Tales of SaiRat (Completed)

Voices_A SaiRat OS

A tiresome day at work, an exasperating night at home, thought ACP Virat Chavan, sitting in midst of his room, all alone. If someone told him he would be despairing at the prospect of solitude an year ago, he would laugh at them, think them to be out of their mind, but right now, the void created by his wife's disappearance from their room was killing him.

She had "some important tests in college, which could not be neglected," she had told him a week ago, the last time he had properly seen her in 7 days... do not mistake it for just a week, it had been 168 hours since he has looked into her eyes; 10,080 minutes since he last held her hand. Do not mistake it for just a week.

A tension headache was creeping its way up his temples. He turned behind to glance at the door; she was still in the Usha Maushi's room - which remained vacant these days - studying.

Frustrated, he took off his cap and swung it away carelessly, but fiercely.

"Aargh!" yelled a voice as thick as stone.

Caught by surprise, he frantically scanned the room. There was not a soul there, except him. Was he hearing invisible voices now?

Oh, great!

"Argh! Aye, Viru," barked the same voice he had heard before. Viru, it called him. This was not Shivani's or Devi's voice, he knew it, besides Devi was with her husband and daughter, miles away. As for Shivani, she was not Patralekha, she would not be lurking past his room at this hour of the day. But no one else called him Viru, did anyone? His head was pounding, he was frustrated, and now he was hearing invisible voices; his brain was not functioning properly.

"Aye, Viru, look here, you moron!" issued the rock-like voice again. He turned to the direction of where it seemed it had come from.

What he saw, though, rendered his face as still as stone. The absurd statue he had remembered being in there since forever was moving. It was moving, and on its own. Its rigid features issuing swift cracks as they adjusted themselves. It turned its head right, crack. It turned its head left, crack. It had sprung to life.

"All right, I agree I'm really good looking, but that doesn't mean you'll check me out like that, Viru. I've been in your room since forever, we're like brothers, aren't we?" said the statue.

He kept staring at it. It was moving. It was moving! How could it move, it was lifeless! That was incredible, unless... he was dreaming.

"Aye, you moron of an ACP, stop gaping at me and listen to me!"

"Have you... have you really come to life?" he asked the statue, as curious as a child.

"No, I haven't, it's my ghost speaking to you, you idiot," replied the statue crossly.

He was abashed. It felt as though he was back in School, and this was his teacher, scolding him for asking a silly question in class. He held his head low, staring at the floor below.

The statue seemed to realise how harsh it was being with its 'Viru', for it shot him a slightly apologetic look and said, "Look, I'm sorry, I didn't mean that. But I'm like this, you should know. Besides it was you who threw the cap at me hard and provoked me."

He looked up. It really was moving.

"It's... it's all right, er-"