Voiced Whispers Part 10

"Where's the other person?"

"I really don't think that concerns you. I'm sorry for being so rude about this, but that is information I cannot give to you. Please just fix me up and let me go."

The doctor gave me a look of disappointment, and proceeded to clean my wounds and plaster my arm. Thankfully, the bones had just cracked, and had not displaced from their location.

"Take care of yourself, son. Life won't be that easy on you every time. Next time may be the last time."

I had enough of him judging me, and was about to erupt on him, when Aliya held me hand and gestured me to calm down. Meira had left for some work she was to do, and we were to go to the local Police Station from the hospital.

We took an auto rickshaw and reached the Police Station pretty soon. It was the typical situation that one would expect in a Police Station during the afternoon. There were only two policemen inside, and both were just getting ready to sleep in their chairs.

"Yes, what is it? Lost your money bag?" One of them said.

"No, someone just died."

"Died? Where? What happened?"

"It happened at a place that comes under your jurisdiction. There's a building nearby, in which this girl lives with her roommate. A man died there."

"How did this happen?"

I gave him the detailed description of the entire incident. He paid careful attention, and then called the officer in charge. He came in fifteen minutes, but didn't waste time in sitting down and other pleasantries. He directed us straight to his jeep, and we left for the house.

"So, he attacked you first?"

"Yes. He tried to kill me, and would have succeeded, had Meira not killed him."

"One brave girl you are ma'am."

Aliya was still in a mild state of shock from the incident, and didn't listen to the inspector's praise.

"She isn't Meira," I told him, "Meira left to finish up her work, so that we can leave for Kolkata soon."

"I don't think you can go anywhere soon. Even if you are innocent, there will be a court case on this, and you will have to stay back here."

The jeep halted in front of the building. We continued our conversation as we went to the house.

"There has to be some way we can do this. Can't the case be shifted to the Kolkata court? I really need to be with my parents, and so do they."

"I'll try my best to do something. Open the door please."

I took the key from Aliya and unlocked the door. Gujjar's body was lying right there, in a pool of blood. The house showed clear signs of a fight. I was just hoping that the cops would believe me.

"I know this man. He is Gujjar, a person known for his crimes in the Bengal region. I had meetings with him when I was in Kolkata. I had to move to Vizag for my personal reasons, but leaving him behind was one of the best things I could have done. There was no way we could do anything against him, thanks to his contacts with various people. Most people who knew him considered him a pain, but kept ties with him anyway for his power. I'm so happy that he is gone."

"So does that mean we are free to go?"

"I'm afraid it doesn't. I'm sorry, but the regular procedure will still have to be followed. I'll ensure it is as ha.s.sle free as possible for you three."

Meira walked in at this point, and was rather surprised to see us all smiling in the presence of the cops.

"They've agreed to help us through this Meira. We can go back to Kolkata once your tasks here are done. It should be a smooth way out of here."

"That is great news! How did you manage all of it?"

"This gentleman here knew Gujjar to be a horrible man, and therefore understood what we said to be true. He has promised to help us out of trouble in case we get into any."

"You must be Meira. My name is Nag, and I'm the officer in charge of the local police station. You're a really brave woman for a fifteen year old, I must say. I'm impressed by your strength. You'll grow up to be someone great in life.

"Thank you sir, and thank you once again for helping us out with this. We will all be grateful to you." Meira was indeed surprisingly calm after all of this. Aliya was still recovering from the shock, but Meira held herself pretty well. It may just have been that she wanted to hide her weakness from me. At least that's what I thought at the moment.

"Well, then. Pack your bags. I'll pick you up tomorrow morning from here, and drop you off to the station. I'll get your tickets done too. My men will come and remove the body from here. Don't tamper with the arrangement of the living room though, because we'll need to keep all of it as evidence. I may be on your side, but the law is the law."

This police officer was unlike the ones I read about or heard about. He was helpful, yet not unmindful of his duties. Sometimes I wondered if the media cooked up, or exaggerated stories about these people just to increase their readership and viewership.

We packed our clothes and other belongings in our bags, and informed the landlord that we'll be leaving the next day. He was clearly not pleased with the events that had happened in his house, but when he found out that we'll be leaving a furnished flat behind, was more than happy to 'forgive' us for our 'mistakes'. We didn't mind really, and the girls were happy to be finally able to settle down in one place.

The policemen came in a while and removed Gujjar's body, took pictures and samples of the living room, and asked the neighbours some questions. Apparently noise was something that didn't bother the neighbours much, and they didn't really care about the happenings inside the house, and therefore, did not come to see what was happening.

I couldn't sleep that night, and stared at the ceiling as I thought about the events that happened through the course of the day. A few hours into the night, I saw Meira walking into the living room. I sat up, and she looked straight at me. She had tears in her eyes.

"What happened to you Meira? Are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine," she replied in a cracked voice.

"Sit here. Talk about this with me, and it'll make you feel much better."

"I didn't want to kill Gujjar," she said, sobbing.

"n.o.body wants the death of a person on their hands. But what you did then was the best thing you could've done. You saved three lives by one death Meira. You should be proud of yourself!"

"But a murder is still a murder!"

"Not if it's done for the right reasons. Meira, had you not killed him then, we wouldn't have been sitting here and talking like this. Gujjar would've killed me and taken you back into the h.e.l.l he had kept you in. Calm down Meira. It will all be fine now. You will go back to your parents, and be happy with them. You will be able to continue your studies, and become a very big person. You will help your parents out of misery. Don't worry Meira, it will all be fine."

"Thank you Ansh. I really needed that. Good night."

"Take care of yourself, and don't you cry again. Sleep well!"

"You too sleep well please."

We left the next morning in the police jeep, which dropped us to the station. We boarded the train and left for Kolkata. It was just about the court case now, and that was something I could handle without much difficulty. The bad part was now over.

CHAPTER 27.

The train started off for Howrah. This was going to be the last train journey I was to take for this, and I couldn't have been more relieved. We were skipping and jumping as we got to our berths just in time to leave. We had been given tickets for the A.C. Three tier coach, which was a little surprising. We were more than happy there, and all of us lay down exhausted now. None of us had slept well that night, and all of us really wanted to just rest for a while. The three of us took the upper berth and slept like logs.

I woke up a few hours later, and went out to wash my face. I saw Aliya standing at the door, staring at the fields pa.s.sing us. This was my best chance to tell her how I felt about her. In the chaos at Vizag, I didn't get the opportunity to say a word to her about this. I really needed to let her know how much I loved her, and just how much she meant to me.

I stood behind her at the door, and took her hand in mine.

"Aliya, there's something I've been meaning to tell you."

She looked into my eyes, and probably realised what was going on, but she wanted this to happen the regular way. "Yes Ansh, go ahead," she said, smiling at me innocently.

"I don't know how to say this to you, though."

"Ansh, please tell me what it is."

"I'm really scared to tell you."

"This is not a drama that you're acting in. You don't need to worry, there's no tension at all. Keep yourself calm, and tell me."

"Aliya, ever since I met you, more than a decade ago, I haven't been able to forget you. Every time I see your face, it reminds me of happiness, joy, and everything beautiful in the world. Your smile seems to be more enchanting that the angels, and your laughter more melodious than the birds. You've been the light to my darkness, the soul to my body, the heart to my head, the life I've always wanted. When I'm with you, for however little time it may be, I am happy. Every time I look into your eyes, I see a pa.s.sion I've seen in no one else. I want to be with you, forever and beyond. I love you, Aliya"

Tears came into my eyes as I said these words to her. Aliya put her arms around me and whispered in my ear. "I've loved you since the day I saw you. Every day that I've been through, every trouble that I've seen, I've been able to get through because I thought of you. You've been the light that brought me out of the darkness, the angel G.o.d sent to save me. You're the best person I have ever seen, the most kind hearted and gentle of people. I will always love you more than you love me. I love you too, Ansh."

We stayed in each other's embrace for what seemed like a blissful eternity. She slowly moved back, and pressed her nose against mine. I smiled and stared at her eyes as she closed them in a gentle, slow motion. I closed my eyes too, as I moved in and let my lips brush against hers. She responded with a pa.s.sionate kiss, wrapping her lips around my lower lip, slowly tugging at it. I kissed her back harder, wrapping her up in my arms, as I lifted her off the ground, closing the door of the train. Her hair trickled down on me, covering our faces as we kissed each other deeply.

We went back to our berths holding hands. Meira had woken up by then, and looked at us with a grin. "So, Aliya, he finally got the courage to tell you, huh?"

I looked at Meira, and then looked at Aliya in confusion.

"You really thought we didn't know?" Meira asked, "Aliya told me this the day you dropped us off at Vizag. It was clearly evident that you liked her, and both of us agreed that you'd take your own sweet time to realise this."

"So, you knew?"

"Of course I knew this Ansh! I'm surprised you told me you liked me so quickly. I'm so happy you did!"

I looked at the two girls surprised as they laughed and joked about me. It was a much needed break from all the tension that was looming over our heads. All three of us needed something good to happen, and this was the best thing that could have happened.

We had the train food for lunch, and bought a few packets of chips and biscuits with it, since I hated the food they served in the trains. Meira and Aliya finished their lunch comfortably, as I struggled with it, and eventually gave up and gobbled up the biscuits.

"You really are a spoilt little kid, aren't you?"

"Oh, come on! Just because I don't like train food, it doesn't mean I become a spoilt kid. I've done a lot of things in the last few months to prove that I am not!"

"Well, that is true. Anyway, do you have anything interesting to do? We still have some time on the train."

We spent the rest of the time playing cards and chatting, and Howrah arrived in no time.

Meira's parents were waiting for her at the station. They jumped with happiness on seeing her, tears flowing down their eyes. They hugged their daughter tight, and then hugged me.

"Thank you so much for bringing my daughter home! I am indebted to you for life! Ask me anything, and I'll do it for you."

"Well, there is one thing you can do for me."

"What is it? Tell me and it will be done."

"Educate your daughter well. She has the potential to reach great heights, if given a good education. Make her study, and she will never let you down. That's my promise to you."

"I a.s.sure you that my daughter will get the best education that I can get her. I will make sure she becomes a big person like you."

"I am n.o.body yet, but thank you so much for the compliment. I hope you do well in the future!"

"Thank you once again. I hope you succeed in your life!"

They left for home, and I turned to Aliya, "Shall we?"

Aliya nodded, and we took a cab home.

I rang the doorbell, feeling very nervous. My mom opened the door, and looked at Aliya. "Who is she, Ansh?"

"You need to sit down for this, mom. Is dad home?"

Mom called dad in, and the four of us sat on the dining table as I described everything to my parents over dinner and more. I told them about everything, from where it all started, to where it was now. By the time I was done, it was nearly midnight.

"So she is the daughter of our former neighbour?"

"Yes."

"And when he took her away, he did that to her?"

"Yes."

"I'm really sorry for whatever happened to you, little girl," my mom said, turning to Aliya, "You will stay with us from now. My daughter is working now, so her room stays empty. You can move in there. I'll get you some private tutors, so that you can pick up some basic knowledge of things, and help yourself in the future."

I first thought of telling my mom about us, and then decided against it. "Thank you so much mom, for letting her stay here."

Aliya had tears of joy in her eyes. She had probably never dreamed that she would get a home so soon. To be honest, neither had I. It was one of the proudest moments in my life to see my parents help someone this way, and I could never forget that.

"About the legal issues with the death," my dad began, "you don't need to worry. I know some people here who will handle all of this. If what you're telling me about the officer is true, then it shouldn't be much of a ha.s.sle to handle all of this."

"Thank you so much dad."

"Both of you go to sleep now. You must be very tired. Get a good night's rest."

Both of us went back to our rooms, and slept like logs.

The next few days were quite hectic, but much better thanks to my father. The case wasn't pursued very strongly, thanks to Gujjar's image as a known thug. His subordinates were very happy staying away from the limelight, and each of them took over whatever business he was managing, or so my friend told me. The case closed in a few weeks, and no charges were pressed upon us, as it was proved that Meira acted in self defence.