SwaSan FanFic (TOL)

CHAPTER 33

The sprawling house in the village of Midnapore district boasted of all modern amenities though there were only two adults in the family to occupy it. Other than the family, there were number of servants and maids for cooking, cleaning and other odd jobs in the house.The lady of the house, who was approaching her sixtieth birthday, was bedridden. She was paralyzed on the left side of her body. Her husband ten years older than her was a member of the Legislative Assembly and owned number of undertakings in the village. He was literally the king of the district and people worshipped him because of their dependency on him. They had a daughter but she died due to a mysterious fever that had affected the whole region in this part of the state.She had been just 15 then.Since the death of her daughter, Roopali had lost the will to live or enjoy life. She blamed her husband for the trauma in their lives.There was no end to the atrocities which he had committed over the years. His influence in the political and business circle extended to Kolkata and sometimes even to the power corridor of New Delhi. The only person he was attached to was his sister who was married to a rich business man in Kolkata. Roopali had never liked her. She always found her sister in law selfish and cunning. Annapurna always grasped what she wanted without a care for others. The way she pleaded with her brother to get her married to Durga Prasad left a bad taste in Roopali's mouth. Both brother and sister were manipulative, scheming and deceptive. Their actions always left a scar on others. Her daughter was lost to her and Durga Prasad lost the only woman and son he had ever loved.Often, Roopali asked the deities she worshipped about the meaning of karma in life.They didn't seem to justify her life. As she lay on the bed contemplating about her life, she heard sounds of approaching vehicle and men shouting. She looked out of her window and saw three men dragging a tall, long haired young man through the gate.

For Sanskar, it was the longest night of his life.The doctor had informed him that next ten to twelve hours were crucial for Swara because the wound needed to heal and keep the infection away. She was also weak due to the loss of blood. He waited for dawn like he had never been before. The present crisis taught him the meaning of the wise words 'After every dark night, comes a bright morning.' He had been napping when something alerted him. He woke up with a start and searched the room for the source of the sound but he could not find it. Swara was in deep sleep and everything seemed to be in order. He checked the time and it was 11 approaching midnight. He drank water and sat through the night planning and scheming with cold blooded intentions that would have shocked his loved ones.There was no question of pardoning or acquitting the people behind the assaults on him and Swara. He knew Ishan was already on the job of finding his enemy but Ishan was not updated about the latest strike on Swara.

In Kolkata, the day was coming to an end and stars began twinkling in the sky but the show was not over at Maheshwari House.The police approached Annapurna with handcuff. She panicked and blurted out the biggest secret of her life, 'It is my brother.' Durga Prasad and Ram Prasad were shocked to know that the man who seemed so high powered and impressive was responsible for the aggression on Sanskar.

Ishan went inside the house after Annapurna implied that it was her brother. He thanked the inspector and Durga Prasad for their cooperation to grill Annapurna.The group of men, who had come to create disorder, gaped at everyone.They looked confused.They had been instructed to stop the arrest of the lady but something else was happening here.

Ram Prasad was shocked at the revelation, Annapurna was dismayed and Adarsh was upset. It was Adarsh who questioned his father,
'Dad, how could you cooperate with this fellow and go against Ma? Who is he?' Adarsh glared at Ishan with contempt.
'Adarsh, you stay out of it. This is between your mother and me.' Durga Prasad scolded his son

'Annapurna,Was it your esteemed brother who was responsible for these problems? But why is he doing it? What enmity has he got with Sanskar?' he asked his wife with distaste. Annapurna sat down and mumbled 'I did not say it was him...'