The Fallen Krishna

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“BANG!!!”

The deafening sound of a shot ringing through the air woke Rinku from his deep slumber. For a dazed second he wasn't sure where he was. Vigorously rubbing his eyes, he groped around for his spectacles, almost dropping the water jug off the side table. Swearing under his breath, he found the pair and quickly slipped them on. He then reached out to the cell phone he knew was placed next to the glasses and checked the time.

2 A.M. 

He looked around only to find darkness enveloping him from all sides. Peeping out of the window next to his bed, he saw it furthering its cause all across the street. The streetlights hadn't been switched on that night. He fumbled around for the water jug; too nervous to switch on the bed side lamp. What had that sound been, he wondered? Feeling the cold liquid wet his parched throat, he waited with an ear out for any sound that might seem out of the ordinary. After a few minutes of deathly silence, he decided it was but a dream and tucked himself back into bed. Just as he had drawn the sheet over his face, a blood curdling scream filled the air. 

Rinku sat up with a start. Despite the silent whir of the ceiling fan, beads of sweat were now forming on his forehead. This time, he knew where the sound had come from. Slowly he shifted his gaze towards the ceiling, clutching tightly onto the side of his bed as if to brace himself from the terror that seemed to have unleashed above. A sudden thud and the sound of disappearing footsteps made him gather all his might and step out of the bed. 

“What could have happened? Is it Sinha Aunty who lives above…. Has anything happened to her? Or is it Isha?” 

Rinku’s heart did a sudden flip at the thought of Isha; Sinha Aunty’s niece who was staying with her for the summer holidays. Ever since he had seen Isha, he had harboured a secret crush on her. She was the kind of girl he and his classmates dreamt of every night. He had never managed to muster the guts to speak to her and now this… a shudder ran through Rinku as he broke out of his thoughts. 

“Oh God, what if it is Isha? I haven’t even told her how I feel about her! “

With a sudden surge of courage, Rinku swiftly moved out of his room and felt his way to the main door. Years of quietly moving around the house to satisfy his midnight hunger pangs were coming of use today. He opened the main door and quickly looked around.
“Mom and Dad seem to be fast asleep. Its good that they are sound sleepers…” he thought, carefully closing the door behind him. 

Taking two steps at a time he reached Sinha Aunty’s house within no time. He gulped when he saw the main door ajar and the living room covered in darkness. Stepping in, he almost tripped over what seemed like a human body. Stifling the scream that almost left his mouth, he took a step back, his body shaking as he bent down to check who he had stumbled over. With trembling hands he reached out feeling cold brass on first touch. Relief spread through his body as he realized he had fallen over the Krishna Idol Sinha Aunty had so lovingly placed right at the entrance of her apartment just last week.

“But what was it doing down there? It weighed over 20 kilos. Surely that couldn't have come toppling down by a simple accident...” thought Rinku realizing that something had gone terribly wrong in the house.

“Should I go back and get Daddy? Or at least a flashlight..?” he wondered, feeling rather foolish that he had dared to come all alone in the middle of the night without even a light to see what he was doing . 

“What if there has been a murder? And if the killer is still lurking around?... my fingerprints are on the idol now ... Oh my god” Rinku’s trail of thoughts had now started to make his teeth clatter and his hands tremble. 

“I have come till here, I need to carry on and check whats going on. I might be able to help Sinha Aunty and Isha!”. Once again the thought of Isha made his sixteen year old mind firm up and continue.

Without any hurdle in the way, he had now reached the dining hall. Sinha Aunty’s flat being a replica of his; he knew the scream had originated from the second bedroom. He could see a faint glimmer of a light in the room and the door slightly open. Stealthily he made his way towards the room; as he neared the door, he felt his feet touch something wet on the floor. Bending down, he touched the liquid and smelt it. The familiar smell of blood hit his nostrils, making him feel faint. Weak in the knees, he turned towards the room just as the door opened and a pair of hands grabbed him. Before he knew it, a second scream rang through the night. This time it was his. As he sank lower and lower, a cold shower of water hit his face making his eyes open wide.

 “For heaven’s sake Rinku! I was just waking you up! You don’t need to scream so loud for that!” His mom gave an exasperated look and continued “Sinha Aunty and Isha will be joining us for breakfast, they had a short circuit around 2 AM last night. Get ready quickly”

Shaking his head in disbelief, Rinku turned around feeling a rustling sound as he moved his blanket away. The book he was reading the previous night lay open on his bed, at a page with an image of a fallen Krishna idol