Heresy-2

Note: Please read HeresyPart 1 before this one
Part 2

"Doctor! I am able to see my friend who is dead. But nobody is believing me", said Shyam nervously.
“Cool down Mr. Shyam. Don't get tensed", said the doctor adjusting his spectacles.
The doctor was an earnest man in his mid thirties. He was a renowned psychiatrist in the city and his best feature was that he suggested simple solutions for many complex cases and they have all worked out fine with the patient. This was also one of them, he thought.
He leaned back on his chair and relaxed for a few seconds. Deepak and Shyam sat staring at him.
"Alright! Come with me inside", he said.
He led Shyam to a room and closed the door behind. Deep sat impatiently at the desk with his fingers crossed. After twenty minutes, the doctor came out of the room.
"What happened doctor?" asked Deep anxiously.
"I hypnotized him and he told me everything", he paused for a while and sat on his chair. "This is a kind of illusion. He’s been mentally affected by the loss of his friend.
"Deepak listened attentively.
“He is feeling responsible for his friend’s death. That guiltiness is making him imagine that the deceased person is haunting him. I have seen many cases like this”, said the doctor.
"So!", exclaimed Deep. "Is there no cure for this problem?"
"There is a solution", said the doctor.
"What's it doctor?" asked Deepak leaning forward. The doctor explained him in detail the treatment that should be meted out to Shyam to help him regain normalcy. Deep nodded his head with a puzzled look on his face. It was quite a tough task to accomplish.
"What happened? Are you not well?" asked Shyam's mother serving him dinner.
"No! Nothing like that", he replied swallowing a fistful of curd rice.
After watching the presentation ceremony of the cricket match, he switched off the television and went to his room. He closed the door, switched off the light and fell on his bed.
It was late in the night. Shyam tossed on his bed unable to sleep. Some unforgettable memories of the past appeared before him. He could see his college. He could see his classroom, lecturers and friends. Vinesh was among them.
"Vinesh…" Shyam uttered his friend's name. Tears flowed from his eyes.
Vinesh and Shyam were friends since their childhood days. They studied in the same school and college. During the campus selections held in their engineering college, both of them got placed in the same software company. It was during their training period when Vinesh saw her. He instantly fell in love with her.
"What's her name?" Shyam asked him.
"Suhani", replied Vinesh feeling shy.
"But who's that guy who always roams with her"
Vinesh narrowed his eyes and looked at his friend. "Look there fast", said Shyam pointing his fingers towards her.
Suhani was walking towards her training room. She was accompanied by someone whom Vinesh had never seen before. He was stout and an inch shorter than her in appearance.
"Might be her friend", remarked Vinesh. "What do you think?"
"99% it looks like he's her friend. But 1% I am not sure about her taste", chuckled Shyam.
The next day, Vinesh confirmed to Shyam that the stranger they had seen was in fact her friend. His name was Shankar.
"Then I have an idea", said Shyam.
"What?" asked Vinesh eagerly.
"If you could befriend Shankar, it might work out".
Befriending a boy was much easier. Vinesh wangled to associate himself with Shankar in a couple of days.
"He has become my friend now. What's next?" he asked Shyam.
"Look there. He's conversing something with her. Go and talk to him now. He'll definitely introduce you to her. Come on, hurry up", said Shyam and pushed his friend. Shankar introduced Vinesh to Suhani as he had anticipated.
Things moved smoothly until the training period came to an end. The trainees were posted to different locations.
"Other than the usual 'Hi' and 'Bye', you have not managed to talk to her even after knowing her for several weeks. Useless fellow!" Shyam rebuked his friend.
"She's been posted in our location", said Vinesh. "I will try my luck there"
Vinesh and Shyam were joined by Deepak in their development centre where they were posted. The three of them along with a trainee named Kavitha were allocated to a project. Shankar was also posted in the same branch but in a different department.
And luck finally approached Vinesh. Suhani was allocated to his project. His joy had no bounds. It appeared like a movie where the heroine and hero would end up together at the climax. His happiness reached its peak. He introduced her to his team mates.
Thereafter, they all sat in a single cubicle. Suhani moved closer with Vinesh and Shyam. They shared their joys and sorrows. They played pranks, quarrelled among themselves over petty matters and reunited again. Days passed into months.
"I am going to propose to her tomorrow", said Vinesh.
"What's special tomorrow?" asked Shyam
"Her birthday", exclaimed Vinesh.
That morning she was engaged in a discussion with Shyam in their cubicle. He was saying something regarding their certification when she looked at him intensely. Her looks conveyed something else, thought Shyam. Her eyes were fixed on him. Her behaviour towards him appeared strange that day.
"It's nearing 4. Our friends are waiting at the Food Court. Shall we?" he asked her."Shyam!" she said. Her eyes quivered.
“Tell me! What’s the matter?”, he asked her.
"I...I think I am in love with you", she said bending her head.
He was shocked. He did not know how to respond.
"Hey Suhani! Our friends are waiting for you at the Food Court. Come fast", interrupted a voice. It was Kavitha. Suhani left the cubicle hurriedly leaving him dumbstruck. He made himself absent for her birthday celebration.
An hour passed by. Shyam sat in his cubicle with his looks fixed to the monitor. But his thoughts were somewhere else."Hey! Why didn't you come?" asked Deep.
"Do you know? We applied cake all over her face", said Kavitha excitedly.
Shyam listened to them and smiled. He went to the restroom accompanied by Vinesh.
"She was in a hurry to go home. So I could not tell her. I will definitely do that by this weekend", muttered Vinesh.
Shyam was unable to sleep that night. Unexpected things were happening in his life. He recollected the scene when she proposed to him. He sat on the bed and held his head. He wondered if he was getting mad. He walked towards the balcony and witnessed the night sky. "Look at her, look at her eyes. Look how beautiful they are…." Vinesh once told him during their training long ago. Shyam ignored those words then. But now, he thought about them. Yes! She had the most beautiful eyes and when her eyebrows winked, they resembled the stars twinkling in the sky. He had some feeling towards her. He was not sure whether it was love, but he was afraid of his friend. His friend might label him as a betrayer. He knew her only for the past six months, but Vinesh had been a close companion since his childhood. He made up his mind to face her the next day and inform her of his decision to say no.
The next day, Shyam reached office a little earlier. The work area was empty. He walked to his cubicle and dropped his bag on the desk. He made a glance at her desk and was surprised to find her sitting. He ignored her and switched on his monitor. Everything was silent for a few minutes when she dragged her chair towards him. He looked at her. Her eyes were red and swollen indicating that she hadn't slept last night.
"What did you decide?" she asked him.
"Suhani! Listen to me, Vinesh is in love with you for the past nine months", he paused for a moment and continued. “I am sorry. I cannot betray my friend. Please understand me”
They were silent for a while looking at each other's faces. Her eyes were filled with tears. She went back to her desk dejected.The clock struck six in the evening. The number of employees in their work area diminished to a half.
"She is looking very dull today", Vinesh whispered to Shyam.
Shyam remained silent.

"By the way, at what time are you leaving today", Vinesh asked him. "I will leave late", replied Shyam. "I am doing an online course"
"Ok. I have some work at home. I will be leaving in an hour or so", said Vinesh. Shyam nodded his head.
The clock struck seven-thirty. The work area grew deserted except for Vinesh, Suhani and Shyam.
"Hey Suhani! Are you coming?" Vinesh asked her.
"I have to prepare for a certification tomorrow. You carry on", she replied.
Vinesh walked out of the place carrying his bag.
Suhani stood up and looked around. There was no one else in their work area except herself and Shyam. She walked to him. He looked at her.
"Shyam!" she said. "Since your friend is in love with me, you mean to say that you cannot love me. Right!" He nodded his head.
"Then if Vinesh hadn't loved me, would you have accepted me?" she asked him leaning forward with her eyes wide open.He found it difficult to look at her eyes and respond.
"Speak something Shyam. Atleast say yes or no", she said.
He nodded his head once again and looked at her.
"Then! It means you love me", she said.
A slight grin appeared on her face and it turned into a wonderful smile.
He tried to control his emotions. But he was unable to do so. He was moved by her sincerity. He loved her. But how would he manage to convince his friend? Would Vinesh feel betrayed? He wanted her. He also wanted Vinesh. Plenty of thoughts pondered over his mind when she held his hand suddenly. He looked into her eyes and moved closer to her. There were no words between him. Their looks conveyed a lot of things. He lifted her hands delicately holding her fingers and rested his face on them. There was a slight sound near him. He sensed that somebody was watching them. Shyam's heart missed a beat. Vinesh stood before them.
"Vinesh! Listen to me….Please", he said getting up from his seat. Vinesh turned back and walked hastily out of the room. Shyam followed him as fast as he could.
"Stop there!" saying Shyam held his hand.
"You scoundrel. You backstabbed me, isn't it?", saying he pushed Shyam’s hand away in a fit of rage.
"Vinesh…"
"Don't tell me anything…" saying Vinesh got into the bus going towards the railway station. Shyam followed him. He desperately wanted to convince him and make him understand. At the station, Vinesh rubbed his eyes that were watered with tears and climbed the stairway as fast as his legs could carry. He moved towards the far end of the platform where it was occasionally dark. There were some people around him waiting for the suburban train.
The train arrived on the platform. There was a sound of a thud followed by several outcries.
"Get up Shyam! It's getting late to office", screamed his mother handing him a cup of coffee. Shyam woke up suddenly and rubbed his eyes.
“Had a dream?”, his mom asked him. He shook his head.
He reached office by bus instead of a train. Deep was waiting anxiously for him.
"I wanted to tell you something important", said Deep.
"What's the matter?"
"I suspect that Vinesh hadn't committed suicide", he said in a low voice.
Shyam gazed at him openmouthed with surprise.

People in the town were talking about the swayamvara to be held tomorrow in the king's palace. The girl who was supposed to marry me will soon be wedded to somebody else. I will not let that happen. But I am helpless. I sat at the corner of the broken wall which was once the prayer hall in my castle. The castle which once flourished with prosperity is now in debris. Leftovers of torn attires and broken articles were scattered all across. The walls were painted with blood stains of the slain inmates. They have all gone leaving me alone to suffer here. But after I possess it, all my suffering would come to an end. It lay on the floor below the broken pillar. Nobody had noticed that. I felt desperate to lift the pillar and acquire it. But I cannot do that because I have lost the sense of touch.
There was a sound. Sound of a human! Somebody was wandering near the ruins. It looked like a lost traveler. He walked towards me and sat beside me. He bent down and removed something from the ground. He dusted it and examined it closely. It was a gold ear ring. His face illuminated suddenly. He started searching for more ornaments. He neared the broken pillar. I expected him to lift that. No! He moved somewhere else. But, he turned back again. Had he seen it? Yes! He had noticed something lying under the pillar. He lifted the broken pillar and dropped it to the other side. After hesitating for a moment, he placed his hands on it. I moved closer to him. He opened it and looked towards all directions. He paused for a while and read the verses on it. I knew that my moment was approaching. A strange power developed in me as he read those sacred verses. I grew visible to him. He dropped it down on seeing me. His hands and legs trembled. He fainted on the ground. I went into him and possessed his body. I could feel my skin now. I could feel my body parts moving. I ran and leapt over the boulders lying there. I jumped and screamed in joy. I have regained life. I will now be able to win her back. I will be able to have my revenge.

To be continued....
Disclaimer: All events and characters in this story are fictitious. If it resembles any real-life incident or any person, either living or dead I am not responsible for that :-):-):-) .