Anikaa & The Mystery of the Painting

22. The Second Strike of Gnomons

"What an amazing woman!" said Anikaa as they got out in the main street.

"Yes, she truly is," said Raymond. "So, heading home?" he asked.

"No, we should attend Ganga aarti. Let's leave the car here, we will walk," said Anikaa.

They silently walked to the flight of steps that lead to the Ganga ghat. As it was monsoon season, the river Ganges was roaring in all its might. There was a guard standing on the banks of river which was barricaded with chains, urging people not to go near the water. Raymond and Anikaa silently sat on the steps and watched the commotion, each involved in his own thoughts.

Anikaa's mind strayed to the personalities of two very different friends- Sameera and Bhagyashree, two strong characters coming from two different worlds. Sameera's life involved- world tours, diamonds, soiree's, spas and was gifted with-no worries for tomorrow. Her tact with men was altogether very different. She remembered Raymond coughing when she recommended Anikaa for drafting prenups whenever she got married. There was no second chance for a man in her dictionary.

On the other hand, Bhagyashree had been surviving her husband's atrocities for years in hope that someday he will realise his mistake and giving him several chances in life. A simple lady who just wanted to live a simple life, no extravagant demands, no tantrums. All she wanted was love and respect.

But, then who can love and respect you more than you-yourself? Sameera never compromised on the love of her own life while Bhagyashree, took years in realising the importance of her own life which was a gift not to be wasted for ungrateful people.

"Penny for your thoughts," said Raymond breaking Anikaa's train of thoughts.

"What do you reckon after our meeting?" asked Anikaa.

"I never knew Lauren aunty worked with mum in India."

"Hmm...But the striking point is that she is amongst the 10 people who died out of 15," finished Anikaa thoughtfully. "There's something nasty going on here," she added.

"You think mum also...," said Raymond, his voice faltering.

"No, I don't. I strongly feel she is alright. She must have found something disturbing, something scary and that's why she wrote the riddle." "But, she'll be alright," assured Anikaa looking at Raymond's tensed visage.

After a while, they returned to their car and set off for the villa. Raymond was driving and Anikaa was looking outside the window silently biting her lower lip. It had started drizzling and a few street lights blinked on the road, as if holding to their last ounce of energy. As tiny droplets of water, rolled down the glass of the window, Anikaa's eyes flickered to the bend on the road. Their car had to take the bend to reach the villa. Instinctively, she squinted to focus on the dark road. When they were seconds away to pass the bend, Anikaa shrieked- "Race ahead."

Struck by the sudden alarm in Anikaa's voice, Raymond impulsively pushed the accelerator at once and they zoomed past the bend in less than a second. A moment later, a huge tree by the bend crashed on the road. Raymond stopped the car at once and they both climbed out of it, running towards the tree.

"It's a healthy tree. We'd have been squashed," said Raymond switching on the flashlight of his phone, as they reached the spot where the heavy tree was lying flat on the ground.

There was nobody on the road except them. A lamppost was flickering at a distance. The tree was not chopped but was uprooted from the ground. Anikaa saw the red flowers still blooming on the tree.