D-20

Is this the end?

Splash...

"Ahh.." Chocking sound.

"Famous Actress Miss Sima Gupta found dead in her yoga instructor's apartment." News telecast. "Culprit Piya Verma escaped from police custody."

"Piya Verma... a name highlighting everywhere."

"Police assumed that she ran with the money extorted from Sima Gupta."

"Culprit Piya Verma,"

"Piya Verma, who was a yoga instructor......"

"Ahhh....." "Splash..."

Piya Verma, the girl is on the wanted list. Police are searching for her That girl is me. The girl drowning in the river is me. The girl telling you the story is me, Piya Verma.

If I tell you I am innocent. Will you believe it? No right?

No one will believe me. I didn't even prove my innocence. I am dying now. This is the end. My life is going to end in this mystery. I couldn't see the face of the person who tried to kill me.

This is the end. End of my life. End of my reputation. End of everything.

***

"Aaaa....hhhhhhh..." Gasps for air.

"Ohhh...oohh.." Coughing sound.

"Huh... Where am I?"

Where am I?

Who saved me?

Aaahh.. Why I am n***d?

Is this my bathroom?

How did I end up in my own house, inside my bathroom, submerged in my bathtub?

"Ting Ding" The doorbell sound.

Who is this?

I wear the bathrobe and run towards the door.

Jayesh?

Door open...

"Oh Jayesh, thank god you are here."

I hug him.

"Are you okay?" He asks. "You are the one who calls me remember."

"Me?"

"Are you trying to seduce me? Looking hot in this, by the way." He teased.

"How can you be so calm?"

"Why, what happened?"

"Haven't you saw the news?"

"What's the breaking news? Actor's break up?"

"Not funny."

I grab the remote and turn on the TV.

Newsflashes. "Comet NEOWISE visible for the first time today."

"Today? How can that be possible? We saw it from your telescope in your studio."

"How did you know I have a telescope? I have told no one about it."

His behavior was questionable, or mine was. What's going on?

"Hey bathrobe, get ready we have to rush for the meeting."

"I can't go. I am most wanted now. It can't be safe."

"Are you out of your mind? Did you take drugs?"

"No"

"So don't talk rubbish. Get ready, we gotta go."

I enter my room with lots of doubts in my head. I put on a red off-shoulder top and denim jeans. I walk out of my room. Jayesh is standing near the bookshelf holding a book.

"Paulo Coelho... Brilliant writer. Do you know they commented him to a mental institute not even once, twice?" He said.

"You said that before."

"I did?"

"Yes, you did."

We step out, and everything looks normal. Jayesh and I take a drive towards the posh area of our city. Strange, everything was normal. No one glaring at me, as if nothing happened. This place looks familiar to me. It's a production house office. I went there for a meeting with Sima Gupta before. Why are we here? Is it because of the case? I am so nervous, can't even breathe properly. After entering the room, they ask us to wait there.

"Mam these are the person we talked about."

"Hi mam, I am Jayesh and this is Piya"

Jayesh pointed at me. I am numb. Totally blank. Like I am seeing a ghost. It can't be happening.

"What are you doing?" Jayesh whisper in my ear. "Greet her, don't stand idle."

"Hehe... She is your big fan. Don't mind, please. Please be seated." Jayesh said.

"You are alive?"

Listening that everyone stares at me.

"You are alive... Oh my god. But how? I have seen you. And this..."

"Piya.. Piya... Piya..." Jayesh drags me to the corner. "What's wrong with you? Why are you acting weird? I think you are high, let me handle this"

"Please believe me. I saw her dead in my apartment. Trust me, please."

"Your apartment? Why on the earth she will go to your apartment? That doesn't make any sense."

"Please trust me. I saw her on the day of Arijit Singh's concert."

" The concert is weeks away. Are you living in the future? Please. It's for your career only, so don't create any scene okay. Keep your mouth shut."

He led me to them by holding my hand.

"What's going on?" Sima asks.

Jayesh chuckles a bit and replies.

"She was so excited to meet you that she even saw you in her dreams too. You know na. how dreams can be so weird. " He turns towards me and grin. "Sweety... It's been said that if you see someone's death in a dream, that person's life span increases. Right mam."

"Can we come to the point? Mam is busy." The assistant said.

We sat down, and the discussion began. But I am still confused. Was it a dream? But it seems so real. I can't deny the feeling of fear I felt at that time. Those were so real. I had a dream or I am dreaming now. I pinch myself.

"Ouch"

They stare at me again. This is real, then that must be a dream.

"You think she is a suitable candidate?" Miss Sima has a long discussion with her assistant.

"You young lady, I appoint you as my instructor. I need a perfect flexible body by the end of the month. Hope you won't disappoint me." She said.

Exact dialogue, as I remember. How can a dream be so realistic?

***

Jayesh is happy, fully excited. But I am full of doubts. If it was a dream, I remember I was so much excited. I was jumping on the couch. I said Jayesh to celebrate, and we had fun. But now I am not at all in a mood to celebrate. Not after the horrifying things I saw.

"Let's celebrate."

It was my dialogue, but he delivered.

"What about pizza, you like it?"

"No..."

"Really... Girls do like pizza. And I thought you too like it."

"I do, but let's go out."

"Already placed the order." "Sorry"

It's happening as I have seen. Is it going to happen exactly as I saw? Like in the movie Final Destination, whatever they did, they had to die. Am I going to die? Is this the end? I will die. I know it. I can't do anything about it.