That Week in April

Mystery Intensifies...

Until one evening, when I and Srijan saw a boat again, this time slowing down and being tied near the Riverside Park. "Ssh!"- I gestured to Srijan to remain quiet and wait.

A lean and thin man appeared in the darkness. He climbed the gate of the Riverside Park and started going towards the left, rather slowly and carefully. Occasionally he looked back and then resumed walking again.

"Follow him. Make no noises, and stay at a safe distance away."- I tell my cousin.

Srijan nodded, and we followed him down the dark street. The man took a right turn and started walking briskly. We increased our pace too. Then he entered the backside of the Gunpowder House.

Our suspicion grew, and our heartbeats multiplied. We crept inside and took cover under a bush just in time before he turned around in doubt.

Phew! That was a close shave for us.

Luckily, the dense foliage gave us a good hiding spot. But the darkness didn't let us see the man's face. After a couple of rather mechanical steps, his footsteps started dying out. A few tense minutes passed. Still nothing. Then all of a sudden, a faint sound of scraping began.

Amidst the darkness, we tried to locate the direction from where the sound came. It was probably coming from the backyard lawn, just behind the Gunpowder House. A few metres away, I thought I saw a weird firefly hovering on the dilapidated extension of the Gunpowder House.

I and Srijan crouched ahead in the direction of the mysterious light. No, once we were close enough we could see it was actually a low intensity torch being used, moving cursorily around the inner portion of the extension.

Srijan was getting impatient, I observed. Just as he was about to ask me something, I warned him not to do so.

What was the man doing at this time of the evening? And where did he go?

We kept on waiting........ The light vanished for some time. Again it reappeared on the outer wall of the extension, very close to where we were waiting. We were very tensed and breathless.

Just then, I could see him coming out of the annex.

The man opened his cellphone and called someone. But he was watching in our direction, and we got stuck there. I could faintly hear the man's conversation.

"Ha saab, jagah mark kar liye hain. ............koi galti nahi........ Jaldi ho jayega ...... Park wale to ghar mein .......... diya jalainge......Ji ha,........." (Yes Boss, place marked...No mistakes...Will be done fast...Park residents will be at home...Will light up lamps...Yes,yes...)

Then he hanged up, leaving us perplexed as what to do next. Soon, we could hear the trampling of leaves and within a moment or two, we couldn't see him. We took some time to ascertain if he was hiding somewhere, then we got up and looked around.

Where did he go? Suddenly, it hit my mind about how few days back, the group of four men had vanished. That there was a direct exit just through the extension of the Gunpowder House.

"Quick, follow me!"- I shouted to Srijan and rushed towards the Riverside from the other exit at the back. Just before we reached, we saw a boat going away.

Srijan insisted on going inside the backyard again, but I refused.

Who knew if there was someone still lying there in wait, and the darkness would only complicate things. And anyway, we were going to come again for morning walks.

We started walking, and then jogging. We had to get home fast! Something was fishy for sure!!

Back at home, I tried to recollect the strange events we witnessed within this week. Those men we saw a few days back, they disappeared just like today. Both used boats as the colony was under lockdown and the Riverside was unguarded. Both escaped from the front side. Yes, they must have gone outside right through the back extension of the Gunpowder House.