The real Killer

Thirteen

Present

Arnav had fallen asleep on his grandmother's lap while hearing her story. The old lady gently put her grandson's head on the pillow and kissed his forehead gently. She had so many regrets. Yet she never regretted that night when she had left with her beloved.. And her greatest regret was not being there for Arnav and Anjali..

Arnav had fell asleep so peacefully after a very long time. There was no continuous calls, messages,work there. The arms of his grandmother was so welcoming. Even though there was Nani,he was never that close to her. May be because he felt indebted to Malliks. They were family,but not home. Only with his di he had felt home. Now with his Dadi..

Dream

Arnav was watching a man,standing infront of a woman. He was asking her,why did she hurt her. And the woman laughed..

"You are too foolish Anand Gupta. I never loved you. Look at you. Are you worthy of even holding my shoes? You were just a way to hurt Sristi Singh Raizada. Do you think I cared about your art,your artistic sense and blah blah..I donot even care if you live or die. What you like,what you dislike,what you feel, everything I had learned from her. You like gentle,kind woman. So I became that. You like silence,so I stayed quite. That's it..Anand Gupta,you are fool. People donot seek for someone like themselves when they love.Love just happens. You love her. And when you saw her in me,you fell for me. Do you remember how you used to tell,Sristi would look good in long hair,Sristi would look good in red and blah blah.. You only saw her in me..Yet you could not accept it. You yourself created a distance between her and you.  And you seeked that love from me.. And I used you"said Sanjana..

Anand stood there silent..

Dev too laughed..

"Sanjana,tell me the truth..Have you really never loved me? I know Sristi is very important to me. Yet I love you Sanjana. I love the girl who dances. The girl who likes to dress up,ten to dozens. I like the girl who shines bright. I like you,love you.."Anand still tried to make her understand..

Dev smirked..

"Anand,you really think too much. Sanjana learnt dancing after Sristi gave up dancing. That day when she fell down,while dancing,and she never wore anklet afterwards,it was not accident. There were glass pieces on the ground. The green grass was stained with red. You left that time. Yet the nerves of her foot were injured. She could never dance again. Sanjana saw you looking at the picture you drew of that dancing girl and learnt to dance. From the very beginning,our goal was her all alone. She,her mother,her whole family,they must suffer for the pain and humiliation of my family"Dev told. His eyes murderous..

Anand still looked at Sanjana who was playing with a lock of her hair.

"Anand Gupta,took himself too seriously. Our parents had ended the old Raizada couple by an accident,then Amarendra Singh Raizada by poison. Next is your dear Shristi.. And do you know Anand,you will die too. Just like her,slowly slowly. Because in you too runs that venom. But it would be very slow,very painful. You would beg for death. Because when you are in pain,she would suffer,even in her afterlife.."said Sanjana..

Anand's eyes were red. Yet he laughed.. He laughed and laughed until he broke down. So al along he was just a tool to torture someone. Now he cannot even tell her this. What will he say,look Sristi,it was because of you I was poisoned. It was because of you I will die too..

Some of the men outside rushed in and beat Anand black and blue..

Dream end

Arnav woke up with a gasp. What was this dream? Why was he seeing Anand Gupta? Did they really poisoned him?

He looked for some water to drink. His throat was dry. He saw his grandmother still awake,looking at the sky..

"Dadi..Why are you still awake?"asked Arnav..

Subhadra Devi wiped her tears and smiled.. She could not sleep. How long has it been since she last slept peacefully?

May be when Amarendra was still alive..Or it was those nights when Sristi played the old flute of her grandfather,alone on that swing and it drifted along,lulling her to sleep..

After Sristi left home,during her last days,to somewhere unknown,without information,she had not slept peacefully for a night..