Yakshagni - An odyssey of unbroken devotion - II

3) Lost memories or illusions

"He felt weightless as darkness enveloped him... The powerful currents sucked him deeper into the water, even if he resisted them relentlessly. Where was she? He tried to call her name but every time he opened his mouth, water gushed inside, choking his lungs... As he flailed his arms and legs around, his last thought was that he wouldn't be able to live without her..."

Maurya jerked open his eyes, his body drenched in sweat and his lungs struggling to breathe normally. Switching on the bedside lamp, he noticed the crumpled linens kicked aside. He realized that he had thrashed aside the bedsheets during the nightmare. Steadying his nerves, he gulped down a glass of water and pulled a pyjama over his shorts. He sauntered to the balcony, his bare chest encountering the early morning chill bravely.

'What was that all about!' Maurya brooded. Although he usually found it difficult to fall asleep, he hadn't faced such nightmares before. The explicit dream had seemed so real that he contemplated if such a thing had happened to him before in his life. He did not remember his life before Mahendran picked him up from the beach. It was from Mahendran that he knew he had been found on the floor of a cargo ship in the middle of the ocean. Had he drowned and washed up on the boat? In that dream he had woken up from, he had been searching for a woman. He recalled the muddled thoughts about not being able to live without that woman. Had there been someone with him when he got lost in the sea? Why would he think that he would not be able to live without her? At the age of ten, it was not feasible that he had been in love. So, who had been with him? And why didn't his family search for him if he had drowned? Too many thoughts and possibilities puzzled him. Pulling the hood of the jacket over his head, he rushed out for a jog.

Amidst the chaos of images and memories, he recollected Mahendran's letter that was sent to him through Shankaran Murthy. Mahendran had written, "I believe that your stars have destined you to find the right partner and when you find her, you will know she is the one for you. Your one true love..."

Mahendran's mention of true love mystified him... He had assumed that his mentor had talked about Rashika. Now, with the dream fresh in his mind, he pondered if there was someone else that Mahendran had meant.

**************

Dharma had accompanied Kamya for her interview. She was sitting in the reception area of the sprawling school campus while Kamya and other candidates, were in the conference room participating in a group discussion. She was studying the display board, where the photographs of the best students were pinned, when she got a call from an unknown number, "Hello..."

There was no answer. Hearing nothing from the other side, she severed the call.

Ten minutes later, another call from the same number irritated her. Frowning, she asked, "Hello, who are you?"

Again, there was no sound, only heavy breathing that made Dharma uneasy. She held on to the call but there was only silence from the other end. She considered lodging an official complaint nevertheless, she decided to wait for another day. She blocked the number temporarily to avoid further harassment.

Sometime later, Kamya briefed Dharma about the interviews, expressing her satisfaction, "I did my best. Let us see if they will get in touch with me."

After a quick bite, the girls headed to Brahim's house. Dharma was just hailing an auto when she got the uncanny feeling of someone following her. She turned around to check the crowded market. There was no one familiar.

"Dharma, what are you searching for? Get in the auto," Kamya, already seated in the auto called out over the din and Dharma quickly slid into the seat.

"I just felt someone was following me," Dharma murmured.