PARALLELS- CHARU AND SHERYL

SHERYL VARGHESE

TIME: 11oclock NIGHT

NEAR MUSEUM

The eerie stillness of that inky night had a disturbing ambience. She tried to clear the phantom of Sheryl from her mind but the ubiquitous existence continued to haunt Charu.

"You are Sheryl Varghese. The all-pervading soul of this infinite universe." The echo of the hoarse voice was hardly perceptible. But it was lingering in the mystic air of that fuliginous night. The chill bumps of fear ran down through her spine. A mysterious occult transported her to another world.

"Yes I am Sheryl Varghese. Surely, the blue hued sapphire antique sword is unearthed somewhere around the old villa. Submerged inside the gigantic lake across the villa. " She said. The basis for this belief was her subjective impression about her dream last night.

The impact of Sheryl's oneness made her enormously powerful. She mutated into a girl who believed in her dreams.

Sheryl left the car near the museum and walked towards her home. Sheryl had to walk in her home secretly, take the Polaroid photo of the villa with the map and walk out again. She reached home and tried the doorknob. It was locked. She took her hair pin and clothed it with her soft handkerchief and opened the knob. The house had a deserted silence.

"Appa must be sleeping. Hope the nurse is having a good sleep too." She murmured.

Sheryl took a deep breath and went upstairs towards her bedroom. She reached out for the Polaroid photo and stuffed it inside her sling bag. She had to get out of her house quickly. With her heart pounding wildly she reached the backyard of her home. She dumped the shovel, spading fork and spade tool in a plastic bag and jumped out from the main gate.

"Come on Sheryl." She said as she hurriedly ran away from the vicinity.

Sheryl was going to follow the route mentioned in the map. She didn't need Yuvaan and neither needed the blueprints of the villa. She was Sheryl. Sheryl Varghese. The images of the villa and the dried lake were still vivid in her memories. She knew the exact location of the antique Egyptian sword.

Step one was to reach the starting place to begin the route. Sheryl studied the map and located the old Shiva temple. She activated the GPS on her mobile and reached the temple quite easily. The map en route was almost obsolete as the Fort Kochi City saw dramatic modern changes. But the traditional landmarks were still existing. That was enough for Sheryl to decode the route on the map. The map displayed an old mangrove island at confluence of the gigantic lake.

"This is the famous Kollam inland island," Sheryl whispered. She followed the directions of the map and reached the Kollam island. It was a beautiful bushy old mangrove island. The shrubs with many tangled roots above the ground depicted the picture of a maze.

Junction of the island had a spectacular area of bare land scattered with small thick bushes.

"Yes this area is the lake which dried up." She said to herself. The area was about half a hectare but Sheryl knew where to dig.

With a mighty thump she blew her spade down on the ground and started digging it. She dug with tremendous power exerting supreme force. The power was beyond the imagination of human mind. Few hours later Sheryl's eyes sparkled with the gleam of the violet light.

Though covered with soil it illuminated the area. Sheryl picked the sword and wiped off the soil sprinkled on it.

The sword sparkled like a shining star. It was authentic with the code engraved artistically.

A rustle in the bush prompted Sheryl that someone was watching her.

"Who is it?" Sheryl asked paranoid. She saw a faint image of a tall man with a wrinkled face emerging from the bushes.

"Vincent........ You crooked man. You are following me." Sheryl said. Her voice was hoarse and spooky.

Uncle Vincent gazed at her in terror. Her eyes radiated supernatural energy engulfed in a demonic possession.

"Vincent you are the real culprit. I will not allow you to do illicit smuggling. You killed me and now I will kill you . You are going to die." Sheryl continued as she started moving towards Uncle Vincent.

Uncle Vincent tried to grab the sword but Sheryl's grip on the sword was too powerful. She jerked Uncle Vincent's hand and started running wildly inside the mangroves.

Uncle Vincent ran after her and they both vanished in the dense mangroves of Kollam island.

CHARU OOMEN

TIME: 7oclock MORNING

SOMEWHERE IN THE INTERIORS OF KOLLAM MANGROVES

" Is she your daughter?" The police officer asked Mr. Mani Oomen.

"Yes." Mr. Mani said with trembling chin. He was in a state of denial.

Charu was lying unconscious. She was badly bruised. A bullet had brushed her left arm and she was wounded. There was no sword in her hand.

Grief stricken Mani Oomen took her home. The cozy linens of Charu's bed made her breathing easier. She was awake silently staring at the ceiling fan. Dr. Menon had done the first aid on the injured arm and informed Mr. Mani that it was much better. There was no temperature and her pulse was normal. The bruises were going to take time heal. But ameliorating her wounds inside was difficult.

"How are you feeling my child?" Mr. Mani asked with concern as he ran his hands lovingly over Charu's head.

"Appa I was at the museum then how did I land in the mangroves? "Charu asked as her voice stammered.

"The same question is bothering me. Do you remember what happened at the museum?" He asked.

"Last thing I remember is the gate of the museum. I .....I was in my car and I heard this weird echo ....Where is my car?????? " She said as her eyes danced everywhere. The situation was quite overwhelming for Charu.

"What echo?" Dr. Menon asked. He was analyzing Charu minutely.

"An echo that I am Sheryl Varghese. " Charu replied moving her eyebrows together. There was some prickly sensation in her head as her emotions exhausted her.

"Do you think you are Sheryl Varghese ?" Dr. Menon asked.

"Yes sometimes. "Charu replied calmly.

" Never heard of this name." Mr. Mani Oomen narrowed his eyes in incredulity.

"Let's talk outside. ". Dr. Menon guided Mr. Mani Oomen out of the room. The same moment Yuvaan came to meet Charu. He sat besides her with a thoughtful expression on his face.

"What's the matter?" Charu asked.

"The area near Kollam mangroves is dug by some unknown person. Police are investigating the case. " Yuvaan gave her the information.

"O so why are you worried?" Charu was not able to understand the connection.

"Two things are worrying me. The enormous speed with which the area was digged is far off from the scale of reality. Secondly you were found semiconscious in the Kollam mangroves. " He said gasping for breath. To pacify Charu from the trauma Yuvaan took her weak hands close to his body. Charu's hands were dry and rough. With a sudden jerk he leaned away from her. Excusing himself he quickly rose and went out of her room.

Yuvaan's factual disturbed Charu. She was desperate to vent out her feelings. She took her diary and started scribbling :

This dark night of my soul

Drifts me in an unknown world

Where I feel betrayed

As I am broken and split

In the darkness of night

Where the mystery unfolds

BUT

When the sun rises in the sky

The mystery folds again

Making me cry out wide

Who am I ??

Am I the disguise of a deceptive night?

OR

A candid transparent morning sky

Tell me God

Who am I ??

Who am I ??

Charu knelt and sobbed in pain. It was the pain of her lost identity.

Dr. Menon was contemplating Charu's symptoms. He was strolling in the backyard with Mr. Mani Oomen.

"Maybe a case of split personality disorder." He said to Mr. Mani Oomen.

"My child....." Mr. Mani Oomen cried in pain and collapsed on the garden bench. Dr. Menon gave him a sympathetic pat on his back.

"She is experiencing two personalities. Charu and Sheryl. They are having their own self - identities and views." Dr. Menon threw some light on the subject.

"Please cure her doctor. " Mani Oomen pleaded.

" She has hidden something deep inside her heart. It is usually immobilized. But when her parallel gets activated it creates havoc. Sheryl is Charu's parallel."

Sheryl was coexisting with Charu. This coexistence was dangerous but for the beastly Uncle Vincent.

The clandestine basement of Uncle Vincent's home was switched on. It was stocked with various period pieces and antiques. He was relishing possession of the original antique Egyptian sword. He held the sword in his hand and laughed wickedly .

"Well done Charu.... oops sorry.... Well done Sheryl Varghese. " Uncle Vincent said with a booming laugh.