Thriller The ultimate choice 13

Episode 13

Archana's jaw stiffened! How dare he called her Honey?

"You are about to begin your second task. Remember that you have made a solemn oath in front of your revered Lord that you would obey all my orders."

"Oh God! Why have you put me in this quagmire?" Archana's shoulders droopped, and her head bent downwards.

"Oh Honey! You don't have to worry at all! This second step is the easiest of all the steps. All you have to do is to do skinny dipping in this lovely pool in front of those three masked people. They will stare at you. They may make some obscene gestures. But, I assure you they will not touch you."

Archana's childhood was spent in a semi-urban area, where ponds were in abundance! Archana's uncle had a peculiar way of teaching swimming to his wards. He would simply throw them in the pond when they were as young as 3 years old. The children would get the shock of their life, they would try their best to remain afloat. But, eventually, the drowning would start, and at that moment the uncle would jump on to the pond to save the children. He would repeat the act again and again until the child learned swimming. No one approved his method, but it worked. All his wards became good swimmers eventually. 

Therefore, Archana had a date with swimming from a very early age, and when she attained 8 years, she became an expert swimmer. Bathing in front of other people was neither a new thing to her. But, the womenfolk in her area never did skinny dipping! That was beyond their imagination, simply unthinkable. How could she skinny dip in front of 3 strangers? No she could not do it.

"You know what, Honey? God, yes, your God, has created both men and women. Don't you believe that? Don't your freaking holy books teach that? Do you think that God has made the body of a woman so beautiful to keep them wrapped under a veil? No, Honey, no! Beauty is for flaunting. If you have read your holy scriptures carefully, and if you have the minimum IQ to interpret them, you will realize that for a very long time the womenfolk didn't cover their bosoms. If you interpret the Mahabharata without jaundiced eyes, you can clearly understand that even Draupadi never covered her breasts. Have you ever visited the temples of Khajuraho? Haven't you noticed the celebration of nudity there? Now, the time has come for you to keep your tradition. Show your beauty in front of these three strangers. There is no shame in it." The same nasal voice preached. Archana again tried hard to find where the sound came from in vain.

Archana looked at herself. When she left home for New Delhi, she was wearing a pink kurti and ochre leggings. But, when she got back her sense, she was wearing an orange tee-shirt and an orange pant, almost similar to the dresses worn by convicts. That meant somebody had changed her clothes without her knowledge and permission. That meant somebody had already seen her body. Very reluctantly, as if tons of load were put on her hands, she took off her tee-shirt. The moment she did it, she heard a shrill whistle!

Shocked and displeased, she looked around to find that the shortest, plump guy was making lewd gestures at her. The other two men stood as if they were statues!

She stopped instantly, covering her bras with both hands in embarrassment, and cringing a bit backwards!

After waiting for a couple of minute, the nasal voice said, "Don't stop Honey! This is a test. You have to pass it, otherwise you will never be freed."

Very hesitantly, the moment she took off her pant, the short guy jumped and clapped with great enthusiasm! This obscene gesture again made Archana wince. Now, she was in bra and panty. How would she take them off in front of these lumpen elements?

"Don't forget Honey, your husband is in our captivity! And, you have no idea what we can do with him!" This time the nasal voice sounded very rude!

The words acted like an act of whipping to Archana! After a very long time, Archana again realized that the life of her husband was very dear to her. Thus, casting off all her senses of fear, shame and insults, she took off all the remainings, and jumped on to the pool in a flash.

The short guy was making all kinds of obscene gestures, with intermittent wolfwhistling. But, Archana's mind was in such an emergency state that she could not pay attention to it.

                                    --------------------------------------::::::::::::::::-----'xxxxxxxxxzzzz

Had Rajan been made of wax, he would surely have melted to avoid the embarrassment of watching his wife skinny dipping in front of two strangers, who were making all kinds of lewd gestures. Sometimes, the thought of killing the short, plump guy appeared to his mind. But, the Joker with a nasal voice, who made him captive, had directed him to to remain as a mere spectator during that 10 minutes of humongous mental torture.

After that 10 minutes of severe thrashing he received, he had been taken to a comfortable room, and given treatment. There was a 42" television monitor on that room, which operated on its own will. When Rajan had been almost dying of hunger, the joker's face appeared on it. The joker told him that Rajan's life was in his hand. He would have to obey whatever directions he would be given. He would have to pass 5 tests to get his freedom back. Disobedience, he was given a stern warning, might lead to his death. Watching his wife skinny dipping in front of others without interfering was his first test.

Later on the day, the joker congratulated him on passing the test. As it seemed, he was given pizza in the dinner as an award for passing the test. But the award came with a rider. He got a chit, which said, "Tomorrow 5 AM."

Rajan could not enjoy the pizza at all. He was thinking what predicament would be waiting for him.

                                 --------------------------------_____________________--------'xxxxxxxxxx

Since coming back from the pool, Archana sat in the divan of the cosy room that she had been allotted after she agreed to obey the Joker's conditions, like a statue for hours. Tears never stopped rolling down from her eyes during this period.

There was a heat pump in the room that kept the temperature at a comfortable level. Apart from that white divan, there were one small bed, whose cover had been changed regularly by the Joker's masked men, one 3-shelved glass table and a tv monitor hanged on the white wall. There was no window in the room.

There was a nice attached bathroom with all the modern facilities with that room. The bathroom didn't have any window either. The exhaust fan ran continuously to compensate the unavailability of a window.

There was a glass jug and a glass on the  glass table. Archana took a sip from the glass. She was in such a mood that even that water tasted distasteful to her.

Why was she put in this horrific condition? First, beating her husband to pulp with her own hands, and then this shameful skinny dipping in front of scoundrels! What else was in store for her?

                                                       The next episode will be published on Wednesday night 9 PM IST

Thriller The ultimate choice 12

Chapter 12

"Oh God! Mercy! Please show mercy on me." Rajan screamed when he was hit by couple of hosepipe strikes. He had no idea that a hosepipe strike could be so excoriating! Couple of more strikes made him feel that his skin was being peeled off. He was very weak due to hunger and anxiety. Couple of more hits, and he could not take it any more. He lost his sense, and was falling on the floor like an object.

But, that ghost-man saw this coming, and in a flash he saved him from falling. He laid Rajan's body on ground with care. Hesitantly, he took off Rajan's shirt. Rajan's back looked horrible with red marks. Droplets of blood were oozing from his wounds.

Did the ghost-man have a heart inside his coarse exterior? Very mercifully he dressed his wound, and left the scene.

                                            __________________________________________

"Congratulations! You have passed your first test!" The nasal voice declared cheerfully.

Archana was heaving heavily. She was so exhausted, both mentality and physically, that it appeared to her that had she been a doll made of clay, she would have been broken into thousands of pieces. No doubt, she had been hating Rajan for quite some time due to his complete neglect towards her. Sometimes, she thought of slapping him. But beating him to a pulp was beyond her imagination. Rajan's screams, his pleas for mercy were still reverbating in her ears. She could still visualise the red scars on his back. She cringed again. She could feel a lump on her throat due to building of emotions. She needed to cry loudly.

"I can't do it any more." Archana cried.

A complete silence prevailed in the big air-conditioned hall where she was standing. She had come here for couple of occasions before. This was the hall when the nasal voice called her to give directions. However, she had never seen him in person. All she could see was a masked man appearing on a television. The mask was that of a joker.

There were a couple of sofas clad in white velvet inside the room, and a small glass table. Once, she was asked by the joker to sit on one, and have few sip of water from a glass placed on the table. Today, the joker didn't  say any such thing so far.

"Do you remember the pledge you made to your revered God?" This time there was no hint of cheer in the nasal voice.

"In case you forgot........".

After a gap of 10 seconds or so, Archana was shaken to see herself on the monitor. With folded hands she had been taking an oath to obey the directions given to her. That meant every moment of her captivity was being recorded! This seemed to be a very organised, and tech-savvy gang to her. Could she ever escape from this hell was the question that seemed to have no answer right at that moment. Archana was silent for couple of minutes!

"Of course, you can get back your free life, but there is only one way of doing it. I repeat only one way!" 

Again Archana was shaken, and this time she could not hide her reaction!

"The frigging agency can even read my thoughts! How come? I didn't say a single word, or even opened my mouth?" Archana was surprised to the core.

This time there was complete silence! So, Archana asked,

"And what's that only way?"

"As I told you many times, you have to pass all the 5 tests. The good news is that you have already passed the first test with flying colours! It appears to me that you have the ability to make it."

"Five tests! Of this type? This was the first one, meaning easiest of all." Archana dared to think what the last one could be!

Will she be able to sustain up to that?

Again the nasal voice spoke, this time with a rather grave tone,

"It's true that everyone doesn't make it. In fact, only one lady has passed all the tests so far, and she was freed."

"And, how many have tried?" Some desperation seemed to have taken over the otherwise timid soul of Archana.

"Not many dear! Only 19, 8 of them were men, and the rest were women. Best of luck to you for the remaining tests! You can go back to your room now. See you on tomorrow sharp at 1 PM."

Archana looked at the wall clock. It was 8 PM. That meant she would get 17 hour to cry her heart out. Who knew what the second test would be! With her heads down, Archana lumbered towards her room.

                              ------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Archana was blindfolded, but she could understand that she was taken inside a lift, and the lift went downwards. Then she was made to walk for 15 minutes in various directions. When the masked men, 3 of them in number, who accosted her, opened her eyes, she was again taken aback.

"Welcome to the pool!" The nasal voice announced cheerfully.

It was true that Archana was mesmerized by the impressive look of the pool, its crystal-clear blue water, the lush green surroundings, its vast size, but she was quick enough to look at the three masked men. Archana could not figure out who spoke those words!

"Ha ha! You seem to be so perplexed! Don't look at them, as they are mere servants of orders."

Still, Archana could not divert her gaze from them. One of the men, with a strong body, seemed to be around 5 ft 10" tall, the second one, medium built, was around 5 ft 6", and the third person was the shortest of the three, hardly 5 ft 4" in height with a plump body. All of them were wearing black vests and black pants. 

She could see a big field, which she was pretty sure was a golf field on the front side of the pool. On her back, she saw a massive 10-storied building! Had she been kept in that building? The surroundings gave her the impression that this had to be a rural area. The building looked very odd in the otherwise serene, natural atmosphere. On the two sides of the pool were vast open fields followed by lush greenery.  When she was done with her little detective skills, the nasal voice spoke again,

"Now it's time for business, Honey!"

                         The next episode will be published on Saturday night 9 PM IST

Joining a new place of work:

Butterflies in stomach, heart sounding like a drum, sweating like a marathon runner, feeling of thirst as if you are in a desert, trembling knees or fingers etc are all symptoms of nervousness, which can occur when you face some challenges, and you are not confident of yourself! Joining a new place of work is not at all a big deal, I think. Just imagine how a cricketer feels when he is facing the last ball of the match, and he has to score a six to win the match! The burden of expectations of the entire nation is on his soldiers, and he has to deliver. You can also take the example of a commando when he sets off for rescuing hostages held by terrorists! Think of those difficult situations, and you will soon realize that joining a new job is as easy as skating on ice.

Thriller The ultimate choice 11

Episode 11

Everything went according to his plan. After dropping his children along with the luggage in his ancestral home in Visakhapatnam rural mandal, he wanted to meet Mr Reddy, a bank manager, before meeting his college friend Suresh Rao in Hyderabad. But, within 15 minutes of his walk towards the bus stop, someone tripped him on the road in a desolate place, and he fell down. Since then he found himself here in this dark room with his hands tied with a chain.
   
Suddenly, a very dim blue light lit up the place where Rajan had been lying. It took around couple of minutes of squinting before Rajan could guess that he had been lying on the basement of a house. However, there was nothing on the dusty floor. Rajan, quickly looked at the door. As expected, the metal door was closed, and it seemed to him that the door could be operated by a remote control, as there wad no knob or handle from this side.

Rajan was hungry, but he still had some energies left. He climbed towards the door, and banged it with all his might. Newton's third law made his weak fist very sore after three hits, and quickly he retreated. Rajan shouted with all the power of his throat, 

"Help! Please Help me!"

Rajan shouted there for few minutes, and waited with bated breath in front of the staircase. As the light was switched on, he was damn sure, someone had arrived outside.

Rajan's joy knew no bound, as within a minute he heard the sound of footsteps of someone. Rajan stepped a couple of steps backwards as the door started to open.

"At last, the God has listened to my prayers." Rajan thanked God with folded hands.

But the guy who arrived inside the basement didn't seem like a God-sent guy from his mere  appearance. He was wearing a complete black dress and a ghsot mask, which people wear on the Halloween. As if that was not enough to frighten a god-fearing guy like Rajan, he had a rubber hosepipe in his hand.

Rajan was scared, but he tried hard to belie his real feelings. A Hindu religious guru told him not to lose hope under any circumstances. What appears on the face of it may not be true always. The arriver might have a scary look, but in reality, he might have come to save him. Remembering his guru's face, he garnered some courage to say,

"Hi! I am Rajan! Somebody has incarcerated me here. Please release me, and let me go out from here." He pleaded with his chained, folded hands.



The arriver, wearing the mask of a ghost, didn't respond. He took a remote from the pocket of his black pant, and closed the door. Again, this move didn't augur well to Rajan. If he was on a rescue mission, why would he close the door?

But, Rajan didn't lose his hope, and he repeated the same words thinking that the arriver didn't hear them last time.

The arriver looked at Rajan. Rajan was hopeful. He pleaded, "Please rescue me from here."

But, the arriver turned his focus from him. He was searching some thing in the room. He went to one corner, and he brought a box from a nook. It seemed to be a medical box to Rajan. At last, Rajan got assurance that this guy had come for his aid. He said,

"Yes, I am hurt, and need some treatment. But, that is not essential at the moment. You release me from here, and take me to a hospital."

The guy seemed to pay no hiddance to his prayer, and put the medical box near Rajan. From the insousiant reaction of the guy, it appeared to Rajan that he didn't  understand English. Rajan knew this was India, and every one in India didn't understand English. This gave him a feel of comfort, and he spoke in Telegu, his mother tongue and the local language of the state.

But that guy didn't seem to understand Telegu as well, as he opened the medical box completely ignoring Rajan, and he seemed to be checking it.

"Oh, this guy must be Tamil." Rajan consoled himself, and translated his prayers in Tamil.

But, he didn't react, and closed the box giving an impression that he was satisfied with the content of the box.

Rajan tried Kannada, Malayalam, and Hindi, all the other three Indian languages he knew in quick succession.

"Is this guy deaf?" Rajan wondered!

"No, he is not deaf. His mother tongue is Bengali, but he understands English and Hindi. He is not talking, because he doesn't have the permission to do so."

Rajan was shocked to the core.

"Who said this? How could he know what he was thinking?"

Where was that spooky voice coming from? Rajan looked frantically throughout the room. There was nothing on the floor, but a few nooks on all the walls, 4 bright fluorescent tube lights on the big room, two ceiling fans  and two industrial fans. Rajan himself was a software engineer, he was well aware of CCTV system. But, Rajan could not see any camera with his naked eyes. But, what the nasal voice said just now was just a thought of his. Did that mean that there was a lipreader, who understood Telegu?


Confused Rajan didn't know how to react. However, as an afterthought, he garnered enough courage to ask this pertinent question,

"Who are you Sir? I am in deep trouble, Sir. Please release me from here."

"Me? Ha ha ha ha! What's the hurry man? You will know. But, for the moment enjoy the treatment." The voice stopped despite Rahjan's various pleas for the next 5 minutes.

"Treatment, is he talking about medical treatment?" Rajan didn't understand.

The ghost man advanced towards Rajan with the the orange hosepipe in his right hand in a threatening manner.

Now Rajan was really scared. He pleaded, "Please, don't beat me, Sir! I didn't do anything." Rajan tried to hold the legs of the ghost man in a manner of pleading.

The ghost-man seemed to be a butcher sort of guy with no heart. Even the Gods would have responded to Rajan's earnest and sincere pleas. But, this ghost-guy pushed Rajan as if he was an untouchable. Rajan fell onto the floor like a toy. The guy didn't waste any time in beating him mercilessly with the hose pipe.

Forget about hosepipe,  Rajan had never been beaten by anything since he was 6 years old. He had never been involved in any brawl. Being a very good student, he had never been beaten by teachers in his school. He was such a good guy that his relatives couldn't even thought of putting their hands on him. In the IIT, like every other student, he too was ragged when he was in his second year. But, that was of very mild nature. He was totally unaccustomed of this kind of brutal beating.




                         The next episode will be published on Wednesday night 

Thriller The ultimate choice 10

Episode 10

Archana waited there for another 6 hours. Despite the injury on her head, Archana got a sense of hope from the fact of being freed from the chain. She used her brain power to the hilt to guess how she got entangled into this mess! Who could be her captors, and what could be the motive? She tried her best to find out what happened after she boarded the New Delhi bound plane! But despite her brain storming, she could not remember anything. "Is this memory loss because of the head injury?" She apprehended.

Sometimes walking can freshen the mind. Archana stood up after some effort, and started to walk, after a few unsteady steps, to and fro inside the small room. She looked minutely at the door. Rat tat tat! She knocked it with her fist.

"Ouch!" She screamed, as it hurt. But, she didn't mind. From the sound of the knock, it appeared to her that the door was not made up of a thick wood. She thought she could break it, if she got a rod or any hard object. But, all she could see on the floor was thick dust.

Archana shook her head in disgust. She hadn't have the luxury of having any domestic help in her house in Chicago. She had to do all the household chores, be it washing or be it cleaning, herself. Even gardening was imposed on her by Rajan. However, this workload had a positive impact on her body. It made her so strong that she had never fallen ill in the last ten years.

"Why don't I try my bare hands", she thought. It didn't take even a second to implement her plans into action. Bang, bang, bang! She used all the force she possessed to break the door which she thought was ramshackle. But, within 10 minutes she became so exhausted that she fell on the ground. Her reflex  prevented her from getting another injury.

Her head was spinning. She could barely open her eyes. Very quickly she realised that she was sapped of all the energy. It appeared to her that she hadn't eaten anything for eons, and she had the thirst of a desert.

"Help me! Please give some water!" She garnered all the power to say something audible. 

"Feeling thirsty? Ha ha ha!" A voice, slightly nasal in tone, asked the question in a sarcastic manner.

Archana felt slightly better by then. She looked up to check whose voice was that. But she could not find anyone in that room. She, slowly, sat up with the help of her hands. Her head was spinning.

"Looking for me? You can't see me." Again, the nasal voice spoke.

"Who are you? Give me some food. I can't bear it any more." Archana almost cried.

"Ha ha ha ha", the nasal voice laughed as if Archana had cracked a super joke!

"Who am I will be revealed to you in due course of time.  But, food should be your first concern. Ain't It?"

Archana was almost dying of thirst and hunger. That argument seemed very logical to her. She instantly agreed, and said, "Ok, give me some food and water."

"You will get it. But, you have to make a deal with me." This time the voice was very economical with his words.

Archana's brain was still functioning, in spite of her empty stomach.

"Deal? What deal?"

"You have to obey my orders. You don't have much choices, though. You are completely under my control. I can take your life any moment, if I wish so. But, I don't want to take any harsh measures. That's why I want you to cooperate."

Archana realized that without food and water she would not last long. The blue light was on, but light was fading in her eyes. The dizziness in her head was increasing manifold with the passage of each minute.

"What are you thinking? Your pulse has gone down to 50. You don't have much time to waste. Agree, you will get food and water. Else...."

"How the hell does he know my pulse rate?" Archana didn't have too much time to ponder over the question. She said, "I agree."

"No, no! Not like this! I know you Hindu women are very God fearing. Take an oath in the name of your deity."

"In the name of Lord Shiva, I agree." Archana could hardly finish the sentence, as she collapsed on the ground.
                                       

                                          ----------------------'xxxxxxxxxxxx--------

Rajan remembered that it was Siddharth, who after a staggering hours of discussion convinced him to drop the idea of suicide. It was Sid who told him to start life afresh in India. Rajan was hesitant thinking about the kids and Archana. Sid convinced him that Indian institutions were no inferior. When Rajan opened the matter with Archana, he was taken aback by no resistance from her. She said it didn't matter to her.

So, Rajan finalised all the plans, and no doubt he was master at that, to start life from scratch in his hometown in Andhra Pradesh. But, he got a huge setback just a day before his bidding farewell to America. Archana left the house leaving a note. The note said that she was leaving him for ever, and he should make no efforts to find her.

When someone gets a huge shock in life, his life gets upside down. But after due course of time, he becomes accustomed to his new situation. He doesn't feel the same impact of another shock. Exactly, the same thing happened to Rajan when he read that note. He never imagined that Archana, a docile wife who obeyed every decision of him with earnest dedication, could resort to such drastic step. She never gave a hint that she was getting estranged from him.

But this turn of events didn't make Rajan abandon his plans. In his heart, he realized that everything was not normal between him and his wife. Archana wrote that she would be happy to leave him. Rajan, also, wanted to see her happy. So, with a heavy heart, Rajan let it go, and gave final touches to his plan. The fact that his two children were firmly on his side gave him the necessary encouragement.

                                         To be continued on Saturday night 

Thriller The ultimate choice 9

Episode 9​

Rajan might have lost interest in his wife, but in his entire 48 years of life, no one could accuse him of having any homosexual tendencies! So, he was in utter surprise to find himself on the stretched arms of another man. It didn't take too long for him to come back to his senses, and Boy! Didn't he blush?

"What is this Rajan Anna, what were you doing? Have you gone insane?" Putting the entire 65 kg weight of short-stature Rajan on a wooden bench, Sid asked the question angrily. He was huffing and puffing like a steam engine.

As Rajan didn't answer, it appeared to Sid that Rajan still could not come out of his stupor. So, Sid sprinkled cold water on his face. That made Rajan shriek, "Stop! What are you doing? Do you want me to die of pneumonia?"

At last, a hint of smile could be seen on Sid's face for a second. But, he asked the same question again.

Sid was very close to Rajan. He had always considered Sid as his "sodarudu". So, Rajan broke down in tears. Sid hugged him, and gave him plenty of time to recover. When Rajan stopped crying, he said, "Let's get out from here, otherwise the stupid watchman will barge into here. I had to bribe him heavily for only 10 minutes."

This time Rajan had a hearty laugh, and said, " Okay, let's have a cup of coffee at ridgeport Coffeehouse."

------------------------------------------------------------------------


Having born and brought up in a Hindu family, Archana had heard a lot of stories about heaven and hell. Archana's grandmother was a master story teller. In her childhood, she told the children a lot of scary stories about hell. Archana's childhood passed by listening myriad stories of "yamdoot" torturing the sinners. Despite living in the USA for many years, a country well known for her liberal values, Archana still had plenty of qualms about her relationship with Sid. So, she knew when she would die, she would land in hell, where the yamdoots would be waiting for her to put her in the hellfire.

She didn't know that the hell was so dark. The darkness was so severe that it appeared to her that it would swallow her like a blackhole. Just when she comforted herself from the fact that there were no yamdoots to torture her, she found someone was coming towards her.

"Who are you?" She shouted, as she couldn't see the face of the intruder.

"Yamdoot!" Someone replied with a gruff voice followed by a hysterical laughter.

"Oh my God!" Archana shrank, as her worst fear was turning out to be true.

"What did I do? Why have you come?" Archana could utter somewhat audible after putting tremendous amount of work, as her voice was not cooperating with her in fear.

Again the yamdoot guffawed and said, "But let me see your face first, and then I will decide whether to fry you in my giant wok or put you in the tandoor."

He followed up by directing red lights that came from his fearsome eyes on Archana's face. Archana couldn't withstand the light, as it seemed to her that she had been kept in darkness since time immemorial.

She screamed, "Please take off the light! My eyes are burning."

But, the yamdoot was unrelenting. He advanced towards Archana, and the brightness of the light seemed to have increased manifold. It appeared to Archana that someone was piercing her eyes with needle, and she cried, "Kill me. But for God's sake, stop the light."

At that moment, her dream was broken, and she was astonished to see bright light in the room. It took some times for het eyes to adjust to the bright blue light. After few minutes, for the first time, she could see the place where she had been incarcerated.

It was a grotty, small room, hardly 8'x8'x10' in dimension. There was no furniture in the room. There was a door, which seemed to be closed from outside, but no windows in the room. Archana wondered how she was breathing in this suffocating environment! See looked up, and got the answer. There was only one, small air vent on the top of one wall. There was a LED blue light bulb on the same wall. There was a ceiling fan on top.

Now, Archana looked at her own condition. Voila! She got a sense of relief to find herself out of bondage. She couldn't see the chains anywhere on the bare, dull, cement floor of the room. Archana was in turquoise kurti and ochre leggings. She remembered this was the dress she had worn when she boarded the New Delhi bound plane with Sidhharth on Saturday at 6 PM in evening from Chicago.

"New Delhi", "Siddharth", these two words struck a flash in her mind. But, she couldn't remember how she came here.

"What's the time now?" She frantically searched her mobile, the device that made the wrist watch a redundant thing. But, it was no where to be seen. The azure Apple iPhone 6 was perhaps the best friend of her in her boredom. She always kept it with her, whether she was in toilet, or she was doing her half-an-hour of workout on the treadmill. She kept it on the side of her pillow, even though it was switched off during her sleeping hours.

Flabbergasted, Archana now looked minutely at herself to know which parts of her body were hurt. She checked her hands, legs, ribs, chest etc, but there seemed to no injury. At last, she touched her head, and she immediately screamed in extreme pain. There was a huge bump, of the size of a large potato, on her head. It seemed that she was hit by some blunt object on her head. Blunt, because she found no evidence of blood.

To be continued on Wednesday night ​

Thriller The ultimate choice

Episode 8

"What are you doing Archu? This is wrong!" Somehow, Sid could release himself from the lip-lock.

"What is wrong in it baby?" Archana's pupils expanded in astonishment. It seemed to her that Sid had asked the stupidest question in the world!

"You are a married woman! You have a husband." Sid was very nervous. His voice trembled, and he stammered a bit, not to mention his heartbeat sounded like drums.

"Oh come on baby! You are not a puritan. You address me Honey. Don't you?" Archana was in no mood of wasting time. So, she bowled a yorker.

Sid again fumbled, as no satisfactory answer occurred in his head.

"Or, are you engaged with someone else?" Her voice raised in anger, and Sid was again caught off guard.

Sid himself was caught in a dilemma between his desires and morality, and he could understand that the hormones were getting the upper hand. Now those questions made him with no option but to surrender himself to the situation.

From the body language of Sid, it didn't take more than a second for Archana, even in her intoxicated state, to understand that now it was the moment that she had been expecting for long. So, without wasting any time she took off her saree. She stood in front of Sid opening her both arms in invitation. As dumbfounded Sid sat standstill, Archana took her blouse and petticoat off. Now, she was in only bra and panty, the hot lava of desires burning her soul.

"Oh my Gosh", was the expression that came out spontaneously from Sid's mouth. It was not that Sid hadn't seen women's body in adult films, but this was the first time in his life when he realized that sitting in front of an amorous bella donna could be so rapturous! If he was a  candle, he had been completely melted. If he was TNT, he was ready to explode.

Archana was still standing with her arms stretched. Sid could no longer ignore the invitation. So, he stood up, willing to take Archana in his arms.
                                     
But suddenly, his phone announced, "Malati calling, Malati calling", and started to ring.

"Holy shit!" Both Sid and Archana uttered the expletive simultaneously.

"Who the hell is this killjoy Malati? Cut the call." Archana hissed.Sid's face turned pale, and the romantic vibes vanished in thin air. Because, Malati was the lady whom the entire staff of his company feared. She was the face that the management had been using when they needed to sack someone. She had warned everyone to answer her calls within two rings, else they knew what could happen.

It was well rumoured in the company that she had once fired a Pakistani guy for absenting without informing the management for only 3 days. There was no reason for Sid to disbelieve the story, as the contract he signed with the company had stringent conditions, and many things depended on the good will of the management.

Today, Sid absented from the office without informing anyone. He knew Malati never granted any leave without valid reasons, and nothing stopped her from ferreting the real reason. So, it took no time for fear to take control of his mind, and the romance seemed to have been given a punishment of lifetime imprisonment.

"Show up within half an hour" was the crisp but stern message she delivered before cutting off the call. Sid darted towards the door like a bullet.

                                                   _______________________________________

No light was coming from anywhere in the room. Despite remaining here for more than an hour Rajan could not see anything. How can it be so dark inside the room, was there no window or door here, Rajan wondered! Rajan felt sharp pain in his forehead. It appeared to him that he fell on his forehead. As no other body part was paining, Rajan inferred that it was his forehead that took the entire impact of the fall. Rajan was happy for a moment, but very soon he realized that he was as hungry as a lion who hadn't eaten for a month.

"Hello? Is there anybody here?" Rajan cried for help. But, like the last time no one answered. Intermittently, Rajan tried his luck for at least 2 hours. He could tolerate pain, but he couldn't ignore hunger. In his childhood, when the provisions were in short, he drank jugs of water whenever he felt hunger.

Flabbergasted, Rajan resigned to his fate. He tried to think what happened after his loss of balance on the railing in the roof.

                                               _________________________________________

To be continued on Saturday night 

Thriller The ultimate choice 7

Episode 7

Rob, the CEO of the MNC where Rajan worked, was a naturalist by heart. He loved greenery so much that he suffered from extreme uneasiness when he was stuck in the jungle of concrete for even 8 hours continuously. That's why he created a beautiful garden on the roof of the building. The roof was huge: space was no constraint there.

 Rob decorated the garden with a variety of colourful large plants, shrubs and small trees, ground covers, annuals. Among the large plants, Japanese maple, hawthorn, magnolia, golden hornet and ornamental pear provided the perfect ambience for soothing eyes. There were plenty of colourful flowers like  daffodil, bluebells, silverbells, jasmine etc that made the garden a virtual paradise.

Rob used several different colors for walls, floor, railings, furniture and containers. The colourful containers of different sizes gave a great look to his rooftop garden. Rob used transparent glass instead of a parapet wall. The glass wall was 8' tall in height and 4" thick.

Rob used an artificial fountain as the focal point of his garden. He not only placed wooden furniture, but also placed a few swings in the garden for recreation purpose. Rob himself spent at least half an hour everyday in the evening after a days hazardous work. The garden looked even more beautiful with the LED lights. Rob even had a few drinks during his blissfull sojourn here.

The time after 7 PM was exclusively reserved for Rob. But, during the day any one could visit here for 30 minutes for free. There was no derath of people to visit this place where they could recharge their body batteries. Most people preferred the half an hour of  lunch time where they needed no permission from anybody. For any other time, it needed a permission pass from the departmental head to enter here. The time of half an hour hour after the scheduled departure time of 6 PM needed no permission either. However, the crowd during this time was very thin, as every one was in hurry to go back to home.

Rajan loved this place very much, but because of his work pressure, which was excessive to say the least, he could not be a regular visitor of this place. But whenever Rajan visited here, he always saw the same expression, or lack of expression on Fred's visage. It appeared to Rajan that this guy was born without a funny bone. He never greeted anybody, and whenever he had to reciprocate, a distinct expression of surliness appeared on his face. Had it been any other day, Rajan wouldn't have dared to offer him a bribe. But, this day was different. Rajan had a plan, and he wouldn't sit idly by to see it going down the drain.

Rajan was intoxicated to the limit, and his heart had already been pumping hard. At that moment, the heart beat became so fast and so loud that Rajan could hear them:  lub-dub, lub-dub, lub-dub.

"5 minutes only", Fred tried his best to maintain his calm composure, but Rajan, even in his intoxicated state, could clearly see a glint of greed in his eyes. He pocketed the money at a supersonic speed.

"That's enough buddy! That will do." Showing Fred the thumbs up sign, Rajan lumbered his way towards the roof.

The fresh air enlivened Rajan's dead soul so much that for a brief moment he thought of changing his plan. But later on, again, his jaws stiffened, and he went towards the glass railing.

"Oh my", Rajan exclaimed when he tried to climb onto the wall. He never noticed that it would be too tall for him to climb on it in his drunken state. He jumped many times in vain. He was sweating heavily. He looked at his watch. 4 minutes had already passed. He knew Fred would  call him if he did not come back within the stipulated time. But his head stopped working. He tugged his hair forcefully with his fists. Within one minute, the peevish bearded collie might come out and water on his plan to die in an auspicious moment.

Suddenly, an idea flashed in his head, and he slapped himself hard for not getting it earlier. He hurriedly fetched one small container, and boy, his problem was solved. Very easily he climbed onto the 4" thick wall.

       
His head had been spinning, his feet were unsteady, still he folded his both hands in the Hindu mode of worshipping. He chanted  mantras and prayed to God for his salvation. "Om Namo Shiva" for the last time he prayed, and looked downwards for jumping.

But, when he looked downwards, he got scared. He never had vertigo, but looking down from the glass railing on the roof of a skyscraper frightened him to the core. He said to himself, "No, I don't want to do this." He tried to turn back for descending down from the railing. But he was too inebriated to do it properly, and lost his footing.
                                        ________________________________________________

Archana didn't know how long she had been lying on the cold floor thinking hard to find out how she came here. The pain on her body seemed to have subsided a bit, or it could have been that her body became accustomed to the excruciating pain by then. But, a huge, new problem had cropped up: hunger and thirst. It appeared to her that she hadn't eaten anything in the last 24 hours. Hunger was not the thing that could unsettle her, but it was the thirst that she always found very challenging during her "vratas" when she was not allowed to eat or drink anything.

But, this was different. She never felt so much of weakness during her maximum of 12 hour of fasting. She could realize that she was dying slowly.

"Help, please help", she cried at the top of her lungs.

"Is there anybody? I am dying. Please give me some food and water." She again tried her luck.

But, no one responded. Very exhausted, very frustrated Archana again tried to remember what happened next.

                                       ______________________________________________
To be continued on Wednesday night 

Thriller The ultimate choice 6

Episode 6

"Don't stop me Sid! My life is a virtual hell. No joy in it. Let me have some joy for this day, at least!" Archana's eyes had become already red and broody.

"In that case, wine is not the solution. But, I am sure you will like this!"

Archana hadn't lost all her senses by then. She became curious,  and said, "What?"

Siddharth took the diamond ring and placed it on Archana's left ring finger. Archana's eyes got wide open, she could not understand what was happening! Then Siddharth took the gift packet, and gave it to Archana saying,

"Happy Birthday Honey! Don't ask how I knew it."

Tears rolled down on Archana's cheeks. She had no more hesitation in deciding that Siddharth was the man destined for her.

Siddharth didn't know how to react when Archana's luscious red lips locked with his. It came all of a sudden. He was a vigorous young man. His blood started to boil. He didn't know how to react to this.

There was a huge conflict between his heart and brain. Despite being an eligible bachelor, Sid had never been so close to any girl. He had a few girlfriends over the years, but it had never been physical, even to extent of hugging and kissing. He started this relationship with Archana very casually. He never imagined that it could result in such romantic but precarious situation. His heart was telling him to give in to Archana's burning desires.

But his brain was saying otherwise. Beside being his senior colleague in the company, Rajan was almost like his elder brother. He helped Sid a lot when he came to the US for the first time. He guided him during his early days in the company like a godfather. When he first saw Archana, he thought of her as nothing but his bhavi. He knew she was at least, five years older than him. But, the situation changed over the years.

Sid realized that there was a huge problem in the conjugal relationship between Rajan and Archana, and if anyone was to be blamed for that it was his dear Rajan bhaia. It didn't escape Sid's astute eyes that Archana was getting aloof from life. Her health deteriorated, and on certain occasions she looked suicidal to him. Only at that juncture, he thought of helping her.

                                         ___________________________________________
When you sit idle, you don't have anything exciting to do, time always seems to stop. Even passing of a minute takes eons. But, when you need time dearly, you are in hurry to finish something within time limit, you find the speed of the clock has increased. Quite amazing, ain't It? Rajan was in desperate need of time. His boss gave him 6 months to find a suitable new  job. But to Rajan's utter dismay, 6 months passed like 6 hours. He found himself in a situation that he dreaded the most.

He didn't break the news at home. He didn't break his normal routine, either. He frantically searched for a new job. He threw all his hesitations to join a job whose remuneration was not commensurate to his experience and qualification. He had one such opening a few months ago. So, he applied there again. But, he was aghast to know that the position had already been filled.

Much of Rajan's savings were in stocks, bonds and debentures. Apart from that, he had invested heavily in real estate in his home town in India. He had always kept very meager amount of liquid money at banks. His salary was credited to his bank account, and the monthly expenses were debited from that account with the help of cards. That money in his savings account dried up as quickly as a bottle of water would vanish in a desert.

The failure to get a suitable new job, coupled with the anxieties of making both ends meet, made him 6 years older in just 6 months. After repeated failures, one fine day, he decided that he could not bear the torture of failures any more. He even thought of fleeing from life. That would end all his agonies. He thought that he had been a pious man, who never committed any sin knowingly. Therefore, he was sure of landing in heaven, where he would enjoy blissful time. 

On the fateful day, when he was unceremoniously given the pink slip, he didn't return home after the office was over. Instead he went to the ground floor of the 26-storeyed office building, where the canteen was situated. This was the place where he had plenty of good memories. The waiter didn't know that this was his last day in the office. He was a tad surprised to see him at this odd hour. A few young people came here after office to drink beer. But, Rajan was never part of that gang.

Rajan avoided the crowd, and sat in a corner. In midst of the noisy conversations and occasional enthusiastic cheers of the young crowd, the Pakistani waiter came to him and asked, "What should I bring for you? This is beer time. But, you never drink beer."

"Well Sohail, this is a special day. You know what? Something special happened to me today. I will not tell you right now. But, today I want to celebrate. Please bring a bottle of whiskey for me."

Rajan knew that he needed some courage, which he would never gather in normal situation.

Sohail winked and handed him a bottle of whiskey and a bottle of soda. Rajan didn't hurry. He believed in the saying  that one should drink his whiskey nice and slow. Rajan drank almost 200 ml of whiskey over an hour.

The closer time for the canteen was over, and he had no other option but to stop. But, by that time, he got the kick that he desperately needed. He was ready. He entered the the lift, and pressed the top 25th floor button.  A guard in blue uniform was sitting there. There was a beautiful garden at the roof, and throughout the day, many people visited there.

"What?" The guard asked rudely to see a visitor at this odd hour.

"A photo of the sunset! My wife loves it." Rajan  had no hesitation in telling a fact that was not a lie either.

"Sorry, time is over! Come tomorrow." The guard was preparing to lock the door.

"One second Fred, just one second! This is very important. I will be back within 5 minutes."

Rajan handed him a 100 dollar note. The guard might not have known Rajan, as he saw many people everyday. But, Rajan, having visited here on many occasions, knew him. But, he was not sure whether this taciturn guy could be bribed or not!

To be continued on 

Thriller The ultimate choice 5

Episode 5

The experience of shopping with Rajan had never been good for Archana. Like other girls, Archana also took time to settle for her choice, whether it was cloth or jewellery. During that time, Rajan looked like a cat on a hot roof. He would look at his watch after every two minutes,  he would tell Archana to hurry up numerous times, and he would make all kinds of sounds of frustration.

But, this guy, Siddharth seemed to be a different kettle of fish.  In fact, he helped her in making decisions. When the salesman asked about the measurement of finger, Siddharth took her hand said, "Just like your finger Archu!"

"Really?" Archana was surprised, nevertheless, she liked the warm touch of Siddharth's hand. The gesture looked very romantic to Archana. She wished Siddharth knew about her birthday! 

"Now what? Let's go home?" Archana asked after they came out from Tiffany.

"Don't you feel a bit hungry? I am feeling very hungry Hon. What's your favourite restaurant?"

When Archana was a student, only a few hours of studies would have made her tired and hungry. Later on, Archana learned that studying might not be a physical exercise, but it was quite taxing for brain. And this shopping? It was both physical and mental, Archana thought. That was probably the reason, every time she shopped for more than a couple of hours, she always felt very hungry. That day was no exception. It seemed like a lot of angry rats were  marching in her stomach! But being a lady, she thought it was a tad inappropriate to point out a fact that would make her look like a foodie.

So, she caught the proposal with both hands! She said, " I like McCormick & Schmick's restaurant."

"Oh you like McCormick? Today, I will take you to Purple Pig, and I promise you will not forget the food in long time." Siddharth generally agreed with Aarchana. But, regarding restaurant he seemed to have his own idea.

"What's their speciality Sid?"

"You told me Archu, you love pig preparations. Don't you?"

Thinking about anything other than non-vegetarian was a taboo for Archana before her marriage. She hailed from an upper-caste family, who never indulged in any non-vegetarian food; even egg had never entered their kitchen! But, Rajan had no such inhibitions. Beef was a cheap source of high quality protene for a poor family like Rajan's. Initially, Archana had fights with Rajan about non-veg foods entering her kitchen. Rajan didn't force his views on Archana, but he said, "I will not change my food habit."

Rajan, himself was a very good cook. He used to prepare his non-veg items after Archana finished her cooking. Archana was a non-drinker, too. Drinking was not totally unfamiliar to her, as the male members of her family drank on special occasions. But drinking by females was considered as a sin by them. But, Rajan being an important  member of his software programming team, he could not bunk the weekly parties. It was customary for wives to accompany their husbands.

It didn't take too long for Archana to acquire a few female friends, all wives of colleagues of Rajan, and Boy, didn't Archana need them?! At last, she could talk to some people. These friends were not teetotaler like her, and it took no time for them to convert Archana to their fold. When one main inhibition goes away, how long can the others stay? Archana's other inhibitions, also, fell like ninepins. Only when Archana tasted non-veg food, she realised what delights she was missing for no reason! Archana was a tad hesitant to eat pork or beef, but when she saw the Brahmin ladies were having no hesitations in taking these two tasty meat items, Archana threw her remaining resistance.

Duck Sausage, Milk Braised Berkshire Shoulder and Octopus A La Plancha were the only three items that Siddharth ordered, and these were the items that Archana had never tasted. When the food was served, Archana pounced  on them, and devoured the palatable stuff in no time. She thanked Siddharth for this treart.



"No thanks Hon! In fact, I should thank you for pulling me out of the quagmire. Let's go back to your home. I want to have a cup of coffee before I leave."

Around 3-30 PM they came home. Rajan wouldn't come before 8 PM. Archana was in no mood to release Siddharth. In fact, she was in a mischievous mood. Siddharth had brought colour in her otherwise dull life; he had given a reason for her to live. He seemed to be an ardent admirer of her. She had been a very conservative woman. But, Rajan's constant ignoring made her desperate. Today, she wanted to do something that would liberate her crying desires, that would do some justice to her womanhood.

Siddharth was damn surprised to see two glasses of wine instead of two cups of hot cappuccino. Archana placed one bottle of Via Collina Dolcetto d’Alba, Langhe and one bottle of WhistlePig on the glass table. She placed a bottle of cold water, too on the table.

"No soda, dear!"

"You and wine! Really?" Siddharth's jaw dropped a bit, as he had never seen Archana with drinks.

"For you, Sid! Don't you like to guzzle this particular brand of whiskey?" Archana winked, as she was in a very naughty mood.

Siddharth untied the knots of his tie, and unbuttoned a couple buttons of his shirt.

"Archu, can you lower the temperature by a couple of degrees?"

Archana liked his nervousness to the core as she complied with his request.

Archana took the red wine, while Siddharth was relishing the whiskey. Siddharth had been a whiskey lover for long, and he had a very strong mind not to get drunk easily. But Archana never drank more than a couple of pegs in the parties.  When they were done with 4 pegs, Archana got completely inebriated, and lost control.

Siddharth could sense that. He said, "No more drinks for you Hon! You are going to get out of control. "

To be continued 

Thriller: The Ultimate Choice 4

Episode 4
There was an incident which Archana would never forget. As the day progressed, Archana realized that their romance was coagulating , and Rajan was moving farther away from her. Rajan was very meticulous in his works, and he had a very sharp brain. But, Archana  wondered, despite these positive attributes, how on earth he could forget Archana's birthday every year without fail! Initially, she used to become morose; she even stopped talking to him for several days. But, it didn't make any impact, as Rajan hardly noticed it!

This year was no exception; Rajan didn't care and he followed his normal routine of going to  office at 8 AM in the morning. He didn't even wish Archana! Archana heaved a heavy sigh, and tried to concentrate on her daily chores.

After her children went to school, Archana was standing in the veranda. She was taking a dip in her past, and cherishing the memory of her birthday celebrations in her hometown Tirupathi. Every year. Her father celebrated her birthday with great fanfare. Hundreds of people used to throng her place, and bless her. She didn't know for how long she was lost in her thought, but the message ringtone of her IPad brought her back to her sense. Thinking that it could be an annoying advertising message, she reluctantly opened it, and her eyes became widened. It was from Siddharth.

"Meet you in 30 minutes." Archana was puzzled to see the crisp message from him. As far as she remembered, she didn't tell anything about her birthday. Then why was he coming? Didn't he go to office? Archana put a mild make up thinking about the answers to the above questions. 30 minutes passed in no time, and the doorbell rang Ding Dong, Ding Dong.

Archana rushed towards the door like a little girl, and opened it with a lot of expectations in her eyes. Yes, it was Siddharth in a royal blue, half sleeve Pearl Ocean casual shirt and a biscuit coloured chino Ben Martin trouser, grinning from ear to ear. But, he didn't greet her. Though that dampened Archana's mood a bit, she didn't mind it as the mere presence of Siddharth to her was good enough to enliven her spirit.

"Got a big problem, Hon!" Before Archana could say anything, Siddharth uttered the words while throwing his body on the divan.

"What's up? Soft drinks or coffee?"

"Don't have that much of time Archu! My brother, an ass, I tell you, have got me in a very precarious situation. It's his wife's birthday, and he doesn't know how to purchase a gift for her! He gave me the responsibility, and you know how much I know about these girly things! So, here I am at your doorsteps for your guidance to save me and my brother form the wrath of a very angry lady. Who better than you know that whenever a beautiful lady becomes angry, the heaven falls onto the earth!

Initially, Archana was quite frustrated to know that this visit had nothing to do with her. But, the super sad facial expressions of Siddharth, and to be specific, the pout, and the hilarious language changed Archana's somber mood. She smirked,

"Okay, I will help you. But, you never told me that you got a brother here!?"

"Not my blood brother Honey, but a neighbourly one who has become like my own over the years. Now, should we go?"

Archana was ready within 10 minutes, and off they went to the nearby supermarket. " How's she?" Archana had to know her shape, age and choice.

"Don't know about her choices! But, size and age? Almost like you. "

"Oh, really? Then my job would be easier."

Shopping is probably the best entertainment for any woman. Archana was no exception. She became so excited and so engrossed in shopping that she thought that this experience had made her day. After a thorough shop hopping, she selected a top and a skirt from her favourite brand Levis.

"Shopping over! Now let's go home."

"No Archu, Bhavi will be angry if we don't buy her a diamond ring."

Diamond was Archana's best friend. Hearing the word from Siddharth, her eyes lit up, and it needed no further invitation for her to drag Siddharth to the Tiffany and Co, her favourite  jewellery shop in Chicago.

To be continued