Unraveling Sheryl

"Good morning. Dr. Venkat Iyer's Psychiatry Clinic. How may I help you?" The soft tone of the receptionist was perfectly modulated.

"Uhhhh I...Ummm...I would like to meet Dr. Venkat, please. It's urgent." The voice was wobbly. A reluctant element propelled in the vibes of the room.

After some preliminary questions, the receptionist scheduled the appointment at eleven the next morning.

Blueprints of 'Citimall' were all-over Charu's bed as she was still contemplating the scribbled comment of Yuvaan.

'Sub level parking marked UG4 at Citimall can explain the mystery. I must visit the mall. ' Charu said as she collected the scattered blueprints and barged out of the room.

Citimall was located at the heart of Fort Kochi City. The exterior was aesthetic and it certainly had the 'Wow' factor. What surprised Charu was the contour. The outer surface was triangular and it converged into a single step at the top making it look like a pyramid. The outlines were surely allured with Giza pyramids. Charu's car headed straight towards parking level UG4. She saw a restricted area barricade placed at the start of UG4 parking level.

"Madam this parking is not accessible to the customers. " The security staff said as he came running towards her car.

"Why??" Charu asked in surprise.

"I don't know the reason. But you can't park here. Can you park your car at UG 2?" He requested.

"Yes sure." Charu said as she glanced at the parking area. It was not a concrete road. The area of the ground was unevenly paved with grey mastic stones. It was plain and bare. Bare as a barren land. Her naked eyes couldn't gather the slightest clue.

Upset, Charu reached the mall. It was moderately crowded. Charu was strolling on the walkway glancing at every store. The unique name caught her eyes. The shop's name was Sheryl's antique. The shop was filled with miniatures of ancient antiques and monuments of Kochi City. Fort Kochi city was a famous scenic tourist destination. Known as 'The Fabulous Fort Kochi' the city had everything. Tranquil beaches with Chinese fishing nets, St. Francis Church and Mattancherry palace finely exhibiting the Portugal architecture. The hill palace museum and Varghese museum were known for their antique collections. It had silver crowns, chandeliers, blue hued sapphire embodied sword and various period pieces. The miniatures of all the objects of antiquity were kept at Sheryl's antique shop.

As Charu entered the shop she noticed a young saleswoman working on the computer.

"How can I help you?" The saleswoman asked Charu.

"What is this? " Charu inquired looking at the miniature of blue hued sapphire sword.

"This is a miniature of 'Khopesh' an Egyptian sickle sword. The most iconic weapon of ancient Egypt."

"Cost??"

"Only Rs. 500/- . Shall I pack for you? " The saleswoman said glorifying her marketing skills.

"Yes." Charu said instantly.

The saleswoman noted Charu's name in her computer and handed her the bill and the miniature.

"Who's the owner of this shop? " Charu asked curiously.

"Ms. Sheryl Varghese. " The saleswoman replied calmly.

"You know her?" The question came as quick as a flash.

"No madam." She replied.

"Is there any miniature of the famous old villa? You know which had a lake." Charu was kind of interrogating her. The most trivial point could be a big lead to the mystery.

"Villa?????? "She replied as if she had heard the name for the first time.

"Villa with a lake. The end point is now the famous Varghese Museum."

"No Ma'am. Never heard of such villa."

Completely depreciated with the answer, Charu stepped out of the mall and stopped her car at a small vegetable stall. The vendor was an old man.

'He will know about the villa.' Charu thought.

"Muttacchan can you tell me where is the old villa? The villa with a lake." She asked. Her eyes blinking rapidly to get an answer.

"No idea kutti." The old man replied.

"Chechi do you know the villa?" Charu asked a lady sitting besides the old man.

"No ..." Chechi replied .

Charu was on a rampage as she asked every single shop about the villa. But no Amma, no Anna and no Akka knew about the old villa. Charu was unable to fathom out the reason of their ignorance. How is it possible that only Yuvaan's dad knew about the villa? It was her gut feeling that there was a villa with a lake and the real antique sword was buried inside. Somehow she had started believing in her dreams.

Charu sat on the nearby bench with a thud. Her mind started contemplating the mystery.

"As per Uncle Vincent the endpoint of the villa is now the Varghese Museum. I have the Polaroid photo of the villa with the map. Suppose I start from the endpoint of the villa and start going backwards I will reach the start point. The blueprints of the old villa will help me. Yes I have to do this expedition. " Charu was talking to herself. As her overly curious mind was trying to unfold the mystery she heard a faint voice.

"Did you like your shop, Sheryl???? "It sounded like her inner voice. The enigma of Sheryl seemed like a paradox, both true and false at the same time.

"Please go away. Whoever you are." She said aloud as her shivering hands clasped her ears.

Desperately, she called Yuvaan. He didn't answer her phone.

A sudden feeling of defeat crept all over Charu's body. But her invincible determination to explore the old villa made her type a message for Yuvaan.

'Please get me the blueprints of villa. There is a shop named Sheryl's antique in the Citimall. If possible can you get the photo copy of shop license and other legal documents of that shop.

Thanks Charu.'

Tired till the core, Charu went home and dropped herself on the bed. Her eyes were no longer able to hold the weight of the exhaustion. Mechanically, they closed. Her soul drifted towards Uncle Vincent's home. She saw a stranger keeping a close watch at the home. His face was clearly visible to Charu. Tanned skin, round face with protruding eyes, messy curly hair and the black thick mustache made him look quite aggressive.

Charu woke up with vivid images of her dream. A feeling of dizziness migrated in her brain as she pulled her out in reality. It was seven in morning. She checked her mobile.

There was a message from Yuvaan.

'Hi... I have the blueprints of the old villa.

Bye Yuvaan. '

'Good' She thought.

'Meet me at sharp nine near Uncle Vincent's home.' Charu replied his message.

She wanted to check whether her dream was authentic.

After finishing up her mundane routine, Charu drove her car straight to Uncle Vincent's home.

Indeed the dream was authentic. Charu saw the same man monitoring uncle Vincent's home. Quickly she removed her writing pad and started sketching the stranger's face. Charu had an eidetic memory and she was excellent at pencil sketching too. The stranger strolled for sometime and left the place.

Yuvaan entered Charu's car and his sudden entry startled her. He gave the blueprints of the old villa to her in a big brown envelope. Charu narrated the yester events briefly.

Yuvaan was dumbstruck by the dramatic twist of the occurrence.

"Let me see the sketch of that stranger." Yuvaan said tapping his foot impatiently.

Charu looked at her wrist watch. It was 10.30a. m.

" Get off my car immediately. I have to rush. " Charu said as she handed over the sketch to Yuvaan.

"Where??" Yuvaan asked as he bounced out of the car. His eyes incredulously staring at Charu.

But Charu didn't listen and she drove towards Dr. Venkat Iyer's Clinic.

Yuvaan was standing near Uncle Vincent's home hyperventilating. His hands were trembling and so was the sketch. The sketch in his hand was of his father's secretary.

At Dr. Venkat Iyer's Psychiatry Clinic

Time: 11oclock

Charu was sitting with Dr. Venkat in his private counseling room. She was continuously fidgeting with her hair and her eyes refused to keep up a steady contact with Dr. Venkat. Though Charu's mind was wandering rapidly two things were certainly decided by her. One was the villa expedition and other was decoding her dreams.

Dr. Venkat was known for his therapeutic doctor-patient relationship. His empathy for his patients and calm personality added more depth to his profession. He listened to Charu's problem attentively.

"Hmmmmm....." Dr. Venkat said clearing his throat.

"You see Ms. Charu dreams say a lot of the subconscious mind. The sub conscious mind never dies. Its immortal and pervading. Are you ready to interpret your dreams?????? "

"Yes." Charu said giving a resolute gaze to him. It was Charu versus the unknown enemy and she was determined to fight.

Same time somewhere in the interiors of Cairo, Egypt

In a tiny apartment of a brick high-rise building , a man was surfing the list of purchased items from Sheryl's antique shop. As he scrolled through the names he saw one entry as:

Name of the customer: Ms. Charu Oomen.

Item purchased: Khopesh sword

Amount: Rs. 500/-

"Aiwa Aiwa!!!!!!! Yes this is what I want. She is trapped." The man said in glee.