By Barshita Das
A fine winter morning it was, Sapna woke up from her bed while shivering from cold. "Maa please put the geyser on, I am getting late for the college",she shouted from her bedroom.After taking bath, she rushed out of her room and said in a quick voice while tying the knot of her shoe, "Maa, I will eat something from the canteen, I am too late bye bye." Her mother murmered, "this girl! What will I do with her.. always in hurry."
No matter how much late Sapna becomes, she always manages to find time to visit the highway stationary shop. Like every other day she arrived there and her eyes were searching for the one for whom she makes the daily visit to that shop. Nil, there he was with his friend approaching towards the shop. One glimpse of Nil is enough to make Sapna smile. But the irony is they never talked. They just share looks and make eye contact with each other.
Nil's friend Vivan asked the shopkeeper to give a packet of cigarette. While Nil just stood there gazing at Sapna without making it obvious. She blushed and then turned around and went for the college without speaking anything like any other day. Few days passed but now Sapna couldn't find Nil in the shop. One day she gathered the courage and asked the shopkeeper, "Uncle the two boys who used to come for a packet of cigerette daily at this time, do you know where they live?" "Who? Nil and Vivan? they live at the colony bazaar" replied the shopkeeper in a polite voice. For the first time she heard Nil's name. She murmered to herself with a blush, "Nil, nice name." She then went looking for Nil at the colony bazaar. She asked a few pedestrians but they knew nothing about Nil or Vivan for the colony bazaar area is too big. After searching a lot, she reached the bank of the river. Her eyes suddenly fell on two boys sitting on the sand of the river bank but as she was behind them, she couldn't recognise the face.
She stepped forward slowly and finally got their view from a distance. It's them, talking about something she couldn't hear. "Oh God, without thinking anything, I started looking for him but never thought what will I tell when I get him?". She was thinking only when at the mean time Nil and Vivan stood up and started walking out. A quavering voice suddenly fell on their ear, "excuse me, do you know where is the nearest pharmacy?" They turned back and Nil was stunt to see Sapna infront of his eyes. Nil stepped forward and asked "just behind these two lanes but may I know what happened? Are you okay?"
Sapna without thinking anything said, "I am having headache, so thought to get a painkiller." Nil didn't want to lose this opportunity, so with great enthusiasm he spoke, "the pharmacy is a bit far, it will take sometime for you to reach there but I know an instant painkiller. The masala chai of a bhaiya I know is enough to kill any poison..would you like to have one cup? The butterflies in Sapna's stomach gained speed listening to this and without any delay she nodded her head. Vivan had some work, so he asked them to carry on and left the place.
"So how is the chai?" Nil asked with a smile on his face. Sapna while keeping her head low trying to hide the fact that she is blushing complimented it. She wanted to ask about why he was not there at the shop for some days but unable to find any suitable reason to give for her query, she dropped the plan. "So what do you do?" Sapna asked trying to know him better. Nil zoned at the question and after taking a few seconds replied hesitantly "I am a MBA student and thinking of opening my own farm. What about you?", a not so detailed answer came from Nil. "I am a law student. For now just focussing on the study, will see what life brings on the plate next" Sapna replied in a calm voice. "Great, then I can have you as my legal advisor in my farm someday if you have no problem", Nil asked with enthusiasm. Sapna smiled and agreed. "Can I have your phone number if I need to contact you for the same someday?", Nil hesitantly said. She just took Nil's phone and typed her number there without any second thought. Then they waved at each other and left.
That night Sapna kept staring at her phone with the hope that Nil would text him. But no calls and texts were sent from the other side and with a disappointed mood she went to sleep.
After some days, a seminar was organised in Sapna's college. Immediately after reaching college, her friend Vabya asked her to help with the decoration. She was instructing someone to put the garland above when at the mean time, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned around and it was Nil. "Aree you are here?" asked Sapna with curiosity. Nil with the as usual charm on his appearance replied, "I am here for the seminar, my group is also invited. By the way won't you show me your campus". "Of course why not" Sapna gestured with her eyes. Then she took him throughout the whole campus. "And that's my classroom. You know one day...." she only started saying something in the middle of which Nil's phone rang. Seeing the call, Nil's face somehow became tensed but he didn't recieve it. But the phone kept ringing on which she insisted him to take the call. Finally he received, "What happened? Why are you calling at this hour? It is not the time of this", saying this he hung up the call. His face was sweating like it was July summer. "What happened? Is everything alright?" She asked with concern. He nodded indicating that he was okay. The seminar completed nicely, while leaving Nil complimented Sapna about her campus.
That night Sapna's phone finally beeped with the much awaited text, "Are you awake?" And with this the conversation continued the whole night. Days passed and their conversation never stopped. They both knew that they had fallen for each other but no one dared to confess at first.They both shared everything with each other but sometimes Sapna used to feel that something was bothering Nil which he was not discussing. She asked many times but everytime he diverted the conversation with a new topic.
One evening, when they were walking by the river bank, Nil got a call which panicked him to his core. Saying Sapna about an emergency, he immediately left. But that day she was not going to step back. She was determined to find out the cause of Nil's panic everytime. She followed him and reached a big garage at the outskirt of the town.
She peeped inside where she found Nil and Vivan standing at the middle of some men. A gun was pointed towards Nil. She was shocked and without thinking anything she barged in. Nil was shocked to see her and shouted, "What are you doing here?" One of the men got terrified and asked about her identity to him. Before she could process anything, the gun turned towards her and one of them said,"now she has seen our faces, we can't keep her alive."Saying so they immediately shot at her. Nil rushed towards her and the bullet stroke his chest. He immediately fell on the ground. Sapna broke into tears and took his head in her lap. Vivan also rushed towards Nil. At the mean time the siren of the police rang and all the goons ran away. Sapna informed the police before entering there. The police car went to follow them and she requested Vivan to call the ambulance in a fumble voice. She couldn't stop her tears and with a low voice she said, "You will be okay. I am here na..Just hold on for some minutes." Nil with half open eyes and difficulty in breathing started saying, "You know why I stopped going to that shop where we used to exchange looks. Because I didn't want to drag you in my messed up life. But when you came to the river bank looking for me, I couldn't control. Yes I knew you were not searching any pharmacy and came for me. Your eyes explained everything. After that when I took your number at that very day, I wanted to text you immediately after reaching home but again I thought why to punish you by bringing so much chaos in your life. So I didn't but when we again met in your college at the seminar, I gave up the idea of restraining myself and decided not to lose you. From that day onwards I started trying heart and soul to get rid of this. I belong to a terrorist group Sapna, at a very young age I was captured by them. They trained me for the works which I never imagined in my nightmare and even if it's against my will, I had to do many bad stuffs for which I am paying today.I had been ordered to do whatever they say otherwise mine and my family's life will be in danger as threatened by them. But the day I decided to keep you in my life, I started avoiding their calls, skipping their work. I thought I will be able to gather proof against them. But they are very powerful Sapna, this evening when I was with you, they called me and informed that they are infront of my home. So I couldn't help but come here. My story is ending here but you have a beautiful life ahead. Make it best with your presence. Vivan, you too take care of yourself, I am taking so much memories of you with me. Take care of Sapna too. I feel lucky that I get to spend the last moment of my life with you. I never told you Sapna but you have a very beautiful pair of eyes and I never had the guts to say this that I...I.." Before completing his words, Nil's breathing rate got faster and slowly he closed his eyes breathing his last at Sapna's lap. Sapna shouted Nil's name in deep agony.
Few years later:
Sapna woke up and asked her mother to put the geyser on. But something was changed. A silence settled in the atmosphere. After taking bath, she went to her garden to water only a particular plant. Her mother never asked her the reason for she could sense the pain in Sapna's eyes. But that day was something different, she was smiling. So her mother approached her and hesitantly asked, "Beta I am seeing from many years you are watering this plant with very much care. May I know the reason behind it?" She smiled calmly and replied, "this is the plant of Nilkanth phool maa, I feel Nil in here. Moreover Nilkanth phool is Shiv Ji's favourite, so I hope He will keep my Nil happy wherever he is. Today is a special day maa, today is Nil's birthday, I will go to Shiv Mandir for Puja before going to office. May he get his next life as wonderful as the person he himself was." Saying so she wiped the tears that started flooding in her eyes silently and expressed, "I have a bigger goal maa, as a lawyer I want to spread awareness to every youth out there about what actions they can take legally when they are forcefully indulged in unlawful activities like terrorism." She sighed and hugged her mother with comfort and taking her blessings, she left for the temple
By Barshita Das
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