Gone By (28 page)

I couldn’t see the time in my mobile as it ran out of battery. Suddenly, I could hear footsteps rising nearer to the door. The lock was opened and they came in. I was still laid helpless on the floor. They were the same men who brought me out there. One of the man splashed water on my face. I jerked out and shook suddenly. I slowly opened my eyes and I could see them both very close before my face. One was holding a pistol while the other had a water bottle in his hand. They both were talking to each other, which was alien to me. I couldn’t follow even a single words they spoke.  One man picked up the diary from my hand. Both stood tall and I was laying on the floor with no strength on my body. He flipped a page and began to take a concrete look. They again spoke with one another and giggled within themselves. I could just watch them helplessly. Neither they cared to pour water into my throat. I ran dry. My whole body squeezed and I could feel the crippling injury that burned on my body. One came very close to my face, his hand was held with the pistol and protruded his scary view at me. He spoke something into my ears which I failed to understand. Perhaps it was an alien language. He was holding my collar up from the ground and bashed me back to the same posture as I were. They spoke among themselves and walked away. The other threw the diary on the floor few distance away from me. He even forgot to take back the water bottle. I felt relief after seeing the water bottle untouched. I crawled through the floor and managed to reach the bottle of water. They put the hook of the door before they left me. Indeed, they did not lock me up. Was it their trick or the part of their plan I haven’t put much effort to think of that. I grabbed the bottle of water in my hand and started to pour on my face first. I drank more than half the water. I strengthen myself and stood on my foot. I walked to the site where the diary was thrown. It was all again dark. But, I had to sense all with my hands. Finally, I had the diary in my hand. I set it inside my bag. With the quench of my thirst, I began to feel with slight energy refilling up. I walked towards the door. At no point, I began to manipulate myself this time. I had to get through this locked room out. I had no idea inside that dark room. By now I could realize I have to use force of my body to crack down the door. I took the first initiative. I measured some steps away from the door straight in its direction. I ran with full speed to apply my whole weight of my body. I had the bag behind my back, which would multiply the effort I was escalating. With every ran I banged with the closed door. I kept continuing the process. Until I was tired, I had to rest myself for minutes. For more than hundred times I did banged with the door. Finally, it cracked and the latch was detached from the fix. I walked out with pain on my body. Finally, I could breath the fresh new air and could feel the touch of breeze rushing through my skin. After hours of locked inside a dark room I finally managed to walk along the undirected area of a forest land. Even the shadows began to elongate. Neither I could judge the time. Perhaps, I could just make a guess. I walked along the lonely and deserted forest. I had no clue how far would be the main road from here. Even the tyre marks of the taxi were vanished under those sheath of grasses. I couldn’t remember the way they brought me here though I was fully aware when they captivated me. I kept on walking wherever my steps headed. As I walked on I was thinking about Isha. But then I was always interrupted by my subconscious. At that moment, I thought of Anannya. The sun began to set below its horizon. The elongated shadow walked along with me. I could feel the loneliness of my steps. The darkness began to hover around. Even the forest began to grew deeper. The only person was I lost into that deep bushes with no sign of protection from any side. As I took every step, it shook me with fear. I avoided to look back and kept my steps on. After walking few distance away from the haunted mansion, I stopped and looked all around. In the middle of the forest, I stood shivering. Now, that I was genuinely lost. Disconnected from the rest of the world. The light rays began to get dim, drowning below the horizon. I had nothing to light. Neither my mobile phone could lit up. I stood alone, amongst those rowdy breeze blowing from all sides. The bustling noise of leaves whined into my ears. And those of fallen branches appeared like the dead soul before my eyes. I began to cripple down onto the ground. My voiced lost its audibility and couldn’t even shout for any assistant. I knelt on my knee. I was tired too, most of all I was hungry. I lost my way neither I could remember the map of the way. So fragile and impotent I was on my knee. For a moment I thought of walking back to the isolated house. In anyway, it was the same thing to be lost. I decided to walk back to the house. I turned my way just like it led me up to here. I could hear roars of jackal and some unknown animals. So now I was completely deprived of any focusing light. Neither the sky had moon that day, the deep forest added more darkness. I quickened to walk back. I knew they wouldn’t be back anymore for me. But, I never focussed the reason why did they marooned me here with no perspective reason. I walked on and on, to let my breath survive. I was thinking about my Mom as I geared my steps to hurry. But, foremost I was thinking about my lost love Anannya in one corner of my mind. Within few distance I could see the house. My steps took it’s staircase, which had only few steps and rolled onto the veranda of the isolated house. I sat at one corner and looked up to the sky with breath heavily inhaling.

“What shall I do now” it feared my mind.

My empty stomach running of hunger. And my throat deficient with water. I had to spent the night somehow with my eyes wide open. The darkness began to fell on the roof. No sign of light, but the welcoming anguish of fear and horror hovered in. I squeezed myself and made comfortable to spend the dramatic and severe horrific night. I waited to pass the night as quick as possible. As the night grew deeper and deeper I was shivering out with cold. The cool breeze did put an effect on my body. And soon I felt the cold crapping up on me. My spine began to shook and bent like the old age man. My hands curled around my folded knee and rested my head upon it. The night climate began to grow rough. The huge rows of trees began to shook their branches with the incoming of wild wind blowing from north direction. My feet turned stiff, unable to make even the slightest movement. The cold caught me strong, especially all around my spines, which badly affected my whole body. I was still seated at that corner. The rush of wind grew wilder. I could hear the crackling noise of dry leaves blowing up into the air. Few came rushing with the heavy blow of wind on my side. Neither I had the strength to think on my mind. My brain and heart suppressed under the darkness, felt like the cell of punishment being imposed on me in hell. I was seated paralyzed, no movement of any body parts. Even, I couldn’t swallow saliva in. Only the swirl of wind I could catch up into my ears. Other than that everything was silent and calm. Yes, at very low level I could hear wolf howling but that was very dim to hear. Yet, I could feel them nearer. May be I wasn’t so percipient enough that’s the reason I got caught up into such deathly situation. Even my weekend got disposed and I couldn’t spent the whole week with Isha. Was it my pride or the arrogant perception, I didn’t stress much on that. And now here, I was stuck up in the mid way struggling to survive, running away from death. I shouldn’t have return back from Goa. I began to realize. I knew Isha was hurt by my unwise act. But, she never disclosed what’s inside she felt, but I could realize and sense later. I thought of her and I thought of my past love Anannya. Literally, my life was walking alone through a single way now. No more choice to make up falling in love with anyone else. I had thought before hand and never thought about Isha such way, neither was I interested. I had buried my emotions and feelings of love since the time Anannya walked away from my life. The night began to swift away faster. My eyes laid off and I was laying on the floor, like crushed dry leaf. I was asleep by now. Even the cold grew bitter and I was fighting against it, with just warmth of my breath. Gradually, the son of day began to take rise above the horizon. The bright sun broke out from the dawn and glittered it’s rays all around. One of its rays directly fell on my face. I was laying with my eyes closed. I felt the brightness sparkling into my eyes. I slowly opened up and looked around for a while. The floor was cold enough to shook my spine. A glimpse of morning shadow began to grow. Even the angry wind settled down. Everything around seemed calm before my eyes. Though the morning welcomed me but I had terrible night, which I would not forget all through my life. It was a memorable odious event but fine art of odyssey of my life. I sat on the edge of veranda for some time and began to think for the way. I began to map out my way into my mind, at any cause I had to find the main road. I stepped out of veranda and began to initiate my steps in direction opposite to what I followed the last day. The whole forest was covered with dry leaves, even there were branches broken due to the rowdy wind last night. I kept on walking with no hint of direction. I could hear only the sound of my steps crushing those dry leaves wherever my leg placed to walk on. Birds began to chirp out as the day began to grow out. The melodious strands of chirp from flock of birds added the pleasant morning with charm. I had had only them to accompany in the middle of the lonely forest. And of course the green grasses where few of my steps fell upon them. As I walked on, I thought deeply about Anannya. I felt like the lonely man on a hunt for his love. It gave the scene, like love could even be lost in the middle of the forest. And I was the man, passing through such barrier, enduring the most hard full sorrow. I felt like an exile man on earth. Yet, I didn’t stop walking along. I had the bag hanged at my back. I thought of pulling my diary out to compensate the loneliness. Perhaps it could add up to my long walk tour until I would find the main road. I held the diary finally in my hand and flipped a page to read. As I walked on I read lines between my steps. I felt every touch of my own words. Walking alone in a deep forest and whispering out the syndrome of love words, which was really an exotic kind of experience I had.

I thought of writing as my steps headed. I knew I was abandoned from the rest of the world. But, the only thing that kept me on were the words of emotions and feelings which I read out of my diary. I began to feel tired, my stomach needed nourishment. My weak body began to shook and drooped off. Yet, I thought of moving on. After walking miles, I reached at a place where the forest began to get shallow. Indeed, it began to get dispersed from getting dense. Finally, I could breath with hope now. Perhaps I was nearer to any roadway. I quickened my steps. I closed my diary and raised a rays of hopes within me. At last I felt myself I’m safe now. With my every steps heading forward, I triggered with hope. When then I could see a lesser heighted steep ahead. Just few distance away. That was the main road. I had to get up through that slope to get finally into road. I spent all of my body energy to overcome the steep slope. My breath began to get tired. And I could feel the jam in my air pipe. It had become difficult for me to keep breathing. Somehow I managed to climb up to the roadside. I stood upright at the roadside after that hard fight, overcoming the slope. I began to feel drowsy. My head began to twist round and round. Even my vision blurred, nothing cleared appeared before me. My legs began to get weaker. I was holding the diary in my hand. It gripped off and fell into the ground. I couldn’t even take the next step. I was conscious enough and could feel I was almost about to fall into the ground. Within no time I fell into the ground unconsciously. Nothing I could feel now. I fell on my chest, hands and legs spread wide. The diary was suppressed by my body weight. Foams of saliva protruding out from my mouth. My face turned pale and dry. Temporary wrinkles appeared on my face. I laid with no sense on the roadside.

After hours of unconsciousness, it was around 1:00pm noon, when a car passing through, suddenly braked seeing me unconscious. There was a lady in. She clunk out of the car. For seconds she kept staring at me. She flipped me and turned my body. She felt my breath placing her hand on my chest. The foams were spread out all over my face. She took out a handkerchief and cleaned it. She shook my body for few minutes, possibly she was trying to wake me up. She hurried back into her car and pulled out a bottle of water. She splashed on my face. I coughed for seconds and my eyes slowly managed to open. I could see the lady very close before my face. She was staring so sharp.

“Are you ok” she said.

I nodded, as my voice faded away and it sounded very feeble. I gasped. She held by hand and pulled me upright on feet. She directed me towards her car. She opened the front door and let me in. As she turned to come to her side of the door ,she saw my fallen diary. She picked up and came to her pilot chair.

“It’s your diary” handing me the diary she said.

I took it from her hand. Perhaps I could predict, she was a woman of around the age of thirty. She switched on the key and started the car. Her hands were holding the steering tightly.

“Don’t worry. You’ll be safe” she said softly. And drove the car.

“Can I get a water please” I asked.

“It’s at the back seat”.

I had to stretched my hand few inches out to grab the bottle of water at the back seat. She was controlling the steering very smoothly.

“You look very weak” she said giving a narrow glimpse at me.

I just swallowed some litres of water before I could speak. “I was lost here” my voice mumbled out.

“How come you got lost”.

“I was kidnapped at bus station” I said softly.

She turned to look at me. Her eyes bloomed with feeble fear. She turned her face away, taking the control of steering.