Continued from Part I
Giri's head reeled as Kala finished narrating the story of how Radhakrishnan and she got married. While his story differed in a few minor points, it was almost as if he had seen their lives playing out in front of him. The most intriguing was when Kala mentioned a stranger. "My brothers were intent on killing Radha and me for daring to cross the caste barrier and getting married. They caught us by the waterfall, meeting clandestinely. That day, they would have killed him and got me married to someone else..."
"But there was another man who happened to be there, who saw the atrocity and intervened..." Giri said with glazed eyes. It was the very nightmare he saw, the very nightmare he wrote about.
"Yes," Kala said and he looked at her closely.
"What happened to him?" he asked eagerly.
"I..." she glanced at Radhakrishnan and shook her head, "we don't know. We just left... Ran away"
"Not caring what happened to him? He who had tried to save you," Giri shouted. The other two looked down shame-faced. "His cycle... Where did his cycle go?"
Radhakrishnan and Kala stared at him startled. "How do you know about it?" Radhakrishnan got up angrily, "Tell me the truth, who are you? Are you that man's son or grandson? You cannot be him... You are too young for that."
Giri stared at them, equally baffled that he could know so much about the incidents.
"Even they couldn't have known about the cycle..." Radhakrishnan was saying. "He..., unfortunately, he...!"
"So you know he died! All because of you!"
"No, no!" Kala cried out.
"Look, really, how do you know? Please!"
But Giri turned on his heels and ran, in anger, frustration...and fear.
Indeed, how did he know? Because of the dreams, that were not just dreams, looked like. What was it? Why did he feel so angry for the fate of a man he did not even know, who was no more? How did he know about the cycle?
Giri was like one possessed. He knew how to end the story, the story of the reason he had died and been reborn today. The only way his soul would rest. It was not mere nightmare, he realised. It was his soul crying out, "Injustice!" He had seen the couple being beaten up and intervened. He had known them, encouraged them in their love and even promised them support.
And he had kept his word. He had stepped in to stop the brothers. But the couple had run away, taken his cycle parked by the road and escaped while he was left alone to face the sickle-wielding brothers. He had been hacked and killed, and not a soul to hear his cries or save him. He wouldn't leave them this time. He was reborn only for revenge. That nightmare was to keep that anger alive.
He paced up and down, planning each move, each step that would help him take revenge. Kill the couple, kill her brothers. Only that would give him peace.
When he had done writing the scenes that promised blood and gore, he leant back on the chair, feeling drained. He felt purged of anger, of hate, of the feeling of being betrayed.
Now he could continue his this life afresh.
"Radhakrishnan still wants to finance the serial. He especially likes the end. He feels the characters deserve it..." Sumeer called to say.
Giri smiled. "Yes, Sumeer. Say yes..."
Concluded
Giri's head reeled as Kala finished narrating the story of how Radhakrishnan and she got married. While his story differed in a few minor points, it was almost as if he had seen their lives playing out in front of him. The most intriguing was when Kala mentioned a stranger. "My brothers were intent on killing Radha and me for daring to cross the caste barrier and getting married. They caught us by the waterfall, meeting clandestinely. That day, they would have killed him and got me married to someone else..."
"But there was another man who happened to be there, who saw the atrocity and intervened..." Giri said with glazed eyes. It was the very nightmare he saw, the very nightmare he wrote about.
"Yes," Kala said and he looked at her closely.
"What happened to him?" he asked eagerly.
"I..." she glanced at Radhakrishnan and shook her head, "we don't know. We just left... Ran away"
"Not caring what happened to him? He who had tried to save you," Giri shouted. The other two looked down shame-faced. "His cycle... Where did his cycle go?"
Radhakrishnan and Kala stared at him startled. "How do you know about it?" Radhakrishnan got up angrily, "Tell me the truth, who are you? Are you that man's son or grandson? You cannot be him... You are too young for that."
Giri stared at them, equally baffled that he could know so much about the incidents.
"Even they couldn't have known about the cycle..." Radhakrishnan was saying. "He..., unfortunately, he...!"
"So you know he died! All because of you!"
"No, no!" Kala cried out.
"Look, really, how do you know? Please!"
But Giri turned on his heels and ran, in anger, frustration...and fear.
Indeed, how did he know? Because of the dreams, that were not just dreams, looked like. What was it? Why did he feel so angry for the fate of a man he did not even know, who was no more? How did he know about the cycle?
Giri was like one possessed. He knew how to end the story, the story of the reason he had died and been reborn today. The only way his soul would rest. It was not mere nightmare, he realised. It was his soul crying out, "Injustice!" He had seen the couple being beaten up and intervened. He had known them, encouraged them in their love and even promised them support.
And he had kept his word. He had stepped in to stop the brothers. But the couple had run away, taken his cycle parked by the road and escaped while he was left alone to face the sickle-wielding brothers. He had been hacked and killed, and not a soul to hear his cries or save him. He wouldn't leave them this time. He was reborn only for revenge. That nightmare was to keep that anger alive.
He paced up and down, planning each move, each step that would help him take revenge. Kill the couple, kill her brothers. Only that would give him peace.
When he had done writing the scenes that promised blood and gore, he leant back on the chair, feeling drained. He felt purged of anger, of hate, of the feeling of being betrayed.
Now he could continue his this life afresh.
"Radhakrishnan still wants to finance the serial. He especially likes the end. He feels the characters deserve it..." Sumeer called to say.
Giri smiled. "Yes, Sumeer. Say yes..."
Concluded
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