Mellifluous

Not within the bounds of glittering grey beaches or snowy mountain peaks, Jay was born amid the jungles of cement and concrete, which had a warm aura of cold urban sensation. When, as a baby, Jay pushed himself out of his mother's womb, he didn't cry. Doctors had to induce an injection to make him cry. Jay opened his tiny brownish eyes, and his skin searched for the maternal touch. Nonetheless, all he could sense was hard incubator glass, and all he could see were faint images of dangling wires outside his incubator. Initially, baby Jay didn't relate with the atmosphere of the incubator but gradually, his neonatal senses connected with the vibrations of the apparatus.

That was few twenty years back; at this very moment, Jay was running for his life as he drove on the narrow roads of the Rainforest Jungle. Something unusual was going to happen. Jay saw the storm approaching him, winds blowing, leaves rustling, but everything appeared calm and quiet. The atmosphere had a deadly silence of anonymity. Jay accelerated his car and, from the rearview mirror, stared blankly at the maddening whirlpool of typhoon approaching him. Jay's wine-colored Audi got violently invited in the rage of a cyclone, and angry raindrops hammered on his car fiercely. Visuals of nature's wrath made Jay scarcely breathe as his car turned upside down and, in intensity, got rejected by the tiny particles of sand. Jay's car jumped from the whirlwind and crashed on the concrete road again.

"Phew!!!! Delusion or reality?" Jay quizzed himself.

"No, I am not playing video games. I am driving, and this storm is real," Jay thought when he heard a thud again and, with the sound, came a hunch of blowing something metallic. Jay raced his car and stopped after he listened to the chirp of a fragile voice blending with the hums of rain. A misty pink silhouette was stationed on the ground, and for Jay, the curves appeared that of a woman.

Jane adjusted her pink dress, which went a bit above the dignity level while she stared at her bruised knees entrapped in her bicycle. Her golden trophy was broken into two pieces and, it feebly rested at her side. The precious trophy was hers, which Jane wished to exhibit as her solo pianist achievement. She raised her arched eyebrows, and her ebony-colored eyes tried to catch a glimpse of the vehicle responsible for her devastation. Some distance ahead, Jane saw a car bent towards the right direction. Limping, Jane went a bit forward and, in the lightning, bursting out of the nimbus clouds; she saw the car's nameplate.

"KK 09 1974," she said. In that enigmatic rainy evening, the next luminous light flashed on the person inside the car, waving his hand, which Jane felt done in a jocular style.

"Heavens above! Was he teasing me?" Jane stepped a bit forward to see Jay, but before Jane's eyes could take a good look at him, the car raced out of her sight.

"Lord! Why does everyone think I am stupid?" Jane's face was incandescent with rage.

"Just anyone, I mean anyone can come and bang me," Jane said as she glanced at the trophy. Her soared imagination pictured herself keeping it near the piano, her meritorious trophy, which was savaged by one reckless man casually seated in his luxurious car.

"Well, Mr. whoever you are. I have your car number, and that's enough to file a police complaint," she said and dragged herself towards Kodampalli Police Chowki, which was located at the heart of its marketplace.

Kodampalli village, a village of nature's beauty and affluence, set perfectly between Marian beach and its complementary lagoon. It was a village admired by ardent eyes for its cyan complexion, which left an everlasting impression in each mind. The visuals gave a feeling of God holding his paintbrush and blending the lush green color of Rainforest Jungle with the dazzling blue of Marian Sea.

Jane was a simple girl who lived on such idyllic coastline, and hers was a village where everyone knew everyone, and that's what bothered Jane now. Her clothes were splattered with mud; award fragmented, knees bruised still; Jane walked gallantly towards the Police Chowki, ignoring all surprised onlookers.

"O my God!!!! Jane, my child. Who on earth did this to you?" said Inspector Pinto, glaring at her mud-stained pink dress.

"Car number KK 09 1974," she said, swallowing hard.

"What?"

"Car number KK 09 1974 did this. He broke my trophy too," Jane felt a warm sensation running down her cheeks, and she pierced her nails inside her arm tissue.

"I want to register a complaint against him," she said in a flat voice.

"Did he do anything else?" asked Pinto.

"Heavens!! Isn't this enough?" Jane's voice which seldom raised above the decent level, was today at its peak.

"Jane, this can't be a reason for registering a complaint. It's a small incident."

"It's not. The car broke my trophy, and that's horrible. Can't you check whose car it is? Please, Inspector Pinto. I want to know this person."

"Fair enough. I will let you know. Happy my dear Jane," Pinto said and scribbled the car number on a piece of paper. Jane waddled out of Pinto's room, and when the door closed behind Jane's back, Pinto exhaled the breath he was holding. He quietly disposed of the paper in the dustbin.

"Poor Jane. We can find the car, Sir. Then why?" his constable asked.

"My dear, you know whose car it is?"

"Whose?"

"Jay Mehta. The young and successful tycoon and the only bloodline of Mehta Magnate. It's a gift to our village that he is visiting our little land."

It was a tiny village, but two local goons had missed Jay. They had followed him from the time his Audi car entered Kodampalli village. The storm provided the goons the most conducive environment to knock Jay's car but for that pink girl.

"We have missed him," one with a big mustache messaged their unknown boss. Prish Banerjee saw the message on his flip mobile and destroyed the SIM immediately.

"Idiots," Prish Banerjee said in a fury. He was a small, stout, middle-aged spectacled man, the big cheese of the hotel industry. Dressed elegantly, he sat in his plush cabin watching the clock tick, his eyes bitter. No one intruded Prish Group without Prish Banerjee's invitation and this lad 'Jay Mehta' was about to acquire one of his companies. The business battle between Prish Group and Mehta Group intensified when the Mehta Group started gaining substantial territory in the fast-food outlets. Each market of Prish Group was attacked by Mehta Group's clever marketing, which dwarfed Prish Group completely. To add insult to injury, Jay Mehta had tweeted him as an outdated man. Prish surfed the net and read the most scandalous tweet of Jay Mehta posted as:

'Prish Group, a group, run by an eccentric old-fogeyish man. Surely will be extinct if they don't change their conventional methods. But will that old fellow change his traditional beliefs? (Laugh emoji).'

"Well, newbie. I must say, a good marketing gimmick, but Prish Group has ruled the corporate world, and Little Boy, it always will," Prish murmured. Though Prish had superficially shrugged the tweet claiming it as an immature stunt, inside, he was humiliated. Prish glanced at the acquisition papers scattered over his colossal table. The acquirer was Jay Mehta, and one of the Prish Group's companies was the acquiree. The acquisition papers were like a slap on Prish's face, which Jay had boldly smacked.

"What will the business community say?" Prish questioned himself.

"Oldie Prish got knocked by a juvenile boy. Unimaginable," He answered his question and stretched himself backward for relaxing his back.

"Jay is going to kiss death soon," Prish said, smoking one of the flat-shaped cigars, particularly blended for him. Jay Mehta was Prish's new nemesis, and Prish was a man who never forgot the one who tarnished his reputation.

"The one who tries to acquire Prish Group will be buried permanently," Prish Banerjee's voice was low.

Jay's car monotonously whooshed towards Mehta Villa as he tried to appease his disturbed mind by taking solace in those moving sceneries outside his tinted glass. He could not fathom the reason behind that waggish wave to a shadowy woman, a tease that Jay found hard to resist. The last time Jay had indulged in such mischievous behavior was during his school days; the only imageries Jay wished lasted forever. Nonetheless, at the age of sixteen, Jay lost his adolescence and inside his family patriarchy board room began his mature journey as a successor of the Mehta Empire. The only remain from his boyish phase was his Scorpio tattoo which merged with his bicep curves. Jay’s charming features fusing with his muscular appearance displayed an exceptional manliness, an ecstasy, any girl would fall.

An older man stared at Jay's spectacular tattoo, puncturing Jay's skin with its ink coated deeply.

"Welcome to Mehta Villa, Jay Baba," said the old man.

"O Kaka!!! I don't quite remember when I parked my car. Did I? "Jay asked his trusted caretaker. Mystic trance of the episode overpowered the motion of entering Mehta villa and mechanically parking his vehicle.

"Certainly, you parked it. Please, come in. I have specially arranged your room. Jay Baba, you will love it," Kaka smiled, displaying deep wrinkles born out of his turbulent life. Hurried footsteps of Jay unusually matched with leaden-footed Kaka as they both walked towards Jay's room. It was a room that encouraged the soul to breathe the earthy fragrance of life. Virginal, pristine flowers exhibited all over the room lingered an aroma which married with chromatic wall decorations creatively falling around everywhere.

"Doesn't it look like a paradise?" Kaka said, lifting his chin.

"No, No," Jay's voice wavered, and his gaze bounced from place to place.

"No?" Kaka gave a small yelp.

"Damn! What's this Kaka? Where is my Alexa?" Jay said as his eyes frantically looked for something as he kept up his stiff stance.

"Alexa hasn't arrived yet. When are you expecting her to come? Maybe some misunderstanding as I got a message about your solo visit. How many guests are we expecting? Alexa, and how many people more? I must make arrangements for some delicious food."

"Damn! Kaka, pause your overwhelmed mind. Alexa is not a person."

"Not a person?" Kaka rubbed his forehead briskly.

"I had shipped some office appliances. Did you get it?" Jay's eyes were desperate for an answer.

"Yes. Just dumped inside that cupboard." Kaka pointed out a chestnut cupboard at the corner of the room. A torrential vigor exploded inside Jay as he rushed towards the closet, and a blanket of relief filled Jay's body after he carefully removed his Alexa from one of the paper boxes.

"She is my Alexa," Jay said and kissed the blue spherical ball illuminating faint blue light from its bulbous exteriors.

"O Alexa, don't give that evil unprompted laugh," Jay continued.

"Jay Baba, it's a machine." Kaka's eyes kept blinking mindlessly after watching such a bizarre episode.

"No! It's not a device. She is my life."

"If you insist," said Kaka. "Well, Well!!! Alexa!!!!!" Kaka gave a quick snort and turned away from Jay as his bemused smile stayed on his creased face. Kaka was yet to recover from the after-shock of the weirdest visuals he had witnessed.

The sight of Alexa charged Jay's energy allowing him to forget his discreet encounter of that mysterious night.

But Jane remembered everything as she solemnly entered her beautiful cottage, which traversed through a small chapel. Usually, her cocoon cottage embosomed Jane in its embrace, and the transcendental aureole of nearby chapel soothed her joyless mind. However, this minute Jane stood in the middle of the path, covering her face in melancholy, trying to comprehend the forthcoming dredged-up conversation with Mary. Mary was Jane's sister-in-law, a typical one, whose only intention was to drive Jane out by getting her married. Jane's elder brother replaced the place of Jane's parents after they died in a car accident. A brother in every sense, always there for Jane, protecting her from adversaries. So matured was their bonding that they amicably distanced themselves after he got married to Mary. But Mary never understood the sacrifice the duo made to keep their home happy. Neither did Mary leave a single occasion to ridicule Jane and her straightforward attitude.

"Wow!!! Here comes my plain Jane," Mary lifted her hand loosely in a 'Who Cares?' attitude and gave Jane a wry smile. She walked inside the kitchen and mumbled, "Did Henry call today?"

"No," replied Jane. Henry was the most suitable boy for Jane, according to Mary. A man who would give Jane a life of luxury with its consolidated loneliness.

Jane licked her bottom lip and sat awkwardly on the dinner table. Indeed, Jane was plain vanilla, but her face emanated warmth of tenderness, eyes were pale yet innocent, and her frail body radiated strong morals, and this oomph made simple Jane special.

"Everything is so simple about you, Jane. You are absolutely unadorned," Mary came back from the kitchen, bringing a huge bowl of chicken curry.

"Here goes the loaf, and there is your curry. Now gulp your damn food," Mary passed her a plate of freshly baked bread and banged it on the table. Jane's heart raced like a galloping horse while uncomfortable flushes of heat covered her entire body. She felt like a destitute refugee at her own home, an impaired girl who had no means to support herself.

"Henry says Jane lacks magnetism, and nothing in her attracts me," Mary continued her blast of frustration.

"Look at other girls who show all their charming razzle-dazzle. Come on! Put some makeup on your dull face and try to entice Henry," Mary pulled her cheeks contemptuously.

"Your talks are incoherent, Mary. Other girls don't play the piano as I do. You didn't even bother to ask about my piano competition."

"Rubbish!!!! Your piano. What's so great about playing the piano? Every girl of our village knows the piano."

"Well, Mary, that's true. But I only know the piano. Father Joseph selected me to play piano for the 9 a.m. service. He says my fingers dance along with the keys, and my tones stir emotions in the parishioner's mind. Isn't that special?"

"Special Ha, Aha! Jane, while you play your hymns, people gossip. No one is bothered about the pianissimo melodies you play in that small chapel of yours," she laughed away.

"Don't laugh. The piano is the only thing which gives me happiness and the power to bear you," Jane said, pointing fingers at Mary. Mary was baffled by her audacity, and as she was about to react with sharp words, Jane continued,

"Let me make it very clear I am not going to marry Henry. Neither he loves me nor do I.

“Why are you playing cupid for us?"

"Because he has good fortune, and it's on my insistence that he has agreed to marry you."

"Mary, you are growing impossible," Jane closed her ears as she suddenly felt vulgar about herself.

"Can someone around here make peace? Particularly when there is a forecast of a catastrophe," Jane's brother interrupted. He took a deep breath in, and after holding it in for a second, he snagged the glass of water kept on the dining table.

"A catastrophe?" Mary bit her lips, confining her laugh.

"Mary, our ocean is in no mood to take your silly satire," He said, gulping the last few drops of water.

"Didn't you hear a roar from our Marian Beach? Secure the hatches; our ocean is going to become a mighty beach.

"What exactly is going to happen?" Jane asked, twisting her shell bracelet in a crisscross way.

"Don't know, dear. The air near Marian beach is filled with foam and spray, and that's not a good sign, as per our village people," Jane's brother said.

That night wind entered Jay's room violently attacking him, while the gusting chorus of the trees, the chaotic banging of doors announced the arrival of unfathomable power. An untamed fury of nature, relentlessly attacking Jay declaring itself as boundless and unconquerable.

"Damn!! Let's just break off," Jay banged his writing desk so violently that its vibrations reverberated in his room for a few seconds.

"But Jay…." A feeble girly voice said.

"You like to poke your dirty nose everywhere. Nosy woman, you ask many questions, "Jay muted his mobile and didn't bother what his girlfriend wanted to say.

"I am not listening, you nosy woman," Jay said over again.

He coldly disconnected the phone, banged his mobile down, and gave a big punch to his boxing bag. Jay hated when someone meddled in his life. There was a demarcation line for everyone, and when someone crossed that line, he had all reasons to worry. Jay never trusted anyone and thought that everyone would fail him.

Kaka entered his room with a glass of warm milk. He moved his eyes all around to see Jay's room packed with various electronic gadgets. Tablets, phones, laptops, smartphones swarmed over the area like hiving bees with its buzzing sound loitering in the space. Kaka shook his head and gently ran his hands over Jay's shoulder. Jay shrugged a bit with the sudden display of paternal care.

"Can't your life move beyond virtual interactions? Virtual meetings, video conferencing, likes, dislikes, emojis, etc. Jay baba life is about experiencing a natural emoji, which sadly you broke off now."

"You mean my girlfriend?"

"Yes."

"Holy shit! What a nagging lady she was!"

"Your toned physique can make girls bounce with lust but not with love."

"Damn that, love! Biggest shit of this universe," Jay said.

"Don't you feel the urge for human connection?"

"Nay. I feel comfortable with this unearthly loneliness; a life with my gadgets is what I want. My gadgets don't judge me neither do they question me. They are my life," Jay said as he waved his hand over his electronic stuffed room. Somehow, his room satiated an unknown quest of gratification, stimulating his dopamine to a voluptuous level.

On the side table was kept a bottle of sleeping pills. Kaka took the bottle in his hand and, raising his eyebrow to the maximum level, asked, "Pills?"

"Shrug off, Kaka. Yes, the magnate Mehta needs a pill to sleep. The great Jay has insomnia. Big deal," Jay ceaselessly boxed his punching bag with enormous strength. Jay's short thrust instigated the already infuriated milieu as a bolt of electrifying lightning boldly resonated in Jay's room.

Kaka apprehensively looked skywards.

"Soon, waves will be at war invading our shore. Why don't you enjoy our Kodampalli's scenery before this weather changes its canvas?"

Jay gave an affirmative nod while his punching continued. Pictures of nature were alien for Jay, but that fatherly touch of Kaka's compassionate hand provoked him to nod.

"It's inevitable. Our village will be washed away," Kaka trembled as he nervously wobbled out of Jay's room.

"Washed away?????" Jane blankly stared at her brother.

"We are in a striking distance of a hurricane. Nothing can save us now," He said.

Jane's brother gently kissed her as Jane kept rocking herself to and fro on her armchair. It was her life swinging between pain and sorrow. Past events of Jane's life had weakened her, and somehow she had become inured to her docile behavior. Jane sat with her face buried in her hands as her heart tried to justify the years of her silent suffering. In some way, Jane knew Mary was right. Jane’s life was unfulfilled; it missed something. Jane always felt unappreciated, everybody gave her words deaf ears, and Henry, whom she was about to marry, snubbed her. To date, Jane never understood Henry’s intention for accepting the marriage proposal. Once, Jane had revealed to her brother the turmoil about marrying Henry, which her brother artfully ignored. His political way of dealing with the situation showed his helplessness and choked Jane even further. How long could she be a victim of her destiny?

"Heavens! Better if I get washed away. Will it affect anyone if I die?" Jane stared at her bruised knees in devoid. Her vacant eyes got fixed on the broken trophy lying unmarked on her piano. Minus that weird episode, hers today was a monotone. She remembered that mischievous wave, and a faint smile appeared on Jane's tear-stained face. Her eyes stayed wide open till she saw the morning twilight gradually blossoming from the eternal sky.

In the early hours of gray dawn, the winds started blowing strongly, and in that bleakest hour of the day, Jane took her umbrella and ambled towards Kodampalli's marketplace.

"Don't you feel the urge for human connection?" Kaka's words oozed a tragedy in the romance of that dusky morning as Jay stumbled out of his bed. He couldn't remember the last morning when he woke in darkness. It was a beautiful, idiosyncratic transition as the sun was ready to rise, and the orb of the night was settling down when Jay oddly drove towards Kodampalli village and parked his car near the marketplace.

Beyond the darkness stood a banyan tree rightly placed in the middle of Kodampalli's market junction. The tree was surrounded by a rugged stone where villagers would sit for their evening chit-chat. Jay and Jane slowly walked from two diverged roads, and the law of probability suggested their collision. But both were immersed in their thoughts that they went unnoticed by each other. For a few seconds, both walked side by side, sat near the banyan tree in the opposite directions, and rested their heads on the tree's trunk. The branches of the tree sheltered them against the drizzling rain. Thunder rumbled around, the waves crashed against the rocks, the winds whistled around the tree, and amid this chorus, Jay heard a small sob. Steadily, sobbing turned into panting of breath, and Jay could listen to the movement of someone's breath going in and out of the chest. Jay strained his ears to visualize what was happening behind him, then he turned with a jerk and placidly gazed at the posterior curves of a lady's back. Jane had covered her face. She was crying. Tears were dropping down from her eyes, uniting with the drizzle of rain. Jay stood stunned for a while, his posture stiffened, and the only act from his body was his blinking eyes. An unannounced feeling to comfort the girl gripped his heart, but he was clueless about how to do it. Unexpectedly he strolled towards Jane, and his shivering hands touched her shoulders. Stooping a bit, Jay tightened his consoling grip on her shoulders and said, "Don't cry."

A flush of adrenaline tingled inside him while, superficially, he stood rigid. Jane's skin shivered at the warmth of his touch penetrating under her skin; she uncovered her face and, while tilting it up, saw Jay's Scorpio tattooed hand. Jay's touch had touched her beyond imagination. It made her feel like a woman. Slowly Jane gripped Jay's hand and rested her head on it. Jay was amazed by Jane's reaction. The feel of Jane's tears streaming down her cheeks melted his heart. Never had Jay felt such romanticism. There was something mystical in that atmosphere. Gradually, he loosened his grip and his wiggle fingers clenched in a fist. Jay closed his eyes and felt the sensation of Jane's breath getting etched in his icy veins. The arena became inestimably precious, and they got soaked in the stillness. Their musings were interrupted by the bells ringing from the chapel. Typically, the chime signaled the morning service, but today, a particular sort of thunder echoed through Kodampalli village. It was a warning. That very moment, Jane realized with a shock that the hand wasn't on her shoulders anymore. Her eyes wildly searched for the man of magical touch and saw him moving away from her. The first rays of sunshine glistened on his Scorpio tattoo.

"There he is!" screamed Jane in euphoria.

"Heavens! He is going. Hey you! Stay there, please. Thank you for …..." Jane communicated in some garbled vocabulary. Half shed tears sparkled in her eyes as she hurried towards a tall muscled man. After hearing the shout from Jane, Jay pulsated wildly, cheeks flushed crimson, and at the same time, goosebumps ran like a naughty mouse through Jay's body. For a moment, he felt intensely to turn back and see the girl whom he had consoled, but an overwhelming flow of sensations made him run. He ran towards his car, ignoring Jane's cries for him while Jane headed faster and faster to catch a glimpse of him. Amid the sounds of the chapel, Jane heard the wheels screeching, the engine getting ignited, and Jay's car raced out of her sight, leaving behind the most obscure car number 'KK 09 1974'.

Jane's eyes bulged out when she saw the number. The calligraphy was very much vivid. It was the same car and this time too she didn't see him.

Momentarily, the rain stopped while Jay drove his car away from Jane. Something moved from beneath as Jay felt his car shook a little. His I pod started to skip, his phone couldn't recognize its SIM, and Jay quickly turned on the radio, accelerating the car on the last gear.

The usual enthusiast Radio Jockey voice today lacked enthusiasm; instead, it raised a storm of paranoia. His tone was gloomy.

'Welcome to RM's show. This Monday morning has witnessed some sudden shifts in our Marian beach. It's reported that swarms of quakes with a magnitude of two have occurred 200 miles from our village. The meteorological department has given a warning of a possible tsunami to occur within few minutes. Request all the villagers to head home and try going to higher ground. Bloody hell, the first wave has already reached the town, and the next wave can get bigger. Requesting everyone to evacuate, escape to high ground. Don't panic. Don't fear and stay tuned to us as your RM is always here.'

Jane heard the coastal sirens banging with the sounds of the chapel, and the banging sound continued intermittently. At first, Jane saw some chaos, yells, and screams rumbled all around, and then, terrified villagers ran helter-skelter as they tried to flee into houses and stores on the street.

The world was spinning around Jane as she stood still, just hearing her heartbeats trashing inside her ears.

"Run, Jane. Run," she heard someone saying, and suddenly her weakened legs ran towards home at an erratic pace.

Kaka stood at the entrance of Mehta Villa copiously sweating in that chilly atmosphere. A sigh of relief slipped through his mouth as he saw Jay's car approaching.

"Where have you been?" Kaka asked him, flaring his nostrils.

"I just went…. "Jay's speech got distorted with a loud roaring noise.

"Anyways, you are safe, and that's important. Come along in fast."

“What’s happening Kaka? I heard a tsunami is coming."

"Can you hear that ominous voice like rumbling of the distant train?"

"Yes," Jay affirmed.

"Well, the sea has receded from the shore after its first wave."

"Thank God. Now I can go for a meeting today," said Jay.

"No dear, it's a warning that the sea might surge our village again. The deadly second wave will destroy everything."

"You mean to say the waves of a tsunami will sever us," Jay said, pulling himself slightly back.

"Who knows?" Kaka wheezily gestured his hands upwards, symbolizing the law of cosmos to determine the outcome. Gasping of Kaka's breath reminded Jay of the most splendid rendezvous he experienced a few minutes back. The scintilla of Jane’s existence loitering in Jay’s mind made him restless. His reverie got disturbed by the screech of the gates getting closed.

"The gates of Mehta Villa are closed now, and we have to stay in isolation till the water is expelled completely."

"How long?" Jay asked him quizzically.

"Maybe a week or so," Kaka closed the gates of the villa as if Jay Mehta had ceased to exist. This relative isolation from the rest of the world meant nothing for Jay, but time was precious for the great Jay Mehta.

"I can't waste my week in this village. I had come to meet my business colleagues."

"No option Jay Baba. You can't challenge nature," Kaka said.

"Damn!" Jay let a loud growl of annoyance and entered the villa. Jay seldom got angry, but when anger possessed him, it was unstoppable. But this minute, the aggressive waves racing towards Kodampalli village seemed unstoppable. It was nature's way to take revenge, and it was vivid and visible. What seemed invisible was the seed of vengeance which had germinated in Prish's mind, and Jay was unaware of how deep was Prish sense of amour -propre. Seated on his L–shaped sofa, Prish watched the news channel. He kept on channel-surfing but everywhere, Kodampalli village was in the limelight. A secluded village where Prish thought he would avenge Jay for the humiliation he had inflicted on him. Prish was playing chess with Jay, where Jay was oblivious of Prish's moves. Prish thought Kodampalli village was the picture-perfect location to catch Jay unguarded.

"It was such a perfect setting to crush that Jay Mehta; I swear this tsunami!" Prish said as his angry eyes denoted his agony untold. He had a jealous liking for Jay. Jay certainly was a personality to be remembered, and his rise in the corporate world was destroying Prish lethally. Prish knew it was no good to hesitate; he had to bide his time, wait till the media attention from Kodampalli village got sidetracked.

While

The term isolation overstrained Jane's nervous system. She looked around her home, which once belonged to her parents. But today, her beautiful cottage was trapped in the jaws of a wicked lady. Her dull eyes watched Mary wandering around the home, and the feeling of being isolated with Mary crept inside her mind.

"Heavens! Just unthinkable," Jane whispered. There was an unnatural stillness in the room from where Jane wanted to escape. She wished to fill her heart with hums of love and peace. Whenever Jane's heart craved for extreme peace, her soul went first to the chapel, and then her body followed. It was the only place where Jane found love. Excusing herself from that somber atmosphere, she reached the chapel. Kodampalli's chapel neighbored Jane's home while a small passage separated the dwellings. It was Jane's second home with which she felt more connected. Kneeling near the serene altar, she felt blessed, and each time she played the piano, she looked like an angel. Whenever Jane closed her eyes to pray, she felt a sense of hope that something extraordinary was about to happen to her. It was the abode of God, and Father Joseph, who dwelled inside the church, resembled God's messenger. It was seven in the evening and the time when Father Joseph lit the candle near the altar.

"Good evening Jane," Father Joseph said to Jane as she silently watched him brightening the chapel. Jane had crossed her arms tightly while her tongue was continuously wetting her lips.

"What's the matter, dear?" Father asked her.

"How difficult it is to silence one's freedom?" Jane asked. Father Joseph gave her a quick smile.

"No, seriously, father. Tell me."

"Not difficult if you are at peace with your mind."

"This isolation will kill me," Jane gave a pained look to Father Joseph.

"Hmmm. Don't you find yourself lucky to have an abode that is protecting you from this disaster?" The question itself had the answer, but Jane was in no mood to contemplate such spiritual introspection.

"Yes. But. What shall. I." Jane whined.

"Why don't you come every morning and play the piano?" Father said.

"Really, can I do that?"

"Yes, dear. I know for few days, villagers will not come to church for their morning service. But you can come and play the piano."

"The way I always do."

"Yes. The way you always do," he patted Jane's arm.

"From tomorrow?"

"Yes, dear Jane. Come from tomorrow."

Jane ambled out of the church in spiritual ecstasy, the same feeling as when that unknown hand had gripped her shoulders. No one had touched her in a way the Scorpio tattooed hand did; that touch of his was magical.

The following day, Jane felt like dressing well. She garbed in a peach color long midi dress, pulled her hair back in a ponytail, and added a bow to it.

"Simple can be beautiful," Jane said as she attired herself with stud earrings and lighted brown lipstick. She didn't look ravishing, but there was a grandeur in her simplicity. Jane's skin glowed in the beauty of her goodness as the universe was pleased by her simplicity. Though she couldn't arouse lustful desires in a man, she magnificently attracted mystic cosmos towards her. It was a God's gift that Jane played piano so well. She was so natural, her tunes so elegant which could erupt poignant sensations. Her music revealed the simplicity of God. But regrettably, her hymns were rarely heard in the clutter of surrounding sounds.

Jane was near the church piano, waiting for the church bell to peal. After a pause of few seconds, the bells began to toll.

From across some distance came the resonant sound of a distant church bell. The tintinnabulation gradually awakened Jay, his languor disturbed.

"Damn! Can someone stop that irritating jingling?" He said as he laid on his bed, exasperated by the melodies bursting in his ears. Jay pulled in some soft cushions and covered his ears so he could get some sleep. Last night was a fitful night for him as the sleeping pills could not push Jay to sleep better.

But the bells ringing forced him out of his stupor.

Annoyed, he sat on his bed while his eyelids tried to get together. His heart was pounding, but his mind was empty.

Suddenly, Jay's eyes snapped open as the shaft of light radiated through his room's window, and he felt some new electricity flowing over his body. Jay heard some different sounds as the tolling of bells had stopped.

The breeze blowing outside carried the sounds of Jane's piano into Jay's room. The tunes were remote yet romantic, thin yet distinct, and rich yet pure. It was other-worldly. Her melodies suppressed the alarm ringing, Alexa crying for the battery to be recharged, and Jay's appliances' adjacent noise.

Jay had never heard something so wonderful.

"Is it a cassette?" Jay thought and, to listen to the music more intently, opened the back door of his bedroom. A miracle as Jay had abandoned going to the garden area of Mehta Villa. But the tunes which resonated so beautifully persuaded him to enter the garden area of the villa.

As he listened to the music more clearly, he cried in excitement, "Damn! Someone is playing the piano." The timbre of her tones vibrated delicately around the garden area, and though the frequency of the tunes was not very clear, Jay's brain elicited an enormous array of responses. The music coming from the piano made Jay forget his material condition while he was transported to an opaque state of his own. The milieu intoxicated Jay's mind increasing his dopamine to a gigantic level as he walked on the soft grass of the garden. His garden was a lovely mixture of fragrance, where the flowers danced with the tunes of piano, and the faint sun rays made their way through the dark clouds, which enhanced the eros entirely. Jay viewed his walled garden, where roses were planted in abundance. He noticed the change of colors when a beam of sun rays shined on its petals; he sniffed their distinctive scent and heard birds chirping when a tiny squirrel jumbled up the tree. The tunes of Jane's piano touched a different chord of Jay making the arena ineffable and divine.

Kaka watched Jay from a corner and gave a satisfying laugh. After all, Jay was experiencing an unusual occurrence in his life. It was that enthralling moment where Jay was growing aware of his senses. He was getting transformed into a human who had emotions that sensations of nature could stimulate.

There was a mystic silence on Jane's face. Father Joseph had placed a mike near the piano. He wanted the village to listen to Jane's carols. Jane's fingers swayed on the keys of the piano while her eyes were closed. The window of her mind saw the man with a Scorpio tattoo standing near her. He was listening to the music of her piano. She couldn't control the sweet smile which sprouted on her face. Jane was imagining Jay, and she felt ultra-awake though her eyes were still closed. In the state of euphoria, her melody cried for love which erupted emotions in the mind of the Scorpio tattooed man, finally bringing tears in his eyes. Through the eyes of her mind, Jane met Jay, the man who bestowed her everything with his consoling grip. The grip had given Jane sonorous vivacity. Jane was quivering as she had just experienced a moment of epiphany. She took a deep breath, and her features softened with the calmness spreading inside her mind.

There was no other sound in the chapel. There was no other sound in Kodampalli village. Every soul of the town was still in silence, and only Jane's tunes reverberated. The tsunami had destroyed everything the village had, and the village required healing, the only source being Jane's piano. The hymns which parishioners ignored were today listened to with empathy in the heart.

But other people didn't matter Jane today. What mattered was he listened. The optics of her magical mind had visualized Jay, the man with Scorpio tattooed hand who listened to her.

Jane's heart was filled with profound happiness and reverence for the man who listened to her tunes as she slowly opened her eyes. Stretching her arms out wide, Jane leaned back and gave a gratifying sigh. She took a few breaths savoring the moment she had encountered. Jane gained something that day; what she gained was unfathomable.

It was a feeling that somebody wanted her to play the piano, and that was so important, so splendid for Jane. She proudly strode out of the church, deciding to herself that she would play for him. She felt he needed the music of her soul.

"How can I feel the vibrations of his heart? Heavens!! I actually visualized him. Whoever he is, I love him." Words poured out, and she hugged herself to contain her feelings. She knew her thinking was surreal, but she knew it was real. It was love.

What must have happened to the soul which had experienced the first vibrations of love? Jay had changed. Everything about him altered. He was teleported to a new world where he could hear the lyric of the universe, the medium being the tunes played by Jane. Each passing day seemed a new beginning in Jay's life. Though the doors of Mehta Villa were closed, he could hear the sounds. Amid the storm, the winds blowing, he could hear the bells ringing. Jay waited for the sounds of the chapel. It became the anchor of his life—the need of his existence. The symphonies coming from the chapel freed him from the vibrations of the incubator. The incubator being the first vibration his skin had sensed; his senses then couldn't recognize human vibrations. They got accustomed to the beats of technology. But now Jay felt disconnected with his opulence lifestyle as he connected to life, all because of the pianist. Steadily, the seed of love thrived in Jay's mind. The charisma of the pianist seduced him, changed him. He trusted her before he saw her. He trusted her more than Alexa. His bodacious virtual world faded as Alexa went off track, mobile kept ringing, messages kept popping but, in such chaos, Jay, the tycoon of Mehta Industries, waited for the sounds of the chapel to peal.

The tsunami had subsided, leaving its deadly aftermath. Trees were uprooted, animals killed, hundreds of people lost their shelter, but miraculously, the loss of life was minimal. The magnitude with which Tsunami waves struck Kodampalli village was relatively less, giving the meteorological department a reason to scratch their heads. They had claimed that the waves would become huge in height which would savagely attack the nearby villages. But some cosmic energy saved the village. Villagers believed it was because of Jane's divine tunes she played on her piano. A girl mocked for her simplicity, a girl who never heard before, suddenly became exceptional. Jane loved every moment of her life. She found solace in serving the needy but what made her extremely happy was that she had a wonderful secret within herself. This little secret of hers re-wrote her life, filling it with felicity. Every day she played the piano, and her closed eyes always visualized Jay standing near her serenely enjoying the music. Her sixth sense told her that he needed her music, and this need of Jay gave Jane immense contentment. She was in love with that Scorpio tattooed man who had once touched her. The incident was unforgettable for Jane, the one which was engraved inside her heart. Jay couldn't get out of Jane's mind. Finally, Jane felt she was remarkable for someone.

That morning, Jay woke up sleeping well and went for a stroll in the garden area. He was enjoying the rendezvous with the tunes of the pianist. Kaka watched Jay smiling at nothing.

"Any reason for this newfound happiness?" Kaka asked.

"Kaka, is there a chapel nearby?" Jay maintained intense eye contact. His alert ears waited for an affirmation.

"Yes," Kaka said.

"A girl plays piano in there?" Jay asked again.

"How do you know the pianist is a girl?"

"Can you hear her tunes? Her notes are so soft and subtle. Only a girl with a kind heart can play such beautiful chords," thousands of butterflies fluttered inside Jay's stomach. He had never said such kind of cosmic stuff.

"Jay Baba!" Kaka grabbed Jay's arm tightly and squeezed his eyes shut. Kaka's shaky voice couldn't explain his wonder.

Smiling, Kaka thought, 'There is a small corner of softness still alive in Jay's heart.'

"Who is she?" Jay asked, disturbing Kaka's joy.

"She is .." Kaka paused as he faintly heard Jay's ringtone.

"I guess your mobile is ringing, Jay Baba," saying this, Kaka went into Jay's room and got the mobile which was frantically ringing.

Jay checked and exclaimed, "Damn! Fifty missed calls from Varun." Varun was Jay's friend cum financial advisor. The surprise which Jay had given Varun was unbelievable, and Varun couldn't restrain himself from calling Jay.

This time Jay answered Varun's call, but without exchanging pleasantries,

Varun blasted, "Jay, you called off the acquisition deal. Man, did you email Prish Banerjee that restructuring is better than acquisition?" His voice was unstable in disbelief.

For about four months, Varun was burning his midnight oil to strategize the best offer Mehta Group would give Prish Banerjee, and unexpectedly, an email appeared from Jay which shattered the enchilada.

"Are you considering restructuring? That too of Prish's company? "Varun asked.

"Yes, Varun. We have to scrap the acquisition deal," Jay affirmed.

"Are you taking cocaine or something? What has happened to you, Jay? Wow, the ruthless Jay Metha talking about restructuring?? Amazing!!"

"Acquisition can't blossom the company."

"My God! Who said this? Yours loving Alexa?" Varun asked mockingly.

"I am saying," Jay answered.

"I am almost fainting. Jay, are you in love?"

"Yes. I think."

"Sensational! Who is the lucky one?"

"I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know?" Varun was quite surprised by Jay's answer.

"Damn! Really, I don't know."

"Well, then you are madly in love," Varun chuckled and disconnected the phone.

"I have to see her," Jay said. Momentarily, Jay forgot everything. He even forgot to breathe and held his breath for few seconds and then released his exhalation quickly. It was an impulsive decision. The yearning to meet his pianist made him bounce off the walls, and, in great urgency, Jay ignited his Audi car and drove towards the chapel. He was a helpless lover, and his only desire was to meet Jane.

Prish Banerjee had yet to see Jay's message as his only focus was to kill Jay. The tsunami had gone, and it was the right time to attack Jay. His men were already on the mission. Jay's car crossed the entrance gate and reached the main road which connected the chapel. The goons were following him on a bike. This time there had to be no mistake. They had to kill Jay. One of the men had a pistol, a silencer pistol. The kill was going to be lethal and soundless, without any uproar. Jay drove along the bumpy road. Debris was all around, but Jay didn't notice the destruction tsunami did to Kodampalli village. He was happy, so everything around him was happy. Nature's wrath had disturbed Jay when he stepped into the village, but the aftermath soothed him. Nothing was important to him, this moment; he just wanted to see Jane. The goons approached Jay's car and observed if anyone was around when a delivery truck arrived in the middle of the road. A clock mounted on the nearby stone wall informed the time as 7.30 a.m., and people gathered around the truck collecting the essentials. Jay halted his car. The goons watched the clock tick down the time, and now it was 8.00 a.m.

Jane walked towards the altar and knelt. It seemed to Jane that her love was walking through darkness, hitting the branches, walking over the debris of Kodampalli village, and then someone would noiselessly hunt him. Jane felt some tenseness in her stomach.

Father Joseph recognized her turbulence.

He patted her and asked, "What's bothering my dear Jane?" She glanced at Father Joseph and then turned her attention to the vintage clock of the church. It was 8.30 a.m.

"What's the matter?" Father asked again.

"That tragedy is giving me happiness. How can I be happy when my village is destroyed?"

Father Joseph gave a serene smile.

"Every happiness has a tragedy, and every tragedy has its happiness. If you are happy, experience the happiness without guilt. We have only a few moments of happiness. If that moment has entered your life, you should savor it. Enjoy it. Live it."

"Father Joseph is right," Jane thought. "I shouldn't think something adverse." She thanked Father Joseph and went near the piano. Somehow, Jane knew her life was about to change.

Jay heard the bells tolling, calling the parishioners for a 9.00 a.m. service. He got hypnotized by the vibrations coming from the chapel and hurried his car towards it. Two goons were getting closer to Jay.

"We have to do it now," one goon said to the other. The trigger was about to get activated, and that very moment, the goons got a message.

It was from Prish Banerjee.

"Abort job immediately." The message stated. Then came the call from the biggie himself.

"Did you succeed?" Prish asked, and a sudden chill ran over his body.

"No, we were just about to …." The goon said.

"Stop. Stop. Don't kill," said Prish. Rolls of perspiration filled over him, and he scrunched himself on his sofa. Prish's eyes were fixed on Jay's mail opened on his laptop.

"He will restructure my company? Gosh! Jay withdrew from the acquisition deal. What has gone in his head?" Prish tilted his head from side to side, wondering the reason behind Jay's cancellation.

"Ok." Came the message from his appointed goons, and Prish felt relaxed. He immediately went to the washroom to release his pressure. Settling back on the sofa with exaggerated casualness, Prish destroyed the SIM of his mobile and gave a dramatic laugh.

"He is certainly not doing business," Prish said.

The vintage clock in the chapel displayed 9.30 a.m., and that moment Jay was standing near Jane, this time in reality. Jane's eyes were closed, but Jay's eyes burned with the desire to touch Jane, and he did touch her. The same way he caressed her when they met each other at the onset of the tsunami. His touch inflamed Jane's senses. She recognized the sensations and opened her eyes. Her eyes saw Jay's tattooed hand as he gripped his fingers tightly on her arms. Both didn't move. They couldn't. Their senses were bolted as they were unable to absorb what was happening to them. They had met, and the feelings experienced were beyond their wildest dreams. The vibrations of love came like lightning, its vibes so strong, they had the power of a nuclear explosion.

Placing her hands on her heart, Jane said, "Heavens! I am dreaming. Isn't it?" Her lips were parted and eyes wide open.

"No, "Jay said while he placed his hands on Jane's piano as if he wanted to feel the texture of the mellifluous instrument.

"Memories of that morning encounter have become my dream, which I picture again and again," Jane said as she leaned forward and reached out to touch Jay's Scorpio tattoo.

"Are you really real?" Jane asked him, but Jay didn't answer as his eyes were sealed at her. Jane went weak at the knees as Jay's piercing gaze was unstoppable. She had to run, and she ran away from him, and Jay followed her. Jane came out of the chapel, panting for breath. Jay caught her hands and said,

"When I heard your piano, everything changed. This virtual cynic changed. You made me change." The hold was firm, suggesting Jane not to move.

"I am not me now. I belong to you—the man with a Scorpio tattoo on his hand. I loved you before we met, with the eyes of my mind," Jane's voice was shaky.

They were babbling in their language, ignorant of each other's encounter with love. They had encountered love but differently. But did it matter? Noting mattered to them. They were in love with each other, and by some cosmic means, they knew it. It was magical. They were magical, and this magic came purely from the vibrations of their soul. Their soul had already met; this moment's meet was just physical.

"You loved me before we met?" Jay asked her. The fragility of Jane touched Jay, and he wanted to say something, but Jay stood in silence. He couldn't speak a single word.

"Yes. The day tsunami struck, I was crying, and you…" Jane couldn't complete as every letter of hers cracked with emotions.

"You!! That was you," Jay's posture stiffened, and the only sensation he could feel was his pounding heart. Everything about Jane was irresistible; the temptation to embrace her seemed unavoidable for Jay as he pulled Jane towards him and embraced her. Their amorous hold suspended everything. The moment was so full of satisfaction that all their desires vanished. They were together and fulfilled in love. In that state of euphoria, where the warmth of their embrace intensified the morning glory, Jay realized he had to go to Mumbai to finish the restructuring deal of Prish's company.

"Will you wait for me? I have some important work to complete," He said as he loosened his embrace.

"I can wait for you till eternity," Jane glanced at Jay and softly closed her eyelids to hide the shyness of her eyes. She gradually opened her eyes and saw the wine-colored Audi parked near the chapel. She subconsciously noticed the car number, and she shrieked.

"Car number KK 09 1974," She murmured in surprise.

"That's my car," Jay replied. Jane stood in silence, staring at the car number. Jay felt a pull towards Jane, a force that he desired to cherish for a lifetime.

"Can we exchange numbers?" The question just slipped from Jay's mouth as he desperately wanted to be connected with Jane.

"Do we need to exchange numbers?" Jane was still staring at the car plate, and then she chuckled. Jane thought her love for Jay had passed her heart and entered the soul. She felt they were one, only inhabited in two bodies. The glory on Jane's face sparked a desire in Jay's heart. He held her hands and comforted Jane's electrifying shivers, then moved his fingers over her face and gently grabbed her cheeks and kissed her. It was a kiss with sensual divinity. Their ecstasy swelled the whole arena, intensely engulfing all souls of Kodampalli village. Father Joseph watched two souls becoming together, and unknowingly, his hands lifted to bless the couple. Jane's brother viewed the couple, and he stood speechless. A feeling of satisfaction radiated from his eyes. Finally, his sister was happy. The kiss had destroyed the perception of Jane as plain Jane, but the vibrations of their love couldn't touch Mary's wicked mind. She couldn't bear their passionate kiss and stomped out of the chapel, her eyes glaring with jealousy. Kaka cleaned Jay's room and beautified it with the freshness of their garden flowers. The spirit of their kiss entered Prish Banerjee's mind, and he who always thought Jay as a nasty guy was now proud of their collaboration.

Jay found it challenging to loosen his armored grip over Jane's face in the mystical aura of romance. With heavy feet, he strolled towards the car when astoundingly he turned back to see Jane. Jane was on a laughing spree. Her heart was overwhelmed by the physics of love. Jane now believed that love was the most vital force of the universe, which vibrated at the highest frequency.

Jay understood her expression.

He walked towards Jane and asked her, "Damn! What's your name?"

"I am Jane," she said as the sparkles of her giggling continued.

"Heavens! What's yours?" she asked Jay.

"Jay," he said, completely marveled at the limitless power of magnetism.

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Everything in life is vibration. When something vibrates, the electrons of the universe resonate with it. Everything is connected. Match the frequency of reality you want and you cannot help but get that reality. It can be no other way. – Albert Einstein

There are two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle. – Albert Einstein