START AFTER THE END (Shuruaat ant ke baad)

Chapter 4:THE MAN BEHIND THE TRUTH

      They finally approach the hospital. The little girl is ok, she had some wounds but she’s totally fine. Her parents came to fetch her and express their gratitude to the guy.

   The guy now is walking at the hallway and he entered a room where he unconsciously left it quite open, enough for Adhy to follow the guy inside the room. “Dad how are you?” the guy asked as he entered the room to the man lying down on the bed and looks very sick. Adhy saw the man lying on the bed. The man was not too old. It looks like he is at his 40’s and it is obvious that he is very sick and dying.His an indian too.

   Adhy glanced all over the room. The room is almost full of paintings of beautiful and fascinating places. You can call these paintings as masterpiece. The way it was presented where really looks like from a professional painter. While glancing all over the room she noticed a piece that causes her to be shocked and bothered. It was a portrait of the eyes of a girl. She looked alternately to the sick man and the painting. She can’t be wrong. There is no doubt in her mind now.  She knew who owns the pair of eyes in that painting. She quietly asks “Who are you?”

 

“Oh Dad please let me remove this painting. It causes you more pain.” the guy suggested. The painting was hanging in front of the bed where the sick man is lying. “Raja, stop bothering me. You can’t convince me.” The weak man replied with a weak voice. “Dad how many times do I need to tell you? We’re in the new generation, it’s Raj. Call me Raj.” The guy plea that made them laughs.

    

       “RA...JA?” Adhy suddently said while listening to the conversation of the guy and the sick man.

     

“What is the development my son?”Did you find her?” The sick man asked his son calmly but he replied nothing only shake of the head. The room was filled with silence and the appearance of the sick man becomes sadder.

“I regret what happened that night. If only I did not let my fear to rule over my heart, there is no reason to devour my conscience.” Shared by Raj’s father. “Dad” said by Raj and holds his right hand. “I don’t know why the doctors haven’t found yet the right cure to the cancer of conscience.” The sick man is trying to calm his son but seems like there is nothing that can ease Raj from worrying. Then suddenly his father started looking at the painting, the one in front of his bed. “Her eyes tell it all?” and the man starts to tell what happened 25 years ago.

FLASHBACK

It was a cold night, a young man was hurrying because at last after 12 years he got the chance to meet again his childhood friend. He was so excited and nervous that night maybe because he’d been waiting for this moment all his life. He was pre-occupied while driving and because of that he did not noticed the girl who was passing through the road that time.

       “Believe me my son, I’ve tried my best.” The weak man cries.

When he got to notice the situation, it was too late. The accident happened and because he was scared and frighten that time he had left the girl helpless and forgot that his friend is waiting.

“The only thing I remember is her eyes.” There is no way the sick man can forget the eyes of the said girl because that was the only thing he saw after the accident.

It feels like a lightning is quickly hit Adhy’s heart. Everything sinks into her mind. Questions immediately follows, is it the main purpose why she had to follow Raj awhile ago? Is it the way of faith to find justice for her early death? Her spirit started to feels weak and confuse. In front of her very eye, the man who took her dreams and took her life. Tears fall from her eyes. She did not know what to be after this big revelation. She doesn’t feel angry to the weak man, it is maybe because he is sick and have only short time to live. Adhy felt like falling down on the ground when suddenly a painting falls down from the table. The three main characters simultaneously look at the painting.