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Srinivas Cv

Drama Crime Thriller

4.4  

Srinivas Cv

Drama Crime Thriller

Karma

Karma

10 mins
1.4K


The door was open

The time was 5:30 AM, and Ramu was on his way to work. It was his daily ritual to stop at the village Amman temple. Until a few months ago he would get the darshan of the Amman. After the temple authorities installed a door, he could not anymore. A few days, he waited for the door to open and got delayed reaching work. That morning, however, he was hoping for the temple to be open. It was a big day at work, and he needed the blessings of Amman. He was lost in these thoughts when he remembered the legends his father used to tell him about the Amman temple.


"This temple never had any door", said Ramu's Dad.

Ramu, who was busy nibbling on the Prasadam, just nodded an "Okay" without much excitement.

"Amman has more than 2 kilos of jewellery, still the temple has no doors. You know what the icing on the cake is, never once had there been any theft."

For Ramu, who was a kid at that time, all this meant nothing. He came to temple for Prasadam. So whatever his father said did not register as a big thing then.

That day, he started thinking about what changed.


A few more mins of drive and he reached the corner of the temple street. The temple started to come into view. Travelling a little further, he noticed a crowd. He was confused as to why there was a crowd. It was not a festival season for the temple too. On seeing a host of people got him excited, he wished the temple door to be open. His wish came true but not the way he expected.


The beginning


Ravi had completed his first year in Chennai, successfully. His father was initially worried about how will Ravi manage by himself in a city. Proving him wrong, Ravi fared well. He was doing his job well, got to know the city well, brought himself a bike. Learnt directions to travel around the city. If anyone from the village saw him, they would be struggling to identify him. He changed himself so much to adapt to the city. The change was not the way he dresses, or in the way he treats people. The change has come in the form of confidence and the strength he showed. The character, however, retained all the good he got from his upbringing.


That day was an exciting day for Ravi. His father, after a lot of persuasions, decided to come to Chennai. Ravi was on his way to pick his father from the bus station. Even excited, he was driving moderate speeds. The road was not new to Ravi. But he never travelled this way that late. The road was dark, and the only light was coming from his bike. He became more cautious, and he slowed down further.


Slowing down, created doubt in his mind about the time. Taking his hand off from the bike, he checked his watch. There was enough time for him to reach the station. He turned his eyes back on the road that was when he noticed a big rock in the middle of the road. He tried to steer his way out, but it was too late. His bike hit the rock, and Ravi was lying unconscious on the road, in a pool of blood.


The butterfly flap


Rangaiah had trouble making ends meet. It was not the case a few years ago. He was the sole carpenter in the village, and there was enough work for him. Then one day the village people heard of plastic. That day on, there were no wooden chairs, wooden tables or anything that needed a carpenter. From that day, Rangaiah's life took a turn for the worst. Now his work was limited to managing any repairs of the temple chariot and temple furniture.


But, that day's troubles were different. He arranged for his daughter's marriage. Which meant he needed a lot of money. Which in turn, meant he needed a big job. He started thinking about what to do, but he did not find any way to get a job. He took the last resort he had. Immediately he discussed with his wife and decided to sell his house. He was happy finding a way out, but the daughter who learnt this was in tears. She cannot ask his father to stop the marriage. She went to the Amman temple and cried her heart out.


The next morning Rangaiah went to the village sarpanch to sell his house. Seeing Rangaiah, the sarpanch said, "I was about to send someone for you. As if sent by Amman herself, you are here already."

"What work does the sarpanch have with a small man like me?" asked Rangaiah.

"You have to make a door for the Amman temple."

"Are you joking with me?"

"Why will I joke with you?"

"In the last 600 years, that temple had no door. Now you want me to make a door. How else can I infer that?" asked Rangaiah.

"It was an order from the government. There have been many robberies in the temples, and the government wants us to make a door immediately. "

"But...", Rangaiah was doubtful. He believed in the temple legend, which said, the temple can never have a door. But, a door, for such a big temple meant it could fix all his financial problems. He, however, quickly regretted the idea. Money might come and go, but Amman is bigger than any of this. Trying to make money by going against temple legend was a bad omen. H

"The government gave a big budget for it. We have no other way but to do it", said the sarpanch.


A few months went by.

"I am sorry for my greed. All my ancestors were working for the temple. If they ever knew I made this door, they will hate me. I beg for your mercy. Now I leave my fate and the door's fate in your hands." said Rangaiah to Amman while installing the door.


Rangaiah's daughter got married early the next morning. As soon as the marriage was over, it was the ritual to go to Amman temple and take Amman's blessings. They did the same but had to wait till the temple doors were open. Rangaiah was disappointed with himself and his door, but the daughter was not. She can wait for the door to open, but she cannot see her father without a roof on his head at that old age.


The waves


Sunder was an anxious man that day. It had been more than a month he was away from home. He had been driving the lorry no-stop to make some money. His son got selected in NEET, and Sunder needed all the trips he could take to pay his son's initial expenses to get into college. But that day's anxiousness had a different edge. It was to do with life before his wife came into his life. That time he was a robber. His robbery gang had a violent man, Billa. Wherever they were robbing, the man used to kill men and rape women. Sunder and the robbery gang members tried to stop him, but he did not listen to them. He was physically well built too, which made things harder. Sunder's wife learnt of this and asked Sunder to stop this. She said she was to leave him otherwise. Sunder knew very well she was the best thing that happened to him. So, Sunder agreed with his wife.


He turned to an honest job of driving a lorry. Many days later, Sunder got a call from the police. They caught the robbery gang and Billa. On enquiring and probing, the name of Sunder came out as one of the gang members. Sunder revealed to the officer how he was one a member, and now a changed man. He also showed where the officers could recover all the robbed money. Learning of this Sunder's wife too came to his rescue. She told the officers how Sunder was a changed man. She begged the police officer to let her husband go. The police officer on listening to both Sunder and his wife agreed but under one condition. Sunder had to give a testimony against the Billa. Sunder agreed to give testimony on all the cases where he was a witness. With Sunder's testimony, the judge gave Billa a double life term in jail.


That day Billa's life term was over, and he was coming to the village. So, Sunder was worried that Billa was going to kill him. Finishing his lunch and a tea Sunder walked to his lorry opened the door and stepped into his driver seat. Looking for his helper, Sunder noticed all his nightmares coming true. Sunder saw Billa sitting in his lorry with a machete in hand.


The disturbance


John was disappointed with himself. It was a new feeling for him. He remembers his parents being disappointed by him, his teachers disappointed by him. It was not for lack of trying. He tried everything to make them happy. Went to prayers, tried to follow the teachings. But the mind wanted what it wanted, quick money and a quarter of rum at night. The parents tried all there life but died disappointed. Even after their death, he continued doing the same with the property left for him. The properties drained away in his bad habits very soon. Even then, he had not felt disappointed with himself. Odd jobs here and there and the money made spent on liquor killed all the brain cells.


As time went by and the youth was gone. With no skills or physical prowess, the money was not coming. Then came the darkest days of existence. He got attracted to criminal behaviour. One night sleeping on the road, he noticed an accident. A drunk guy had an accident on his bike. An ambulance came, and the biker taken to hospital. But what John only noticed, was a purse full of money, that slipped off from the biker's pocket. From that day on, he was waiting in that corner for an accident. After waiting for a week and no accidents, he took things into his hand. He found a dark corner on the road where there was less visibility. He then picked a big rock to place in the middle of the road. The drivers surprised got into accidents. From that day, it turned to a ritual whenever he wanted money.


His disappointment that day was when he found Ravi's purse with 20,000 rupees. He was disappointed that he did not found this way long back.


It Strikes


John, once he had money, moved out of the city. That way, he kept himself safe from the police. He travelled for months in small villages. That night he got into a bus to go to one more unknown location. He found a seat on the bus and occupied it. He was drunk, and he slept soon. The bus got crowded before it started. A half-hour went by before the conductor came to ask for tickets. John was searching for his money, it was not to be found. He thought somebody stole his money and started shouting at everyone. The people around him were disgusted by the drunken smell coming from him. The conductor asked the bus to be stopped and threw John out of the bus. John had very little conscious, he was shouting at the bus that was passing by. What he did not notice in this confusion was the lorry that was coming from the other side. The lorry of Sunder, rammed into John, and dragged him and went further and stopped after breaking the Amman's temple door.


The end

Ramu who was coming to the temple noticed the broken door. He drove urgently to reach the temple and find out what happened. Rangaiah was there with tear-filled eyes. The door was not there anymore. If asked again, he will not be the one to fix it. Ramu noticed Sunder, who was explaining the accident to the police. Billa to kill Sunder waved his machete, to escape Sunder moved and lost his control. Lorry turned to kill John and broke the door of the temple. Sunder did not notice in the confusion the machete killed Billa. Ramu, walking a little further saw Ravi, who came to the village after the accident. Ravi was lucky, he woke up the next day in the hospital. Ravi's father brought Ravi to stay at home for a few weeks. Ravi told Ramu how he was fortunate, be walking after that big an accident. But what Ramu could not believe was, Ravi, telling him that he found the purse he lost in the city, here at the temple premises.


P.S: Ravi's father kept thinking he was the reason that his son had to face this bad Karma(accident). If he had not been to the city, he would have not had an accident. But Ravi told his father, Karma or not, I cannot tell you. If I had not checked the time, I would have had a chance to control. If I had not forgotten my helmet, the accident would not have been that serious.


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