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Have you read previous chapters? If not I promise you won’t regret!
Recap: Abhimanyu's parents are blamed for Parikshit's murder as Saman manipulated judge. He hallucinates seeing his brother, Parikshit who asks him how can the devil be defeated. He says "by love, loving heart is no place for the devil" which is heard by Jezebel. She tries to kill Saman by seducing him but fails. She receives a call from Abhimanyu saying, "Meet me in an hour, I know what to do". No one can be brought back from the dead after midnight.
There is a video towards the end of this chapter. When you reach that part of the story, play it on earphones and read the rest{ Optional but recommended :-) }
Chapter 6: Love you for who you are
“How does this pill work Jezebel?” said Abhimanyu as he saw Arthur leave the room. It was a red-lit room. Centre table was imbued with fervour of scented candles. He could see Jezebel on the other side of the table when he said, “I need to know.”
It was half an hour to midnight.
The rush of blood kept gushing over his head. It tore a hole in his heart every-time his father’s image banged his head. He could’ve given anything to bring his father back. He knew there was only one way.
Jezebel wore the same black dress she wore the first day they met. Abhimanyu could see she had a letter in her hand. She looked more beautiful than ever.
“I will explain everything” said Jezebel.
“We don’t have a lot of time left Jezebel”
“Jez” she smirked.
Abhimanyu’s frustration came to his face. “It’s no time for nicknames Jez!” he continued, “Just tell me how to do this,” he said as he looked over to the pill he held through the handkerchief.
“How do I look tonight?” she asked sheepishly.
He felt like a deer in headlights. ‘has she lost her mind?’ he thought.
“This is the dress Arjun brought me, for our last date as bachelors. These candles, this light, this room, he decorated all of this for me.” Abhimanyu felt restless, his fingers went numb while his heart raced.
“Do you see this letter. I wrote this after he died. I would read it whenever I felt lonely.” He saw her come close to him. He could smell poise in her hair.
“I loved him. Could’ve done anything to bring him back”
“I know” he said as he looked up.
“I thought Parikshit loved me. Unfortunately, he didn’t. Hell, even I didn’t love myself.” She said as she looked straight into his eyes. He could feel her looking deep into him. He could feel peace even in agitation.
“I never knew the quest for love will give birth to some evil who hates herself for the ‘façade’ she has created” she chuckled as she looked at the letter in her hand.
Silence echoed the room.
She brought the letter close to a candle. Flames burned all her misery away. She smirked while fire enclosed the letter. Abhimanyu could see her shoulders sinking in peace.
“I am sorry for you Jezebel. I wish I could love you the same way Arjun did.”
She looked up to him and said, “You are wonderful Abhi. If not for you I could not have known how to…”
“How to what?” he said as he thought ‘can she bring my brother back?’
“How to defeat the devil inside me” she looked into his eyes as her hand slid upon his shoulder. Abhimanyu pulled her closer as he felt her breath upon his.
“I am sorry Abhi.” She whispered softly into his ears “I love you for who you are” she said as her lips gently caressed his. He closed his eyes. At this moment he just felt the gentle push of her lips. He felt their breath gently greeting each other on the way to touch another. All he could hear was a silent night, all he could taste was her damp touch.
He opened his eyes to take a look at her, as she smiled at him. He could still feel her breath until it stopped. Her hand dropped lifelessly. Abhimanyu's eyes opened up wide with shock.
Half-hour ago:
Jezebel kept looking at her phone kept on the centre table. ‘I know what to do’ Abhimanyu’s words kept murmuring in her ears. ‘Did he really mean that?’ she thought, ‘Can someone really love someone else with such compassion?’
‘Would I ever be able to feel so as well?’
She clutched the eulogy letter from Arjun’s funeral in her hand. She has been reading it over and over again.
“What do you mean by ‘CCTV can’t be repaired’?” screamed Arthur on his phone as he cut his call. Jezebel could see the daze on his face as he saw the room. “Are you bringing him over for a date?” he said with a glimpse of exhilaration. “I’m so happy that you’ve moved on Jez”
Jezebel sat silently as she looked up to him. “Have a seat, father?” she said with despise. Arthur pulled a chair and sat. She saw his expressions change as he realised something was up.
“I have released evidence for your money laundering schemes to the police.”
She could see the blood rushing out of his face. “What in heavens have you done!” he screamed as he pushed his chair backwards. Jezebel said, “They don’t yet have all the evidence, not the ones that they can use to evict you out of here.” Arthur took a sigh of relief.
“Sit down” pointed Jezebel to him.
“What does this mean Jez?” he said as he sat down.
“Why did you kill Arjun?” She saw his eyes go wide open. “You don’t seem much surprised” she continued, “tell me why did you do it!”
Arthur looked down and said, “You would not understand.”
“Ahan? Let’s see what police understands with this evidence”
“wait, Jez!”
“Tell me, dad!” Jezebel screamed her heart out.
Silence filled the room apart from her hushed sobs. She kept looking at his father as if trying to question why he took away what she loved the most.
“I had to kill him because he found out about” Arthur took a long pause and said, “about…”
“say it, dad!”
“I can’t. I can not risk your life as well, Jez. Try to understand, I can’t lose you too”
“Trust me, dad, you have already lost me,” she said as stopped trying to control her tears, she continued, “All my life you’ve just hurt people and kept me at bay.”
“Whatever I did, I did it to feed you, so that you don’t have the same fate as your mother.” He said with a lump in his throat.
“well-done dad,” she said with an unfitting smirk and continued, “you kept me alive with nothing but distance and resentment.”
“try to understand my child,” Arthur said as he tried to reach her cheek with his hand. Jezebel held his hand midway and said, “Understand that it was right to let the devil live in me?”
“No, just that I did whatever I could to keep you safe. I know that I am not a good father, not even by a long shot.” Arthur said as he held her hand and stood up. He continued, “But I’ve seen good in you, just like your mother. You’re a loving but a practical person, just like her.” He came in closer to her as she stood up.
“Daughter, you look beautiful in this dress. Your mother would’ve been proud of you”
Jezebel could feel his words crumble her heart. She could see right through all his tropes. She didn’t want to say a word, she had already got her answer.
“don’t send the evidence today Jezebel. Trust me. Enjoy your date and we can talk about it tomorrow” Arthur hugged her. She stood there lifelessly. Even though she knew he was lying, she knew what it feels to be desperately in love. How it feels like to go to any limit to keep what you love by your side. ‘When would he realise?’ she thought. Her eyes glanced over the phone on the centre table and that’s when she realised something. She knew who has to come back from the dead.
She wrapped her arms around him. She felt the warmth of her blood rushing to the heart. She wanted to cherish this moment. Arthur could feel temperate tears on his shoulder. He looked at her. She could see he felt the same. He wiped her tears and said, “I’m sorry” as he left, unknown to the fact that she has already made sure evidence reaches police in an hour.
“Wake up! Jezebel wake up!” Abhimanyu said as he tried to agitate her in vain. “It should’ve been me to bring my brother back!” His legs trembled with pain; his face became numb. Jolts of remorse and shock hit him. He couldn’t think of anything as eyes kept searching for evidence of her life. He didn’t want the warmth of his hands to depart.
His tears hit her face. They splashed onto his hand. He pulled her close to him, buried his face onto her neck as he let out sobs of misery. ‘Not you too’ he thought.
Room was sealed with his wailing heart.
“Jezebel” an unfamiliar voice cut through the room. Abhimanyu looked up to see the silhouette of a man running towards him. “What happened to her,” said the man as he pulled her towards him.
It did not take a long time for Abhimanyu to realise who it was, “Arjun?”
Arjun took a look at him in search of an answer.
Abhimanyu sat down in utter numbness. ‘why did she ...?’ he thought. He had his hands on his head. Trauma and guilt sped through his veins. His eyes felt like popping out at any moment. ‘I can’t lose her too!’ he screamed in his head. He took the pill in his hand and screamed, “How does this goddamn thing work!”
Arjun put Jezebel on the ground, carefully caressing her hair. He said, “There’s no point now. Only the person who has last touched it can decide who comes back. The person who eats it should love her.”
Disbelief ran through his legs as he reached out to the pill laying on the ground. He wanted to take it right away. He opened his mouth and brought the pill close. His hands couldn’t move. Flashes of his father in handcuffs hit him, but in front of his eyes was the love of his life. His hands trembled as he dropped the pill. ‘Why did you do this to me!’ he thought.
A black cloud appeared behind Arjun. Saman levitated him and choked his neck.
“Where is the Secret of immortality!” shouted Saman.
Abhimanyu looked up. Arjun chocked on his words. “I… leav…” Arjun tried to mutter out some words as his neck strangled. Saman dropped him on the floor.
“Say!”
Before Arjun could say anything, the black cloud began dissolving. Arthur appeared from underneath. He looked towards Abhimanyu.
Arthur took the pill from the floor in haste.
“No!” screamed Abhimanyu.
Arthur swallowed the pill.
Arjun and Abhimanyu both looked at each other in disbelief. Arthur cried out a raving scream. He laid on his back as he kept beating his hand on the ground. The red talisman gleamed as it tried to break free out of his fist. Arthur threw the talisman over his shoulders. Abhimanyu saw him get up, as he took a good look at his daughter. “Daughter, why did you do this?” he said, still bawling.
The question resonated in all of their hearts, and yet none had an answer. They all looked at her as if searching for an answer. Abhimanyu’s fissured head felt blood pumping. Tears filled his face up.
“Because I was only one who knew Saman was,” said Arjun, “at least that’s what she knew.”
Arthur looked around in rage. He got up and kicked the talisman with intense fury.
Flashes of every moment he spent bickering hit him hard. Every stomp of Arthur’s feet felt like daggers through his chest. “Stop!” he screamed in vain. He wished to revert everything back. ‘I am sorry Abhi’ kept ringing his head. “Stop!” he screamed again.
Arthur turned to Abhimanyu. He looked at him and said, “You were the last one to touch this pill” he said as he looked over his hand gloves. “You can save my daughter, you can bring her back, you can reverse all of this” Arthur’s voice cracked up.
He sat back and caressed his daughter’s hair, “I wish I could see you for more than ten minutes. Oh, daughter, I wish I had seen you for more than ten minutes in my life.”
Abhimanyu looked up to the clock. It was 2 minutes to midnight.
Abhimanyu looked at both of them, looking at her. How they did not care for her enough while she was alive. How different they are than he is. ‘quest for love will give birth to some evil …’
He closed his eyes,
‘I love you for who you are.’
He clutched his fist.
Arthur kissed her on the cheeks and said, “I lost you the day I lost her” as he slowly declined towards the ground.
Arjun held her hand as he smirked. He closed his eyes in anticipation. At this moment, he knew better not to hope anything.
“Abhi!” said a voice from behind.
Abhimanyu got up, as he saw his brother running towards him. He hugged Parikshit tightly like a tree latching on to its roots. Parikshit looked at him with a certain pride and said, “You’ve grown so strong.” He looked at her body at the ground and said, “I’m sorry, Abhi”
“It’s okay, she would’ve wanted this,” said Abhimanyu as Arjun gave him a look of approval.
"It's because of her sacrifice of love, Saman will not take birth again." said Arjun.
"But what about the immortality Secret"
"He always had it with him." Arjun said as they looked over the red talisman losing its glimmer.
Abhimanyu got down on his knees to hold her hand. He caressed his hands over her lashes as her eyes shut close. He saw calm serenity on her face. “Maybe she looks over me from the heaven”
“Maybe she does,” said Arjun, “I could see her every-day, reading the letter she wrote after I died” Abhimanyu looked at Parikshit as he nodded. “I saw her in growing pain every-day until today, as she burned the damn letter. Thank you, Abhi”
“Was the letter beautiful?”
“Indeed, it was.”
“What did it say?” asked Abhimanyu as he looked at her.
“Deserted, in the mizzle
Drops chisel, my tears concerted
Drizzle tears my soul demented
Torment of your loss, abyssal.
I remember the day you held my hand for the first time. I know it wasn’t romantic to you, to refrain a junkie from abusing herself with injections and drugs. It was romantic to me. It was romantic when you looked at me with a charming gaze when I didn’t want to see myself. It was romantic to me when you made an NGO for children to have a family. You were everything I wasn’t. I could never understand how you had the strength to love the ones close to you. How could you love people with heart beyond their flaws and shortcomings?”
Arjun could not hold his tears back as he saw her. ‘I’m proud of you’ he thought. He continued speaking the letter aloud, “I loved you with all my heart. I never deserved you, but I loved you. You deserved more than you got. You make the world a better place Arjun, I wish I could too.
Ends of my heart, lord tore
More grief he sends,
Thence, is my yearn of your
Hand in my hands,
Evermore”
The End
Maitrish Jain
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