Sanjukta was listening to music on her headphones. Why was she feeling so restless? Was she being too harsh with Prithvi? She was never like that with anyone. Why was she irritated that Prithvi never even said sorry when he pushed her to the ground or thank you when she saved him from Samar Singh. How imposing and strong she sounded just like CatWoman. Sanjukta then walked in front of mirror just like Cat-Woman.
"Now the only thing missing in my life is a Batman," Sanjukta said to her reflection, blowing the lock of her hair falling on her forehead with a Phew!
But she should've been kind with Prithvi. Already he was so scared and timid. Ughh! Again she was thinking about Prithvi! That boy!
"Ma," Sanjukta shouted.
"What happened?" Her mother called out.
"I'm going for an evening walk," Sanjukta said, "I need to clear my head."
"You are correct about clearing your head as it is full of only junk," her mother joked, "But isn't it too late for an evening walk? The streets at night are not safe..."
"Oho Ma," Sanjukta said, "Who'd dare messing with me? I know Kung Fu. Haiii—Ya." Sanjukta did a Jackie Chan move.
Sanjukta's mother coughed and said, "Well copying the action sequences of Jackie Chan and that too clumsily doesn't actually means being a martial art expert."
But by then Sanjukta was off for the evening walk.
======
Inside a Mansion
Renowned Surgeon Dr.Tanwar entered his mansion. It was dark all around.
"Bunty! Bunty!" Dr. Tanwar bellowed, "Have you died? Bring me food quickly or else I'll give you a nice beating. And what has happened to the bloody electricity? The whole city is drowned in darkness."
Dr. Tanwar could only make out Bunty's silhouette and the plate he kept on the table. Keeping his briefcase on the sofa beside him, he started to eat but to his surprise, instead of food, on the plate were currency notes.
"What the hell?" Dr. Tanwar was puzzled.
A flashlight shone on his eyes.
"Why not Doctor?" A mocking voice said, "Since you are so fond of money that you sell organs of helpless poor patients in the name of surgery for some bucks only, I thought you must love the taste of money."
"What crap are you talking about?" The doctor tried to punch the person in front of him but the latter dodged his attack.
"Easy Doctor, easy," the masked person in black said, "I'm talking so peacefully and you are being violent. Such a bad mannered punk you are!"
"Security!" The doctor called.
The masked person laughed and laughed. "Everyone is asleep. No one will come to your help Dr. Tanwar. Now you'll know what real helplessness is."
"What do you want?" Dr. Tanwar said.
"Confess every crime you committed," the masked person said.
"Why would I do that?" Dr. Tanwar said.
"Good Question," The masked person said, and started walking in the direction of the door but then he returned abruptly and hit Dr. Tanwar with a belt.
Dr. Tanwar was on his knees now. "This is the same belt..." He sobbed.
"With which you hit your servants," The masked man completed the sentence.
After beating Dr.Tanwar black and blue, the masked man sat on the sofa and crossed his legs on the table, "Now Dr.Tanwar. Would you like to confess?"
Dr. Tanwar nodded. His body was bloodied.
"Chand," The masked person sharply called.
Chand started shooting the confession. He was sweating as it was his first time seeing such violence because until now all he had covered was annual functions of school kids.
Dr. Tanwar confessed. His face was streaked with tears and snotty. There was a harsh darkness in the masked man's eyes.
When the confession ended, the masked man said, "And now comes the time for your punishment, Dr. Tanwar."
"B...but I've c...confessed," Dr. Tanwar sobbed, "You said you'll spare me after I confess."
"And who said I never lie," the masked man smirked, "Now eat all the currency notes on the food plate and inside your briefcase."
"I... I'll die that way," Dr. Tanwar's eyes were full of terror.
"Bingo!" The masked man said, "Either die by eating the currency notes or else I'll arrange for a similarly greedy doctor like you to extract the organs from your body."
Dr. Tanwar began eating the currency notes.
=======
The live video of Dr. Tanwar's confession was playing on TV in every household, but oblivious to that, Sanjukta was busy in her evening walk and planning for tomorrow college day. She didn't even realise when a motorcycle screeched in front of her.
"Are you blind?" The biker shouted
"What?" When Sanjukta came into her senses, she put her hands on her waist and asked, "Don't you know overspeeding is not allowed in city limits?"
"Whatever!" The biker said and started the bike trying to take it from Sanjukta's side but Sanjukta blocked her path again.
"Now what do you want?" Irritation was visible in the biker's voice.
"I won't let you go until you say sorry, and promise me you'll never overspeed inside City limits," Sanjukta said.
"Are you for real?" The biker said. Suddenly he heard siren of police van.
He got down from the bike.
"What are you doing?" Sanjukta said.
"Keep standing where you are," the biker said. He pulled Sanjukta close to her and removed helmet from his head. Sanjukta was mesmerized by the strength of his hands and his velvety-chocolate eyes. There was something different about this guy. It appeared to Sanjukta as if time had stopped. His voice was husky and assured, unlike that timid speaking style of Prithvi. Strong gusts of wind caused Sanjukta's hair to blow over the guy's masked face.
"Can I kiss you?" The masked guy asked.
Later Sanjukta wondered why she said Yes to that question. She didn't even know the guy.
The masked guy put a blindfold made from his mask over Sanjukta's eyes and kissed Sanjukta. The kiss was like wrapping oneself in a blanket on a cold winter night. The masked guy's one hand was over Sanjukta's waist and other was patting Sanjukta's hair. The kiss was slow like the lingering pink and mauve sky of a summer evening. A police van passed them but the masked guy kept kissing her.
Sanjukta didn't realise when it ended and how she had gotten home. She only realised that she hadn't even asked the masked guy's name. But it didn't matter. Because the TV was repeatedly showing a clip of dead body of Dr. Tanwar along with his confession and a Sun symbol spray pained on the wall in his mansion where his body was found. And Chand, who was from the same college as hers, was repeating on the news channel that finally justice has been delivered and Karma had a new name—Surya.
YOU ARE READING
A Forgotten Song
General FictionHe was a King. She was a princess. They loved and were separated in the cruelest of ways. After Eight Hundred years, most people have forgotten the valiant king Prithviraj Chauhan and his second love after his motherland, Princess Sanyogita. But not...
