Untrodden path: Adiya story

Wounds in need of healing...

"Wounds are where the light enters"- Rumi

One month ago...

Stormy nights in the hills can be frightening for people not adapted to the wild terrains, not only does the cloud burst open in it's full glory but also accompanied by roaring thunder, lightning and the continuous howling of the wind cutting deep through the hills. Zoya Siddiqui locked the window of her bedroom with a lot of effort as droplets of rain and gush of wind hit her face. She only wished for the stormy night to end, 

'Hey...I am here... I will always be here' his voice echoed in her head, she closed her eyes shut for she did not want his memories to haunt her anymore. Yash was gone, yes...he left you Zoya...she reminded herself of the harsh reality as tears began to annoyingly brim from her eyelids. 

"Appi I can't sleep alone in this storm," saying this her sister climbed inside her bed. Zoya smiled at her baby sister, Noor was like a sunshine in this stormy phase of her life. She was about to get inside the bed when her phone buzzed out of the blue, stunned to hear the voice from the other side. Noor was equally amazed to see her sister leaving the room,

"Appi where are you going in this weather?"

'It's an emergency Kohinoor will return before ammi and abbu wakes up." Zoya said while she flung her shawl around her shoulders and took her medical kit. Noor saw her sister talking to a tall silhouette of a man whose face was covered by the umbrella.

"Please ma'm you are my only hope" his innocent eyes pleading to her made her almost protective towards him although he seemed about her age. She quickly got in his car and drove towards the old mansion. It was the same old mansion which Zoya grew up believing it was haunted. As the car stopped in front of the gate Zoya felt a sudden chill looking at the gloomy manor with it's large front garden. 

"This way ma'm" the young man walked briskly guiding her, she followed him through the long winding stairs to reach the dimly lit extensively long corridor. As she walked Zoya recalled her abbu's anecdotes about the place being haunted, later she came to know that it was the palace of a local king restructured into a manor during the colonial era. She had no idea who was the new owner of the property after she left Mussoorie, there were too many things that she had no clue about her trail of thoughts were interrupted when a deep groan was heard from the adjoining room. The door was open and three men most probably the house staff had surrounded the king size bed as the room was dimly lit Zoya had to adjust  her eyes to the surrounding. She approached nearer to the groaning sound distinctly heard from the center of the bed,

       "Arjun, I told you I am alright just take care of Goku and leave me alone". The man barked his   voice disrupting the silence of the room. Arjun signalled the staff to leave and hugged the Siberian husky lying down near the bed. As Zoya approached the bed the husky started growling which turned into ferocious after sometime. 

'He is acting so aggressive today', Arjun said while trying to calm the husky whose growls matched his master's painful groans. Arjun along with the three staff tried to take the husky away who seemed to be extremely apprehensive about anyone touching his master except for Arjun. 

"Goku you are frightening the lady," the man barked from his bed, there was a deadening silence in the dark room but the reason for the silence stunned Arjun. She had knelt in front of Goku patting him gently, her fingers lacing his thick fur while whispering soothing words in his ears.

'Was he there too? His neck seems to be hurting apply some ointment will tend him later take him away for now'.

Arjun quickly followed her instruction while still trying to make  sense of a woman with fragile frame taming the daredevil companion of his elder brother.

He felt like the muscles in his body was tearing apart slowly but steadily, pain crept through his body the only remedy was his old friend inside the bottle, he gulped  the neat alcohol burning down his throat and poured some on that deep cut below his left shoulder. The pain was excruciating he cursed that stern old man, his boxing mentor who used to pour alcohol on his wounds telling him that it was like falling into a woman's arms devastating and peaceful at the same time. Aditya laughed at those old days when he boxed recklessly for money, for the thrill as he gulped more and was about to pour more he felt cold fingers touching his forearm. The softness of this unfamiliar yet so familiar touch forced him to look up at the face strangely radiating even in the dimly lit room perhaps because of her nose ring glowing in the dark. Their faces were only inches away and even in pain and drunken state Aditya Hooda knew that he had never seen a more tender feature in his lifetime.

"I might be in pain and drunk and weak  but never thought I would be hallucinating. Will you please say something madam otherwise I might think that an exotic princess from a faraway land of flying carpets is sitting next to me who can tame a wild dog if not a tiger." He hissed at his last words for she was attending to his wounds in great detail.

'This might hurt a little' her voice took him by surprise he had expected a soft sweet voice but instead she sounded deep and raspy sending tingling sensations even to his bruised and tired body. As she placed ointment over the deep cut on the left side of his chest pain rushed throughout his body making him clasp her waist tightly. The sky split open at that very moment lighting the entire room making her hold him tightly for she never overcame the fear of a thunderstorm. Aditya buried his face in her neck inhaling her scent frantically searching for solace in this chaos.