Part 1
As the slippery Park Road mystery revealed itself, Bani Walia died.
The blow was so sudden and the pain so unbearably acute that her brain reeled with numb disbelief and refused to acknowledge the ugly truth"Nahin! "Nahin Nahin"she screamed and ignoring her pounding head, looked at her husband for assurance that it was all a dirty joke. His face and body, as if made of stone, Jai Walia stood motionless. Only his eyes betrayed his raging emotions. Confused and befuddled, eyes full of tears, she ran to him and amidst hysterical sobs, begged him, beseeched him to tell her all this was false. She grabbed his hands and cried piteously "Mr.Walia, ye jhoot hai na? Hai na?Please Mr.Walia kuch tho kahiye? Mr.Walia, ye sab jhoot hai na?"
He lowered his head and closed his eyes in despair. "Ye sach hai Bani."He said quietly. Bani's eyes dilated and a gasp escaped her. Her hands slowly let go of him as she stared at him incredulously. Time stood still. The wind howled, the skies yowled and the rains mourned. Staggering backwards, she only mumbled "Nahin.Ye nahin ho saktha.Nahin Nahin" and Jai Walia simply watched his wife die.. .. ..He watched her rosy complexion pale out and become a deathly white, he watched her die a slow painful death.. .. ..he watched those sparkling windows to her soul be ripped off their light, he watched her tremble, he watched her hopes crumble, he simply watched her die and a felt a part in him die.. .. ..
As it finally struck her that this was the truth, the truth she had been hankering after, the truth that had given her so many sleepless nights, the truth that had eaten in to Mr.Walia and had made him almost inhuman and its enormity struck her, her eyes flooded with tears, slight shivers shook her body and a cold sweat descended on her. Bani Walia's heart flapped incessantly within her as if choking for freedom; it became unbearable and everything seemed to zoom around her. Wobbling uncertainly, she looked at her husband one last time, before falling to the floor in a heap.
Apparently, there was still some life left in the living corpse called Jai Walia, for in two quick strides, he was beside her and resting her head on his lap, he wailed"Bani Bani? Utho Bani! Please! Bani Bani!" After what seemed ages to his agitated mind, her eyelids slowly fluttered open. After looking around, they rested on him with a hard penetrating glare; pained and hurt. Tears of relief engulfing Jai, he could only exclaim "Bani! Thank god tum teekh ho." He set to caress her cheeks but she violently shook his hands off and got up with a jerk. And without so much as even a backward glance, she ran out in to the rain. Flustered, Jai hesitated for a second before he rushed after her.
It was a wild night. Within seconds, Bani was drenched to the skin but she continued walking, caring for neither the incessant rain nor the wilderness that lay ahead. The images of a while ago kept flashing in her mind's eye and they strove to further her agony. After a while, an emotionally spent and out of breath Bani stopped under a huge Banyan tree and surveyed her surroundings. The rain had stopped and there was darkness all around. She walked a bit further and found herself amidst a cluster of trees and wild shrubs. The eerie silence unsettled her and for the first time, a fear clouded her brain as a strange sound reached her ears'Koi junglee janvar tho nahin?' Clutching the end of her Sari and biting her lips, she contemplated her next course of action. Should she go back? But in a night such as this, she would most likely lose her way. She still had her mobile with her and for a second she actually considered calling up the one man who could ruin and excite her at the same time. She shook her head. She was finished with him. Maybe she would call up Pushkar. She set out to call him up but realized that the network was absent. She sighed. Another noise and she froze for this time for she recognized the voice "Bani! Bani! Kahan ho tum? Bani? Bani?"
He was now very close to her but the darkness shielded her from him, for as long as she chose to.
"Bani! Bani!"
Peeping from behind a tree, she could just about make out her husband's silhouette; tall, regal and majestic. Just hearing his voice brought in to her a soothing calm. An involuntary smile crossed her face as she thought about the night she had surrendered herself to him and he had branded her with his love. "Mr.Walia" she thought "Mujhe aapse kabhi bhi pyar ki umeed nahin ki. Pyar main aapse karthi thi aur aapke saath bithaye huye har pal ke sahare main apni poori zindagi guzar sakthi thi. Lekin bharosa? Mana Hamare beech pyar na sahi bharosa tho tha Mr.Walia. Aaj woh bhi aapne thod diya. Ab sab khatam ho gaya. Sab kuch .. .. .." She sat on the ground and sobbed silently.
A moment later, she felt a hand on her shoulder. A strange warmth stole in to her body at his very touch. "Bani! Bani tum teekh ho? Tum kahan chali gayi thi? Tumhain pata hai main tumhain kitne der se doondh raha hoon?" Bani .. .. .."
Bani looked up at his worried face and the mere sight of him caused her to almost rush in to his arms but she just sat there staring at him expressionlessly. Jai stopped talking as he suddenly realized that she had said nothing. Not able to face her, he said hesitantly"Bani, chalo yahanse. Is jungleme zyada der tak rukna teekh nahin." He held out his hands. Bani ignored them and got up on her own and walked back away from him. Jai stood confused and called out "Bani, kahan ja rahi ho?Bani woh sahi rasta nahin hai. Bani!"
Dismissing his shouts, Bani speedily continued her destination towards nowhere.
Jai chased after her and saw that she was heading towards a ravine. "Bani. Aage khayi hai. Please ruk jao. Bani!" But his every word only provoked her further in to taking that step to destroy herself, to annihilate every emotion she felt for him, to wipe out his name; embedded in every fiber of hers. She sweeped past the trees and made deaf ears to his cries as she reached the ravine.
Jai's pulse raced as he realized that he had very little time to prevent what she meant to do to herself. He ran like a madman and as she jumped in to the gaping ravine, he grabbed her right hand and pulled her as far away from the mouth of death as was humanly possible. Gasping for breath, Jai looked at his wife lying, panting beside him and the fear and anxiety of a moment ago translated in to anger. He seized her by the shoulders and rattling her screamed 'Ye kya kar rahi thi tum? Pagal ho gayi thi? Kuch ho jata tho?" Bani only glared at him, increasing his anger "Ab yun kya dekh rahi ho muje. Kuch kaho for god's sake. Kya kar rahi thi tum?"
Bani calmy pulled herself away from him, got up and said "Mr.Walia, aap kaun hote hain mujhse sawal karne wale? Main maroon ya jiyun aapko kya?Agar main mar jati tho sabse zyada khushi aapko hi hoti.Mere saath saath apka raaz bhi tho mar jata,jo aapke liye sabse important hai.Mujhse bhi zyada, hai na?Phir aapne mujhe kyon bachaya? Mar jane diya hota!"
Jai Walia got up too and eyes flashing furiously, teeth gritting, he grabbed her and putting his face very close to hers, hissed"Nahin, main tumhain mar jane nahin de saktha. Janti ho kyon? BECAUSE i BLOODY LOVE YOU!"
~~ To Be Continued ~~ ~~
First time I am trying my hand at such emotinal stuff and romance.😕 Not my cup of tea. I prefer the macabre and the paranormal genre.😛Hope this is not too awful.😕
Ouch! The raaz will will be out today?God be with my Munna. 😭 Have a great day loves!😛
-Raaga
UPDATED: PARTS 3 and 4 on Page 5, Parts 5 on Page 11, part 6 on page 12 and parts 7 and 8 on page 15.
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