SAGA- THE REVENGE STORY OF A BLO0DY SURGEON

CHAPTER 2

T

he glimpse of that haunting scene disappeared all of sudden and a series clattering sounds were heard around. Surya pivoted to his left. A silhouette of a petite girl who was attempting to scale the fence around the lake was seen. Surya ran towards her out of sheer panic.

The rushing foot steps of him alerted the woman. She wheeled towards him and noticed his presence. She became wary and quite panicked with the realisation that she was not alone. She stepped down from the fence with a quivering expression and pale face as the murderous intention of this stranger wasn’t ruled out yet.

“Miss! What were you doing?" Surya shouted with concern. His heaving breath could be clearly heard. The rushing foot steps halted immediately in front of her. Out of the silhouette, she could make out a young man with an attractive jawline and good physique wearing a wrinkled and untucked formal dress with wrist length sleeves and tussled hair as he woke up from sleep just then. His concerned voice made her feel calm and rule out a murderer.

"To appreciate the beauty of the lake!” she said pleasantly, took deep breath and extended her arms standing on her toes. The oncoming refreshing breeze brought chills in her and made her eyes close appreciating the nature being grateful for everything.

“Do I look like a fool to you?" Surya stepped closer as he clearly assumed the girl’s intention. He rather projected his own suicidal intentions upon her making him feel more like a hero and less like a timid man frightened with his own demons. She startled with the sudden condemning voice. She lowered on her heels and wheeled towards the man with complete perplexed face. In the dull hue of light she could see his sharp and pointed nose, high cheek bones and penetrative eyes over the bluish crumpled formal dress.

"It’s 5 am" she pointed at her wrist watch and looked towards the brightening skin at horizon over the lake. “And the sun is about to rise” She again closed here eyes tightly with the exuberance of a child to explore this nature.

Surya could see her attractive long hair, waving over her white t-shirt. He wondered why she was so elated just with sunrise while his entire life became cumbersome and drowning him. She reminded of a special person in his life who he could see now only in his nightmares of the tragic day happened a year ago. Through the darkness of his mind, he could only assume she could be a psychiatric patient escaped or discharged from the ward and came here to this place to end her life with the relapse of her depression.

"Do you think you have earned the freedom to wander alone?" Surya questioned her with a harsh voice and began extending his arms to reach her before any mishap.

"Yeah! India got independence 73 years ago. Does the Constitution define freedom separately for men and women?” She slapped his wrists with an air of feminism. Surya dreaded about girls with the feministic attitude more than death itself. He withdrew his hands and any attempts to save her. He realised he might be wrong about her suicidal intentions.

"I haven't come here to commit suicide if you are concerned about that. I think about my family family depended upon me. I never do such a stupid thing in my whole life. Let a woman enjoy her freedom to live her life on her own terms" she said plainly and riveted back to appreciate the blue tinged sky which became slightly reddish near the horizon. Her round eyes with dark narrow arched eyebrows and dark eyelashes over her fair complexioned narrow face with chiselled lips made him feel enchanted.

Instead of resisting, he joined her and slowly stepped up the fence and teetered upon it. The girl looked amused with a smile on her face. “Now you are coming on track”

With his eyes fixed towards the water, now he couldn’t see any of these demons haunted him a while ago. Is she any angel of some sort? Her presence made him remind of his lost love. It soothed him amidst the turmoil. He became quite relaxed and extended his arms, took a deep breath and closed his eyes to feel the cold and crisp air. He realised it took him long time to feel this peaceful, probably a year. A normal grief response is less than 6 months. His grief turned now into a depression with a major stressor in his life which he realised a few months ago. He was even admitted in a psychiatric ward once when he shared about his suicidal tendencies.

Suddenly the flashes of headlights and a honk of a car made him distracted and looked over his shoulders towards the approaching car. He tried to shield his eyes from the glare of the headlights with his hands. Just as his eyes adjusted to the glare of the lights he realised it was Faizaan!

"What were you doing here, Faizaan?"

"That's what I have to ask? Are you still so desperate about those fish? Just get rid of them and sit in the car!" He said peevishly pointing to his seat.

"Hey! Relax man! I am about to help this girl?" And he looked at his side ways. All he could manage to see was an abandoned face. The girl was missing. “She was here until now... where was she gone?" His eyes searched for her desperately.

“You became mad the day ‘she' left you. Stop watching those romantic movies with your dog! You are hallucinating too now!"

"I’m not joking! She was right there.” Surya was perplexed! Is she really a hallucination? Am I imagining a person born out of my suicidal thoughts? Why any girl in her right mind come here in this odd time just for appreciating sunrise. This is not the first time he imaginied things. When he was diagnosed with depression and admitted in psychiatric ward he had nightmares and hallucinations when he intentionally skipped his psychiatric pills but the persons in his hallucination were never a complete stranger. Though this girl reminded of many, still she was a stranger. Most of the those hallucinations were threatening and gloomy with bizarre appearances reminding of the tragedy but never was so positive and lively as the present one. He wanted to ensure if she was real.

"I will come later. You leave. I have my bike". Faizaan banged his head onto the steering wheel “This time I trust you. Don’t do any stupid things” and he revved the car and drove away.

What if the girl jumped into the water? Surya stooped over the fence and peered into the water to check. The shrill horn from a passing truck disturbed his balance and he fell into the water with a loud splash.

In a jiffy, someone jumped in to rescue him. It was early in the morning and the Sun made a grand entry. The rays of the sun slicing through the water reflected onto the petite, fair skinned girl. Their eyes locked. She was dazzling - starry eyes with rosy cheeks that would make a flower wither out of jealousy, coral like beautifully chiselled lips, silver ear rings dangling on either side, dancing synchronously with her silky hair.

Surya just couldn't close his eyes! This had been of some help to the girl as he noticed that she was struggling to stay afloat. He swam close to her and held her by the waist. He swam towards the shore, dragging her along. She was clad in a white t-shirt and blue trousers with a well exposed waist, with drops of water trickling all over her body, especially her waist, over which Surya couldn't take off his eyes. For a moment he was awestruck by her beauty. She was unconscious.

Surya pinched the girl’s nose of the girl and blew air into her mouth and gently pressed her abdomen in an attempt to drive the water out of her lungs. The girl coughed out some more water with each compression and became conscious again

He stood next to her with a stern look. The girl got to her feet and steadied herself. Is this real or am I imagining this girl to rescue myself? No doubt she is hallucination. Surya stood erect before her with a blank face. He tried hard not to tremble. To drive away his fears he acted out in anger.

“Where were you when my friend came?" Surya asked angrily to fight back his own confusion and to ensure she was not a hallucination. The girl looked puzzled with coughing out water with the interrogative questioning of Surya.

"I was hiding behind the vendor’s cart. Did you expect me to trust two strangers in the middle of the night? You and your friend look like a pair of bandits from the movie Sholay.”

She said while adjusting her slicked hair obscuring her vision Her translucent t-shirt too slicked to her body exposing her bra over stuffed breasts when she arched her hands back to wrap up her hair. Surya looked stunned for a moment before composing himself.

"What on earth made you jump? I was watching you with my eyes peeled. I looked away for a second and you simply jumped into the lake! Unbelievable!" Surya said peevishly, snorting out with anger.

The girl adjusted the tuft of her hair and retorted angrily "Hello! Do you know why I jumped?"

“What else can it be? A failed relationship, of course. Your family must have rejected your relationship and here you are at Tank Bund, ready to end your life"

"Don't jump to conclusions. I jumped to rescue you" she said sternly. Surya looked baffled. His drenched blue shirt stuck to his body making his inner garment vivid. I am right. She is my hallucination. She didn’t know how to swim but jumped to rescue a complete stranger?! My instincts of survival created her to rescue myself.

“I don’t believe you. You are a hallucination. Don’t follow me!" He took to his feet and ran towards his bike

“Seriously?” She stood there with an annoyed and puzzled expression. “All you think about me as a hallucination? I am real” she shouted from back. Surya didn’t even turn back to look at her.