The speeding car screeched as it came to a halt in a bid to avoid hitting the person before it. Srishti felt herself pushed forward towards the pavement where the mother dog was waiting for it puppy to cross and fell to the floor on her side as she closed her eyes. The mother dog began to sniff her as a result of which she opens the same and then turns to look back where she finds Mahima who was apparently hit by the speeding vehicle laid on the road ahead of the same. Srishti gently placed the puppy she held tight onto the pavement and then gets up to check on Mahima. Fortunately Mahima didn't suffer and major injuries and managed to get away with just a scraped elbow and a shallow cut on her left temple. Srishti helped her get up, "are you okay" she asked Mahima who responded "Yes I'm fine"
Srishti was relieved to hear that, "thank god" she told herself. The driver from the car then got down to check and apologized to Mahima.
"It's alright, moreover it wasn't entirely your mistake alone" she told him and then dragged Srishti towards the pavement. "Are you out of your mind? Why'd you have to jump right in front of the car like that?" She scolded Srishti.
Apparently she saw Srishti earlier when she was going to collect her car to get back home. Mahima freaked out the minute she watched Srishti run across the street right as the speeding vehicle gained on Srishti causing her to instinctively rush and push her away preventing her from getting hit.
"I couldn't help it, if I hadn't done something this poor thing would have been run over by the car" Srishti told her
"You were ready to risk your life for a puppy?" A Mahima asked with a raised brow
"You did the same for a stranger like me too now didn't you?" Srishti pointed
"We're not exactly strangers" Mahima clarified
For a moment Srishti was confused and then realised what Mahima meant, "Oh right! We met before at the hotel"
"Yes we did" Mahima responded
"Come with me" Srishti then takes Mahima by the hand to her car. She gets insides and asks Mahima to do the same.
Srishti takes out the first aid kit from the glove compartment and administers the same to tend to Mahima's wounds while inside her car. For a some reason both Srishti and Mahima felt a strange sense of kindredness with each other.
Once Srishti was done with the first aid she offers to drop Mahima home.
"As much as I appreciate it, I'll have to decline. My car's right there and I'm fine enough to drive back home" Mahima told her
"Are you sure about that?" Srishti asked to which Mahima answers "Yes, I am"
"Alright then, take care yourself and thank you" Srishti placed the First aid kit back inside the glove compartment after which Mahima opens the door and steps out of Srishti's car who watched her leave and enter her own vehicle. Once Mahima left the parking space, Srishti too leaves and drives back home.
..........................................................................................................................................................
Shashi was with his mother inside her room.
"Why did you allow Abhay to visit Manasgadh?" He asked his mother. Although it was none of his business he was still bothered by the fact that someone actually made a mention of that place.
"He may be close to me but we all know he isn't one to listen and agree without a good reason" Chandrika explained as she walked towards the window facing it "at the end he'll just do as he pleases"
"That unbridled nature of his could become a problem you know" Shashi warned his mother
"To get there he'll have to pass through Shiv Nagar, what if the past we've buried there years ago resurfaces because of his visit?"
"Are you trying to get us jinxed? Be mindful of what you say" Chandrika turned back and rebuked him "even if he were to momentarily stop by there isn't much for us to expect or worry about. The tantrik resolved it for us years back so give it a rest" although Chandrika said that for some reason an unsettling feeling swept over her making her wonder if should have reconsidered allowing Abhay to actually visit the place.
"However what actually bothers me is the fact that someone actually pointed him in that direction" a worried Chandrika expressed her concern
"Someone pointed him in that direction?" Shashi was surprised to learn that, "that's right" Chandrika told him.
"Who did?" Shashi asked wanting to know about the same, Chandrika then named Srishti.
"Srishti did?" Shashi was surprised to learn that, "yes she did, however she heard it from Rani who happened to hear the same along with Abhay from Ashlesha" Chandrika elaborated further.
"That's interesting" Shashi responded
"Indeed" Chandrika then began to express her doubt over Ashlesha and suggested getting a background check done on their new nurse to which Shashi agrees.
..........................................................................................................................................................
Lakshya, Abhay and Rani were gathered together in the balcony to celebrate Shashi's recovery and return. The house staff served them snacks and drinks as they relaxed for the evening.
Rani was using her phone to watch a video on YouTube while Abhay and Lakshya discussed about getting Anvay released on account of Shashi's return. Lakshya's smartphone starts buzzing and he leaves to attend the call.
Abhay then takes the opportunity to ask Rani about telling Srishti about Manasgadh.
"I never did anything as such" she told him
"Are you sure about that?" a surprised Abhay asked her once again.
"Uh.. yes" she told him.
Abhay then began to wonder if Srishti lied to him earlier.
..........................................................................................................................................................
The weekend arrived, Srishti was waiting at the bus stop along with Shruti and Kirti. It was around 8am in the morning and the weather seemed to be quite pleasant. Srishti had made sure to pack up everything she needed for the trip the previous night, mostly some clothes, snacks, essentials and a bottle of water.
She was dressed in a pair jeans and a white sleeved crop top. Shruti and Kirti were also dressed in casuals but were beginning to get tired as they waited for Abhay to come and pick them up.
"Is he always this late?" Shruti asked to which Srishti responds "you bet, get used to it"
"I wonder how he gets things done at that pace" Kirti sighed
"Don't bother" Srishti told her.
Half an hour passed till Abhay finally showed up in his jeep. He stopped right at the bus stop where they were waiting for him. Shruti and Kirti hop in while Srishti picks and carries her back pack as she joined the other two.
"You know we're just visiting for a day right?" Abhay asked Srishti after seeing the size of her backpack.
"I know that but it's not like we'll get there before the end of the day right and it's unlikely that we'll get back here tomorrow right away either" Srishti explained.
"Whatever" Abhay then pushed down the accelerator and drives off towards their destination.
..........................................................................................................................................................
Lakshya, Shashi and Mr. Kulkarni were at the police station the same morning. Mr. Kulkarni had submitted the video evidence and requested for his immediate release.
Shashi then began to request for the same, "Can you just let him go, I can vouch for his innocence. He has nothing to do with what happened to me the other day"
"What makes you so sure about that, given you have no recollection about what exactly happened?" Vikram asked Shashi who was then answered by Lakshya, "The video evidence we just gave you. Dad can't be at two places at the same time now can he? And if my uncle here believes he's innocent then I guess that should be good enough for us to be sure"
Vikram then responds to him with his arms crossed, "we are yet to verify if this footage which you've just submitted is authentic and your uncle's testimony is simply not reliable"
"And what if the man in the footage testifies to
support the video evidence?" Lakshya asked in annoyance
"We could think about it, but he isn't here now is he?" Vikram pointed
Mr. Kulkarni then asked Lakshya about the same thing, "wasn't Mr. Sinha supposed to show up here today?"
"Yes he was, how about we wait for him till he gets here?" Lakshya suggested to which both Vikram and Kulkarni reluctantly agree.
"You could do that but we don't have all day" Vikram told them before getting back to reviewing other cases.
Around 2 hours passed as they waited for Mr. Sinha to show up at the station. A while later Lakshya receives a call from Mr. Sinha who apologises for not showing up and explained that he was out of town to attend a close relative's funeral.
"I know you were expecting me there, but I don't think I'll be able to make it back until Wednesday" Mr. Sinha explained, apparently his car broke down and there was no transport available to help him get back.
"What if I came to pick you up myself?" Lakshya asked as he grew impatient over the unexpected delay in Anvay's release
"That's fine with me if you're up for it" Mr. Sinha told Lakshya who then informed Shashi and Mr. Kulkarni about the same before heading out and driving away on his way to pick up the man who could confirm his father's alibi.
..........................................................................................................................................................
Abhay had stopped by a roadway restaurant for lunch. As the girls got off and headed inside, he parked the car outside a little further and away from the restaurant. He then gets off the vehicle ensuring he took the key along with him before joining the group inside.
Srishti and the girls were browsing through the menu to decide on their order. Once Srishti was done she passed on the booklet to Abhay before calling on the waiter to place her order.
"One Daal tadka and two butter naans" Srishti told the waiter. Shruti and Kirti ordered butter chicken along with plain rotis while Abhay asked for a simple egg curry.
They waited for a while before their orders were served. As they began to eat the girls appreciated the food and were really impressed by the same.
"Did you come here before?" Shruti asked Abhay
"Not really but this place has received good reviews online" he told her
"You were browsing through the restaurants for the trip?" Srishti asked who for some reason seemed surprised by what he just told them.
"Yeah, I don't just dine in anywhere neither do I intend to starve myself during the trip" Abhay answered.
"I see" Srishti responded and then turned her attention back to her meal.
Shruti and Kirti managed to finish their meal early following which they head to the restroom. As Abhay was nearly done he watched Srishti who was also done with lunch. Before Srishti could get up and head to the restroom he interrupts her, "could you spare me a minute before you leave?" He requested to which she agreed.
"You mentioned the other day that Rani told you about Manasgadh" Abhay raised the matter.
"Yes, what about it?" Srishti asked him
"Rani denied it" Abhay told her
"Okay.... but she did tell me" Srishti insisted
"So is she lying?" Abhay asked her in a slightly accusatory tone which obviously offended Srishti "and you believe I'm a liar?"
"I don't know, are you?" He asked her
"Why bother asking if you've already made up your mind?" She shot back and then leaves to use the restroom.
Abhay was left confused by her reaction which seemingly suggested that she were telling the truth but he also knew that his sister had no reason to lie.
..........................................................................................................................................................
Shashi had returned back home. Chandrika and Shipra who were hopeful about Anvay's return and waiting down at the living room were quite disappointed when Shashi came back alone.
"What happened?" Chandrika asked her son who then explained what happened back at the police station.
"Where is Lakshya?" Shipra asked Shashi who then informs her that he had personally left to go and collect Mr. Sinha.
"I can't believe him, he didn't have to leave right away and it's not like we couldn't wait a few days more" Shipra expressed her displeasure at Lakshya for leaving so suddenly without her consent.
"Any idea where he's headed?" Chandrika asked Shashi who simply shook his head to say "No clue, he didn't exactly say anything"
"And he wont even bother answering his phone since he's driving" Shipra complained
"It's okay, he may check his phone and call back if he were to stop mid way" Shashi told them and suggested they do give him a call.
..........................................................................................................................................................
Ashlesha waited by a tree as she then saw Abhay's vehicle pass through the threshold of Shiv Nagar and smirked. A while later one of tires starts deflating and Abhay could feel the Jeep lose it's balance prompting him to pull over the same towards the road side. He gets off to examine the wheels and noticed a puncture hole in two of them. Srishti and the girls got off the vehicle.
"What now?" Shruti asked quite upset with the sudden turn of events.
"Nothing we'll have to call for help" He told her
Srishti takes out her smartphone to do the same however she was disappointed when she couldn't find a single network bar available to do so and tried walking and moving her phone around for some amount of reception.
She then asked Shruti and Kirti if they faced the same problem to which they responded in unison "yes"
"What about you?" Srishti asked Abhay who also reported the same problem.
"So we're stuck here in the middle of a forest until someone drives by this place as well" Kirti sighed
"Unfortunately yes" Srishti told her.
"Will anyone even show up?" Shruti wondered after taking note of the desolation which surrounded them.
"How about we walk and get moving, you never know it could help us get a better network" Srishti suggested to which they all agree and begin to walk ahead.
..........................................................................................................................................................
Lakshya was driving on the road that led him to the village where Mr. Sinha stayed over to attend his relative's funeral. As he approached the destination the sky began to turn dark with thunderclouds that hovered over causing the weather to deteriorate. However he kept driving ahead without worrying about it much.
..........................................................................................................................................................
As Abhay and the group were on the move, the sky turned dark and it began to rain.
Srishti quickly opened her bag and took out two umbrellas handing one to Kirti who decided to share it with Shruti.
The umbrellas were large enough to cover two people at a time. Srishti opens the umbrella she held and shares the same with Abhay who reluctantly accepts it.
"You carried umbrellas?" He asked her
"If you can browse through restaurants and go through their reviews, then surely I could check the weather report ahead of the journey" Srishti replied
As they continued moving forward they heard a sound from the forest bushes on each side of the road. They turn to look but find no one around ignoring the same and moving forward only to get ambushed later by a group of bandits who then surround them from all sides.
"Hand over everything you've got" one of them demanded to which Shruti and Kirti immediately complied and handed over all the cash and other valuables in their bags including their smartphones.
However Abhay and Srishti were quite reluctant about the same, "whatever happens I'm not handing over my phone to these guys" Srishti whispered to Abhay
"Is your phone more important right now?" He whispered back to her
"If we all give phones away how are we going to contact our families back home?" Srishti reasoned hoping to not get noticed
"In a forest like this we're anyways struggling to find network so you can forget about making calls" he told her who then explained that the phone had her personal details along with the access to her bank account and digital wallets.
When one of the bandits approached them demanding they surrender their belongings as well, Abhay agreed while Srishti reluctantly hands over all the other stuff from her bag except her smartphone.
"Hand over the phone!" The goon demanded however Srishti refused to follow infuriating the guy who then pointed his knife at her as a threat. When he saw that she wasn't going to yield he then tells her, "you're going to regret this"
Abhay realised that the goon before them planned to stab Srishti for her defiance. As the goon was about to thrust the knife into her abdomen, Abhay aims a kick at his arm which wielded the weapon deflecting it away and then signals Shruti and Kirti who then push the bandits away and flee away from them. As Abhay and Srishti were about to follow them one of the bandits grab a hold of Srishti by her hair pulling her back while the other one blocked Abhay from leaving.
Srishti used her elbow to jab into the ribs of the man who held her by the hair causing him to release her while Abhay was evading the knife which was aimed at him by the other goon whom he then front kicks and pushes away. Srishti too then grips onto the same person pulling them closer before she threw them on to the ground in front of her and runs towards the forest along with Abhay while the bandits chased after them. As they get deeper into the forest one of the bandits throw a knife at them which seemed to have struck Abhay's right arm wounding him. Abhay pulls out the sharp object which buried itself into his arm and throws it away. One of the bandits who saw that grinned as their eyes glowed and skin turned scaly.
..........................................................................................................................................................
Adish who was meditating in his chamber breaks off from the same and opens his eyes. For a strange reason he felt a sense of danger lurking around and immediately contacted Soumya to warn her about the same.
Adish then asked her if any of her family members were out and traveling.
"Yes, both my nephews are out of town at the moment" Soumya answered "what's the matter?" She asked him over the phone
"They're in danger" Adish told her and asked her to reach out to her nephews and warn them about the same. Once she hangs ups she heads downstairs towards the living room where everyone was present including Shipra and Chandrika.
Soumya informed them about what Adish had told her earlier prompting Shipra and Chandrika to try and contact both Lakshya and Abhay.
Neither of them were answering their phones frustrating Shipra. "I'm worried sick about Abhay, we need to get to him sooner." A distressed Chandrika told everyone
"I just wish we knew where Lakshya is at the moment" Shipra sighed
Rani then pulls out her smartphone and then shows Shipra his present location through a GPS locator app. Apparently it was Lakshya who had it installed on her phone in case of emergency situations like the present one.
Chandrika then walks towards them and has a peek into Rani phone screen. Her eyes grew wide when she saw the red dot indicating Lakshya's present location close to and approaching Shiv Nagar.
"This is bad!" Chandrika exclaimed "they're both in trouble and need help, we need to go after them" who then steps out of the house and asks the chauffeur to pull out the car and drive her to her grandsons.
Shashi informs the police about the same over the phone before joining his mother along with Shipra inside the car.
..........................................................................................................................................................
Lakshya was driving through a cliff road at a speed below 70 kmph. The pouring rain contributed to the poor visibility of the road before him. He realised his phone was buzzing and that his family back home were trying to reach out to him, however thought it would be wiser if he'd answer his phone later once he makes it pass this road.
As he approaches a steep turn he pushes on to the car horn to alert whoever that could be approaching from the opposite side. As he steers the vehicle at the turn, a large truck with its headlights on drives right towards his car startling him and causing him to steer away and towards the edge of the cliff. As his car falls and crashes down it explodes a few moments later.
The truck driver then steps out to survey the same. As he stood towards the edge of cliff watching the car burn he lets out a menacing laugh. Soon their eyes begin to glow and skin turns scaly before the man morphs into Ashlesha who seemed quite pleased by the sight before her.
..........................................................................................................................................................
Hello Friends,
Happy MahaShivratri and I hope you like this chapter. Sorry for updating this a little late, however since I'm relocating it will be a little difficult for me update early like before. But I truly appreciate your patience for the same.
Thanks :)
A widow, Gauri met her long lost friend Omkara in a family function, who still ...
Life Journey of two people poles apart in career, status and style. One is the ...
Drabbles for Shrimad Ramayana Contest
Comments (0)
View all