The Blue Voice [ON HOLD]

CHAPTER 5

The dimly lit corridor of the government hospital in Lucknow felt like a passage through time, frozen in an era of neglect and dilapidation. The flickering fluorescent lights, hanging precariously overhead, cast a feeble glow on the worn-out tiles that bore the marks of countless hurried footsteps. The air hung heavy with the distinct scent of antiseptic, an inadequate attempt to mask the underlying weariness that permeated every corner.

The distant hum of life-saving machines provided a dissonant soundtrack to the desolation that surrounded Ravindra. The once-white walls were stained with the years of struggles that the patients and the hospital staff had endured. Faint echoes of hurried footsteps and the occasional creaking of a stretcher being moved were testament to the hospital's perpetual battle against time and limited resources.

As Ravindra walked through this grim corridor, he couldn't help but feel the stark contrast between the vibrant, lively campus he had known and the despondent reality of this healthcare facility. The hospital seemed frozen in a relentless struggle, its cracked walls and flickering lights bearing witness to the countless stories of pain, hope, and despair that had unfolded within its confines.

He approached a weathered door, its paint peeling off in places, and beyond it, lay the room that housed Ananya's sick father. As Ravindra gently pushed the door open, the solemnity of the scene unfolded before him. The room was modest, with faded walls and a narrow bed that seemed to carry the weight of countless sleepless nights. Ananya's father, a mere shell of his former self, lay on the bed, his frail frame outlined by the dim light filtering through a half-closed curtain.

The weariness etched on his face told a story of prolonged illness and the inevitable toll it takes on a person. The room, stripped of any semblance of cheer, echoed with the quiet sighs of suffering. A lone chair in the corner held a jacket, perhaps forgotten in the haste to be by the bedside. The air bore the unmistakable scent of antiseptic, a fragrance too familiar in places where hope clung on by a fragile thread. The desolation seemed to permeate the very walls, rendering the room a silent witness to the battles fought against the relentless march of time and illness.

As he approached the door, the hushed whispers of hospital staff and the clinical smell of disinfectants intensified his unease. He hesitated for a moment, steeling himself for the emotional encounter awaiting him inside. The worn-out handle turned beneath his touch, and as the door creaked open, the sterile, pale walls of the hospital room greeted him. The frail figure of Ananya's father lay on the narrow bed, his eyes a mixture of hope and apprehension as he looked toward the entrance. The air in the room seemed to thicken with an unspoken heaviness, a silent precursor to the revelation that would forever alter the course of their lives.

Ravindra stood at the threshold of Ananya's father's room, his heart heavy with the impending task of delivering the devastating news. Ananya's father, his eyes reflecting a glimmer of hope that soon dissolved into desperation, spoke with a quivering voice. "Ravindra, you're the friend Ananya spoke of. How is she?"

Ravindra took a deep breath, grappling with the enormity of the moment. "Uncle," he began, "I'm so sorry to tell you this, but Ananya... she's not with us anymore." The words hung in the air, and the room seemed to contract with the weight of the revelation.

Ananya's father's face contorted with disbelief, his fragile thread of hope unraveled. "No, no, this can't be true. She promised she would call yesterday. Did something happen to her phone? Is it working fine?" Desperation etched every word as he clung to the possibility that a mere technological glitch might explain the silence that now echoed through the corridors of his heart.

As Ananya's father clung to the fragile strand of hope, Ravindra hesitated, torn between revealing the unsettling truth and shielding him from the cruel realities that had claimed his daughter.