The Poetry of Deaths

Prologue

A guy climbs up on the stairs, holding a flashlight. He has a feeling as if someone is behind him. He keeps turning back to check but there is no one there. Taking a deep breath he climbs upstairs. He finally reaches the terrace and takes out a key. The door that is supposed to be locked is open with the lock lying on the floor. He finds this odd but without thinking much, he goes out. 

The terrace is huge and filled with darkness. There is no light coming as there are no buildings nearby. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he could see the table and two chairs placed on the end of the terrace. He walks up to it after giving out a deep breath. In the light of the torch, he could see there is a tray placed on the table with a dirty old kettle and equally old pair of cups and saucer. He takes out his phone and opens the camera. He turns the flashlight on of the phone and starts clicking a few pictures of the table. A cold breeze blows past him and he feels the chill. Rubbing his arms, he pulls his jacket closer and looks around. There's an eerie silence creating a spooky atmosphere around. 

Shaking his head, he puts down the light that he had brought with him and turns it on. He pulls out a camera and starts recording a video.
"Hello friends! This is your host and dost, Anuraag. Welcome to my vlog Akela ghumta hun main..
Today I am at one of the many haunted places in Maharashtra. But I am sure that many of you must have never heard about. This is the old Rosemary Hotel, situated just a few kilometers outside amchi Mumbai. This hotel was.."
He stops and looks behind the light stand as if someone was standing there. 

He smiles at the camera and says, "Guys, I think I will be able to capture something interesting tonight. I can feel movements around me but trust me there's no one."
He turns the camera towards the door. And again turning it towards himself, he continues talking to it.
"As I was saying, this hotel opened to the public in 1996. But a fire killed three people here. A year later it was sold off to a businessman. He apparently committed suicide after killing his wife right here on this terrace. He had drank the poisonous tea from these cups here.and died with his wife. There after the deaths, people started claiming to see the couple here, sitting at this spot, drinking tea from these cups. This hotel is abandoned as a court case.."
He takes a pause, "Who is there? Is that Mr. Merchant?  Show me yourself? Ah..Who are you?ah.. wh..at..no… .."

The camera falls on the floor and one could hear a poem in a deep voice,
"Akela aaya tha tu,
Akela hi jayega.
Zindagi teri bas yahan tak thi,
Adhere ke paar ab tu ayega.
Teri maut toh taye thi,
Tere kahani ab dur talak jayegi.
Tune jise taklif di thi
Uske paas ab tere kismet tujhe pahunchayegi."
The video ends with a scream.

He slept in her arms, his face snuggled near her neck. She stirs in her sleep and opens her eyes. She tries to move him but he pulls her closer.
"Bebu, utho. It's getting late. I have a meeting with a director today. Breakfast, prepare karna hai.. leave me na.."
He wraps his arms around her, "Hmm.. "
"Uffo.. Chodo yaar.."
"Kya yaar, sone bhi nahi deti.."
"Sleep na, who has stopped you, leave me."

He opens his eyes, cups her face and says,
"Kis kambakht ko neend aati hai,
Yeh toh bas bahana,
Aap ko khwabon mein bhi dekh sake."

Sana smiles, "ACP Sir, aap toh shaadi ke baad shayer ban gaye? How will you catch criminals now?"
"Nikama hua yeh ashiq 
Tere pyar mein hum dum.
Tujhe jo paa liya 
Ab fursat kise kam karne ki?"

"Really. So no office today? Commissioner ko phone karun?"
"No."
"I am going to call him."
Sana is about to get the phone when Sidharth rolls over her, pins her down,
"You are turning naughtier with time, Ruhani ka asar hai?"
"Tum pe kis ka asar hai jo tum yun badal rahe ho?"

"Asar nahi, nasha hai.. tere pyar ka.."
"Oo.. acha.. very good.. now let me go na.."
"Paas rehne de mujhe tu,
Yun na mujhe khud se dur kar.
Chune de inn hot on ko
Mujhe toot kar bas pyar kar. "

He is about to kiss her when his phone rings. 
He ignores it and kisses her. But the phone starts to ring again. Sana pushes him off her and gets out of the bed. 
"ACP Sir, duty calling. Phone uthao."
Sidharth smiles and sits up. He picks up the phone. 
"Hello, Jai Hind Sir!"
".."
"Right Sir."

Sidharth enters his office and Bhonsale salutes him and puts the file in front of him.
"Sir, honeymoon kaisa tha? Goa mast tha?"
Sidharth stares at him and he smiles meekly. 
Gaikwad, Ranne and Kambli enter the room and greet him. Sidharth nods his head as Gaikwad asks,"Sir, how was your honeymoon?"
Bhonsale breaks into a laugh and others stare at him with a smile.
"Sir, everyone wants to know. I am not just one. This must be something else, we are curious. A ritual wedding and then Goa trip. I mean, ACP Sidharth Srivastava taking a long holiday is unusual and unique."

"Ho gaya? Now can we focus on the case. Kambli."
Controlling the smile, Kambli nods his head and switches on the television. 
The video shows a guy speaking to the camera about an allegedly haunted hotel. The video ends with a poem and a scream.
"This was the video uploaded the night the victim was at this allegedly haunted hotel. He had been there at midnight and his friends informed the police after they saw the video. Police found his body in the sitting position,  staring at something."
Ranne says.

"The killer must have uploaded the video", Kambli adds.
Bhonsale says, "Sir, this is surely a work of ghost."
Sidharth stares at him, "Yes. The ghost who says poetry and uploads videos on social media. Common sense aaj ghar bhul ke Aye hain?"
Others smile and he continues, "Who is this and what is the purpose behind killing a vlogger?

His phone rings and it's Sana. He disconnects the phone but it rings again. He picks it up.
"I am in a meeting. I will call you later."
She says,"I know. And I know what the meeting is about. Anuraag is dead, isn't he?"
"What?"
"Anuraag from Akela ghumta hun. He was Director Avinash Raj's son. I knew him. I am at his house."
She says sobbing.
"Okay.. stop crying now."
"He is in pain.. Sidharth.. do something.."
"Who, Avinash Raj?"
"No. Anuraag.. I saw him now. Sidharth, can you please come here?"

Hi thriller fans,
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Let the suspense continue...

Those who are reading this first time, hope you all have read Graves Beneath the Feet and then The Silent Deaths. If not, please do. Otherwise you all will not understand the characters of Sidharth and Sana and others.