Yearnings of Amber: 1

Sheryl hurried down the mountain slope as fast as she could. One eye on the Geiger counter and the other on the broken muddy trail leading towards the valley. Her research team was supposed to leave Hunter Island the day before yesterday but the unexpected torrential downpour had stalled them. It was a blessing in disguise. They had dug in the cave for 5 days and the flowing rivulets of their sweat had yielded no results. Sheryl herself had scoured the valley and mountains but had found no spike in her Geiger readings. This could mean that they had the wrong location, which meant that the DAE had the wrong information, which meant that things were going to get very bad for some Indian or Vanuatun official, which meant that…….She was again making deductions based on little data. It was her one trait that she found both helpful and exasperating. She would ride her train of thoughts very fast through many stations of deduction but it often meant that she forgot her destination. And now was not the time for this fallacy. The heavy downpour had washed off the loose top-soil from the excavation site and opened up new chambers in the cave. Once the rain stopped, it was decided to survey the new chambers before their ship 'Makranda' left. So, it was decided that 2 members of the team would survey the site one last time, while the rest packed up. No one was willing to slog through the muddy slopes and as always the worst job got delegated to her and Parikshit; the junior-most researchers in the team. To save time and cover maximum ground they had to decide to approach the site from opposite sides.

Sheryl was the first to reach the cave and was almost past the first chamber when she heard Parikshit holler.

'Wait Sherry'.

'It's Sheryl. I have told you a thousand times. Don't test my patience. Pariksha.' she boomed back in reply.

Parikshit ran to catch up with her. 'So it's OK if you call me Pariksha but I can't call you Sherry' he panted.

A raised eyebrow was her only reply.

'But it's alright if Mala calls you Sherry.' Parikshit wiggled his eyes.

The eyebrow remained raised and her nostrils flared up. Parikshit raised his hands in apology.

Sheryl eyed him for a second more and exhaled. "Let's just get this over with and then we can discuss who can call me what".

'Ok Sister'. Parikshit chirped and started waving his Geiger counter around which brought a little smile to Sheryl's face.

It was like watching a drunk do Karate chops. And Parikshit did like to drink, and when he got drunk, he ogled guys and that was why he was nick-named Pariksha because it was the effeminate version of his name and also because……. 'Stop! Sheryl' she berated herself.  'Work now, think later'.

They worked in silence waving their arms around like an orchestra conductor. The only sound being the steady ping-ping of their Geiger counters.

'Sheryl.' Parikshit broke the silence.

'Hmm.'

'You should talk to Mala about how you feel. It will take at least a week to reach Kochi. You will have ample time during the Voyage'. He spoke, his hands moving in rhythm to his words.

Sheryl turned around to face him but did not answer.

'Look, Sherry. You know how it is back in India. People like us and our relationships...' He paused as if deciding how to put across the idea. 'Let's just say that our relationships are not well accepted. Who knows whether you will even see her again or whether the Captain will even allow her to meet you.' pleaded Parikshit.

'Yes, his scrunched nose has not smoothened from the time we set foot on his ship' replied Sheryl shaking her head.

'Yup! He frowns at his crew if they so much as blink in the direction of Mala. He frowns at other guys from our team. He evens frowns at me…at me'. Parikshit gestured towards himself with both hands.

Sheryl laughed at this and said, 'I don't want her to get in any trouble with his highness Captain of the Makranda, the great grumpy one'.

'Yeah, and you had to go and like her' teased Parikshit.

'What, at least, I don't go after crusty old sailors'.

'Hey! Cried out Parikshit in mock indignation. 'You have your choices, I have mine. Ok. I will tell you a secret. Margarita flowers are Mala's favorite and I know where to find them.' He shook his hand beckoning her answer.

'Get me the flowers and then we will see' smiled Sheryl.

'Absolutely sister' beamed Parikshit.

They had moved to the last chamber of the cave. Water was draining through the far end of the cave. On instinct, Sheryl moved towards it and the pings of her Geiger counter increased in volume. As she moved forward, the pings increased in frequency, finally becoming one loud tone. She looked back with triumph at Parikshit and whooped.

'We found it….' and the natural culvert through which the water was draining fell apart beneath her feet. She half fell, half slid down the slope finally tumbling into a shallow lake. Sheryl flopped around a bit as the water entered her nostrils but then realized, she could stand as the water was only waist-deep. She found herself in a football field sized cavern twinkling with the iridescent glow of the amber crystals embedded in the many rock pillars that held up the ceiling. They had found the source of the radiation. She was soaking wet and it was as if the water had washed away her muddy thoughts as well. She would take the Margaritas and would talk to Mala.

'Are you all right' hollered Parikshit through the upper chamber?

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'Are you all right? Madam? Sheryl Madam?'

'Parikshit never calls me Madam', thought Sheryl. As soon as she became aware of this fact. Her subconscious pulled her out of the speeding train of past memories and deposited her in the here and now. Standing in front of the desk of the proprietor of the antique shop attached to the library.

'Madam?' he asked again with a frown.

Sheryl sank down a little as if deflating. Senthil her long-time servant touched her shoulder lightly. She looked at him and nodded. Senthil pulled a chair along and helped her down then asked the proprietor.

'Madam is asking if the books she gave you for sale are still here?'.

The gnarled old proprietor pinched his face as if the question stank, raised a finger, and went back inside. He returned with a box and said, 'This is the only thing unsold. Nobody wants it and nobody knows what it is'.

Sheryl stretched out her hand and Senthil scooped up the box and gave it to her, before the proprietor even realized what had happened.

'Do you have any idea who took the books? Croaked Sheryl.

'No.'

'Do you keep any records?'

'Yes, but only of valuable things, those were just old novels.' Proprietor answered in clipped sentences.

'Can you remember anything' Sheryl asked hoping.

'You are wasting my time and I already paid you for the books'. There was a hint of anger in the proprietor's voice.

'Lower your voice and mind your manner' Senthil growled. The proprietor looked at Senthil as if seeing him for the first time. Although Senthil was approaching his sixties, people often mistook him for being in his late forties. He had spent his youth working on ships which had given him some hard years and rough scars but he was reaping the benefits now. It was as if the sun had baked his body wringing out all the youth. His body had gleefully accepted the premature aging to the point that it could not age anymore. Even if he lived to be a hundred his body would not change much. He was like an old bull, no longer fast, but strong enough to gore anybody caught between his horns.

The proprietor was old and realized the signs of controlled violence in Senthil. He raised both hands and moved back a little.

'Let it be Senthil Kaka, let us go'. Sheryl replied and got up with a groan.

'The box. You haven't paid back….' Senthil's glare cut off the rest of the proprietor's voice.

As they got into the car. Senthil said, 'Babi, you should have asked me. I would have searched the books and other items for anything important before giving them for resale. You don't listen to me.' He only called her Babi, when he was worried about her.

Sheryl grunted in reply. Her condition was worsening and it was now affecting her mind as well. It was like there was a fog over her mind. Somedays it cleared enough that she could see long and far in her thoughts and somedays it got so dense that she could barely cling to one thought. Like the day, she spent cleaning all of the old framed pictures or like the day she decided to sell all her old junk or….

'Babi' asked Senthil 'What was in the books maybe I can ask around.'

'No, it doesn't matter anymore, Kaka. I doubt anyone will know what it means'.

'Hunter?' asked Senthil in low voice.

Sheryl just nodded.

'Should we inform the Marshall'?

'No. Kaka. I have had enough. Enough of deaths and suffering.' Sheryl said.

 'What is in the box?' Senthil asked again.

'Memories Kaka, the only things I have left.'

Sheryl opened the box and took out the Geiger counter and cradled it like a baby.

She was quiet the whole drive back. The silence punctuated only by her sniffs.