Shashi calls Hrida but she doesn't receive the call at first ring, after 2-5 tries, she finally accepts his call and greets him with a slightly cheerful tone," Shashi, Say, what pranks did you pull today at school? I'M CURIOUS…..Why are you silent?..Shashii….."
Shashi speaks in a dull tone," Hrida, could we meet? I am really missing you a lot. I know you are on a never-ending journey but for one time, can we meet Hrida? Please. "
Hrida was going to refuse the offer but then she thought of meeting his friend again which ignited warmth in her heart, so she agreed," Done, I happily accept your proposal. We will meet today itself. But, where should we meet? "
Shashi answers with a regretful tone, " We will meet at the same place where we last time encountered each other. I will be waiting there for you at 8 pm. Bye."
Before Hrida could extend their conversation, Shashi abruptly ended the call, raising questions in her mind due to his dull tone and weird behavior. Hrida thinks, " I think something is off. Shashi sounded so…dull, which isn't his suit, then what happened to dampen his mood? Did something happen at our school?
No! Shashi is friends with everyone, which means he is upset about something else. I can't see him like this, maybe I can try to hype up his mood. Yahh... And I know how to do that." Hrida looks at Tapish with a playful smirk on her face, Tapish immediately knows her plan and he meows letting her know that he is in the plan as well.
Hrida carries her backpack, places Tapish on her shoulder, and then she exits out of the railway station with a small smile on her lips. After walking for 40 minutes, they arrived at the place with the help of GPS but due to streets being bustled with people and vehicles, she took her time to reach the location although she came early, ultimately, she was late.
Meanwhile, Lakshman and Shashi arrived at the location right after Shashi ended the call; they had been waiting for Hrida. Shash stood leaning towards the wall near the lamppost while Lakshman stayed hidden behind the wall, both waiting for Hrida.
Hrida was late, which poked doubts in Shashi's head, Lakshman kept glancing at his watch and peeked from sideways to see whether Hrida had come or not. The bright hues softened into dusk blue with the moon peeking at them in its crescent form.
Lakshman came out of his hiding spot and questioned Shashi with an inquisitive gaze," Are you sure, she said she would come, what if she changed her mind and decided not to come? Maybe she got suspicious of your tone. I told you to be less obvious, she is a smart girl, and she might have guessed it. Shayy...It was a waste of time."
Shashi reassures him with confidence," Lakshman bhaiya, I am sure she will definitely come. If she didn't want to, she would have informed me already. I know her, she does what she says. Just wait, she might be coming within 5-10 minutes. She is indeed a smart girl but she trusts me, which I hate to use. I feel like I am punching needles in my heart but it is worth it for her. She will come, Lakshman bhaiya. Your plan isn't going to waste."
Lakshman appreciates his help, "Shashi, without you, I wouldn't have been able to catch Hrida, safe and sound. She is lucky to have a friend like you. I am sorry I brought you in with my plan and I know Hrida might feel betrayed after knowing that you exposed her location and honestly narrated to me everything that you knew of and that too before my interrogation.
Shashi, I know you are doing this for your friend. She might become angry with you for this but eventually, she will realize that you did the right thing. Hmmm. Think about this, Because of you, she would get a new home." Shashi was going to object to his last statement but he remains silent as he will talk to Bhaiya about this later when Hrida agrees to return.
Hrida arrives at the moment when Shashi utters the last statement, she hears everything after that, her ground shakes hard, and she steps back in a daze. Hrida was delighted to trace his figure but when she noticed the same police bhaiya, she was utterly confused. But, everything became clear when she heard Shashi's last statement and the rest of their conversation. She didn't know how to react, she felt someone stabbed in her heart and she was stabbed by her own best friend, whom she trusted with her life.
Hrida trusted him and told him everything and didn't hide anything from him but he couldn't even keep a secret, she felt like scolding him but she was feeling a mix of emotions that was blundering her from inside. Hrida felt hurt by his act, her tears were fighting to explode from her eyes but she resisted. She glanced at Tapish with a hurt look.
Tapish knew this before her, he stared back at her with a sad look, and his whiskers drooped. Hrida buried her emotions deep and hid from their sight before they caught sight of her. She turned her back to them and leaned upon the wall near the turning point of the street, she stood motionless and stared at the ground with a hollow gaze.
On the other hand, Lakshman asks Shashi to stay here, while he searches for Hrida at nearby places, he goes in the opposite direction of Hrida. Shashi whispers in an anxious tone, "Where are you, Hrida? Why you haven't reached out yet? Are you fine? Is someone..no..no..She is alright? Aghhh. I can't just stay here, but I have to stay here in case she comes here and doesn't find me, and then she might become worried. "
Here, Hrida remained still, she looked out of color, and her heart was in chaos, but then she felt a tap on her shoulder, which brought her back to reality, her colors refilled in her body as soon she turned front-facing Shashi but the color turns grey and red when she remembers that he broke their promise.
She lashes out at him in pure hurtful anger," Shashi, what are you doing alone? Shouldn't you be with Lakshman bhaiya and arrest me for the crime of wandering free and happy? Come on, call him and let him cage me in another doll house, don't you want the same thing as him? Come on, do it. I said, Shashi, call your co-partner, Lakshman bhaiya. Hmmm..What are you waiting for….Holy time? Speak, something, you idiot."
Shashi was shocked by her rage, she looked hurt and extremely upset and he knew why. Shashi tries to speak but Hrida doesn't let him speak, she vents out her emotions," I TRUSTED YOU, Shashi. I believed you. I thought we didn't keep secrets between us. I didn't hide a thing from you, I even told you that I met Soma at the station, I expressed my fears, my emotions, and my feelings with you and you….What you did was not right. You betrayed me. You broke our promise. You chose that bhaiya over me, I thought my feelings and emotions mattered to you, you understand my situation, and my pain but sadly I was wrong.
I never expected that you would do this to me. If you really acted out of concern, then you could have at least shared your turmoil with me, and not that Lakshman bhaiya then maybe I would have understood your point. But now, I feel that I can't understand you at all. I am really hurt by your actions, Shashi. You know right, my whole childhood was a lie and I have only two truths; You and Tapish.
But, now my truth remains one; Tapish. You lost the truth and became a lie, which I dislike the most. I don't like lies, I know I have hidden my truth but I didn't utter a single lie to you because you two are the one from whom I don't want to hide anything but unfortunately you lost the truth. Sorry, Shashi, you had to lie because of me, you had broken our promise. I COULD FORGIVE.. you for breaking our promise but not for your lie. You deeply hurt me.
You decided my life without asking for my consent or even thinking about my feelings or my situation. Fine, then, since I made you like this, I will disappear from your life forever. I will run away and will keep running from you, you will never find me again. I will not let my voice reach you, I will never talk to you from today onwards. And, don't even think that I will ever look for you, bye, see you never."
Shashi felt his legs shaking, his throat burning, and his eyes red brimming with tears, his hand tried to reach out to her shoulder to stop her but then, she turned back and paused for the moment, which made him hopeful. But his smile lost its way, when she neared him and roughly put his phone on his palm and scowled in an upset tone," I don't want anything of you. I don't want a piece of your lie anywhere near me."
She ran away while Tapish followed behind her after giving a sad glance to Tapish, which Shashi understood, he mouthed out ' Go, she needs you, buddy' with glossy eyes and whispered in a hollow tone, " And not me…not anymore"
Shashi fell to his feet on the hard-cemented ground, he couldn't control his tears, each and every word pierced his heart like arrows, causing him to expel his emotions in tears. Shashi weeps loudly, which caught Lakshman's eyes as he was nearby. Lakshman rushed to his side, after seeing him in a painful state, he immediately took him to the park while holding him near to his side.
He asks him with concerned eyes trying to trace his sadness, " Shashi, what happened? Why are you crying all of a sudden? Is Hrida, okay? Say beta (child), what is the matter? Hushhh…Hush..You seem hurt. I wouldn't know unless you tell me, beta. Okay, listen, if you share the problem, maybe I can help you."
Shashi lets out everything in a heartbroken tone," Lakshman bhaiya, I lost...lost everything. I lost my one and only best friend. I tore her heart in pieces; she will never talk to me again, she won't even return home, just because of me. If I had been honest then things would have been different. Bhaiya, I knew that she would be angry but I didn't expect the situation would turn out like this. Bhaiya, she saw us together, she knows the whole truth now and she turned away from me. She would never return, she would run in circles forever and now I even lost her trace. She..is upset with me. She thinks we are going to put her in another cage, which she calls a doll house.
But, I don't want to put her through the same pain again, I wouldn't have let her shift to an orphanage, even if you said it. I would let her stay with us in our home not as siblings, but rather as friends. My mom loves her; she would love to take care of her. But, now, I would never..see my best friend again. I lost my game partner, even my buddy, Tapish. Bhaiya, I lost two of my loved ones because of my stupidity. She is right, I am an idiot, I don't know what should be done, how to handle…sniff..sniff."
Lakshman consoles him and assures him, " Shashi, It is not about right or wrong but the intention is what matters. You were worried for her safety, you only wanted to see her safe and there is nothing wrong with that. But yes, if she said if we were honest, she would have tried at least to understand, then, maybe we should have been honest with her. I should have thought thoroughly about this, so it's my fault, don't blame yourself for this.
She would return, and I will find her, no matter what happens. I wouldn't let anything happen to her. I assure you with my word. I feel that she wouldn't be able to remain upset at you for more than an hour or so after all, she understands you. She will realize that the reason behind this act was your care for her. Believe me! Now, calm down and breathe slowly."
Lakshman observed Shashi holding a phone in his left hand with a tight grip as if he let go, the phone would disappear in the air. Lakshman asks him indirectly about the phone and he absentmindedly answers that he gave his phone to Hrida and she gave it back to him because…she doesn't want anything related to him."
Lakshman realizes," Shashi, this can be our big clue to where she has been and maybe reveal to us some hint or clue that will lead to her. Shahsi, I know this phone is important to you but you need to lend me the phone for a day then, I will return it to you, so that you can keep her memory till we find her. Give me the phone, Shashi."
Shashi at first refuses to give, he keeps it close to his heart, takes a step back from Lakshman, and behaves defensively. Lakshman tries to make him understand to give the phone but he keeps refusing until Shashi realizes that this can help find Hrida and he will eventually give back the phone to him after one day, so he unwillingly gives his phone to him but seeing his pain.
Lakshman didn't collect the phone from him and asked him to keep it with him, he will take it when he needs it. Lakshman told him to wipe his tears and act normal, otherwise, her mother would know what was wrong but his emotions didn't know how to calm down. Still, he put up a forced normal face and Lakshman drove him back to Shashi's house.
On the other side, Hrida feels teary; she tears up silently while Tapish silently snuggles against her torso. She embraces Tapish and expels out the cries buried inside her. She expresses to Tapish with a sore tone, " I-I...I feel hurt...I felt betrayed…I feel clueless, uncertain, and hollow right now. I don't know what exactly should I feel. I didn't want to shift into another doll house. I don't want to live in a perfect house again. I don't want to go through all that again. I can't believe he agreed to that police bhaiya's plan and didn't even think about asking me about this.
Tapish, I know I hurt him back, I did it unintentionally because I was upset and angry at him. And, I know that I can't stay angry at him for more than a moment. Despite what happened, I know that he meant well for me although I don't resonate with his mentality for the first time. Still, I will work on my implementation which I spoke of to him. Now, we have just both of us."
Hrida was disheartened that she couldn't see or remain in contact with Shashi anymore but she thought that it was best for both of them and after his betrayal, he deserved a little bit of a tantrum for her to handle.
Dhnasi ji and Kritak visit Mr. Vidyut's home, during their visit, Lakshman reaches the police station and when he finds the path is all clear, he enters and greets his co-officers while giving an excuse of forgetting his important item in his cabin. In disguise of this excuse, he reads the case profile folder, which has been updated with new details and a new case profile attached.
Lakshman keeps his ears wide open to hear their co-officer's conversation, which is invasive but it is necessary to update him on the status of the action processing against that mastermind. He did get some news regarding the new cases and he was also relieved that the transfer of the criminals to their new jail confinement has already been done although he is partially against this decision because it might give those criminals a platform for improvising and upgrading their darkness to a higher level but he also aware that the decision is partially right for the safety of citizens.
Lakshman has an idea to tamper with those criminals' plans with the help of digital supervision to trace their every move and expression so that they can prevent it before their plans even start. Lakshman decides to propose a small modification to the existing plan and for that, he needs to send an official application and proposal letter to 'The Additional Director of General Officer'.
At Shashi's home;
Shashi's eyes are swollen red, he hasn't even moved an inch from his bed since he came back home, he only stared at the pictures of him, Hrida, and Tapish together, smiling and goofing around in the photos.
Suddenly Shashi felt heavily burdened as Kali made his visit to his room but in the form of uneasiness and heaviness, which twisted his heart causing him to groan loudly, his eyes were burning like the fire swallowing him slowly, and his cries reached to his mom's ears.
She came rushing into his room, and found him twisting and writhing in pain, she gasped in horror at witnessing her son's state. She knelt at his side, held him tight in her embrace, and chanted whispers of God's name in his ear, still, it didn't have any effect on him because the pain numbed his hearing sense and all he could feel was his pain kicking within his body.
Shashi's mom calls for an ambulance but she can't, her arms feel heavy and her arms hurt whenever she tries to console her son as if he has thorns decorated on him. Despite the pain she felt, she didn't let him go from her embrace. Shashi and his mom were in a critical state of agony, slowly their body and spirit were losing the fight against the shadow while the shadow cackled in laughter feeling the taste of power in the air.
While twisting and turning his arms recklessly, his finger accidentally slid against the phone screen, revealing a playing video, where Hrida re-arranged her shawl on her shoulder like a long cape while her smooth long layered hair flowed freely in the air and she slightly swayed in front of a decent house as background.
She gradually starts singing a song of her own lyrics titled 'Hope for a Day' while humming more. In the video, Hrida's face was glowing like a luminous candle while her voice soothed their uneasiness and lit up their hearts, and surprisingly, they felt hope and courage rekindled in their hearts.
The shadow lost its grip on them and had to retract his claws from them, he hisses at the video, directly glaring at Hrida, so, Shashi blocked his view from seeing the video and played the calm-toned video in a loop.
Shashi heard a faint dangerously low voice behind him," Hrida, you impressed me and, you are the best choice for my plan. I want your light to be my darkest light."
Shashi's face became pale as he realized the shadow's intention, now he had to find her as soon as possible. Shashi's mom shared the same concern as she too heard the voice, she asked Shashi about this matter and what was that we heard. Shashi explains in a tired tone," Mom, the voice we heard was Kali's. He is known as Kali, the essence of the current era, we live in, He feeds upon-"
His mom interrupts him as she recognizes the voice," People's immorality, fear, greed, resentment, basically negative forms of feelings/thoughts. The ruler of the current era; Kaliyuga, the demon of shadows, I know about the story. I never knew that he exist in reality as a 3D form, he is the invitation of destruction, chaos, and pain. He is dangerous, Shashi. Please, son, be careful! And, you are not going to wander alone outside until this thing is resolved.
Am I clear ?... Wait…..Shashiii…will you explain to me, son, how Hrida has recorded a video at such a recent date when she is currently missing? How can this be possible? Shashi..?"