...
The morning light could not bring about much change in the hospital's stressful environment.
Doctors were rushing around just as they had been at night. In front of the 2nd ward of the ICU, a woman who looked about 50-60 years old was standing, holding a smartphone.
Her trembling hands gripped the screen, attempting to wipe away her flowing tears. Anyone could see that the matter was serious.
»"Kriti, calm down now! Our son is safe; the doctors said so."
A heavy voice came from the screen. Though his throat was also choked, he managed to maintain his composure.
"It's easy for you, Adesh! But I am a mother. Nawal is very seriously injured. And he hasn't... he hasn't regained consciousness yet. It's been more than 12 hours... Adesh! I wish you were here right now."
Kriti's steps were as restless as her voice; she paced back and forth, but how could she find peace until she heard Nawal speak!?
Meanwhile, her husband Adesh, who was currently in Bangalore for a company deal, was somehow trying to reassure his wife.
»"Look! The deal has been settled well, and the flight will arrive in just half an hour. I will be there in an hour or two. Okay! Please take care of Nawal and yes! Look at yourself, what a state you've made of yourself! Have you eaten or not?"
Adesh's voice, as always, was full of concern for his little family, which brought a small smile to Kriti's face.
"I tried, but I couldn't eat much. My mind was tense. He is our only child, and I don't know whose wretched eyes fell upon them that..."
Kriti couldn't say anything further.
She didn't need to.
Sometimes, some things are not expressed in words...one has to read them themselves, and Adesh knew how to read them very well.
»"Don't worry! I'm here. Take care of Nawal. I'll be there soon."
The video call disconnected with a beep, and Kriti hadn't even realized when her restlessness had vanished.
A little later, a nurse came out.
"Kriti Bhaskar! Is anyone Kriti Bhaskar?"
Kriti quickly raised her hand to signal that she was there and hurried inside, gathering her purse and papers.
Inside, Nawal was slowly blinking his eyes, looking towards the door. He had a bandage on his head, a plaster cast on his leg, and a few stitches near his jaw, secured with a bandage.
"Oh. Nawal! My child!"
His mother sat on the chair beside him and stroked his hair. Meanwhile, Nawal's eyes were looking at Kriti as if he wanted to say a lot.
Since the doctor had advised him to avoid speaking for now, and Nawal was also in considerable pain, he couldn't speak even if he wanted to. Still, in a faint whisper, he took Raghav's name.
".... R-Raghav...."
Kriti sighed and looked at Nawal... she also remembered Sarla's crying.
She didn't know whose evil eye had fallen upon their children.
Though road accidents sound very common, when a loved one is involved, one realizes how much pain there is.
"Son... there is no news of Raghav yet. But his Dad is trying, and the police department is also investigating. Some clue will be found. Don't worry, okay? Your Dad will also be here in an hour or two."
Nawal nodded with great difficulty. Nawal still wanted to say a lot; he wanted to tell them how all this happened, what happened, but he gave up in the face of his body's pain.
He had to give up.
He was also worried about his friend, but his strong body was not strong enough now to help much.
Kriti had brought some fruit juice for Nawal, which would give him a little strength.
Its scent reminded Nawal of the ice cream Raghav had bought yesterday....
•°•°•°°•°•
Tick, tick, tick!
Raghav's watch was the only sound he could hear in that dark tunnel. How long had he been walking? Yet, neither the tunnel was ending nor was any path clear. After walking continuously for 4-5 hours, Raghav had stopped looking at his watch, but he estimated it was almost noon.
Raghav laughed at himself, at his condition.
"Noon... there is no difference between day and night here."
Slowly, time was passing, and everything that was present was only increasing,
whether it was hunger,
thirst,
restlessness,
or his troubles.
Only the torchlight was diminishing.
Suddenly, Raghav's torch fell upon a piece of torn cloth that felt strange. Raghav took a step forward.... but then the cloth moved too.
Raghav's ears perked up. He slowly turned and looked -
No movement.
Then, as he stepped forward, the same rustling sound. This time, the piece of cloth was a little too close to his foot.
The machinery in Raghav's mind started churning.
Raghav's steps slowly started moving backward, and the cloth slowly started moving forward...
Raghav's steps quickly started moving backward, and the cloth quickly started moving forward....
Raghav now started running with full vigor, and the cloth followed him.
And Raghav's panting breaths stopped completely when he saw a wall in front of him.
There was no way forward....
Raghav turned back and saw that the cloth was now slowly advancing toward him. He shone the torch on the cloth and yelled,
"Stop. Stop right there! Stop!!"
But the piece of cloth did not stop, which made Raghav's heartbeats soar. The sweat covering his forehead revealed his fear in this cold place.
Raghav, in panic, threw a piece of stone towards the cloth.
"I said stoppp!!!!"
"..."
"Squeak!!"
For a minute, Raghav couldn't believe his ears or his eyes. A wild rat came out from under the cloth and ran away.
Raghav stood there for a while as if he were frozen.
Then, he burst out laughing.
"Hahahahaha!!!"
He was laughing at himself, not because it was funny, but because he found nothing better than this to express his badly pounding heart due to fear.
The heart is a strange barometer. In the small upheavals of life, when there is happiness, we laugh, and when there is sadness or fear, we cry.
But when emotions reach their peak, the rules collapse; laughter bursts forth from fear, from sorrow, and tears from joy.
God has made man so complex, so deep, that he cannot be compared to the ghosts who roam around with ugly faces at night.
If they even exist....
Raghav knew at least that much.
So, he picked up his torch, whose light had dimmed considerably, and moved forward.
But today was Raghav's bad day... he kept encountering only rats everywhere.
Broken pots were rattling;
he went and checked—rats were there too.
Boxes shook—a rat inside.
Bushes rustled—rats were there too.
Some hiss-hiss sound—rats were there too.
"If I encounter a rat one more time, I will forget that I am a vegetarian."
Raghav snarled and sat on a broken piece of a pillar. With his utterly tired eyes, he looked at the tunnel walls, which were laden with spiderwebs.
Raghav hadn't even caught his breath when another loud hiss sound came.
Raghav hit his head.
"Another bloody rat. This time, I'm going to eat it. Where—"
As Raghav's searching eyes fell upon the rat, his breath stopped for a moment. The rat was as big as a rabbit and was looking right at him. Sweat streamed down Raghav's forehead.
"Well... Sorry, bro. Don't take what I said to heart, okay, haha!"
Raghav slowly got up and then ran as fast as he could. This time, he didn't even pay attention to which direction he was running.
The rat's speed was so fast that the tired Raghav had to throw all his remaining strength into his legs.
The rat seemed thirsty for Raghav's life; its exposed teeth could sever Raghav's finger in one bite, and he had never seen such a rat in his life.
But his tired legs were now giving up.
Meanwhile, the distance was closing.
He somehow forced his legs forward, screaming.
No use.
His steps now began to falter.
And the noise from behind grew louder.
Raghav, panting, reached a room with a door. He pushed it.
It didn't open.
He pushed harder; it still didn't open.
And the wild rat was now almost upon him.
Raghav, in panic, continuously tried to break the door with his shoulder.
Lines of fear and distress were clearly visible on his face.
Just then, the rat leaped towards Raghav, and Raghav's eyes widened.
Those blood-soaked teeth were now heading for Raghav.
Raghav, in desperation, pushed the door harder and harder.
Suddenly, the door opened with a loud sound, and Raghav fell directly inside.
And the rat's attack missed by mere seconds. Raghav immediately slammed the door shut and fell back.
His breathing was so rapid that his lungs felt too small for the air he needed.
Raghav couldn't take any more; he just lay there on the uneven ground with his gasping breaths.
He couldn't figure out how to get out of here. There was no light in the room, nor in his torch anymore.
Everything was dark, and his eyelids felt heavy.
Exhaustion and hunger had already made his condition pitiable, and now this darkness began to rock him in the cradle of sleep.
He did not resist either.
The sole source of light in the dark room, the butterfly, glowing in blue-golden colors, hovered over Raghav....
_________________________________________
To be continued...