The Red Lozenge
A sudden blood curdling scream broke the
silence of the sultry night, I was yanked off the bed by a brute force and the
tick tock of the bedside clock rose to high decibel levels until my ears ached.
Beads of perspiration accumulated on my
brows , the power went off plunging the room in sheer blackness. Blinded by
this totality of eclipse, I cursed the generator for not switching on. The
breeze seemed to have breathed its last too.
Out of the somber clouds, came the full
rounded white object like a knight in shining armour ,flooding the bedroom with
a strange light. I sighed with relief, but it soon turned macabre- I could spot
blood stained footprints on the floor which seemed to get reflected in the
moonlight aura. The force dragged me to the silhouette above the eerie red
shapes and I followed loyally, like the dog its master, offering no resistance
whatsoever. Now, the beads of perspiration had grown in volume, turning into a
shower of sweat and I could feel it trickling down my spine in torrents.
Dreadfully nervous, I heard nothing except the ‘lub dub’ of my heart, aided by
the hypnotic effect, I gently opened the latch of the door and treaded outside.
The moonlight filtered through the trees forming weird shadows , foretelling
some signs of a gruesome tale about to unfold. The force moved on and so did
the red blotches , I could even hear blood dripping onto the ground . the dry
leaves under my bare feet rustled and then crackled , orchestrating with the
symphony from my bosom.
I walked on into the alley way , a slender
bat flew over my head ruffling the hair in the process but undeterred I tagged
along, the old grey stoned church standing in testimony to the times before and
the revengeful deed to be revealed. I crossed it in a daze, disturbing the
wandering souls at the nearby tombstones, who seemed to be in a hurry to occupy
some desperate souls.
A flash of lightening streaked across the
midnight sky and a gleaming, glistening dagger was in my right fist inviting me
menacingly to the house at the corner of Grove street .The mansion once proudly
owned by the business tycoon Mr. Bhim Lal , my husband, who ruled the sparkling
lozenges industry. Tears rolled down my eyes as the bungalow stood in utter
desolation, neglected, abandoned, haunted and lusterless. Gravity was acting on
me pulling me to the entrance of the stately building. The huge Victorian gates
clanked open as if by remote, the driveway loomed in darkness, over grown weeds
lit up by the lunar light ,playing hide and seek. The once, pride of the eyes
garden was in shambles with crawlers and creepers stalking everywhere. A spider
kissed the nape of my neck, I stopped in my tracks for a brief moment but the
powerful , persuasive, emphatic thrust led me to the ornate main door which
creaked open revealing the cobweb chandelier, it beckoned me and shortly I was
spiraling up the winding stair case . I passed two landings and on the third
one, I took a vigorous turn to the right to the room, which had been the domain
of my daughter Kajal.
The walls looked dull and forlorn , the
magical laughter of my Kajal was not there , the room was full of dust and
grotesque shadows were dancing in the dark. Lounged on a chair was a man whose
face was lit up by a light from below his chin .An evil creature with a wicked
grin , presently turning into a deep throated chortle. A brief elusive moment
passed, before sheer exasperation drove the wrath filled venomous sword into
the villainous chest of the abominable man, spilling horrendous blood ,
spurting as if from the nozzle of an aerosol can and spraying on my face .
I stood stupefied in the carnage ,
glorified like a gladiator for what seemed like eternity…..
The rasping voice on the
telephone line demanded “1 crore” as ransom money for releasing my kidnapped
daughter unharmed and the deadline to make the payment “24 hours” and the line
went click .
We were in diamond
business for generations, the trade legacy passed down by our fore fathers .It
was competitive and risky but our business acumen had made us to carve a
distinct niche for ourselves and we enjoyed a prime share in the market and our
imposing store stood at the prestigious Bhimji Zaveri street .We had recently
bagged a deal with a South African merchant from Kimberly that took us to
dizzying heights. But somewhere along the way, we picked up jealous enemies too
who wanted to bring us down on our knees and the kidnap plot was a daring
attempt by our predators.
My husband ran from
pillar to post arranging the funds without disclosing the reasons as the
abductors had warned us of dire consequences.
TRRIING…TRRIING, the
phone rang ,my heart raced as I picked up the receiver, on speaker mode , the
threatening words that were coming from the other end echoed in the house- the
merciless mercenaries had upped the ante, they were now demanding 5 crores ,
stakes going up manifold , I just plunged on the sofa, with the receiver
precariously dangling from the centre table , hands cupped at my chin. Kajal’s
father in a fit of rage, called up the police and informed them about the
kidnap and the rising ransom.
We were running
against time , the police swinging into action, tracing the number to a public
call booth and then getting sketches made with the help of assumed witnesses.
The abductors , meanwhile had sniffed the scent of the Khaki trail and
immediately snuffed the life out of my darling. Ruthlessly they chopped off the
limbs ,disfigured and dismembered our princess and dumped the body in front of
our house.
Inconsolable, we wept, cried, screamed
and despaired, our diamond was gone forever…..
We relocated from that house leaving behind the painful
memories, to another house to try and start living again. Day in and day out, a
desperate voice echoed in my ears “don’t worry mama, I’ll find you my killer
“and the vengeance grew within me… the deed was done, the holocaust over….RIP
my red lozenge.
