did their job, then we wouldn't be cursing them so much."

"Read the sports section. You'll feel better."

"I don't think I will. Given how United has been performing, it just seems unreasonable to even think that they'll do anything more than finish fourth this season. It's disappointing, really."

"Then go play on your gadgets, or watch something on your laptop. That's what you generally do at home anyway."

"Yeah, I'll do that," I said, and I went to my room and switched my laptop on, playing my favourite TV series on it.

The thought simply wasn't going away from my head. This was obviously Gujjar's work. He must have killed her, and then paid of the cops to dismiss her case as a suicide. Since she knew no person who was powerful enough to challenge him, nobody would ever question this entire fiasco, and she would be buried forever. If Gujjar could do this to her, it scared the life out of me to think what he would do to get Meira back.

I continued to watch the series, and soon put these thoughts behind me. Home has an intoxicating effect on a person's mind. One seems to forget all the difficulties, problems and issues that one faces when one is at home. I knew that the problem of Gujjar was looming upon me, but I also knew that there was nothing I could do about it at the present moment, and therefore I had to let it go. The loving care of my mother ensured that I didn't think of my problems too much, and stayed as happy as I could have been.

I did think about Aliya from time to time. The realisation of being in love with her hit me hard. I had never thought I would fall in love with someone, as I was far too focussed on my future. But then, a lot of unexpected things had happened in the last few months, and this was the least surprising one of them.

I thought of her surprise as she saw me for the first time in over a decade, that anger that she could never take out on me. Both of us knew that I was too young then to do anything about it, but somehow, she always expected me to do something.

Her happiness now gave me happiness, and whenever I thought of her smile as she tasted freedom after so many years, it brought a wide grin to my face. I was content with myself for doing this for her. This redemption was definitely worth the risk attached to it.

I didn't realise that my daydreaming and browsing on the laptop had taken up so much time that mom was now calling me for lunch.

"What's for lunch today?"

"What do you want?"

"I want Pizza!"

"Stop saying pizza every time I ask you what you want for lunch. I've made you parathas and your favourite curry. You're going to love this. You can have your pizza for dinner."

"That's great!" I exclaimed as I dug into the food.

My mom always loved it whenever I came home. With my sister and I both living outside home now, and dad working all day, mom would get a little lonely staying alone at home. Having me over for company was always fun for her.

I finished up lunch and lay down on the bed in my parents' room, watching the television. I heard the doorbell ring a while later, and mom let someone inside.

"Who is it mom?"

"It's an insurance person from Surana uncle's office. He needs your signature on a document."

"Stop making me sign so many autographs! I don't like the celebrity status," I joked, as I walked into the living room.

All of my happiness was washed out of my face as I turned pale when I looked at the agent's face.

There, smiling at me, with the insurance documents in his hand, was Gujjar.

# CHAPTER 20

I stared at him for a few seconds, with my mouth wide open. He just looked back and me and kept smiling, his expression unchanged. I gathered my senses, and went back to normal. If he was pretending to be normal, then it was upon me to ensure that mom didn't find out about the entire episode. I sat beside mom on the sofa.

"Sir, you just need to sign here and here," he said, as he pointed out to two places on a piece of paper.

I picked up the pen and went on to sign. I browsed through the document first, at which even mom was surprised, since I had never done that in any scenario before. Finding nothing fishy, I signed the papers.

"Ma'am, could you get me a glass of water please?"

Mom went into the kitchen to get him some water. Just when mom went inside, he turned to me, and said, "Meet me downstairs in ten minutes. I won't wait longer than that, and if you don't turn up, you and your family will be in some serious trouble."

Mom came with the water, and he drank it quickly, and left.

I walked back to the room, thinking of some excuse to leave and go downstairs. Five minutes later, I pretended to take a phone call from a friend.

"You want to play now? Okay, I'll be there."

"Mom, Deepak wants to play pool with me. I'm going to the games centre with him. I'll be back in a while."

"Thank Deepak from my side for finally being successful in getting you out of the house."

"Very funny. Be back soon!"

I left to meet Gujjar, hoping that he'd be sane enough to not kill me in my residential complex. Whatever he would accuse me of, I had to go for outright denial.

"Hello, Ansh. It's been a while since we met."

"Why have you come here? You asked me to stay away from you, and I did. You shouldn't interfere too!"

"Well, if only you were speaking the truth Ansh. I know what you have been up to."

"Please tell me what I've been up to."

"Stop acting so stupid. Meira and Aliya are missing, and both of us know how they got away."

"Meira? Aliya? I've never heard these names before."

"I asked you to stop acting stupid. I've done the background checks. You knew Aliya in your childhood. How you know Meira is beyond me, but I'll find that out too. We went looking for them everywhere around, but they weren't there. I'll find out everything about this, and if you're involved, you're going to be in some serious trouble."

"I'm telling you, I'm totally out of this. I haven't been involved in your activities ever since you sent me that message. I won't risk my family's safety."

"You see Ansh, I'm not as gullible as you think I am. Along with those two girls, a third girl had escaped. She ran away to Bhubaneshwar. Unfortunately for her, she didn't know that my goons work there too. The picture that you saw in today's newspaper, if you've read it, is of that girl. She didn't kill herself. I got her killed."

"But the reports say that it was a suicide."

"The cops will say what I ask them to say. You better be careful Ansh. Don't mess with my men."

"I'll keep that in mind."

"You should. This isn't one of the bollywood movie scenarios where you can be the hero and save the day."

I giggled slightly at this reference of his. Gujjar seemed stupider than I gave him credit for. It was probably one of his henchmen who did the scaring and thinking for him.

"You think I'm funny?" He grabbed me by the collar as he said that. "I'll show you what funny is."

He took out his phone, and played a video that washed the colour off my face.

In the video was the third girl, being beaten, raped and tortured by Gujjar's men. They did things to her that I couldn't imagine a human would do to another human. Tears came to my eyes as I saw that video.

"You should be lucky that she didn't say anything, or you would've been in serious trouble. I still have a hunch that you've done this, but I won't take any action till I am sure. But remember this; the day I find out that you've done this will be the last day of the existence of you and your family. You better watch out, Ansh."

This was getting much worse than I was expecting it to get. Gujjar was not supposed to be this ruthless. I would have to be a lot more careful now. No mistakes could be afforded with this person. He may not be that bright, but he had hired people who were pretty smart, and extremely intimidating.

He left in his car, staring at me all the while. When he was safely gone, I took my phone out, and pressed the pause button on the voice recorder.

This testimony could be helpful in the future, if I would ever get the chance to bring this person to court.

This cat and mouse chase had to end, but an end didn't seem to come close. I had to leave for college in a few days, and I hoped that I would be safer in college. Keeping all of this away from my parents was becoming an increasingly difficult job now, and it was going to be a challenge to keep Gujjar at bay.

I went back home after a while to avoid suspicion, opened my laptop, and began editing images on Photoshop, creating a holiday that had never happened, since my mom wanted to see all the photos.

One hundred edited photos later, my mom exclaimed that we hadn't taken too many photos, and that some of them seemed a little weird. This was the point where I was literally thanking my mother's lack of comprehensive knowledge in technology.

After the day was done, I went back to my room and lay down, to rest after one scary day. Things needed to cool down now, in every aspect of my life. I couldn't take the stress any longer.

# CHAPTER 21

A week later, I was back in Kharagpur, back to the same routine life that I had been living over the past year. The people out here were not pleased that I had been out of touch for the entire week, and needed a confirmed reason for that. Fortunately, I had spent the week at home well.

"I was out with my family in Kerala, and didn't get network for most of the areas. Plus, it would've seemed rude if I had taken out my phone and texted people when I was supposed to spend time with all my family members. I'm sorry."

"Oh, it's fine Ansh," Ayu said, "I was just worried about you."

"Worried? I'd have been at home anyway!"

"Yes, but you're one crazy person. Who knows what you may end up doing."

"Well, that's true.

"So, how was Kerala?"

"It was amazing. We had lots of fun there; we played games, and talked a lot! There were so many things to catch up on!"

"That's great! I'd love to see all the pictures from your trip."

"Sure." I was prepared already this time, "I'll show you the pictures when we meet in the library, okay?"

"That sounds great. I have to go now, have some work pending."

"Even I have some assignments to complete. Take care. See you soon!"

"You too take care!"

I went back to work, and finally decided to open the society's emails. The kind of work I was doing there wasn't really helping me in any way. There was nothing to learn in it, no advantages, no benefits to be gained. It was just boring work that I was doing because apparently the presence of a society in my resume was considered to be a great advantage.

Even then, I was seriously considering leaving this work. There was no use doing it. I could do much better things that would be much more helpful than sticking up posters and selling t-shirts. I decided to quit the society, and went to meet a senior to put that thought into effect.

"Ansh! Where have you been for so long? There is so much work pending, and you're supposed to be doing so much of it. What have you done in the vacations?"

"I haven't done anything. I was out of town for the entire duration, so I couldn't get any work done."

"This is not how our society works. We give you enough leeway to do what you want to, but there is a certain amount of work that you have to complete. You've been given certain responsibilities as a subhead, and I expect you to fulfil them. How will you manage the fest if you work like this?"

"Actually, I was thinking of quitting Robotix."

"What? Why?"

"The kind of work I'm doing is not fun for me. Plus, I don't really think this will help me in the future. I'm not really interested in image processing."

"I see. But there's so much more to do too. We can find something interesting for you." The sudden change in tone was fun to hear.

I had to be careful now. This was a typical statement from them whenever anyone wanted to quit. "No. I think I'll be better off without this work."

"Okay, but at least stay till the big workshop. We need to do a lot of work, and abandoning us at this point isn't in the right spirit."

"You'll have a lot of other people to do your work for you, but I really want this time to myself. I'm sorry."

"Okay then. Have a great time ahead."

"You too have a good time. Thanks for understanding."

I went back to my room, pleased with myself for finally getting the courage to quit. Quitting a society as famous as this one requires a lot of willpower, and a considerable amount of decision making. I was glad that I finally came to a conclusion, and was going to stick with it.

I called up Ayu to meet her in the library now. There were things that I needed to discuss with her, and decide now. I was just praying to God that the outcome of these discussions would be positive. Her answer on this was going to decide my life for the next few years, at least.

"Hey! Let's meet at the library in an hour? I'll show you the pictures from the trip, and there's something I need to discuss with you, so we can do that too."

"Sure. I'm done with my work. What about your assignment?"

"I'll do it in the library. So, see you in an hour?"

"Okay!"

An hour later, I packed my bag and left for the library. Ayu was already there when I reached, and she smiled a wide smile when she saw me. She was doing some work of the research group that she was a part of.

"Too much work?"

"Yes, too much of it, and the deadline is tomorrow. But I can manage this. Show me all the photos now!"

I opened my laptop and showed her all the photos of the trip, carefully edited in Photoshop to look as close to the original as possible. She didn't catch any mistakes, and was pretty happy with the pictures.

"Looks like you had a great time there! I'm glad to know you had so much fun. I was bored at home for the entire duration of the vacation, stuck with this stupid project's work."

"Ayu, I wanted to talk to you about something else too."

"Go on. I'm listening."

I needed a steady source of income, and I needed it to come soon. I knew that the girls wouldn't be able to manage with that little money for too long, and I had to help them with whatever little I could do for them.

"I was thinking of starting my own company with you. We are both good coders, and I'm really interested in android application development. I think you'll like it too. It's a very interesting topic, and a lot of fun to work with. I know you're in a research group, but till when will you fool yourself? These people are glad their 'autonomous' car works with a remote control. You can buy what they've made for three hundred rupees at a market in Kolkata!"

"Okay, first of all, stop insulting our work so much. We've made great progress so far, and our vehicle came 9th at the International Competition last year. We've been improving every day, and with the amount of effort everybody has been putting in, we're sure to do much better.

Secondly, though, even I was considering leaving the project. It's not because the work is bad, just that the environment isn't good enough. The people I work with are really strange, and they crack very awkward jokes and pass extremely sexist statements. Being the only girl there, I can't really do anything about it either. One of my senior's laptop password is 'I hate girls'! So yes, I'm in this with you!"

"That's great! I'm so happy we're doing this. So this is my plan for the next month. I'll start working on the basics, while you learn android application development. We can then continue to work on the more difficult aspects of the application, and complete it and then launch it on the Play Store. We'll be generating revenue through advertisements on the play store, and we'll also launch a no advertisements pro version for a dollar on both the play store and the Amazon store."

"That sounds good to me. Let's get started on the work then!"

A month later, our first application, Math Bomb, was ready to be published. We published the application with a lot of spamming all over Facebook, pushing our friends to download the application and review it. The application generated over a thousand downloads in the first fifteen days, but all of them were from the free version, and we were not gaining anything more than a couple of dollars in advertisement revenue.

"We need to work harder on this. We have to put more effort. This is not enough. We need to generate more revenue, and we need to do it quickly."

"Why are you pushing so hard on earning money? We're in college right now, and have enough for ourselves. I think we should focus more on what kind of applications we are making than how much we are selling."

"You won't understand Ayu. We need to generate revenue too."

"Stop being so money minded about everything. We will generate revenue, but in good time. For now, we should focus more on making better applications and games."

"Okay, if you say so." Earning money wasn't as easy as I thought it to be. With the money I was earning by winning at debating tournaments I had won months ago due to arrive in more than two months, there had to be some other source of income. I couldn't find any at present, though.

The two months in college passed quickly, with my exams going better this time. I would have the occasional chat with Aliya and Meira over the phone, though I as careful not to mention their names or anything that could compromise their present location.

I was scheduled to go back to Vizag in early December, and the date was not coming any time soon. I had never been this excited to meet someone before, and somehow, time was playing its cruel game, ticking as slowly as it could have. I had decided to tell Aliya how much I loved her.

# CHAPTER 22

It was the middle of November, and not my favourite time of the year. The examinations were due to start in a week, and I knew that my grades weren't going to be good this time. Given the spike in my extra academic activities, I was sure that my parents would ask me to cut down on them, and focus more on studying hard and performing better in my courses.

The IIT Kharagpur campus is one of the greenest college campuses one can find in the country. The entire campus is filled with trees, with most of the major roads having trees on either side. The campus manages to maintain a certain level of natural air conditioning, even if only to a minor extent. The rest of the temperature management is facilitated by the immense funding that the institutes receive.

The campus has, among other things, a beautiful lake behind the students' activity centre, surrounded by a walking space adorned with benches and patches of grass, providing the perfect setting to sit down and relax. Unfortunately, couples who found a lack of space for certain activities on campus used the dark environment to frequent this place at night, which led to the imposition of the rule that students weren't allowed to come to this place after 11 p.m.

This, however, was the exam time, so there weren't many students, nor were there guards roaming around to drive the students away. Ayu and I could sit peacefully on one of the benches, as we talked like just another 'heart opening session', as she called it. I would freak out every time she said that.

We talked at length about the problems that were worrying her, the issues that she was having at home, her problems with her crazy roommate who had nearly descended into madness, among other things.

"I feel so much better after discussing all of this with you. Thank you so much Ansh. You'll always be my best friend."

"And you'll always be one of the closest friends I have. If you ever need to talk about anything, just let me know, and I'll be there for you."

"Ansh, can I ask you something personal, if it's not too much?"

"Sure, go ahead. I'm always open to your questions."

"I've always maintained that you're my best friend, and made it vocally clear that it is so. I've never expected anything, but always wondered why you've never called me, or anyone, yours. Ansh, you've taught me how to open up to people, but you've never really shown yourself to be one such person. Having several close friends is one thing, but having one best friend is another. Why have you never had one?"

"Ayu, I don't think you should know the answer to this, not right now. This is not the correct time for me to be telling you about this."

"But why is it not? You've always run away every time I ask you something that is difficult to answer. You need to trust me Ansh, if you want to be good friends with me."

"Ayu, you don't understand the gravity of the situation. It is not like this is one easy situation to explain, or to understand. You need to understand a lot of things, and I need an assurance from you that no matter what you think, no matter what happens, you will not tell anyone."

"Ansh, stop talking like you are a secret service agent taking down Osama bin Laden, and tell me everything now."

"Ayu, promise me first. Promise me that everything I tell you will not go out, even if you think it's for my safety."

"Okay, I promise I won't tell anyone anything about this."

"Good, now I'm going to talk, and you will listen.

Over a decade back, when I was a little kid who had just joined school, I had a friend named Aliya. She was our neighbour, and the sweetest girl I've ever known. We played all day together, and back then I had no friends except her. We'd often fight, but those were little childish fights that would end in a minute.

Aliya and I were inseparable back then. Our parents didn't talk much, but then, her father didn't talk to anyone, and her mother had died giving birth to her. She would often spend a lot of time at my home, and we had the most amazing time ever.

However, God wanted something else. He probably couldn't stand her happiness, and so, a few days after Aliya's birthday, something terrible happened, something that I wouldn't have thought even a monster like her father had the capability to do.

Aliya's father dragged Aliya out and took her away, never to bring her back. He sold her off to a thug named Gujjar, and I saw him dragging her as she begged for mercy. I saw a little girl begging for her freedom, begging me to free her, with tears in those innocent eyes, as I stood still and stared at her."

I could see tears forming in Ayu's eyes. She looked at me, tears flowing down my cheeks, as I continued in a broken voice, "A few months back, I met a girl in a train. Her father was tricked into sending her off to the same thing, and, in a bid to rescue her, I found Aliya.

Aliya and the other girl are now hiding in another part of the country, free from that goon. However, they can't keep hiding forever, and I'm afraid that one day, he'll find out about her, and there may be too much trouble."

I wiped my tears and smiled a half smile as I looked at Ayu. "Ayu, the reason why I don't want a best friend is because I already have one. She's the girl who was with me since childhood. She's the girl who kept visiting me in my dreams, the one who I thought I found never find. She is my best friend, my oldest friend, and my closest friend. She is the friend I will always love most dearly. I will always have many close friends, but never a friend like Aliya. I'm sorry if that hurts you."

Ayu smiled, and said only five words, "I want to help you."

"As much as I love the gesture, I cannot risk your life in this. These are dangerous people I am dealing with, and they have to be dealt with by just me. I cannot let you get into any trouble for me."

"You can't push me away from this one Ansh. I will help you, no matter what happens."

"Okay. If you want to help me, then there's something you can do for me."

"Anything you ask for, just name it."

"I need to go to meet them next month, and was planning to go during the time that you are going to the IIT Bombay Debate. I was wondering if you could ensure I am marked present there even though I won't be going there."

"Consider it done, sir," she said. "Are there any other orders that I may execute for you?"

"That's all I need from you. Thanks a lot Ayu!"

"I'm honoured to be friends with someone like you. I'm always happy to help you. Take good care of yourself. Keep away from harm as much as you can, and you'll be just fine. Good night!"

"Good night Ayu. Sleep well."

"Aye aye, cap'n!"

# CHAPTER 23

"And that's another tournament that you want to go to! Why do you want to go to so many tournaments? You've been to two of them already!"

"But mom, this is a very prestigious tournament. A lot of people from the debating society are going to it. It's going to be a great learning experience and a lot of fun too! Also, it's in the vacation period, so I won't be missing anything at all."

"Alright, go. I don't understand why you want to go out with your friends so much nowadays. Your JEE preparation time was good. You didn't talk to most people, and utilised whatever time you had!"

"Oh come on mom! Even you know this was going to happen someday. I need to grow up, get out there, and see things for myself. Thanks a lot for letting me go though. See you at home in a few weeks!"

This conversation had happened a month back. I convinced mom to let me go to Mumbai for the IIT Bombay Parliamentary Debate. She didn't need to know that I wasn't going to Mumbai, and I needed to ensure she didn't find out. Everything was set, and I was packing for my weekend at Vizag. I was to leave in a few hours.

The thought of seeing Aliya again in less than a day made me as excited as a little child. I was skipping and jumping as I packed my bag, slipping in some chocolates along with everything else that I needed for the journey. I was going to tell her how much I loved her, and I so hoped that she would be as excited as I was.

"I still don't understand why you're stopping over at Vizag. It's pointless to go somewhere so far away," mom asked as she walked to the platform with me. The train was to leave in 20 minutes, which meant mom would be there for at least 18 of them.

"Megha's parents weren't letting her go alone, and Chas is in Kharagpur. Both of us decided to go together. It's just a small train journey mom. We're flying from Vizag anyway. Megha's parents will drop us to the airport, so relax!"

"Okay. Take care of yourself..."

"And don't eat anything unpacked on the train. Keep calling me regularly, and keep me updated with your progress. Don't forget me-"

"Anything else that you have to say?" I cut her in the middle, joking about it.

"Stop doing that now, or I won't let you out again. You don't know how scared I get when you go out."

"I do know. Now let me go!"

She stayed with me for a while, and then left when the whistle blew. The train started towards Vizag. I was heading to my destination.

I slept for a while, but woke up when I heard movements in my compartment. I saw a man standing in front of me, but couldn't make out his face in the dark. He moved away and slept on the berth below mine when he saw me waking up. I was too sleepy to react, and went back to sleep.

I woke up the next morning as the station arrived. I got down with my bag and left to take a cab. Fifteen minutes later, I was standing at Aliya's doorstep.

"Hi! It's so great to see you here!" She exclaimed as she gave me a warm hug. The apartment looked much better than what I had left it at. It was a lot more furnished than before, and the general cleanliness of the area was much better than what I had seen, but that was probably because I lived in a hostel.

"Your home looks brilliant! How did you people manage so much with...umm.."

"Manage this with such low salaries? It's okay, you can say it. I don't mind. You see, after Meira read the book you gave her, she got so interested that she started to read a lot more, buying books at much cheaper rates, most of them second hand. She learnt a lot of things quickly, and applied for a job at a cyber cafe as an assistant there. She used the internet there to do some things online, and her salary is now around Rs. 20000! She is really intelligent! We even bought a second hand laptop for Rs. 5000. Come inside and have a look! She taught me some things so that I could help her in her work."

I looked around the house in utter disbelief. These two girls put together were earning more than what an engineering graduate from a private college earns. Turns out that a degree doesn't necessarily impart an education, but the desire to know does. Meira and Aliya had together shown to me what willpower could do to one's life, and that was a lesson I wouldn't forget.

"This is amazing Aliya! But why aren't you at work?"

"I quit the job at the restaurant. I work full time from home now. It brings more money to the house."

"Where is Meira?"

"Meira is at the cyber cafe. She has to work on weekends too. She has holidays on Mondays."

"I see. I'm glad you both are doing so well. I'm really happy for you!"

"None of this would have been possible had you not helped us in the first place! Thank you so much Ansh!"

"Stop thanking me so many times for the same thing!"

"Okay okay. Now tell me what do you want? You must be tired after the journey. Should I make something warm to drink, or something cool?"

"I'll help myself. You get back to work inside."

"As you wish. The refrigerator has everything you'll need. We've been paying our bills on time, so we get all the facilities for 24 hours."

She left for her room, and resumed working. I opened the refrigerator and found it stocked with food,. I took a bottle of cold water and gulped it down in an instant. I was hungry, thirsty and tired. I made myself a sandwich and began to eat.

Just when I finished my sandwich and was getting up, the doorbell rang. I thought it was Meira, and so it was. She jumped in excitement and gave me a quick hug, and we sat down together to talk about the months that we didn't see each other for.

"There's so much that I need to tell you Ansh! A lot of good things happened after you left. Aliya must have already told you quite a bit of it."

"Yes, she did tell me that both of you are quite stable now. It's good to see that you're doing so well."

"Thank you. I do miss home quite a bit though. I haven't seen my father in so long. He would have been so proud to see his baby girl grow up. He would have never imagined that I could fend for myself this way."

"Well, you are now. It's so good to see you two working so hard."

"It's even better now that you are here to visit us. How many days are you here for?"

"I'll leave in a few days. I came here to check on you two, to see whether everything is as you tell me over the phone.

There's one more thing I wanted to discuss though. Call Aliya here too. Also, I think you may need to close the door for that."

# CHAPTER 24

"I think I was followed here. I'm not quite sure about it, but last night, when I was asleep on the train, I saw a face stare straight at me, and then walk away without doing a thing. I think Gujjar has kept his eyes on me, since I had been very interested in you two from the start. You two will have to be a little more careful about your activities henceforth."

"How can you be so convinced that the man who looked at you was sent by Gujjar? It could just be a co - passenger looking around for his berth."

"I'm saying that I'm not convinced! I'm just a little worried that the person may have been Gujjar's man. Gujjar had threatened me earlier that he would keep an eye on me, and this is the first time I've left town since then. All I'm saying is that you two should be a little more careful with things for a few days."

"As you say sir, you're the boss," Meira joked.

"I have a lot of work to do now. I'll get back to it. Meira, have your lunch and leave soon, the break won't last forever," Aliya said.

"Yes, I know. Let's all have lunch together. Aliya and I will resume working after that, and you can rest in our apartment."

"Thank you for the honour ma'am. Can I help with making lunch?"

"That depends on how good you are in cooking. We don't want to end up with stomach upsets, you know. You've already advised us to be careful!"

"That was just a courteous offer. I don't know how to cook. I can help with arranging the plates, but I don't think I can do more than that."

We had a good meal, and Meira left for work soon after that. Aliya went to her room to continue what she was doing, and I lay down on the couch to take a quick nap.

I woke up in the evening, as Meira was returning from work. The train journey had tired me out completely, and it felt good to take a nice quick nap.

"Why don't we all go out somewhere?" Aliya suggested

"That's a great idea! I haven't seen the city since we came here. Both of us have been so busy with work that we haven't really been able to go out!" exclaimed Meira.

"Didn't I ask you two to be more careful just a few hours back? Gujjar's men may be around, and we cannot take the risk of being seen by them!"

"Really? You think he would spot us here? You're worrying too much Ansh! I think you should relax a little bit. Let's go out and have some fun now! We haven't enjoyed ourselves in a really long time. I think all of us deserve a break."

"Alright, we'll go, but we'll go to some place nearby only, and all of us will stay together at all times. If at any point of time you see someone following us or even think that we are being followed, you will let me know. Is that understood?"

"Yes sir!" said both of them, mock-saluting me.

"Okay then! Let's have some fun!"

We roamed around the area for hours, went out to eat in a decent restaurant. Both of them insisted on paying, and made sure that I didn't. We roamed around on the street, and then went to sit on the beach. We returned late at night, and all of us fell asleep almost immediately.

The next morning had a similar routine like any other morning they had. Meira got up, got ready, packed some fruits in her bag, and left for work. Aliya got to work almost as soon as she woke up, with the toothbrush in her mouth. I looked at both of them going through their daily chores through sleepy eyes as I woke up from my sleep.

I got ready as lazily as I could, since I had nothing much to do in the day. It was nearly lunchtime when I finished getting ready. I took my tablet out and began playing games on it to pass the time, hoping Meira would be back from lunch soon too.

A few minutes later, the doorbell rang. I thought it would be Meira, so I went to open the door with a wide smile. The smile changed into a look of horror as the colour drained off my face. I looked at the person standing at the gate in utter shock. My eyes felt like they would pop out immediately. The person in front of me grinned.

"So, you didn't have anything to do with it Ansh?"

I had nothing to say. Even if I did, I was too shocked to move. I just stared at Gujjar with an open mouth.

"Well, we meet again, and in a scenario that you wouldn't like. Thought you could run away forever? Well, I'm back now. My girls will go back to Kolkata, and you won't."

He grabbed me by my collar and threw me down on the sofa there. Aliya walked in because of the noise, and recognised the face immediately.

"The two of you together. What a story. Sit down, both of you. We need to talk."

# CHAPTER 25

"So, Ansh, you were saying you weren't involved in this."

"I...I..."

"What!" He shouted at me.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do anything to hurt your business. I just really wanted to help them out. Please don't do anything."

"Help them? Wait. There are more?"

"No! I meant help her. She's my childhood friend, as you know. Please don't hurt us. Please let us go."

"Oh, I won't. Aliya has been one of the most experienced young girls we have. She has been with me since her childhood, and knows all about the execution of the business. I need her there to help her manage and perform her job. I don't need to listen to your bullshit."

"What if I make you a counter offer?"

"A counter offer? She's not for sale to you. Your life is something you can buy off right now, not hers."

"What are you talking about?"

"This conversation that we're having is not for her. You've made me travel so much, worry a lot about things. Somebody will have to pay for the expenses that I've incurred. Since you're the one in question here, the person paying will have to be you. So, call up your parents, little boy, and ask them to send over twenty lakhs for your life."

"My parents know nothing about this, and I intend to keep it that way. Get your goons. I'd rather die."

After saying this in a melodramatic and heroic tone did I realise that this was not a Bollywood movie. He was not going to admire my courage and let me go. I was going to be dead soon.

"I don't need my goons for you, I am enough," He said, as he knocked me down on the ground with one blow. I got back up, just in time to avoid a second punch coming my way.

Aliya screamed and tried to fight him as I got back to my senses. He pushed her away with ease. She fell on the sofa, her head hit the edge and she fainted there.

Gujjar now turned all his attention to me. He threw another punch at me, and I dodged it again. His hand rammed into the wall, but the wall seemed more injured than he did.

I tried to land a few blows on him, but they didn't seem to have any serious effect. It seemed like an ant's bite would do more damage.

He picked me up by the collar and flung me on the sofa beside Aliya. "I am going to enjoy this a lot."

"Please leave us. We won't ever interfere in your life again."

"Beg as much as you want to, Ansh. You're not going to get out of this alive now. You've given me a lot of trouble, a lot of stress. This is going to be a long and painful death for you."

He picked me up again and slapped me multiple times. I tried hitting him with a chair nearby, and he staggered back. The only way for me to deal any damage was to use the things lying around. I picked up two glass bottles from the refrigerator and flung them at him. Both hit him hard on the chest, and he moaned in pain, but this just seemed to get him angrier.

He charged towards me, and I dodged again. He went running into the wall, and banged his head against it. I had to use his anger against him. That was the only way I could get out of this.

His rage was building up, as he walked towards me with his fists clenched. He kept throwing punches, and I kept dodging them. Suddenly, out of nowhere, he landed a kick on my stomach. I flinched with pain, and came down holding my stomach. He jumped on top of me, but landed on the floor as I rolled out.

Gujjar was as hurt as I was now, but I still couldn't escape. This fight was to end in one of us being eliminated, and both of us knew this.

He got up from the ground and landed multiple punches on me. I was bleeding from the nose and gums, and could barely move my right hand. He tried to kick me again, but I turned him around using my left hand. He flew up and landed hard on the ground, flat on his face. His nose was bleeding too now.

Gujjar had had enough now. He walked in and knocked me down again with a massive punch. He sat on me and pressed my neck so hard that I felt that any instant could be my last. I was choking now, and the light in my eyes was fading. I could barely see the anger in his eyes, or anything apart from his blurry face.

I saw blood coming out, and I was feeling pain. I knew this was the end. His grip was loosening on me, and I couldn't breathe even with effort. After a few moments of me giving up I realised that the blood was not mine. A knife tore into Gujjar's chest from behind, as blood spurted out of his mouth and chest. He had been stabbed right in the heart. His grip on me became looser, and he fell to my side. I was still in a semi conscious state, when I felt water being sprinkled on me. I had no strength to move, but I didn't need to. I was shifted to the sofa, where I could see Aliya too. Another large splash of water brought me back to senses.

"It's all over Ansh. We are free now," Meira said, smiling as she looked at Aliya and me. Aliya seemed to be recovering too, and needed help in sitting up.

"What happened? Did you..?"

"Yes. I heard the noises from the floor below, so I walked in very carefully. When I got in, Gujjar had knocked you down on the ground. As he was trying to kill you, I stabbed him with this knife." She said, pointing to the knife stuck in Gujjar's chest.

"But where did you get the knife from?"

"I keep a knife with me in my bag to cut the fruits that I eat. I like to eat them that way. It was fortunate that I had it with me, isn't it?"

"Fortunate? It was a blessing from God. Thank you so much Meira, for saving our lives."

Aliya came back to her senses completely, and broke down crying. I put my arm around her to try and comfort her. "It's all done now. Gujjar can no longer trouble us. We are safe to go back to Kolkata and start our life happily again. Be happy Aliya, for you don't need to hide again."

"We should start making preparations to go back to Kolkata now. We can take a train for tonight." I said to Meira.

"Actually I have some deposits and other things to clear out. Plus, we will need to explain ourselves to the police here. Can we please wait till tomorrow?"

"Okay. I'll go and report this to the cops then."

"Before all of that, go to a hospital."

"Yes ma'am!" I exclaimed, with a small smile. The fight was over now. We had won against Gujjar.

# CHAPTER 26

"You're bleeding all over your face, and have multiple fractures! Why did the media not report this accident?"

"It wasn't an accident to be reported. Can you please fix me up?"

"Calm down there, young man. What happened to you?"

"I slipped and fell down hard."

"I'm a doctor, not your local shopkeeper. I know which injuries come from falling. Tell me exactly what happened."

"I got into a fight with someone, and managed to get myself out of it with this much."

"Where's the other person?"

"I really don't think that concerns you. I'm sorry for being so rude about this, but that is information I cannot give to you. Please just fix me up and let me go."

The doctor gave me a look of disappointment, and proceeded to clean my wounds and plaster my arm. Thankfully, the bones had just cracked, and had not displaced from their location.

"Take care of yourself, son. Life won't be that easy on you every time. Next time may be the last time."

I had enough of him judging me, and was about to erupt on him, when Aliya held me hand and gestured me to calm down. Meira had left for some work she was to do, and we were to go to the local Police Station from the hospital.

We took an auto rickshaw and reached the Police Station pretty soon. It was the typical situation that one would expect in a Police Station during the afternoon. There were only two policemen inside, and both were just getting ready to sleep in their chairs.

"Yes, what is it? Lost your money bag?" One of them said.

"No, someone just died."

"Died? Where? What happened?"

"It happened at a place that comes under your jurisdiction. There's a building nearby, in which this girl lives with her roommate. A man died there."

"How did this happen?"

I gave him the detailed description of the entire incident. He paid careful attention, and then called the officer in charge. He came in fifteen minutes, but didn't waste time in sitting down and other pleasantries. He directed us straight to his jeep, and we left for the house.

"So, he attacked you first?"

"Yes. He tried to kill me, and would have succeeded, had Meira not killed him."

"One brave girl you are ma'am."

Aliya was still in a mild state of shock from the incident, and didn't listen to the inspector's praise.

"She isn't Meira," I told him, "Meira left to finish up her work, so that we can leave for Kolkata soon."

"I don't think you can go anywhere soon. Even if you are innocent, there will be a court case on this, and you will have to stay back here."

The jeep halted in front of the building. We continued our conversation as we went to the house.

"There has to be some way we can do this. Can't the case be shifted to the Kolkata court? I really need to be with my parents, and so do they."

"I'll try my best to do something. Open the door please."

I took the key from Aliya and unlocked the door. Gujjar's body was lying right there, in a pool of blood. The house showed clear signs of a fight. I was just hoping that the cops would believe me.

"I know this man. He is Gujjar, a person known for his crimes in the Bengal region. I had meetings with him when I was in Kolkata. I had to move to Vizag for my personal reasons, but leaving him behind was one of the best things I could have done. There was no way we could do anything against him, thanks to his contacts with various people. Most people who knew him considered him a pain, but kept ties with him anyway for his power. I'm so happy that he is gone."

"So does that mean we are free to go?"

"I'm afraid it doesn't. I'm sorry, but the regular procedure will still have to be followed. I'll ensure it is as hassle free as possible for you three."

Meira walked in at this point, and was rather surprised to see us all smiling in the presence of the cops.

"They've agreed to help us through this Meira. We can go back to Kolkata once your tasks here are done. It should be a smooth way out of here."

"That is great news! How did you manage all of it?"

"This gentleman here knew Gujjar to be a horrible man, and therefore understood what we said to be true. He has promised to help us out of trouble in case we get into any."

"You must be Meira. My name is Nag, and I'm the officer in charge of the local police station. You're a really brave woman for a fifteen year old, I must say. I'm impressed by your strength. You'll grow up to be someone great in life.

"Thank you sir, and thank you once again for helping us out with this. We will all be grateful to you." Meira was indeed surprisingly calm after all of this. Aliya was still recovering from the shock, but Meira held herself pretty well. It may just have been that she wanted to hide her weakness from me. At least that's what I thought at the moment.

"Well, then. Pack your bags. I'll pick you up tomorrow morning from here, and drop you off to the station. I'll get your tickets done too. My men will come and remove the body from here. Don't tamper with the arrangement of the living room though, because we'll need to keep all of it as evidence. I may be on your side, but the law is the law."

This police officer was unlike the ones I read about or heard about. He was helpful, yet not unmindful of his duties. Sometimes I wondered if the media cooked up, or exaggerated stories about these people just to increase their readership and viewership.

We packed our clothes and other belongings in our bags, and informed the landlord that we'll be leaving the next day. He was clearly not pleased with the events that had happened in his house, but when he found out that we'll be leaving a furnished flat behind, was more than happy to 'forgive' us for our 'mistakes'. We didn't mind really, and the girls were happy to be finally able to settle down in one place.

The policemen came in a while and removed Gujjar's body, took pictures and samples of the living room, and asked the neighbours some questions. Apparently noise was something that didn't bother the neighbours much, and they didn't really care about the happenings inside the house, and therefore, did not come to see what was happening.

I couldn't sleep that night, and stared at the ceiling as I thought about the events that happened through the course of the day. A few hours into the night, I saw Meira walking into the living room. I sat up, and she looked straight at me. She had tears in her eyes.

"What happened to you Meira? Are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine," she replied in a cracked voice.

"Sit here. Talk about this with me, and it'll make you feel much better."

"I didn't want to kill Gujjar," she said, sobbing.

"Nobody wants the death of a person on their hands. But what you did then was the best thing you could've done. You saved three lives by one death Meira. You should be proud of yourself!"

"But a murder is still a murder!"

"Not if it's done for the right reasons. Meira, had you not killed him then, we wouldn't have been sitting here and talking like this. Gujjar would've killed me and taken you back into the hell he had kept you in. Calm down Meira. It will all be fine now. You will go back to your parents, and be happy with them. You will be able to continue your studies, and become a very big person. You will help your parents out of misery. Don't worry Meira, it will all be fine."

"Thank you Ansh. I really needed that. Good night."

"Take care of yourself, and don't you cry again. Sleep well!"

"You too sleep well please."

We left the next morning in the police jeep, which dropped us to the station. We boarded the train and left for Kolkata. It was just about the court case now, and that was something I could handle without much difficulty. The bad part was now over.

# CHAPTER 27

The train started off for Howrah. This was going to be the last train journey I was to take for this, and I couldn't have been more relieved. We were skipping and jumping as we got to our berths just in time to leave. We had been given tickets for the A.C. Three tier coach, which was a little surprising. We were more than happy there, and all of us lay down exhausted now. None of us had slept well that night, and all of us really wanted to just rest for a while. The three of us took the upper berth and slept like logs.

I woke up a few hours later, and went out to wash my face. I saw Aliya standing at the door, staring at the fields passing us. This was my best chance to tell her how I felt about her. In the chaos at Vizag, I didn't get the opportunity to say a word to her about this. I really needed to let her know how much I loved her, and just how much she meant to me.

I stood behind her at the door, and took her hand in mine.

"Aliya, there's something I've been meaning to tell you."

She looked into my eyes, and probably realised what was going on, but she wanted this to happen the regular way. "Yes Ansh, go ahead," she said, smiling at me innocently.

"I don't know how to say this to you, though."

"Ansh, please tell me what it is."

"I'm really scared to tell you."

"This is not a drama that you're acting in. You don't need to worry, there's no tension at all. Keep yourself calm, and tell me."

"Aliya, ever since I met you, more than a decade ago, I haven't been able to forget you. Every time I see your face, it reminds me of happiness, joy, and everything beautiful in the world. Your smile seems to be more enchanting that the angels, and your laughter more melodious than the birds. You've been the light to my darkness, the soul to my body, the heart to my head, the life I've always wanted. When I'm with you, for however little time it may be, I am happy. Every time I look into your eyes, I see a passion I've seen in no one else. I want to be with you, forever and beyond. I love you, Aliya"

Tears came into my eyes as I said these words to her. Aliya put her arms around me and whispered in my ear. "I've loved you since the day I saw you. Every day that I've been through, every trouble that I've seen, I've been able to get through because I thought of you. You've been the light that brought me out of the darkness, the angel God sent to save me. You're the best person I have ever seen, the most kind hearted and gentle of people. I will always love you more than you love me. I love you too, Ansh."

We stayed in each other's embrace for what seemed like a blissful eternity. She slowly moved back, and pressed her nose against mine. I smiled and stared at her eyes as she closed them in a gentle, slow motion. I closed my eyes too, as I moved in and let my lips brush against hers. She responded with a passionate kiss, wrapping her lips around my lower lip, slowly tugging at it. I kissed her back harder, wrapping her up in my arms, as I lifted her off the ground, closing the door of the train. Her hair trickled down on me, covering our faces as we kissed each other deeply.

We went back to our berths holding hands. Meira had woken up by then, and looked at us with a grin. "So, Aliya, he finally got the courage to tell you, huh?"

I looked at Meira, and then looked at Aliya in confusion.

"You really thought we didn't know?" Meira asked, "Aliya told me this the day you dropped us off at Vizag. It was clearly evident that you liked her, and both of us agreed that you'd take your own sweet time to realise this."

"So, you knew?"

"Of course I knew this Ansh! I'm surprised you told me you liked me so quickly. I'm so happy you did!"

I looked at the two girls surprised as they laughed and joked about me. It was a much needed break from all the tension that was looming over our heads. All three of us needed something good to happen, and this was the best thing that could have happened.

We had the train food for lunch, and bought a few packets of chips and biscuits with it, since I hated the food they served in the trains. Meira and Aliya finished their lunch comfortably, as I struggled with it, and eventually gave up and gobbled up the biscuits.

"You really are a spoilt little kid, aren't you?"

"Oh, come on! Just because I don't like train food, it doesn't mean I become a spoilt kid. I've done a lot of things in the last few months to prove that I am not!"

"Well, that is true. Anyway, do you have anything interesting to do? We still have some time on the train."

We spent the rest of the time playing cards and chatting, and Howrah arrived in no time.

Meira's parents were waiting for her at the station. They jumped with happiness on seeing her, tears flowing down their eyes. They hugged their daughter tight, and then hugged me.

"Thank you so much for bringing my daughter home! I am indebted to you for life! Ask me anything, and I'll do it for you."

"Well, there is one thing you can do for me."

"What is it? Tell me and it will be done."

"Educate your daughter well. She has the potential to reach great heights, if given a good education. Make her study, and she will never let you down. That's my promise to you."

"I assure you that my daughter will get the best education that I can get her. I will make sure she becomes a big person like you."

"I am nobody yet, but thank you so much for the compliment. I hope you do well in the future!"

"Thank you once again. I hope you succeed in your life!"

They left for home, and I turned to Aliya, "Shall we?"

Aliya nodded, and we took a cab home.

I rang the doorbell, feeling very nervous. My mom opened the door, and looked at Aliya. "Who is she, Ansh?"

"You need to sit down for this, mom. Is dad home?"

Mom called dad in, and the four of us sat on the dining table as I described everything to my parents over dinner and more. I told them about everything, from where it all started, to where it was now. By the time I was done, it was nearly midnight.

"So she is the daughter of our former neighbour?"

"Yes."

"And when he took her away, he did that to her?"

"Yes."

"I'm really sorry for whatever happened to you, little girl," my mom said, turning to Aliya, "You will stay with us from now. My daughter is working now, so her room stays empty. You can move in there. I'll get you some private tutors, so that you can pick up some basic knowledge of things, and help yourself in the future."

I first thought of telling my mom about us, and then decided against it. "Thank you so much mom, for letting her stay here."

Aliya had tears of joy in her eyes. She had probably never dreamed that she would get a home so soon. To be honest, neither had I. It was one of the proudest moments in my life to see my parents help someone this way, and I could never forget that.

"About the legal issues with the death," my dad began, "you don't need to worry. I know some people here who will handle all of this. If what you're telling me about the officer is true, then it shouldn't be much of a hassle to handle all of this."

"Thank you so much dad."

"Both of you go to sleep now. You must be very tired. Get a good night's rest."

Both of us went back to our rooms, and slept like logs.

The next few days were quite hectic, but much better thanks to my father. The case wasn't pursued very strongly, thanks to Gujjar's image as a known thug. His subordinates were very happy staying away from the limelight, and each of them took over whatever business he was managing, or so my friend told me. The case closed in a few weeks, and no charges were pressed upon us, as it was proved that Meira acted in self defence.

Meira got a scholarship in FIITJEE, which had a scheme for the children of poor people who couldn't afford their fees. She started to study hard, and soon became one of the brighter students in her class. Aliya studied from tutors at home, and began working soon after, starting on small jobs and slowly moving up the ranks. I shifted my focus back on academic activities, and managed to improve my grade well enough.

Everything ended in the best possible manner, and every bit of pain, every little effort that I put in had paid off. I was happy now, and so was everyone else. I took on Gujjar, and I won.

# EPILOGUE

I sat up gently as I thought about all of this. My life certainly did have an adventure to it, and it was an adventure I would never forget. The smile on my face didn't seem to go away, as I thought about every little thing that happened then.

I felt a hand on my shoulder, and turned around to see my wife smiling at me. "Been here for a while, have you?"

"Didn't feel like sleeping. I was thinking about the time we spent twelve years back. All the fights, the running, the drama, the proposal..."

"The happiness and the laughter that we all went through back then. I can never forget those days, Ansh. You're the reason why I am who I am today. I found love, happiness, freedom, independence, everything because you came into my life. You're the best thing that could happen to me."

"And you are the best thing that could ever happen to me!"

"Well, let's not get so sentimental now! We have a guest coming over for dinner tonight, remember?"

"Of course, Meira is coming!"

Aliya left to prepare dinner, and I joined her soon afterwards to help her with it. Just as we were done, a car pulled up, and the doorbell rang. I went to the door and hugged the person standing there.

"It's so great to finally see you after so many months Meira!"

"You know I have a changed name now, don't you?" She said, grinning back at me.

"Yes, Miss Tanisha Roy, IITian, stud coder, Google professional. Should I recite your resume too?"

"Shut up, you," she said, punching me lightly on the arm. "Shall we go to dinner now?"

"Sure, let's go. We've made your favourite dishes."

"You and cook? I'm sure Aliya did all the hard work!"

"I've learnt over time, okay? Stop making fun of me like that!"

"Oh, he's helped a lot! He helped me chop a few vegetables," Aliya joked.

And we burst out laughing. In this laughter, jokes, and happiness, nobody could have ever thought of what we had been through together. Yet, that incredible journey had formed a bond that was going to last forever.

# ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

A first book is always special to an author, but the support and help of several other people made this book even more special to me.

I'd like to thank my parents, since without their constant support I wouldn't have even dreamed of taking up this initiative, let alone completing it.

My sister, Pragya, who gave several valuable inputs in giving the book its current form, especially while rounding up the plot.

Chandra Has Dondapati, whose constant joking and kidding about various things led me to serious parts in the plot.

Ayushi Mrigen, who would pour her suggestions in from time to time, and would take out the effort to read every chapter as it was completed.

Meghana GL, who gave me all the information I needed about Vizag for the book, and corrected my mistakes about the city.

Anurag Kar, who, in spite of all odds being stacked against him, managed to give me advice that was most helpful in editing several parts, and giving the book the shape it has now.

Sparshika Chhaperia, for never giving me a straight answer to any query I came to her with, and thus making me think a lot more about how I should write the book.

A special thanks goes to my teachers, Ms. Mini Joseph and Mr. Melvin Dsouza, for pouring in their knowledge and experience in making this book much better.

Above all, I'd like to thank the girl I met on the train journey to Santragachi one random evening, for sharing her story with me. It was her life that drove me to write about so many more lives.
