Unreachable Destiny- The Curse Of Your Love

Chapter-74: Her Smile Bestowed Upon Him.

I can't die, I told her I won't be far. The distant thought resounded in his head as he tried to move in the darkness, but he couldn't feel his hands or legs... he couldn't feel his body. It was as if he was floating around in the vast space of voidness. Is he dead? It didn't seem like it but he can't be sure. The smell of heliotropes catches his breath and he perks up to it. He moves towards it, the fragrance guiding him.

He doesn't know how he can move now, but it seems to be on its own accord and has nothing to do with his conscious effort. Finally, he finds a small ray of light and he moves towards it with no hesitation. He seems to float, float, and float towards it until the ray of light turns into a tunnel and then Flash!

***

12-year-old Prathap woke up to the sound of utensils clambering in the kitchen and the buzzing indicated that it was that time of the day. It was the time when his father would make some family miserable. It was nothing new, if not for his mother who made his father promise not to bring little Prathap into this field before he was old enough, he would also probably be holding a gun to someone's head. But how old was old enough to kill? Prathap wondered. Maybe his mother was only trying to buy him time, but what was the point of doing so because there was no way he could avoid it? The only silver lining to his life is his little sister who despite everything, remains happy and content as the little princess she is. Her smile, which shines like a moon in the dark night that is his life, is the only thing he looks forward to in a day. But he never would've thought that those beautiful smiles were numbered.

June 10th, 1957, as he returned home he found everyone to be in a tense mood. He found out that his sister, Rajeswari was missing with the suspicion of it being a kidnap. Then began the dreadful search and wait for his sister to be found but it was only after 5 days that was she found. When he saw her, she lay with her eyes closed as there were evident bruises and signs of torture on her body. His 9-year-old sister was sexually abused and tortured to death by her perpetrator. He could remember the day very clearly as it haunted his dreams for the longest time. He found out later that it was the work of Ashok's gang, his father's rival. That was when Prathap understood the work of his father and the precious thing that it puts at stake. His father had killed every single lackey of that gang that laid their filthy hands on his sister, but it was not enough for Prathap. He chased down the gang on multiple occasions only to be caught by his father, who every time advised him to stay out of it but one day he was done with Prathap's antics.

"You're dying to get your hands bloody, aren't you?" His father gritted out, holding Prathap's arm in a tight grip. The grip was too harsh for a 12-year-old but Prathap was no ordinary 12-year-old and his father was no ordinary parent. "Fine, I will show you how it feels then." Then he instructs their gang members to bring in the gang leader, Ashok. Prathap didn't know how his father managed to catch the man, and if he could so easily do that, why did he not do it earlier? His father hands him a gun and tells him to shoot the man. Prathap freezes as he is handed the opportunity to do what he has been dreaming of doing for a very long time, but his 12-year-old hands shake as the weight of the gun seems to have increased tenfold. As Prathap stood still, his father took his hand in his and guided him into the right posture. Prathap would remember the day for the rest of is life. His sweaty palms shake as they hold on to the gun in fear of accidentally firing. He didn't know why at the time that he could not fathom to take another's life. Maybe it was because doing so would also kill a part of him. The human part.

"Shoot." His father says. Prathap's heartbeat grew so loud that he could barely make out his father's words. "Shoot!" He says loudly and Prathap panics and pulls the trigger. The sound of the bullet being pushed out of the gun at the speed of light fills his ears as he watches Ashok's head explode and fall to the ground in the pool of his blood. Prathap stood frozen, unable to move his gaze away from the sight in front of him. "Does it help?" His father questions. "Do you think men like him would be affected by death?" His father's words ring in his head as he runs out of the house with his heart racing with what feels like fear. No, is it guilt? He killed the man who made his sister suffer, but he didn't feel much better. In fact, he felt like shit, like he had turned into his father, and that thought was not a compliment. His sister was dead and there was nothing in this world that would bring back the feeling of looking at her beautiful smile.