Dream

6 months ago

Anjali

@MissWow

He got up from his chair and began to pace around the room, trying to clear his head. But the more he walked, the more he felt like he was stuck in a vortex of emotions.

After long time Arnav's eyes fluttered closed, and he drifted off to sleep. But his slumber was short-lived, as he was soon transported to a different time and place.

In his dream, Arnav found himself standing in a dimly lit cell, the walls cold and unforgiving.

Suddenly, he saw a young girl of about 16-18 years extending the same mangalsutra he had excavated in noon. The same image which had flashed then. This time it was slow. He could not see the face of the girl. But he could hear

I won't do what you're thinking. Please touch. I'll marry you only after Azadi, I promise you that.

He himself was standing inside the cell with a helpless look.

Arnav's dream self stood frozen, unable to move or speak. He watched as the young girl's hand extended, the mangalsutra glinting in the faint light of the cell.

The girl's words echoed in his mind, filled with determination and conviction. Arnav felt a shiver run down his spine as he realized that he was witnessing a moment from the past, a moment that was connected to the mangalsutra he had found.

The scene began to fade, and Arnav felt himself being pulled back to the present. He opened his eyes, gasping for air, the image of the young girl and the mangalsutra seared into his mind.

Arnav quickly grabbed his phone and dialed Rohan's number. His friend answered on the first ring.

"Hey, Arnav! What's up?" Rohan asked, his voice sleepy "you have at this time?"

Arnav looks at time its 2 AM "Rohan,sorry to bother you, But I need your help," Arnav said, his tone urgent. "I found something today, and I think it might be connected to the freedom fighters of India."

Rohan's tone turned serious. "What is it?"

Arnav hesitated, unsure how much to reveal. "I found a letter sealed in a stone box. It was a letter written from Prison"

There was a pause on the other end of the line. "Arnav, that's incredible," Rohan said finally. "I think I can help you. Can you bring the letter to my office tomorrow?"

Arnav nodded, even though Rohan couldn't see him. "I'll be there."

As he hung up the phone, Arnav felt a sense of excitement.

Arnav couldn't shake off the feeling that he had stumbled upon something significant. He lay back in bed, his mind racing with possibilities.

As he drifted off to sleep, he was filled with a sense of anticipation. What would Rohan discover about the letter and its connection to the freedom fighters?

The next morning, Arnav arrived at Rohan's office, the letter carefully wrapped in a cloth. Rohan greeted him with a warm smile and led him to a small, cluttered room filled with stacks of old books and files.

"So, let's take a look at this letter," Rohan said, his eyes shining with excitement.

Arnav handed over the letter, and Rohan carefully unwrapped it. As he read the contents, his expression changed from curiosity to astonishment.

"Arnav, this is incredible," Rohan breathed. "This letter is written by Aditya, a freedom fighter who was imprisoned in the Andaman jail."

Rohan's next information made Arnav uncomfortable. "The Bangalore forensic team is going over to Andaman inorder to examine if the mortal remains found were of Adithya"

Arnav's eyes widened in shock as he processed Rohan's words. "Mortal remains?" he repeated, his voice barely above a whisper.

Rohan nodded solemnly. "Yes, Arnav. It's possible that Aditya's remains were found in the Andaman jail. The forensic team will be able to confirm it."

Arnav felt a chill run down his spine. He couldn't believe that the letter he had found was connected to a freedom fighter who may have given his life for the country.

As he sat there, trying to process this new information, Arnav's mind kept wandering back to the dream he had the previous night. The image of the young girl and the mangalsutra in his mind, and he couldn't shake off the feeling that there was more to the story than what he knew so far.

Suddenly, Rohan's voice broke into his thoughts. "Arnav, I think you should meet the forensic expert who's leading the team to Andaman. She's an old friend of mine, and I think she'd be interested in hearing about the letter."

Arnav's eyes narrowed. "Who is she?"

Rohan smiled. "Her name is Khushi. She's one of the best in the field."

Arnav quickly agrees "Sure, connect me with her. Anyways our team was scheduled to do an excavation in the jail premises next month I will prepone that work."

Rohan nodded, a look of approval on his face. "I'll connect you with Khushi right away. And preponing the excavation work is a great idea, Arnav. We might be able to uncover more clues about Aditya's life and death."

Rohan quickly dialed a number on his phone and handed it to Arnav. "Here, talk to Khushi."

Arnav took the phone and introduced himself. Khushi's voice was warm and confident on the other end of the line.

"Hi Arnav, Rohan has told me about the letter. I'd love to hear more about it," Khushi said.

Arnav's eyes widened in shock as he recognized Khushi's voice. It was the same voice he had heard in his dream, the voice of the young girl who had spoken to Aditya.

He felt like he had been punched in the gut. Arnav's mind was racing, trying to process the connection between Khushi's voice and the voice in his dream.

Khushi's voice brought him back to reality. "Arnav, are you there? Hello?"

Arnav struggled to find his voice, his throat dry and constricted. "Y-yes, I'm here," he stuttered.

There was a pause on the other end of the line. "Arnav, is everything okay? You sound a bit shaken," Khushi said, concern etched in her voice.

Arnav took a deep breath, trying to compose himself. "I-I'm fine, Khushi. Just a bit surprised, that's all."

Khushi was confused with the answer he gave.

But Khushi's voice still echoed in his mind, sending shivers down his spine. What was the connection between Khushi and the voice in his dream?

Khushi's voice was laced with concern. "Surprised? Arnav, what's going on? You're not making any sense."

Arnav hesitated, unsure how to explain the eerie feeling that had settled in his stomach. He couldn't just blurt out that her voice was the same as the one in his dream.

"I...I just need to meet you in person, Khushi," Arnav said finally, trying to sound calm. "Can we schedule a meeting?"

Khushi paused, clearly unsure about Arnav's sudden request. "Okay...I suppose we can meet. But can you at least give me a hint about what's going on?"

Arnav took another deep breath, trying to reassure himself that he was just being paranoid. "It's just about the letter, Khushi. I think we need to discuss it in person."

Khushi's voice was still laced with skepticism, but she agreed to meet Arnav the next day.

As Arnav hung up the phone, he couldn't shake off the feeling that his life was about to take a dramatic turn.

Khushi on the other hand was feeling something unexplainable after speaking to Arnav. His voice had some kind of known sense she was unable to relate.

Khushi couldn't shake off the feeling that she had heard Arnav's voice before. It was as if his tone, his pitch, and his cadence were all familiar to her, but she couldn't quite place where she had heard them before.

She tried to brush it off as mere coincidence, but the feeling lingered. Khushi found herself wondering if she had met Arnav before, perhaps at a conference or a seminar, but she couldn't recall any such encounter.

As she sat at her desk, staring blankly at her computer screen, Khushi's mind began to wander. She thought about her childhood, her parents, and her grandparents. She thought about the stories they used to tell her, the legends and the myths that had been passed down through generations.

Unable to hold to the curiosity she googled his name and his photo appeared.As soon as Khushi saw Arnav's photo on her computer screen, she felt a shiver run down her spine. There was something about his eyes, his smile, and his expression that seemed to stir a deep memory within her.