SS Ankahee: For Kanta(Divan) the end part 15-pg40 - Page 4

Ranjana,

Great part!!👏👏 Very interesting story! I liked the way you are unfolding the story…a totally diff JB…I'm loving it…..Liked the introduction of JW…plz continue….

Ammu.

Bani dragged herself out of bed the next morning. She fell asleep in the dirty clothes she was wearing when she got home and decided that she would take a long and hot bath before she would go to work. Soaking in the tub, Bani remembered how she got away yesterday. After she collapsed she lay on the grass but didn't knew for how many minutes. Bani suddenly regained consciousness and saw that she was lying next to the stranger. She remembered turning her face and looking at the man while he was breathing steadily. Bani sat up and decided to run. The ambulance and police could be here any minute if the man she sent the message to had read it. Only if he had read it. She didn't know this for sure, but couldn't take the risk of staying here. Those eyes. Those dark, intriguing eyes had seen her, they had seen her heal him. Her father and mother had warned her never to let anyone know her secret. She would be misunderstood. No matter in what country and in what time they lived, everyone was afraid of people who were different. They wouldn't understand her and she didn't expect anything different from him. Bani took a last glance at his face and inspected the wound on his abdomen. It was gone entirely. She clutched her bag tighter to her body and ran away with the bit of strength she still possessed. She wouldn't be able to explain that his shirt was soaked with blood from just a few tiny cuts. Bani hid in an alley across the street and waited. Three minutes passed and Bani was getting impatient. Maybe she had to do something. She wanted to step towards the injured man again when she saw an ambulance speed around the corner and stop in front of the man, blocking her view. He was safe now. Bani managed to slip away without being noticed and walked to her apartment. The only thing she could think about was her bed and......sleep. The few times she healed someone, she had felt pain, some times bearable, sometimes unbearable. This time Bani felt like something was stuck in her stomach and had left gaping hole there.

Bani just managed to take out her mobile and place it next to her pillow before she drifted off in a deep slumber to wake up a few minutes earlier. She had to work and Chacha would be here soon with his taxi to take her to work.

After her soak she brushed her teeth and got dressed in a light-blue, bodyhugging salwaar kameez. She made herself a cup of tea and prepared a bowl of cereal for herself. Bani took her breakfast and sat down in front of the television, which she turned on. Flipping channels, she noticed that there was nothing interesting on except the morning news. Without taking her eyes of the newsreader, she ate her breakfast.

'Ek wishesh suchna. echoed through her living room. Banis eyes were fixed on the newsreader, rather her lips.

Kal dopeher ko, underworld gangs ke mudbhed me chaar aadmi maare gaye. Gandhinagar ke gali me golibaari huwi. Kaha jaata hai ki hamla Salim Khayali ke gang par huwa hai , hala ki woh khud waardaad par maujood nahin tha. Salim Mumbai ke kaafi sharaab ke adde aur beer bars ka maalik hai aur kaafi kuch gair kaanooni maamlom me uska haath hai. Gupt sutron ke anusaar hamla khud Dhananjai Walia ne kiya hai.'
(trans: A special news item. In a firing between underworld gangs, four men have lost their lives. It happened in a alley in Gandhinagar. It is said that the gang of Salim Khayali was being attacked, although he wasn't present at the time of the firing. Salim Khayali is the owner of quite some illegal liquor shops and beer bars and the initiator of other illegal activities From secret sources we have come to know that Dhananjai Walia himself was the attacker.)
As soon as Bani saw the lips of the newsreader form those two names, a shudder run down her spine. In a flash she saw the rear end of a black car parked in front of a building with a neon-light above the door. She just read the last word ....bar, when it felt like she was walking inside, past a man in a tight, black t-shirt and jeans, towards a door. She saw other men standing in the hallway. It felt like Bani was being led to a place. She came to a door opening where she saw two men standing with their backs turned to her. One was dressed in jeans and a maroon collared shirt. The other man was dressed in black trousers and a white shirt. It seemed like it was part of a businesslike suit but didn't without the coat. There were broad black lines, like belts, on his back. It wasn't until she heard seven ear deafening blows and different screams, that she realized it was a gunholster and the two men were holding guns and just shot someone, or more then one person. Bani felt a sense of accomplishment, a sense of fulfilment, but also knew in the back of her mind that it wasn't over yet until the last thing would be finished and then she would know that everyone would be safe and okay. Everything dissolved in front of her eyes and her body shuddered again. She was back in her livingroom with her bowl of cereal shaking in her hand. Bani looked at the tv again. She had missed a part but didn't miss the entire item yet. She focussed on the newsreader again.

'Mumbai waasiyon ka kehna hai ki police kuch nahin kar raha hai kyunki Dhananjai Walia Salim aur uske jaise apradhiyon ka kaam bandh kar raha hai, police ne apne haath baandh liye hai aur usko khulli choot de di. Is maamle me Policecommisioner Shinde ne kuch bhi kehne se inkaar kardiya hai.'
(trans: It is said by most of the residents of Mumbai that the policeforce is refusing to do anything as Dhananjai Walia is doing the job of punishing and stopping criminals and that is the reason why they gave him a free hand. Policecommissioner Shinde has refused to make any statement regarding this.)

They showed a flash of a man in a police uniform walking by, refusing to speak to the media.

The next scene was an old woman living in the slums.
'Bhagwaan kare jaldi Jai beta aise papiyon ko maar giraaye, jeena haraam kar diya hai humaara.'
(trans: May God let it happen that Jai will kill more of these sinners. They have made our lives difficult)

The newsreader appeared again. 'Lekin yeh sab ka maanna nahin hai. Hum ne bahar bhi kuch logon se unke rai poochi hai.'
(Trans: But this is not everyone's view. We have asked some people outside about their view on this issue.)

A sophisticated man looked in the camera. He was fumbling with his sunglasses in one hand and keys in the other.

Jai Walia is a criminal. No matter what you say. Punishment is the task of the law. He cant just kill who he wants and everyone knows that he did this but they wont tell because they are afraid of him. He is part of the underworld and maybe the most dangerous of them all.

The item ended, the newsreader wished her viewers a good day and disappeared.

Bani sat on her couch, still shaking from the effect of her vision. What did she really see and why at this point? She didn't knew any of the people she saw and how come she suddenly saw them? Most of the time a touch of something personal of a person triggered a vision, but she only touched her cerealbowl and her cup of tea. Nothing personal and nothing special. These were all her stuff, it had nothing to do with any of the people she saw. She didn't knew them and didn't know how to save them, how to contact them. What scared Bani more was that she felt something this time. She picked up the feelings from one man, or maybe both of the men who were shooting. Why would she otherwise feel the accomplishment and the fulfilment on seeing someone get shot? And why did she feel like she had to harm someone else to in order to protect?

Bani stood up and shut down the tv. She didn't want to think about it anymore. Sometimes she wished she could turn this whole vision- thing off because she couldn't help everyone.

***

Pushkar was driving in full speed in his silver Mercedes, to the massage clinic he visited yesterday. His mentor, his brother, his fatherfigure was in the private ward of the hospital and he was drifting in and out of consciousness. Dhananjai Walia, or Jai bhai as he called him, the man who never broke down, was lying on a bed and Pushkar didn't knew what to do. She knew. That girl knew and Pushkar had a feeling she was involved in this. She might have been there. He said that he saw someone. Someone had dragged him out of his car. He had regained his consciousness for a while and looked around him. Kahan hai woh?' He has asked. Puskhar, who was sitting next to his bed all the time, trying to figure out what to do, rushed to his side.
'Dont get up. Please dont get up bhai.

Kahan hai woh? He had asked.

'Kaun bhai?'

'Woh larki. She got me out of the car.'

'Koi larki nahin thi bhai. You were alone there.'

'No, there was someone, long black hair, light brown eyes.' He lifted his hand, wincing in pain, and touched his abdomen all over. 'Its gone. She was there Pushkar. She did something and fell..... She was the.. And Pushkar saw his brother drift away again.

Pushkar spend hours thinking when he suddenly remembered that woman's eyes and the sentence that was imprinted on his mind. Drive safely'.

Pushkar was convinced that she had something to do with Salim and his gang. She couldn't have warned him in such a sinister way and be present at the sight of the accident just by coincidence. Pushkar knew for sure that she was there. Dhananjai Walia was never wrong.

***

'Bani I'm sorry I forgot to tell you that Mrs. Sharma cancelled her appointment today, so you can have lunch now.' Bani saw the lines flash on her computer in her massage room.

'Kyun?' She typed back.

'Her husband is in the hospital. He had a heart attack yesterday evening.
Bani stared at the screen for a while. 'It came true. She thought.

Is he alright? She asked.

'Yeah he is.' Appeared from Anna's side.'Mrs. Sharma was at home so she could call an ambulance. They were there in minutes and helped him. He is not in danger.'

Bani, relieved, heaved a sigh and thanked God. The next instance the door flew open and she saw a young man walk in and approach her in anger. Anna was running behind him. Bani stared at the man for a while. It was the same man who came here yesterday. Pushkar Shukla was his name, if she remembered correctly. While looking at the impudent man, Bani had failed to notice that Anna was talking to her. Anna was gesturing wildly and tried to shove Pushkar out of the room. Pushkar's eyes were blazing fire. Bani tapped Anna on her shoulder when Anna repeated what she said to Bani a while ago. 'I'm sorry Bani, he just barged in.'

Bani, gesturing with her hands in sign language answered 'Dont worry, Ill handle it. when she remembered that Anna did not really understand sign language. Bani walked over to her desk and switched on her speech computer. Don't worry, ill handle it Anna. Thank you. She smiled at her secretary. Anna, giving accusing and also suspicion filled glances to Pushkar, walked out of the room and closed the door behind her.

Can I help you?' Bani asked with the help of her speech computer.

Pushkar kept looking at her before he grabbed her arm and pushed her against the wall.

'Kiske liye kaam karti hai tu?' He hissed at a now aghast Bani.

Bani fiercely shook her head and mouthed 'No.'

'Information deti hai humaare baare me? Kitne paise milte hai tujhe.'

Bani looked at Pushkar's face, his anger filled eyes and didn't realize he was talking to her until he shook her. 'Tell me who do you work for!! He yelled. Although Bani didn't hear the tone, she could see and sense that he was yelling at her.

'Aise nahin bataayegi tu!' Pushkar took her chin one hand and in his other hand Bani suddenly saw a gun, pointed at her. 'Now tell me! You work for Salim right!'

Bani shook her head slowly, not fearing for her life but wondering how the whole situation changed at a matter of seconds.

'Don't fool me woman! I even doubt whether you really are deaf or not! How did you know that there was going to be an accident? One of your man tampered the brakes didn't they?! Didn't They?!!!'

Bani shook her head again. She wondered how she could explain to him. He had pressed her against the wall and she was unable to make him understand in sign language, nor did he let her use her speech computer.

'I see you are not scared of the gun. Pushkar said. 'Kyun? Marna ke liye bhi Salim paise deta hai kya? Chalo tum nahi to tumhaari dost hi sahi! I'll hit her and then you'll tell me!!'

Banis eyes grew wide. Without hearing it herself, she made a growling noise and pushed the man away with all her strength and stood in front of the door, blocking it.

How did you know about the accident? Who do you work for?' Pushkar asked again. 'Believe me, I wont mind killing you first and your friend after that!'

Bani calculated her chances, but with Anna in the next room Bani didnt want to take a risk. It wasn't about her life, but about Anna and her family too. Bani walked to her desk and sat behind it. Pushkar followed her with his eyes.

I dont know who you were talking about. I don't know that man.' the familiar computervoice filled the room. Bani looked at Pushkar in the hope that this explanation would suffice.

'Then how did you know about the accident?'

Bani took a deep breath and thought about Anna. Even she didn't know this. Bani started typing.

'I can see things. I mean I have visions. I touched you yesterday and saw that there was going to be an accident in your life. I thought it was you. Please believe me and don't tell anyone.'