A Sweet Poison - Chapter 24
Where is Rina? Read on.
"Sarah, come and take a look at the photographs I took of our surroundings. Aren't they pretty?" Asked Rina chirpily.
I peeped at the vivid colored photos in her hand. They were really good. Enlarged pics of small-small animals with perfect clarity, of rare and pretty flowers and of different types of landscapes where we'd hiked. She'd really done a good job.
"Rina, they're incredible. You really have a talent, Rina. Why don't you pursue a career in wildlife photography? You'd really excel there," I complimented her.
She smiled. "Thanks Sarah. And you're right. There's no need for me to slave around as an engineer or doctor when I can pursue something that gives me so much happiness."
Then she came near me and playfully punched my hand, smiling.
Wait a second, I thought. This was not Rina punching me. It couldn't be. I suddenly opened my eyes, expecting to see Rina hovering over me. But it was Sneha mam, looking concerned, who'd woken me up.
Oh, I realized. It was just a dream. It was nearly morning. I'd fallen asleep on a chair, naturally dreaming of Rina. She was still missing and we still had no clue of her whereabouts. Still in unknown danger....
"Worrying about Rina, aren't you?" Sneha mam asked gently. The dark circles under her eyes signified that she'd been up all night. Maybe the other teachers had been up too.
"Of course mam. Any news?" I asked, rubbing my eyes.
"The police is still busy trying to trace her. I don't even know what we'll answer her parents. They'll be arriving today..." She said wearily.
One of the senior teachers called her and she went away after giving me a soft pat on my head.
Tears rolled down my eyes. Rina was missing for an entire day now. Still no trace of her. WHERE WAS SHE?
I felt like I could cry for years. What if something happened to her? Something deadly?
Immediately I fell someone wiping my tears. My eyes were so filled with tears that I could hardly see. Clearing my tears, I saw that it was DJ...
"Sarah, please don't cry, please. Rina will be found soon. Please try to calm yourself. Everything will be ok," he said, still wiping my tears.
I involuntarily threw my arms around him and wailed, "No DJ, everything won't be fine. She'll not be fine. I know it. It's all my fault. I should never have let her go for photography in the first place. I should have given more consideration to my intuition. It's all my fault."
"No Sarah, please don't try to take all the blame for this. It's not your fault. What has to happen will happen. We humans can't stand in the path of fate."
He then kept quite while I spoiled his shirt with my unstoppable salty tears. After a few moments he spoke, "Sarah, do you think she'd seen this in her dream. Do you think she had a hunch that something bad would happen to her?"
I gasped. "You're right DJ. Her bad dreams!! All this while she'd been moping and had been depressed, and I told her not to take dreams seriously. What if she had a hunch that she was going to be in danger?"
Before he could answer, the phone rang, shattering the silence. Several of students, who'd been sleeping, woke up. Sneha mam, who was the nearest of the phone, picked it up. I sat of straight, alert. DJ pressed my hand softly to give me some comfort.
The entire room was filled with a tense silence. Uncomfortable silence echoed throughout the long room. Every breath seemed to have stopped.
"Yes?" Sneha mam gulped nervously.
We couldn't hear the answer in return, but whatever it was, it made mam's hands tremble.
"But?" She was probably asking him to continue some painful news.
Utter silence.... Clunk. The receiver fell down from her hands on the hard ground. The silence became ten times more tensed than before.
Sneha mam looked like a hollow lifeless doll. Emotionless. Expressionless. Her eyes were cryptic. Nothing could be deciphered from her face. Blank like a drawing sheet and white like a ghost. Then she suddenly screamed.
"NO...."
The scream cut through the silence like a butcher cutting a chicken. It was a horrible screech, an unpleasant shrill sound that pierced the room.
It confirmed all the fears we had....
Sneha mam cleared her throat and said in a lifeless voice, as if we needed any further confirmation.
"Rina is," she gulped.
"M-mu-murdered...."
In the evening
We got to know all the shocking facts by afternoon. Rina, having set out to take photos, had been busily absorbed in her work, absorbed enough not to notice that Mr. Chand and some of his friends had been passing from the same area, all drunk beyond limits.
Seeing Rina had triggered all Mr. Chand's wild instincts in his drunken state. He was not in a rational state and he thirsted for a bloody revenge. After he'd lost his job due to her, he hadn't found any other work. Along with his other unemployed friends, he kidnapped her. She tried to fight her way out, but was unsuccessful.
They then took her to an old warehouse where they brutally killed her, stabbing her body and cutting it in crude pieces. They then threw the pieces in a sack and dumped the sack in a canal, all too drunk to remove any evidence.
By night the sack was found by a local person and the police was informed. Fingerprints were traced and one of Mr. Chand's friends, who'd been to jail before, was arrested. He gave the names of other people involved, Mr. Chand in the lead. They were all in jail by morning.
Justice had prevailed.
But would my friend come back? No, she was gone. Damaged beyond repair. Even God couldn't send her back. Maybe she was in peace now, in heaven. But the ones she'd left behind were far from tranquility.
Her parents, having arrived in the morning, expecting to see their daughter running to greet them, were instead greeted with the news of her brutal murder. They were in shock now, having not spoken a single word.
A murder in a camp? Many people were in shock due to this. Half the children were already picked up by their parents for safety. We too were to go back soon.
Words failed me as I silently drowned in my emotions. Tears refused to stop, DJ's shirt was all wet with my tears. He was in shock too. That such a murderous incident had taken place in a little school camp, was beyond comprehending.
My mind still after all these hours refused to acknowledge the fact, the truth; I kept looking frequently at the door. Maybe it all was a nightmare. Maybe I'd wake up to find Rina smiling beside me, faithful friend as she was....
Or maybe it all was true. If true, then there was no justice in this world, because the death of a girl as good as Rina wasn't justified at all. Maybe the earth was formed all wrong, while the bad people continued to live and do bad deeds, the good ones were always the ones to be oppressed, the eternal sufferers.
My shock and pain were beyond words. My body shivered every time I thought about the brutal way her body had been cut and dumped. Every time this thought made me feel horrible, like an electric impulse was shot through my body. Things couldn't be any worse.
AFTER A MONTH....
I looked at the glorious sunset with DJ by my side. The birds were getting quiet. I wish I could have the same quietness inside my head. I was in chaotic condition till now. It was not just losing a good friend, it was about losing hope in humanity. In the way this world was run.
I learnt a few important lessons, though. I learnt that no matter how old you are, you never know when your life suddenly ends. No moment could be wasted, every second was precious. It was better to live in today, than worry about tomorrow. You never know, that tomorrow may never come.
Rina's remains were burned and ashes offered to the holy Ganga river. Watching that had been the hardest part. I couldn't utter a word for days. We'd returned home then and our daily schedule had returned to normal. What couldn't return to normal was our perspective of life, our peace of mind. Things might never be the same.
DJ had been a constant pillar of support through my chaotic condition. He was the only reason that I felt like coping up with life. I might have gone mad without him. He kept me sane and helped me come out of the depression I was in, due to losing my bestest best friend in life. Whether it was in school or at home, he was by my side, always as a support.
He assured me that even though life was unfair in many ways, things always turned out to be ok in the end. After the darkness of night, the brightness of the sun would come, inevitably ending the darkness, always....
********************************************************
Comment Replies:
Thanks a lot Pinkbaby and Siya for your comments.
And Linda P. if you're reading this now, I'm sorry I can't fit your described character. This is a story based in India and foreign characters won't fit. Thanks for feedback anyway.
And other readers, please tell me how you feel about this story. I really need to know your P.O.V. It would help me improve a lot. Comment please!
I peeped at the vivid colored photos in her hand. They were really good. Enlarged pics of small-small animals with perfect clarity, of rare and pretty flowers and of different types of landscapes where we'd hiked. She'd really done a good job.
"Rina, they're incredible. You really have a talent, Rina. Why don't you pursue a career in wildlife photography? You'd really excel there," I complimented her.
She smiled. "Thanks Sarah. And you're right. There's no need for me to slave around as an engineer or doctor when I can pursue something that gives me so much happiness."
Then she came near me and playfully punched my hand, smiling.
Wait a second, I thought. This was not Rina punching me. It couldn't be. I suddenly opened my eyes, expecting to see Rina hovering over me. But it was Sneha mam, looking concerned, who'd woken me up.
Oh, I realized. It was just a dream. It was nearly morning. I'd fallen asleep on a chair, naturally dreaming of Rina. She was still missing and we still had no clue of her whereabouts. Still in unknown danger....
"Worrying about Rina, aren't you?" Sneha mam asked gently. The dark circles under her eyes signified that she'd been up all night. Maybe the other teachers had been up too.
"Of course mam. Any news?" I asked, rubbing my eyes.
"The police is still busy trying to trace her. I don't even know what we'll answer her parents. They'll be arriving today..." She said wearily.
One of the senior teachers called her and she went away after giving me a soft pat on my head.
Tears rolled down my eyes. Rina was missing for an entire day now. Still no trace of her. WHERE WAS SHE?
I felt like I could cry for years. What if something happened to her? Something deadly?
Immediately I fell someone wiping my tears. My eyes were so filled with tears that I could hardly see. Clearing my tears, I saw that it was DJ...
"Sarah, please don't cry, please. Rina will be found soon. Please try to calm yourself. Everything will be ok," he said, still wiping my tears.
I involuntarily threw my arms around him and wailed, "No DJ, everything won't be fine. She'll not be fine. I know it. It's all my fault. I should never have let her go for photography in the first place. I should have given more consideration to my intuition. It's all my fault."
"No Sarah, please don't try to take all the blame for this. It's not your fault. What has to happen will happen. We humans can't stand in the path of fate."
He then kept quite while I spoiled his shirt with my unstoppable salty tears. After a few moments he spoke, "Sarah, do you think she'd seen this in her dream. Do you think she had a hunch that something bad would happen to her?"
I gasped. "You're right DJ. Her bad dreams!! All this while she'd been moping and had been depressed, and I told her not to take dreams seriously. What if she had a hunch that she was going to be in danger?"
Before he could answer, the phone rang, shattering the silence. Several of students, who'd been sleeping, woke up. Sneha mam, who was the nearest of the phone, picked it up. I sat of straight, alert. DJ pressed my hand softly to give me some comfort.
The entire room was filled with a tense silence. Uncomfortable silence echoed throughout the long room. Every breath seemed to have stopped.
"Yes?" Sneha mam gulped nervously.
We couldn't hear the answer in return, but whatever it was, it made mam's hands tremble.
"But?" She was probably asking him to continue some painful news.
Utter silence.... Clunk. The receiver fell down from her hands on the hard ground. The silence became ten times more tensed than before.
Sneha mam looked like a hollow lifeless doll. Emotionless. Expressionless. Her eyes were cryptic. Nothing could be deciphered from her face. Blank like a drawing sheet and white like a ghost. Then she suddenly screamed.
"NO...."
The scream cut through the silence like a butcher cutting a chicken. It was a horrible screech, an unpleasant shrill sound that pierced the room.
It confirmed all the fears we had....
Sneha mam cleared her throat and said in a lifeless voice, as if we needed any further confirmation.
"Rina is," she gulped.
"M-mu-murdered...."
In the evening
We got to know all the shocking facts by afternoon. Rina, having set out to take photos, had been busily absorbed in her work, absorbed enough not to notice that Mr. Chand and some of his friends had been passing from the same area, all drunk beyond limits.
Seeing Rina had triggered all Mr. Chand's wild instincts in his drunken state. He was not in a rational state and he thirsted for a bloody revenge. After he'd lost his job due to her, he hadn't found any other work. Along with his other unemployed friends, he kidnapped her. She tried to fight her way out, but was unsuccessful.
They then took her to an old warehouse where they brutally killed her, stabbing her body and cutting it in crude pieces. They then threw the pieces in a sack and dumped the sack in a canal, all too drunk to remove any evidence.
By night the sack was found by a local person and the police was informed. Fingerprints were traced and one of Mr. Chand's friends, who'd been to jail before, was arrested. He gave the names of other people involved, Mr. Chand in the lead. They were all in jail by morning.
Justice had prevailed.
But would my friend come back? No, she was gone. Damaged beyond repair. Even God couldn't send her back. Maybe she was in peace now, in heaven. But the ones she'd left behind were far from tranquility.
Her parents, having arrived in the morning, expecting to see their daughter running to greet them, were instead greeted with the news of her brutal murder. They were in shock now, having not spoken a single word.
A murder in a camp? Many people were in shock due to this. Half the children were already picked up by their parents for safety. We too were to go back soon.
Words failed me as I silently drowned in my emotions. Tears refused to stop, DJ's shirt was all wet with my tears. He was in shock too. That such a murderous incident had taken place in a little school camp, was beyond comprehending.
My mind still after all these hours refused to acknowledge the fact, the truth; I kept looking frequently at the door. Maybe it all was a nightmare. Maybe I'd wake up to find Rina smiling beside me, faithful friend as she was....
Or maybe it all was true. If true, then there was no justice in this world, because the death of a girl as good as Rina wasn't justified at all. Maybe the earth was formed all wrong, while the bad people continued to live and do bad deeds, the good ones were always the ones to be oppressed, the eternal sufferers.
My shock and pain were beyond words. My body shivered every time I thought about the brutal way her body had been cut and dumped. Every time this thought made me feel horrible, like an electric impulse was shot through my body. Things couldn't be any worse.
AFTER A MONTH....
I looked at the glorious sunset with DJ by my side. The birds were getting quiet. I wish I could have the same quietness inside my head. I was in chaotic condition till now. It was not just losing a good friend, it was about losing hope in humanity. In the way this world was run.
I learnt a few important lessons, though. I learnt that no matter how old you are, you never know when your life suddenly ends. No moment could be wasted, every second was precious. It was better to live in today, than worry about tomorrow. You never know, that tomorrow may never come.
Rina's remains were burned and ashes offered to the holy Ganga river. Watching that had been the hardest part. I couldn't utter a word for days. We'd returned home then and our daily schedule had returned to normal. What couldn't return to normal was our perspective of life, our peace of mind. Things might never be the same.
DJ had been a constant pillar of support through my chaotic condition. He was the only reason that I felt like coping up with life. I might have gone mad without him. He kept me sane and helped me come out of the depression I was in, due to losing my bestest best friend in life. Whether it was in school or at home, he was by my side, always as a support.
He assured me that even though life was unfair in many ways, things always turned out to be ok in the end. After the darkness of night, the brightness of the sun would come, inevitably ending the darkness, always....
********************************************************
Comment Replies:
Thanks a lot Pinkbaby and Siya for your comments.
And Linda P. if you're reading this now, I'm sorry I can't fit your described character. This is a story based in India and foreign characters won't fit. Thanks for feedback anyway.
And other readers, please tell me how you feel about this story. I really need to know your P.O.V. It would help me improve a lot. Comment please!
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