Agastya : The War

14 : Future, Present and Past

Make sure to read the chapter carefully. Line to Line and Word to Word.
Trust me, this chapter is so WHOLESOME.
Also I have asked you all, my dear Readers, a few questions in the end of the chapters. Please make sure to answer those and those would help me as a writer, to frame the future plots!
Enjoy reading!

-----

The illustrious channel 'The Essayist'' declared over the radio.

"GOOD NEWS! GOOD NEWS! GOOD NEWS!
The British is rejoicing in jubilation for the much coveted malefactor, Agastya, has been finally trapped under the British custody. All this has been possible due to the meritorious contribution of Sir Oscar Dankworth. Last night, in a confedential get-together, Sir Dankworth had finally succeeded in getting hold of the criminal! It has been reported that the criminal was in disguise of a tea-seller, pretending to sell tea in a small stall behind the Churagarh European Club. Perhaps, he was supervising the work of the wild dogs in the Club. How heinous a plan was it! Had it not been for Sir Dankworth, all the Englishmen and women present there would have been found dead today morning. We will be right back in updating you with the current news. Till then, stay tuned!"

"What now?" Chitra exclaimed.

Suhashini Bannerjee had been taciturn. This was the first time she had been over-smarted by someone. Especially, a British!
Perhaps, Suhash was being conquered by a conflict over her heart and mind. The mind would say that she must not trust Oscar Dankworth but the heart would rise into an immediate opposition and debate the mind. Suhash was dumbstruck.
How can she even try to trust a British, when they were trying to get hold of her own self? Had it been an Indian in the place of Oscar Dankworth, she would have been beyond pride right now! In a situation, wherein an Indian takes a step forward and gets himself cuffed pretending to be Agastya, she would have estimated the good reason!
Nonetheless, here it was all different!

"Suhash..?" Chitra jostled her, shaking her up from her thoughts.

"I wish the poor man is safe." Suhash prayed, her joined hands touching her forehead.

"Don't talk gibberish, Suhash." Chitra said. "We all know that anyone who goes into the British jail cell, is never safe. I wonder what has happened to you! What makes you trust that British Officer?"
Continually, Chitra said, "Don't you remember that he has confiscated the vast acres of land and left the farmers landless. Neither do they have a house to stay in nor a job to cater to their daily needs. I still don't get what makes you trust the Britisher! He looks like a Britisher, talks like a Britisher, walks like a Britisher and brutally works like a Britisher. He should not be trusted. Don't you remember the pains he and his community still inflict on us?"

"It's not only me, Chitra who trusts him. But whoever, meets him, finds him good." Suhash said, her voice as calm as a dove. "We were right there behind the hut-stall, weren't we? Did you hear the poor man begging for pardon? Have you ever seen an innocent poor man not begging for not being cuffed? Did you also forget, how the farmers gave in to his demands peacefully whereas when Thomas was doing the same, they came down to axes and saws?"

Suhashini Bannerjee saw how her words did not register into he mind of her friend as Chitra stormed away from the room, like a forceful gush of wind.

Crushing the scenario, 'The Essayist' announced over the radio again, "We, the team of 'The Essayist' are extremely grateful to Sir Oscar Dankworth! We also extremely pleasured in announcing that our Company has managed to cross yet another milestone. Your favorite radio-channel and newspaper 'The Essayist' has finally began the construction of its branch office in Churagarh. All this is again, due to The Heroic Sir Oscar Dankworth because without his help we would have never been able to get hold of this piece of land."

'This means, the piece of land that Dankworth has confiscated from the farmers is destined to become 'The Essayist' branch office.' Suhash thought.

"We suppose, this is a day of good news because the Government has made its mind to Sir Oscar Dankworth promote from the post Interim Governor of Bengal to the post of the Persistent Governor of Bengal. Yes! You heard that right! We are so happy right now. We would feel honored to have such an efficient and heroic man as our Governor! May his tribe increase! We feel more honored because the magnificient felicitation ceremony would be held at the newly constructed Essayist Branch Office at Churagarh," The radio had declared furthermore.

"Whatever may happen, I'll make sure to tie up all the untied knots in this very magnificence felicitation ceremony. I promise!" Suhash pledged.

She had made an inflexible decision. Perhaps, she was pretty-good in taking good decisions in grave times.

----

Later that night, Suhash had been skimming though all the rudimentary sketches that she had plotted for employing the jobless farmers. She was yet to finalize it. Sitting at the table, beside the open window, under the dimly lit yellow night lamp, Suhash had been studying the matters since hours now.

It was in mid-night when Suhash finally left her table to bring up Major Som Shekhar Lahiri's letter to her and the book sent by him 'A King's Ransom'. The letter was in a rectangular architectured box that contained all her confidential letters. As she picked up Major Sen's letter her hand automatically grabbed up another letter.

This letter was, perhaps, the first source that had incited her to start a journey as 'Agastya - The Sacrosanct'.

It was a letter by......

Shivashish Ganguly,

Her husband.

-----

Thank you, dear reader, for reading the chapter till the last. So, we can start with the questions :~

(1) What do you think about Suhashini Bannerjee, both as Agastya and herself? Am I able to describe her character, well?

(2) Oscar Dankworth is actually an enormous ocean, about him we have just seen a couple of waves, until now. Am I able to describe his character well?

(3) What do you think the sudden remembrance of Shivashish Ganguly, will lead Suhash to?

(4) Do you enjoy reading my works?

Please help your writer by answering these questions! I'm eagerly looking forward to reading them.❤️🌼