SPY

Hallucination

I came out of their house and came to the railway station. I was lucky that the moment I arrived a train for Delhi was already waiting at the station. I was waiting for the day to meet my family again but not in this way. I am feeling empty. I wanted to shout but there were many people around me, so I controlled myself. I closed my eyes and tried my best to prevent tears from falling out. I keep my eyes closed for the rest of the journey.

The moment I entered the house I let those tears fall. I was having trouble breathing. "Please set me free, I can't take it anymore." I hurt my father, he was crying his eyes out. "I am terrible, I know he was not at fault, I still hurt him." I planned to meet Seema only and gave her the money that my father deposited for me in the hostel. I never thought that he would be there. "He has become old," I had missed many years of my life just because of that man.

"Baby don't cry please," Abhi wiped my tears, "Relax yourself, take a deep breath. Inhale... exhale... inhale." I relaxed and find myself alone. "He is dead, what was I expecting?" I lay down on the cold floor.

"Got up or you'll get sick," I heard him again.

I got up and went straight to my bedroom and lay down on the bed covering myself with a quilt. I slept and woke up in the middle of the night as usual. I got near the window and open it. It was freezing outside but it was not chilled enough to calm me. "You woke up again," he said and hugged me from behind.

"It is suffocating, I don't know if I am doing the right thing."

"You did nothing wrong dear," he tried to comfort me.

"It must be difficult for you," I asked.

"He deserves to be punished and I am going to help you." He closed the window and make me sit on the bed again. "You are strong Ravi, I trust you that you'll fight..."

"I am tired Abhi," I hugged him and he vanished in thin air.

What was that? I thought. Am I seeing ghosts or am I getting mad? "Whatever," I mumbled and went to the kitchen and had biscuits cause I have nothing else to eat.

I thought I would be relaxed after meeting my family but it just made my condition worse. I went back to my room and switched on the phone. A message popped up on the screen, it was from Mr Kant. "Meet me when you come back to Delhi." I should get some sleep, I thought and lay back in bed.

The next day I was assigned to go back to Riyadh. No matter how hard you try, your fate always puts you in front of your past. I had to leave by evening, so I packed a few things and bought a few burkha. If you don't want to highlight yourself, you need to dress like a commoner. It is not difficult to disguise myself as native because they Iook very much like Indians.

The moment I entered came to Saudi Arabia, I wished to go back to Abhimanyu's place. I had to report by the next day, so I decided to visit his place. It was locked, I broke the lock using a stone. I found myself in front of the spot where he died.

The place was clean as if never any bloodbath happen there. Many people lost their lives that day. I lost my baby because of him. I came to the room where he hide me, I open the cupboard and find those things as it was before. My wedding dress, our album, my clothes. I took the album out and started turning the pages with our memories.

"We were happy," I hear him again.

"Yes and you destroy everything," I complained.

"You started it first, you killed my father and you tried to kill me as well."

"I have planned to do that but I was forced to take that step, he kidnapped you and you... helped him to make sure that I withdraw the case."