Short stories
| The Dream Girl The city was tense. Violent clashes between the supporters of the Swami and the police followed the news of Swamiji’s death. There had already been death threats to him following his denouncement of the Government’s Road Development Project. The Government on its part praised the Swami as a man of great wisdom and compassion. But it also said the project would continue as per schedule. That was a mistake. The followers of Swamiji went on rampage. The Government tried to salvage the situation by pointing out the importance of the project to the city and economy. Bigger, better roads meant better infrastructure. Better infrastructure meant more investments, more jobs. But the people were not satisfied. They alleged the project was meant to serve the interests of the rich. Finally the Government had to back out. It was not wise to ignore popular sentiments when elections were around the corner. It was announced that the Project would be altered and a new route would be considered. The people were jubilant; it was a fitting tribute to Swamiji. But what nobody knew was the drama that led to this finale had started a few weeks back. Two Weeks Earlier Tuesday, Evening - Sagar Apartments The first time… The sky was strangely lit; a mixture of yellow, blue and orange. He stood atop a mountain plain. As he wondered how he had got there, a magnificient white horse appeared by his side. He was so captivated by it that the next moment he found himself on it and the ride began. The horse moved fast towards a blurred figure. Suddenly everything went dark and he found himself on the third floor staircase of his building. His kurta had got stuck on a nail in the hand rail. Confused he made his way back to his flat on the first floor. The second time… Again the same place, the same horse…the blurred figure. But this time the dream continued the blurred figure turned into a beautiful female. She stood near a cliff and behind her the ground gave way to a vast chasm of space. One moment he was moving towards the girl and the next moment he found himself on the floor of the terrace on his building. He had stumbled on an old abandoned trunk. He was clueless as to what he was doing there. The third time … Her beauty fascinated him as the horse darted towards her. He desperately wanted to pick her up. He almost did when suddenly the face of his pretty wife flashed before him and the next moment he had passed the girl. The horse was just about to take him over the cliff when he felt a pair of strong hands drag him back. He stood near the edge of the terrace. Just one more step and he would’ve fallen off the building. Baburao, his neighbour told him that he had been sleepwalking; he had almost walked off the building. Luckily for him, that night Baburao unable to sleep had been strolling on the terrace. Instincts told him that he had not been sleepwalking and this latest brush with death set off the warning bells. He had the same dream for three Fridays in a row and each time he had inched closer to death. There was something very wrong in that flat. The very next day he had checked into a flat. But once there, each day he had even more horrible nightmares. He saw terrible things happening to his wife and parents; then he saw the flat. It was as if he was being asked to come back or face the consequences. After enduring the ordeal for three days he came back. A terrified Ajay narrated these incidents to his friend Shyam and waited for his reaction. Shyam merely stared out of the window. Then he suddenly turned around, asked Ajay to wait and he left. Ajay was mystified by Shyam’s behavior. Ajay and Shyam Three weeks back, Ajay Verma had moved from his small hometown into this city. He had accepted a job offer from a Multi National Company. According to the Company regulations an outstation employee had to serve for two months before being eligible for Company accommodation.. So his wife had stayed back with his parents. He reckoned as soon as he got the promised accommodation, his family could join him in the city. Meanwhile he had rented a small flat in Sagar Apartments, an old building. The rent was cheap and it was quite close to his work place. He had inquired for a temporary accommodation at his work place. Shyam Ahuja who worked in the same Company had told him about the flat in Sagar Apartments. Shyam lived nearby; he was a local boy. Since then the two had been friends and Ajay had adjusted well to his new environment. It was only Friday nights that he started seeing these strange dreams. At first Ajay had dismissed them as a psychological reaction to his new surroundings. But the latest events had left him shaken and he had turned to Shyam for help. Short story Tuesday, Evening - Shantivan Shantivan Swamiji’s ashram (hermitage) stood in the background. Tall walls surrounded the area. Swami Premanand was seated on the special platform erected for him. His followers sat on the ground and aides stood nearby. Swamiji’s charismatic personality and rich voice mesmerized all. Every Tuesday and Friday, people came to the Swamiji with their difficulties. A man approached Swamiji and introduced himself. No sooner had he done that, Swamiji held up his right hand and said he knew what bothered the man. Nobody was surprised; it was a common knowledge that the Swami was an enlightened soul. Swamiji then explained the solution for the man’s problem. Having said that, he waved his hand; suddenly a picture of the swami and some powder appeared in his palm. Premanand passed them onto the man and blessed him. Inside the ashram, Gupta concentrated on the computer monitor on his table. A huge amount was deposited into a foreign bank account. As soon as the transaction was completed, he passed a file to a man seated across the table. The man checked the documents and left. Then Gupta came out to watch Swamiji’s show. Gupta had started the show and now it had to end soon. He was proud of it but he couldn’t risk being exposed. He just wanted a dramatic finale for his show. Just then a group of men approached Swamiji. They were residents of a hutment colony that lay opposite Shantivan. A prestigious Government Road Development Project threatened their homes and shops. They had been provided with alternative accommodations in far flung areas so the residents were not happy with it. They wanted to stay in their present habitat. Having failed with the bureaucrats and politicians, they had approached Swamiji for a solution. He asked them not to worry. He strongly denounced the project and said that as long as he was alive they would not suffer. The air rang up with chants of ‘Swamiji ki Jai’. Gupta stared in disbelief. Clearly the act was getting to Dev. This was one of the reasons why the show had to end soon. Suddenly it hit him; the perfect end to his show. Gupta and Devendra Almost a year back, Manek Gupta visited the Himalayas. He was a middle-aged businessman and wanted the blessings of a goddess. There he had chanced upon a young man con a tourist with his sleight of hand. Gupta came to know that his name was Devendra and he lived with some sadhus. His appearance was also like them. Gupta sensed a great potential in the young man. He approached Dev with a “business proposal”. Dev thought about it and then agreed. Dev became Swami Premanand. Gupta and Dev came to the city and the former went about organizing the show. Shantivan an ancient vacant haveli (huge private residence) became their ashram. It was Gupta’s ancestral property. He carefully hired men to act as Dev’s aides. Dev insisted that no females should be hired. Gupta found that a little odd but he didn’t probe. Next Page |
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