NOVEL~*Hiding behind a Stranger*~THREAD 22- Chapter 27 (2 pts)-9th FEB - Page 133

Originally posted by: divyavm

Writer-e-khaas,

Hope you had a great vacation and time off. Now that you are well rested, you have to quickly update us on what happens in Chapter 28 ;)

On Chapter 27 - what can I say? It was such a gripping, cinematic chapter. The pace of writing was quick, with longer sentences balanced with shorter phrases. The writing mirrored the race against time it was describing. From the first sentence, I felt I was part of the same race as th two parts flew by. In addition to the anxiety of how Akbar will find Harka, I had the added anxiety of whether you would leave us with a cliffhanger before your vacation. But, you were a samathu chellam and did no such thing.

As I have been saying, in the last few chapters I have enjoyed the parallelism, where our leads have been separated but joined together in spirit. That continues to be the theme of my take for this chapter.

(1) Joined in prayer: As Harka calls out to Ma Bhavani, to save her people, Akbar calls out to his Khuda to save his Harka. This is one of the most beautiful touches I like; that in these moments of stress, they both look up to God and once their prayer is answered, always show gratitude.

(2) Joined in spirit to fight with every inch they have: Harka fought every pain amd blindness to stay afloat for her people, just as Akbar roamed like a madman, hungry, sleepless, and calloused to save Harka. It was not till the very last minute that Harka's spirit began to really sink, only to rise again with Akbar's arrival. After all, it was his "just stay safe" that accompanied her even in what felt like her last moments.

(3) Joined in instincts: As Akbar looked to Mother Nature to confirm his instincts that Harka was around somewhere, Harka instinctively knew it was the Marwari racer that could save them and used all her strength to send off the horse that would be the answer to Akbar's search and her prayer.

(4) Joined in tact in dealing with Khalil: Harka's ploy to buy time with the farmaan was as well aimed as the arrow that Akbar perfectly timed and angled to stop Khalil from his evil designs on Harka. I particularly liked how Harka played on Khalil's rivalry with this "best officer" without knowing the depth of their animosity.

(5) Joined in healing: I wasn't sure if healing is the right word. But the distant fright that there was no life remaining. The frantic search for pulse, which was the only glimmer of hope. The protective embrace, this time with a shawl. To the gentle temple resting on the ornament on her forehead. What a parallel image to the canal scene. Then, it was Harka's arrival that had given life to him; here, it was Akbar's arrival that had given life to her.

At the canal, Akbar had no hope that Harka could be his, and even now he knows Harka may never accept him in the same way. So, what will Harka's reaction be when she awakes? Only Lashy can reveal in Chapter 28.

20 days you said? I assume we are already on day 18? If only, time could race as quickly as Baahadur.

In any case, thanks writer-e-khaas for a beautiful chapter. The last scene left a silly smile on my face - what tenderness, care, and affection. It's still there- the silly smile that is. No matter what Harka's immediate reaction will be, somehow I know Harka will undertand Akbar, eventually. Even in her weak state, she knew Akbar could never be on the same side as Khalil.

(1) Joined in prayer: As Harka calls out to Ma Bhavani, to save her people, Akbar calls out to his Khuda to save his Harka. This is one of the most beautiful touches I like; that in these moments of stress, they both look up to God and once their prayer is answered, always show gratitude.

(2) Joined in spirit to fight with every inch they have: Harka fought every pain amd blindness to stay afloat for her people, just as Akbar roamed like a madman, hungry, sleepless, and calloused to save Harka. It was not till the very last minute that Harka's spirit began to really sink, only to rise again with Akbar's arrival. After all, it was his "just stay safe" that accompanied her even in what felt like her last moments.

(3) Joined in instincts: As Akbar looked to Mother Nature to confirm his instincts that Harka was around somewhere, Harka instinctively knew it was the Marwari racer that could save them and used all her strength to send off the horse that would be the answer to Akbar's search and her prayer.

(4) Joined in tact in dealing with Khalil: Harka's ploy to buy time with the farmaan was as well aimed as the arrow that Akbar perfectly timed and angled to stop Khalil from his evil designs on Harka. I particularly liked how Harka played on Khalil's rivalry with this "best officer" without knowing the depth of their animosity.

(5) Joined in healing: I wasn't sure if healing is the right word. But the distant fright that there was no life remaining. The frantic search for pulse, which was the only glimmer of hope. The protective embrace, this time with a shawl. To the gentle temple resting on the ornament on her forehead. What a parallel image to the canal scene. Then, it was Harka's arrival that had given life to him; here, it was Akbar's arrival that had given life to her.

At the canal, Akbar had no hope that Harka could be his, and even now he knows Harka may never accept him in the same way. So, what will Harka's reaction be when she awakes? Only Lashy can reveal in Chapter 28.

20 days you said? I assume we are already on day 18? If only, time could race as quickly as Baahadur.

In any case, thanks writer-e-khaas for a beautiful chapter. The last scene left a silly smile on my face - what tenderness, care, and affection. It's still there- the silly smile that is. No matter what Harka's immediate reaction will be, somehow I know Harka will undertand Akbar, eventually. Even in her weak state, she knew Akbar could never be on the same side as Khalil.