The Mysterious Maiden

The phone beeped twice in rapid succession. It was about 1.15am and I had just retired to bed. I rubbed my eyes and swiped my screen lock to see a notification from Facebook Messenger.

The message read, “Hi! Awake?”

I was furious, yet inquisitive about this baffling girl who texted me mostly after I had just retired to bed. I slept at a different hour each night, yet somehow her texts always came in close proximity to my retire time. Who was she? What was she up to? She claimed to be from a junior batch at my college, yet she wouldn’t disclose her identity for some bizarre reason. I believed her, because of the petty descriptions she gave about me and my day at college; which was impossible for any outsider to know. She had named herself “Saloni Dutta” on Facebook and declared herself to be from Information Technology, 1st Year. However, there was no Saloni Dutta in the entire college at that time. I knew she was around me at college; probably watching me from a distance, but was somehow either afraid or reluctant to face me.

I replied back, “Speak up!”

“How are you?” She was very quick to reply back.

“Fine. What is it?”

“What are you doing now?”

I was infuriated by such lame, pointless questions which otherwise revealed that she ‘just’ wanted to talk to me, either because she wasn’t sleepy or she had nothing else to do. I did not even know who she was; leave alone considering her as a friend of mine!

“See, Saloni or whoever you are! If you want to talk to me come out of the fake profile you have created on Facebook. Else, please end the groundless discussion here.”

“I just want to be your friend!”

“What’s the problem in revealing your true self?”

“You won’t like me or talk to me after that!”

“Who are you? And why do you even think like that?” I asked her.

There was no reply and I went back to bed.

I was in my 3rd year at that time and a very popular boy at college. Almost everybody knew and admired me. Next day, I thought of taking up the subject seriously with my friends at college. To my utter surprise, I found out that this unidentified creature “Saloni Dutta” had sent a friend request to almost all my friends and chatted with them at least once! She had 44 mutual friends! The only marking difference was that I was the one whom she asked for friendship and texted the most.

I credited my popularity for the statistics and ignored her considering her just as another fan-follower of mine. But, my friends were really savage! They spread it out like wildfire, and within an hour or so the entire college knew about me receiving secret texts from a secret girl each night. Every second person began teasing me by Saloni’s name.

Inter-college tech fest was approaching and I was the President of the Tech-Club. Every evening, back home Jai, Kamal, Myra and I would join a Facebook group chat to discuss and finalize the event rules and other imperative stuff. They were my close friends and so the so-called “Tech-Fest Discussion” group had more of other topics than just tech-fest! That night the conversation started with the hot topic of the day ‘Saloni’.

I was fed up with this mockery by now, so I cooked up something to end the matter then and there; forever! I told them that I already have a girlfriend and getting teased by Saloni’s name really doesn’t concern me in any way! I thought that this anecdote of mine would certainly divert their mind from Saloni.

“Girlfriend? You never told us!” exclaimed Jai.

“Photograph please!” Was Kamal’s comment.

“Oh, so Aryan’s the Dark Horse! What’s her name?” Myra asked.

I was contented that the ‘Saloni’ craze was now gone. Since Myra and I were taking care of the common events at Tech-Fest, we would join a personal chat after Jai and Kamal were gone.

That night, Myra was much more excited than me! She was generally very serious while discussing the Tech-Fest issues, but that night she kept on asking me about my girlfriend and insisted on me telling her our love story! I cooked up a story and told her that she is from my hometown in Siliguri and we were childhood friends.

“I can’t believe that you too have a girlfriend!” Myra said.

“What’s so impossible about it?”

“Because you are so stern, so aggressive…You rarely smile. I can imagine you having fun with a lot of friends but not a girlfriend! There’s some kind of softness required to be and fall in love… and you are so harsh in your words and actions!”

“The point is…” I replied.

“What?”

“I have a girlfriend!”

“That’s great! I am so happy for you, but still can’t believe it!”

I closed the Messenger app and was about to switch off the tube-light. The phone beeped. Good! You have guessed it right! It was Saloni.

“Hi. I am sorry; people teased you by my name. But trust me, I didn’t tell anyone that I chatted secretly with you every night. I really do not know how people got to know.”

“I told them. It’s ok. I have a girlfriend so these things do not affect me.”

“Sorry, again!”

This was her last text and she disappeared and de-activated her Facebook account.

Days progressed. I almost forgot about Saloni. The tech-fest was nearing and we were having frequent conversations in the “Tech-Fest Discussion” group, followed by a personal chat with Myra. Never realized how hours turned into days, and days flowed into weeks and months. Sleepless nights, hungry stomachs, a tired body and timeline pressures tortured us for about six weeks. Yet, we were actually having fun and perhaps making lifetime memories. The tech-fest was very successful and we owed the credits to ourselves, and to the months of our hard work. Life seemed to have come to a standstill after the fest was over – monotonous, weary and dreamy! No more everyday hustle bustle, no last-minute preparations and heated discussions, no more late night group chats! I was missing every moment of the tech-fest preparations.

Since the semester exams were nearing, I thought of having a look at my indecipherable syllabus, else I would fail! As I flipped through the pages of “Microprocessors and Microcontrollers”, my phone beeped, two-times. To my absolute surprise, it was Saloni. She re-appeared after two months!

“Hi! How are you?”

“I am fine. Why did you de-activate your account?”

“I was afraid and guilty at the same time”

“Of what?”

“I put you down that day and thought I should go away from your life, forever!”

“It’s alright! It has been long since that episode. How are you?”

There was silence for a couple of minutes which made me wonder what she was up to.

“What happened?” I texted her again.

“I am glad that you asked about me. Will you be my friend?”

I thought of being soft on her this time. “See, I would love to be your friend! But I need to know you more. Tell me more about yourself.”

Saloni replied, “You would not even reply to me if I tell you my real name!”

“Speak up!”

My body temperature increased by a few degrees when Saloni asked this to me, “Did you miss me from the time I last texted you?”

While I was talking to her, Myra pinged me. “Hey, Dark Horse! Tech-fest is over…Still the late night chats? Girlfriend?”

“No. Talking to Saloni!” I replied to Myra.

“Saloni? Is she back?” Myra asked.

“Yes! She is. And I really need to find out who she is!”

“Why? What happened? Anything serious?” Myra wanted to know.

I was not able to keep pace with the messages sent by the two ladies, so I ignored Myra’s messages momentarily.

I got back to Saloni. Did I miss her? Certainly, NO! But yes, sometimes her disappearance did bother me. Well, I couldn’t let her know that of course!

“What kind of question is this Saloni?” I asked.

Saloni: “Sorry, just wanted to know.”

Aryan: “Do you know I have a girlfriend?”

Saloni: “Yes, I know.”

Aryan: “In spite of that you are trying to hit on me?”

Saloni: “I like you. I just want to be your friend. Maybe, if I could just be your best friend!”

Aryan: “I have a best friend – that is Myra! And sorry, I cannot be friends with you unless you come out of your veil.”

Saloni: “Myra is your best friend?”

Aryan: “Yes she is!”

Saloni: “You like her?”

Aryan: “Of course, she is my best friend!”

Saloni: “Is she your girlfriend?”

Aryan: “No, she is not. She is just my best friend!”

Saloni: “Does she love you?”

Aryan: “Why will she? I mean…I am already in a relationship!”

Saloni: “Is she in a relationship?”

Aryan: “I don’t know...really!”

Saloni: “But you must know, she is your best friend!

Aryan: “What do you want?”

Saloni: “I think I have fallen in love with you…”

Aryan: “What???”

She disappeared. I was really curious about this girl now.

Myra texted me again, “Aryan, Saloni sent me a friend request.”

“What!” I exclaimed in surprise.

“Yes.”

“I just told her about you,” I said.

“What did you tell her?”

“That’s not important! Can you do me a favour? Chat with her… and see what she has got to say. She is mysterious, yet I can’t just ignore her. She wants to be my friend.”

“What’s the harm?”

“I don’t know her!”

“Ok. Let me see.”

Ten Minutes went by. My heart was unexplainably beating fast. Myra didn’t reply; nor did Saloni.

I texted Myra, “What happened?”

“Wait…still chatting with her.”

After 5 minutes, Myra replied back, “I feel she likes you.”

“I want to get rid of her!” I replied. But somewhere deep inside, I wanted to know who she was and why she was hiding her identity.

“It’s ok. No harm in being friends. Right? Talk to her!”

“Myra, can you please do me another favour?”

“Sure.”

“[e-mail] ; Password : Aryan*2013”

“What is this?”

“My Facebook credentials. Please chat with her. I can’t handle it anymore!”

“Are you mad? You can’t give me your credentials this way!”

“Please…”

“No...I am not logging in to your account anyway!” Myra replied.

I ended the day and went back to bed. When I woke up, there was a Facebook notification for an unidentified sign in. I knew it must have been Myra. She had logged on to my account but strangely didn’t chat with Saloni. Then, what did she do?

From then on, chatting with Myra had become a regular affair. Saloni used to pop up on certain days with her same unintelligent questions as to if I would be her friend. She even disclosed her feelings for me occasionally and I used to imagine her either as a part of a fairy tale or as a young lady suffering from a psychiatric disorder. But honestly, I mostly ignored her. I enjoyed chatting with Myra. 9.30pm-10.30pm was the time when she used to ping me daily and we laughed together, teased each other, played online games and spoke about Saloni’s mystery. I used to impatiently wait for her to text me, but I would generally not be the first to text as I am an egoistic man. I was slowly getting addicted to chatting with her. No, I didn’t fall in love with her! I just enjoyed talking to her. Seldom, she used to ask me about my girlfriend, and I cooked up one story or the other to quench her queries. Finally, I ran out of stories; and so master-pieced one final weapon which I felt would rule out my girlfriend episode forever. I told Myra that I had broken up with her. I thought that would be the end of the topic.

But no, Myra wouldn’t stop. She became more agitated than ever. She started giving me ideas and ways to implement in my relationship to bring her back. When all her efforts went in vain, she finally had a heated argument with me and stopped talking to me.

I was missing Myra badly. And that day, when Saloni appeared with her same, old, lame, silly questions; I did not want to be rude to her.

“Will you be my friend?”

“Yes, I will,” I answered.

Saloni was surprised. She couldn’t believe that I had finally said yes to her proposal.

“Really? I mean how…?”

“I like your dedication. In spite of me being rough with you, you still want to be friends with me. So...”

“I am so happy today…”

“But Saloni, tell me who you are. I promise I will keep this little secret between us.”

“You won’t talk to me ever again after I tell you who I am.”

“No Saloni. It’s not like that. I promise our friendship will be stronger after you reveal yourself. I can’t promise love to you but will surely be friends. Anyway, take your time. I will wait for you.”

I was very agitated the next day. I felt a deep inner bliss - an overwhelming ecstasy! Everything around me emerged explicitly elegant – the silver sky, the puddled roads, and even the frog’s croaks. My senses were elevated and I was simply silently smiling at no picky reason. I realized that I have fallen in love – but with whom? Saloni or Myra? Saloni clearly loved me. She was veiled, but devoted; mysterious, yet innocent. And Myra was an embodiment of purity with intellect. She was the college topper, a self-confident lady with hoards of talent in her. I truly admired her, maybe loved her as well. But, I didn’t know if she loved me back. I actually had fallen in love with both the ladies. I wish I could combine the qualities of both the angels and create a third one for myself. I was utterly perplexed that day. Myra was right, I have always played the harsher role; I never knew that I too was soft inside and could be melted by women. Who was the one melting me? The mysterious maiden or my fabulous friend?

That night, I was confused on whom to text, Myra or Saloni? I wanted to talk, speak my heart and lungs out; but to whom? Myra was angry with me as I had denied her repeated requests to get back to my girlfriend. And, Saloni? What would I say to her? How could I tell her my feelings and perplexity directly?

I was in the midst of such thoughts when my phone beeped. I knew by the sound that it was not a messenger notification. It was an e-mail from Myra with the title, 'Sorry, Aryan!' My joy knew no bounds. I thought she had finally subdued her anger and forgotten about the fight we had. But strangely, the e-mail had a word document attached. I downloaded and tried to open it. It was password protected.

“What is it, Myra?”

“I want to tell you something. I am afraid of losing you after that. I am afraid that you won’t be my friend anymore!”

“You are speaking like Saloni now...Ha...Ha...Are all women the same and afraid of losing a friend?”

“I don’t know. But I am really scared.”

“I promise our friendship will be stronger after I read the document…!!”

“Alright then…The password is…”

“Is?”

There was silence for five full minutes. What had Myra got to say? Why is she so nervous?

“Myra…what’s the password?”

“I am afraid..”

“Don’t be..! Password?”

“But..!”

“Password???”

“Myra=Saloni”

“What?” I asked her.

“That’s the password: Myra=Saloni”

I hurriedly downloaded the document and began to read it.

“Aryan, I am sorry. I have probably cheated on you for so long! Yes, I am Myra and I am the Saloni. Yes, I created a fake Facebook profile to talk to you. I have secretly loved you for two years, but I never had the courage to tell this to you. I feared to lose you as a friend. I sent friend requests to people in college so that you do not doubt that it is me. My heart skipped a beat when you said Myra is your best friend. I realized that you trusted me when you shared your Facebook credentials with me. And, trust is the first step to love. Yes, I logged in to your account to check the chats you had with your girlfriend. I searched through your entire account, but I couldn’t find any!

After the tech-fest was over, I waited patiently; impatiently for you to text me each day. But you wouldn’t. I used to simultaneously chat from both the accounts to confuse you and never let you know that Saloni and Myra are the same women. I wanted to express my love for you, and that is what I did through Saloni. I hid my identity but couldn’t hide my love for you. Probably I wouldn’t have told this to you had you not been soft with Saloni. I wanted you to be back to your girlfriend, and continue the beautiful relationship that you two share. But, I realized that you were slowly falling for Saloni. And, later on, if you came to know that she was a hypothetical figure, it would hurt you more…

So, I had to bring the truth out. I have always dreamt to be loved by you. The day I came to know you have a girlfriend, I fell more in love with you. Your stern picture has a soft and caring nature too; that lured me... I dreamt to be loved by you just the way you used to love your girlfriend. I imagined myself in the stories that you told me about her. Love cannot be hidden or suppressed for long! It finds its own escape to reach the lover! I am sorry; I couldn't control my feelings for you. I have fallen in love with you!"