Bharath Kumar

Action Classics Thriller

3  

Bharath Kumar

Action Classics Thriller

Twisted Saga

Twisted Saga

6 mins
162


On a Friday evening, Bheem, a thirty-five-year-old man, along with his wife, Siri and son Shyam left his house to entrain for Banaras. Their agenda for the weekend was to visit various shrines in Banaras to seek the almighty's blessings. On a chilly evening, the uncontrollable wind kept fanning the trio who had the luxury of jackets to save themselves from a cold tsunami. They zoomed through the cab out into the bustling railway station. Many had thronged there breaking all social distancing norms as if covid had been faded into oblivion. The excitement churned out by the crowd scattered positive vibes around. Bheem, being a strict follower of government rules had donned a mask to cover his mouth and nose. The trio was seated on seats placed adjacent to each other expecting the arrival of the train which would transport them to their desired destination. Siri had been a spiritual woman all her life and her illuminated face depicted the excitement it gripped. It's been a year since she visited shrines outside Bangalore thanks to her husband's busy schedule. Finally, her long rather arduous wait was to end with the family making a much-needed trip to Banaras which would not only serve as a breather from stressful work but also would accord them a peaceful weekend. 

Shyam, a seven-year-old kid plopped his chin on the palm of his hand and absorbed the bustling surroundings around him. Siri pulled out dark chocolate from her handbag and handed it over to her son with a curved smile on her fave. Shyam munched on the dark chocolate to satisfy his tastebuds. Amidst the noise around, Bheem was able to fix his firm gaze and mind on the novel in his hand. He had always been an avid reader and had a proclivity toward thriller novels. The mind-numbing thriller stories always managed to grip his mind with undivided attention. Their prolonged wait was interrupted by a huge train that came chugging down the tracks bellowing the smoke with high intensity. All dispersed travellers in the station now united together to hop into the train. Shyam, Bheem and Siri squeezed themselves into their compartments amidst the suffocation caused by a sudden rush of people into the train. Bheem's face broke into a scowl the moment his gaze darted on the tobacco covers. He reprimanded the ones who left the tobacco cover in their berth. Passengers consigned their luggage to the luggage compartments. Shyam seated at the window seat couldn't resist but see the beautiful trees swiping beside him. As usual, Bheem reverted his gaze to the thriller novel at hand and Siri closed her eyes to go deep into the consecrated meditation. 

Time doesn't wait for anyone, does it? It continues to do its work like a professional. With every passing minute, passengers yawned to submit to the demands of slumber. The blissful breeze sang a lullaby to put everyone to sleep. Train Lights lost their interest upon viewing the passengers in sleep mode so they decided to hit slumber as well. After a couple of hours, the train halted to jolt most of the passengers out of their sleep including Shyam but Bheem and Siri had been clung to the powers of slumber. Some repair work materialized to put the stranded train back to mobility. Shyam glanced at his parents who were motionless thanks to slumber, so without their permission hopped off the train. He got enthralled by the beauty manufactured by the sky that he barely noticed the train laded with passengers leave the place. When the reality struck, he was scared to death. The moving train didn't heed his frequent prayers to stop. Its inexorable movement neglected the boy's crying. His parents were completely oblivious to the fate that materialized in the perilous night. The boy crouched on the railway track with irresistible sobs had no idea how to return to their parents. The rasping sounds emanated from the dark atmosphere around fuelled his fear. In the morning, the sun rose to greet the world. Siri, woke up stifling a yawn and ran her fingers beside her but couldn't perceive her son which surged dread within her mind. She quickly woke her husband up who said his son would have gone to the washroom. It was now more than ten minutes but Shyam was nowhere to be found. Panic gripped his parent's hearts who searched through the carriage but to no avail. Dread was palpable on their face and Siri couldn't resist her tears and frequently prayed to God to help her out. 


Squinting at the refulgent sun, a guy in an inebriated state materialized condescending steps in front of Shyam, who shook in terror. He wound his arm around his shoulders and asked him to take a sip of alcohol. The boy pleaded with the drunkard to leave him but the latter refused to show compassion. He slapped the boy and compelled him to take a sip of his bottle. With no option left, Shyam bit his hand and ran as fast as he could to evade the torture of this drunkard. The deception game played by fate seemed to have taken a toll on him as he looked exhausted both physically and mentally. In the wake of her child's absence, Siri grew anxious and she along with her husband ran to the police station to plead with them for help. Some of the passengers passed on the information that the train had been halted for an hour at midnight and perhaps Shyam would have inadvertently departed the train. They had come to Banaras for pilgrimage visits to find some peace in their busy life but now their son's absence breached their peace and induced more pain.

Shyam trudged his way into a nearby restaurant as his stomach growled. He went up to the restaurant owner and asked him to provide some food to which the latter refused. He assumed a robot posture and continued to yell at the little guy which by no means helped to appease his hunger. With scorching heat taking a toll on his body, he collapsed on the pavement. His parents occupied by their son's thoughts found it difficult to pass every single second. The theory of relativity seemed to have applied its theory with each passing second seeming like an hour. They made phone calls to their relatives and their acquaintances to pass on the information. Some of them leaked the news that one of the boys died on a railway track which only exacerbated their already painful mood. Siri collapsed to her knees with tears streaming through her eyes. She had no courage to bear the loss of her son. Bheem tried to console her as he believed the boy was not his son. What they essentially needed at this moment was the news of their son's rescue.

Shyam was laying on the sofa when his consciousness stirred back. A long rifle attached to the wall ahead of him aroused suspicion in his mind. Is he abducted by a terrorist armed with ammunition? Perspiration manufactured on his forehead did not help to mitigate his fears. He scanned the room around to find a place through which he can escape but there was not even a single window drilled into the room. The fallout of his accidental departure from the train stirred up a hornet's nest. His heart dropped to his stomach when the room door opened. He could hear the footsteps of someone authoritatively approaching him. He looked up at the ceiling which had a sword hanging as if it was ready to befall him. Some rough fingers pressed his shoulders which trembled every cell in his body. He doesn't have his parents to piggyback on. An indigenous arm plopped over his shoulder unravelled the ugly face of a beast named Beera.

(To be continued...)


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