Endless Nights

Satyam in Mortal Dilemma

He is thinking hard this days. When his two mortal threats are gone, he should be happy and cheerful. Any other will celebrate this with a party, but not Satyam. Satyam Singh Raijada is cunning like a fox. He can hear a steady sound of upcoming storm in the horizon. But the problem is that he does not identify the horizon, from where the storm will rush towards him, till now.

DCP Angad Pattawardhan posed a serious threat on Satyam's career. The revelation of Akanksha's murder, even though it happened thirty long years ago, would ruin his political career permanently. A theft or money related matters could not pose such threat on him. But it was murder. Who knows from Akanksha's killing someone intelligent could relate that of Saksham, Anuja or Dibakar's too? He would be demolished permanently forever. Satyam will never accept that. He has done so much to build up his political career on strong basis. He has to nip every chance of threat or suspicion by his own bare hands. So Avimanyu's death also felt so urgent to him.

But the mortal problem he is now considering is not related to the above one. Anuja's sudden entry in his life confuses him. His cunning brain till now not in believing mood that she is still living. However his heart is beating loudly against the command of his brain. It flutters in the same way that it always did around thirty years before whenever he came near Anu. Anu. His Anu. Could she be alive? Till now? His brain is not accepting that. He himself put on fire on her car. He himself saw her burning inside the car and struggling to come out of it. Then how could that ever happen?

Dissatified with the answer, Satyam drinks the entire glass of beer in just one long gasp. The liquor slips inside him and a hot sensation inside his stomach makes him stark awake. His cunning brain starts working in the double speed now.

The landline phone over the curved wooden teak mantlepiece rings just in time. With an annoyed face, he takes the phone and in grumpy voice answers on it -

"Hello"

From the other end comes that voice which he never expected to be at such deadly hour of night. A woman very sweetly yet seductively questions him on the phone -

"Hi, Satya. Missing me?"

Satyam receiver falls down on the floor from his hand with a loud thud sound. How on earth it is possible? It is Anu's voice. Definitely Anu's own voice.

A giggling sound flows out of the phone once more.

"Oh, Satya. You naughty. You are still missing at night. Don't you?"

He looks at the receiver on the floor with wide eyed. An unknown scare rules over his face. He is not agitated now, but dead afraid. His brain shouts loudly - "Who is she? What the hell is she? How on earth she knows that I am thinking about her and secretly missing her? A magaician or a ghost?"

Another smooth giggling sound comes out of the receiver.

"Oh Satya, don't look so embarrased. Only you and I know about our past night adventures. Don't we, huh?"

Satyam's cheeks are red instantly. Thirty years ago, when they both were too young, he often elope with Anuja in their secret love nest and made love whole night till the dawn. Then after a strenous night they both fall asleep in each others arms. He many times even forced on her after that and she obliged him happily. Remebering about those wild nights seems embarrisng to Satyam now. His heart flutters inside his chest once more.

Suddenly his brain warns him - "You fool, come out of your daydreams. She can't be Anuja. Anuja is dead. Yes, she is dead. You killed her. You killed her when she was pregnant with your child. You killed her out of suspicion with your own brother. Then how the hell she could come back alive?"

Another loud gighling sound flows directly from the receiver. The woman on the other end of the phone is mocking him -

"Oh Satya, naughty naughty. You should not think about those naughty nights."

With another burst of laughter she hangs up the call. And Satyam stands lifeless staring at the receiver. How can this woman make the exact mocking sound of Anu. Whenver in past, Satyam did some naughty thing with her, before surrendering herself she always mocked him exactly by saying the same words - "Oh Satya, naughty naughty." who the hell is she? Satyam has to find it out unless he will go mad very soon.