A week had gone by since the Hartshorne incident. The local newspapers had a typical 'justice triumphs over evil' article the very next day hidden among political propaganda. I felt great sense of satisfaction knowing that I held a small part in ensuring justice. I began working as usual. There was no trace of any scars on my forehead. If it was not for the cold metal pin against my chest, I would have believed those incidences were just dreams or figments of my overactive imagination.
Life speedily returned to its monotone simplicity. The urge to see something burn also had become negligible. Also, the pin now hung straight downwards. There was almost no excitement in my life. The only thing unusual was a vivid recurring nightmare that I kept getting. I had been getting the same nightmare since the day I saw the girl. Initially I just ignored it, but since the past few days the nightmare occurred nightly like clockwork.
The same horizon-less white landscape: Lifeless, colourless, and without any sound. The only sign of comfort was in the peepal tree that I found there; strong foundations, beautiful big green leaves, tiny drops of water falling from the tree. It gave me a sense of hope in that godforsaken wasteland. This was the only anomaly in my otherwise mundane life.
One day, as I was about to leave for work, my mother called me to have a word. A distant relative was starting his own restaurant in the city of Ujjain and was interested in having a live band/orchestra. My mom wanted me to help audition a few musicians for the live band to help him out.
It was an all-expenses paid (by the uncle) trip to another city where I get to listen to other musicians to gauge their skills. I remembered visiting that city many years back for studies. My studious nature prevented me from having too much fun or sightseeing. So I kept to the hostel and somehow coped with my tough schedule. This was my chance to explore what I had missed.
That evening, I begged my boss to grant me the leave and got ready to go. My mom told me I would be picked up by the relative at the station and then put up at a room above their restaurant. I was secretly ordered by mother to give her a detailed report on how the restaurant was (perhaps out of concern, but more likely out of jealousy).
Next evening, I was in the Avantika express on my way to Ujjain. I had dinner from the train's catering and went to sleep. Next morning when I woke up, the most beautiful sight beckoned me. From the window of the train I could see drying leaves of different trees making horizontal streaks of a thousand autumn colours as my train passed through their landscape. The booming sound of the train was unable to cover the singing of the songbirds.
The smell of freshly cut grass and drying cow dung was ever present. No longer was I, a tiny rodent in this never ending rat race. I was now in a simpler part of India: a part where urbanization had not infected its people with haste and greed. Everyone here greets one another. Everyone smiled at one another. There was no superficial 'hey man', hi dude' or 'what's up bro', the people here greeted each other with 'hari om!'. The train came to a halt at Ujjain station and herd of Coolies stampeded towards me like a bison. Being a light traveller, I carried my sole bag pack and made my way on foot, leaving the Coolies disappointed. Next the rickshaw-walas swooped down on me like vultures asking where I wanted to go and quoting exorbitant prices.
Ignoring the rural scavengers, I walked till the ticket counter where I met with my relative Mr. Parasram. He was unlike what you would imagine a restaurateur. Dressed in a simple kurta and crisply ironed trousers that fails to hide his muffin top he stood there casually. The 'If you have it, flaunt it. If you don't, take a loan and flaunt it' culture from the cities had not found its way here yet. He greeted me with a hug and escorted me to his vehicle, A Mahindra Thar which in my opinion is the best car for Indian roads. He took me to the restaurant above which I would stay during the auditions and then left for his own house.
I was given a generous allowance of Rs. 8000 for 4 days and I was to begin the audition tomorrow. So I had an entire day to relax and do what I wanted. After I bathed and freshened up, I left from my room to do everything that I had planned. A visit to the Mahakaal temple, followed by Hot milk from Shriganga and sizzler from Prem palace satisfied my hunger pangs.
Then, exhausted I called it a day.
The next two days were uneventful, just auditions of about 50 budding musicians. It reminded me of my skill levels when I had just begun to learn music. It was a refreshing change of pace and I managed to select a good band setup, for an ideal indo-western fusion. I was supposed to leave the next morning.
I finished my packing and went to bed. As I lay on my bed I felt a warmth in my chest, literally not figuratively. My hand reached straight towards the pin. Red ruby bulb was glowing. The swirling liquid inside it was invisible through the light it propagated. The mere sight of it was enough to make my blood race in anticipation of the excitement about to ensue.
Knowing what I had to do, I held it by its chain and suspended the pin. As I was expecting, it was defying gravity. Diagonally pointing towards where my next adventure lay. Time was of the essence as I had to leave the next morning. The frigid winter's cold was kept at bay by the jacket which I wore on top of my night suit.
I got on the street by 9 o'clock but the roads were deserted in this laid back town. The only movements on those unlit streets were of curious packs of dogs who were eager to make my acquaintance. The company that those mongrels provided was most welcome as my excitement to dive head first into my next adventure had changed into fear of the unknown. The dogs trotted behind me like a faithful army as I made my way through the narrow by-lanes. Yellow street lights occasionally lit small parts of the roads and served as meeting centres for flies of all kinds. An hour of walking led me to the outer ends of the city near the Devas link road. The pin still pointed in the same direction and I continued to walk.
Finally, I had reached close to my destination as the pin became more sensitive and swayed more aggressively. It was a dark lonely road with no man or vehicle around. The moonlight danced amidst the fog to create curtains of light and shadow ahead of me. I was barely able to see about 10 feet ahead of me. The pin pointed to a direction perpendicular to the road and egged me to go along. I got off the tar road and into the soil, which was moist with the evening dew. A few more steps in that direction and I could hear the sound of water very gently flowing. The owl hidden in the trees hooted a warning so that I don't encroach in its territory.
The soil under my feet gradually changed to small pebbles as I advanced. They crunched against one another as I walked forwards. The sound of flowing water grew ever so slightly louder. The wind was kind enough to pick up, and cleared the fog layer for me. My eyes beheld a very peaceful sight. The river Kshipra flowed ten paces ahead of me. The docile guardian of this city purified, provided and protected it from times unknown. A broken and scattered reflection of the moon embellished the flowing water. A thin layer of grey clouds veiled the moon lightly and created a halo around it.
The pin pointed straight towards the water and reluctantly I made my way towards the cold water. I took my shoes and most of my clothes off and held it high in my outstretched arms as I crossed the gentle river. The frigid water soon numbed my feet as I tried to traverse across the river. On crossing to the other side I dressed up cursorily and checked the pin to regain my bearings.
Strangely, now the pin pointed to the other side whence I came. Again I took off my clothes and placed it atop a dry boulder. This time while crossing I held the suspended pin in my hands constantly. Halfway through the river, the pin's direction began to change. It was pointing directly below where I stood.
I peered into the water to see what it pointed to but I did not notice anything out of the ordinary. There was a mild and constant downward pressure exerted by the pin towards the water. The water which was just up to my knees was distorting my vision, such that the bottom of the river was barely visible. I had to get lower.
As much as I hated to get cold and wet, I couldn't stop my curiosity. On my knee I got down and began to rummage through the gravel. Unable to find anything significant I got back up as the cold was getting unendurable. The water seemed to have a faster rate of flow. Perhaps it was just my imagination. Since I was only in my loin cloth, I decided to submerge my face inside the water in hopes of getting a better look. Crouching down, I began to search for what the key pointed to. The out of focus image I was getting with my face under the water was better than just groping the river bed in the darkness.
All my hands were coming onto were pebbles, large and small, nothing of any significance. I got back up to catch my breath and noticed the water flowing distinctly faster but not strong enough to make me lose my footing. One last time I went under the water to look for it. The silt and gravel were now being lifted up from its slumber on the river bed by the currents of the water. The once clear water was now turbid with the silt that the currents kicked up.
This venture must be delayed till these potent currents stopped I thought to myself and stood up straight. The water levels had suddenly risen up to my neck but that was the least of my problems.
The real problem was the 10-foot-tall wall of water simply a few yards away from me staring at my shocked face. Before I could react, this giant surge of water came crashing down upon me.
Splash! And I was taken by the wave. Water rushed around my head. The deafening sound of the water gushing past me was all I could hear. The cold water with its strong flow felt like needles piercing my skin with its cold sharp tips. My feet were pried apart from the river bed and I drifted away helplessly. Not being a strong swimmer I was dragged along with the flow. Tossed and turned like a leaf in a hurricane, all my struggles were in vain. Although I was finding it hard to hold my breath, I had to do that to avoid drowning. The water pulled me lower like a vacuum until my body made contact with the hard river bed. I bounced on the river bed again and again until my body couldn't take the pain no more.
The next time I was pulled down my head hit against a rock. My screams in pain released the last bit of air I had in my lungs. There was no one there to hear my muffled cries. From the corner of my eyes I could see a trail of red water which originated from the back of my head. The river had drawn first blood.
My vision began to blur. The throbbing pain on the back of my head began to subside and the cold made me go completely numb. The world became dark, cold, and silent. I felt alone.
*****
I stood there confused. Traffic was whizzing past me at a great speed on both sides. Sound of car horns filled the air. I couldn't move even an inch on either side or I would be run over by a speeding vehicle.
Somehow I turned around. At a distance I saw a familiar structure. The King's Circle garden. I dodged my way through the traffic to cross the road deftly like any Mumbai-kar would be capable of. Standing there on the foot path I wondered why I was there. My memory was blank. Although I was there I had no idea why. I walked away from the circle towards the temple, again I don't know why. Somehow I was being compelled to walk there and I did as I felt. The sight of the temple brought my mind to ease.
Everything seemed normal on the street; people walking by, cars passing by, birds flying by. The only oddity there, was my presence, for I did not know why I went there. When I reached close to the temple I thought that I should offer my prayers before I go get my already useless head checked for amnesia.
There I saw a familiar face. The sight of this familiar face sent chills down my spine. I saw myself. Not my reflection, not my shadow. It was me in flesh and blood standing in front of me. I could see myself in front of the temple with my eyes closed and my hands joined.
Astounded, I stood there watching myself. Explaining how strange it feels to stare at oneself is difficult but if there was to be an 'epitome of strangeness' then this would be it.
As I was observing myself, things became stranger. The speed of the cars and pedestrians gradually slowed down. Birds in the sky stopped moving mid-flight. The sounds had changed to a complete silence. It was as if time had stopped its relentless rush. Then the space immediately behind me began to contort. It twisted, warped, bulged and vibrated simultaneously. A flash of light erupted through the contorted space and there she appeared: the one who stole my heart with a single glance, the one who gave meaning to my life, the one who gave me the pin.
She came out of that place and walked a few steps ahead. The pin was clearly visible with one end tucked inside her hair.
"Dwara udghataya," she said loudly and confidently.
The bulb on the pin began to glow brightly. Her slender fingers reached for the pin and pulled it out of her hair. She held the bulb in her fingers and had the length on the pin outstretched. She pointed the pin forward and stabbed it in the empty space ahead with considerable force.
The pin pierced the membrane of space and a light began to glow out of the hole the pin had penetrated through. She turned the pin a quarter turn clockwise and the space split open with a tearing sound. The tear in the space spread out from the centre revealing an elliptical hole with bright light emanating out of it. She then put the pin back into her hair and stepped into the portal and disappeared into the light. The tear in the space came together as she went in, and sealed shut. I chased after her when I saw her disappearing into the light. By the time I reached there the door had sealed shut.
As I stood there disappointed, the world began to come back to life. The birds began to flap slowly; the traffic began to move. The people began to walk and the sounds began to overflow. I saw myself standing there praying, oblivious to what had happened around me like a fool, beginning to walk away casually. Upset, I turned around.
A truck raced towards me while I had been busy glaring at myself walk away. I didn't have time to jump out of its way as it hurtled towards me. Unable to avoid it, I just closed my eyes and accepted my fate. . . .