And the rest is .... story..

There was madness in the crowd…

‘Kill him! Kill him!’

My heart cringed.

‘No, please! Don’t! He’s done nothing wrong’.

‘Lady, you ok?’

I looked at the man talking to me. I suddenly realized that it was merely my imagination. The market was bustling, but no one was shouting, no one was even looking at me.

‘Yes, I’m… I’m fine’, I replied.

I began walking again. I crossed the fruits and vegetable sellers and on, till I saw the familiar bridge.

I began to walk faster, too fast perhaps, for I was now attracting attention. But I couldn’t slow down. Any minute could be the dreaded one. The bridge loomed nearer. Right underneath it, was what I was looking for. The ticket counter.

‘A ticket to Dehradun please.’

The man at the counter looked at me and smiled through his crooked teeth. ‘Traveling alone Miss?’ His bloody lustful smile! If I had the time I would have given him a piece of my mind. But I couldn’t attract attention, not now.

‘Yes, can you hurry up?’ I replied, trying not to sound irritated. He handed me the ticket.

I checked the time on the ticket. It said 11.40. I checked my watch..it said 11.30.
10 minutes! Please God…please…let these 10 minutes go by real quick.

I walked to the platform where the train was already awaiting the passengers. People were rushing about in a frenzy. I turned to the little boy standing beside me.

‘Ritesh, whatever happens, remember you’ve never seen me before. You don’t know who I am or where I live. Get on this train and get down at Dehradun. Forget everything, ok?’

He nodded in agreement. I handed the ticket to him.

He turned to leave.

‘Ritesh!’, I called back.

He turned. ‘Thank you’.

He smiled… the most beautiful I’d ever seen. And then with a wave, he boarded the train.

A few seconds later, the engine began to hum, a whistle sounded and the train began to move out of the station. I sat down on a bench.

Even before I had a chance to gather my thoughts, someone spoke.

‘Excuse me, are you Ms Shurika?’

‘Yes?’, I replied. How did this guy know my name? And then it hit me. The game was up.

‘We need to interrogate you Miss. Perhaps we can walk over to your apartment and discuss matters?’

******************************************

Post Script:

I didn’t know much about Ritesh… not then, not now.

All I know is that he worked as a small time help in several places and managed to gather food for sustenance.

That day, as I walked back to my flat after my shopping, Ritesh was helping me carry my shopping bags. On reaching home I asked him to wait, I was about to wrap up some excess food I had lying in my fridge and give it to him.

But when I walked in, there was my drunken brother… too drunk to make head or toe of me. But he didn’t forget his purpose of being in my flat. Money.

It started with pleading, then blackmailing and then finally it turned violent. I was being repeatedly struck. A silent spectator was witnessing all of it.

But silent, not for long. With my hand being twisted and my face being struck, I couldn’t gather much strength to stop the outburst.

And then I heard it. Metal meeting bone. The clang of metal and the crack of the skull. And when I turned around, there was the vase, lying innocently on the floor and Ritesh standing beside it with an assuring, comforting smile.

And the rest… is story..