CHAPTER III
The day had bid goodbye to the last rays of sunlight and the
night had dressed up to welcome its radiant visitors with the welcoming shine
of the evening star. Mumbai, the city of dreams, the city that never slept, was
still abuzz with activities. The cacophony of the honking cars was nauseating
and the long line of bumper-to-bumper traffic stretched for miles. People rushed
towards the train stations hoping to squeeze themselves in within the already
crowded compartments. Hawkers heightened their pitch hoping to gather even more
customers at their tiny ‘pav bhaji’ stalls. The stench of perspiration, open
drains and vehicle exhaust hung in the air.
Miles away from the hustle and bustle, the Dutta mansion in
Bandra West was serene and flooded with lights. Roohi hated darkness and
insisted on having lights in every room of their house. She looked adorable in
her frill frock but was pre-occupied this evening. Roohi was counting
frantically employing all her ten fingers while solving a mathematic problem.
She had an exam scheduled for the next day. She was a bright child and mathematics
seemed to be her favorite subject already at this tender age of 9. Shekhar gave
her company, adjusting his thin specs and going through the Hello Magazine, whaling
away his time in their living room.
Unknown to them, a man lingered in the shadows of the lone tree
in their garden. His thoughts were centered on the occupants of the Dutta
mansion. His mission, the one he had to accomplish without any delay, demanded
secrecy, covertness and stealth. Time was ticking away and the danger was
hovering closer.
If the messages he had received were true, the danger was
imminent and the extent of the devastation massive. The ancient wisdom had to
be revived. With the dawn of the golden age of the Aquarius in December 2012,
the age of Piscean values had degraded and humankind was grappling with the
emergence of the new secret sects and the age-old Illuminati. As though the ignorance that was drowning the consciousness
of the human race were not enough, these sects were ignoring the constant
messages that his people were trying to convey.
The scrolls of wisdom that they had passed to them were scoffed
upon. They were re-writing it, modifying it according to their will, giving
their own color to it and the result was miles away from the truth.
Shekhar was one among those, trying to twist the universal truth
for material gain. Portraying his people as evil, while all they were trying to
do was revive. Revive the knowledge that was lost. They were trying to awaken
the latent powers and engage them in the impending battle. If they failed,
doomsday was not far.
It was time that the opposites merged, it was time they acted
upon the messages and manifested the divine.
It was time for action. He opened his clenched fist and breathed
slowly into it muttering some unknown words. A swirling ball of fluorescent
blue fumes emerged from his extremely fair palm and solidified into a shining
ball. He pressed his lips onto the ball and closed his eyes. The moment he
lifted his lips away, it hovered up, dashed away, and disappeared in the horizon
leaving a blue arc for a moment.
The message was sent. He was a step closer to his goal.
***
Roohi looked up from her notebook and stared at the window.
Something had caught her attention. She rushed towards the window, she felt
some one was staring at her. But she couldn’t see anyone in the garden. She
turned back and walked towards the sofa. She glanced back at the window. Her
eyes were still searching for something.
“What are you looking at Roohi”, asked Tara as she entered the
room.
“Nothing”, she said softly before settling down with her
notebook.
“How was your day?”asked Shekhar
“Hectic and tiring” replied Tara raising an eyebrow and nodding
her head.
Their little family time was interrupted with the loud ring of
the door bell.
“I’ll get it”, called out Shekhar trying to pick himself up from
the sofa.
“No wait I’ll check”, said Tara as she turned and walked towards
the door.
As she opened
the door a set of dark eyes, from behind big, round specs met hers, instantly
pulling her towards them. She looked up at his stern looking face but for a
moment couldn’t react. She felt as if she had seen this tall man somewhere but
couldn’t recollect. She noticed how extremely whitish he was. Failing to
understand why she found him familiar, she kept probing her mind.
“Hello, I am Cyrus”, said the curly haired guy forwarding his
hand towards Tara.