In the World of Confusion - A Shraman Story [Discontinued]

A letter - his or her

Yet another day came with no clue at hand and Shravan was upset with himself. Why could not he find a clue of her? Police is not helping him raising questions, are they involved? Or are they clueless?

Shravan was sitting in his office having turned off all the lights. Nowadays darkness healed him. He was staring at the darkness and feeling the emptiness when someone knocked his door. He switched on the table lamp and let the intruder in.

The office help left the parcel on his table five minutes ago but he didn't took the effort to open it but kept staring at it. Finally he picked it up. There was no name or anything of the sender just his name and office address was there.

Inside was a old crushed but secured paper. A half burnt photograph and a greeting card. First Shravan picked the greeting card. It was Friendship day card. It had a small message.

"Happy Friendship day Mr Lawyer. I know we are not exactly friends but we can now, right? Anyway, so I have sent a small gift for my friend.

PS:- Do not respond."

Shravan got an inkling who could have sent it but he was not sure. Then he picked up the photograph. It was half burnt. The saved part had a smiling and healthy Nanu. There was a hand on his shoulder of the person whose part of the picture was burned.

"Sumo!" He stood with shock.
"It was Sumo and Nanu's picture. I had clicked it myself."

He hurriedly picked the other paper and slumped down again. It was the letter he wrote to her years ago.

"Dear Sumo,
         Dear is not just a salutation. You're really dear to me. You're my best friend Sumo. My saviour from my world of problems. The way you keep me sane and happy even in my chaotic life I want to keep you with me. I want to stay by your side. I want to protect you. I want to save you from falling. I want to keep doing your homework while you cook for me. I want keep calling you moti as you call me chashmish. I want to be your chashmish forever.

Is this love?

Yours,
Shravan.

The page was from his English notebook he remembered tearing it and writing the letter while sitting on his house's terrace. There was more space left where he ended. More words were there which he could not recall writing. She wrote them.

Dearest Chashmish,
        I don't know what love is. But for me yes this is love. I live with the fear of losing my loved ones that's why never said that you top my list of my dearest and most loved people of course after Nanu. I'm sorry for whatever wrong I'm going to do to you. But you need to go away. But please come back to me. I'll be waiting.
Only yours,
Sumo

Shravan was a crying mess holding the Letter to his heart and cocooned in the corner of his dark office cabin when Pushkar came inside. He held him and calmed him down. After he was relaxed he showed the letter to Pushkar. Pushkar called Ramnath to the cabin. Behind the closed doors three men were looking at a piece of paper.

"This is not the letter which was found at the crime scene and submitted in court." said Ramnath

"What? Papa?"

"Yes bhaiya! I also had seen that letter. In that one the reply was written at the back of the letter. And it was just two lines. Yes Shravan, this is love. Yours Sumo."

"And even though your part of the letter seems familiar it sounds foreign."

"But this is the real letter. Exactly what I had written. In my own handwriting. And this is Sumo's handwriting I remember clearly."

"How did you get this one?"

"A parcel came to me few hours ago. See."

And both men saw it.

"Bhaiya, I think somebody wanted Sumo out of the picture that's why burnt it."

"Isn't that obvious Pushkar?"

"No sir I mean like those Bollywood movies villain either marks the targets picture with red or burn it. Seen that?"

"Yeah I have. So you mean this picture was burned by the person behind all this."

"The sender wants to tell us through this that the villain is someone from around us only. How would an outsider get a family type photograph."

"She asked not to respond in this greeting card."

"She? You know who sent it?"

"I think Papa. But I'm not sure. And if she doesn't want me to respond that means she doesn't want her name out."

"Okay! Whatever you think right."

"But bhaiya, what help would these things do?"

"It  proves the point that the evidences were planted, they were half fake, the incident was not an incident but planned event. Event of murder which Sumo might have escaped."

Unknown to the three men someone was try to listen to their conversation but he only heard the last words of Shravan. Sumo might have escaped.

Love,
Zindagi