MARWAN
30 Days to go
Blackouts were a new part of my stasis. There were scars and burns along the rear portion of my neck, right arm, right leg and rear torso.
I guess I would be incomplete without them. I was lucky for the second time that evening, or was I?
If the truck hadn't halted a few inches before me, I would be dead right now.
Is being alive a blessing or a curse? I did not know.
28 Days to go
“Petrichor" she said.
“Excuse me?” I looked baffled.
“That’s what they call the scent of rain.” The corners of her eyes crinkled as she smiled.
“Speaking of which,” I said. “Don't you love the scent of old books? There's always something beautifully sacred about it.”
“The only scent that I want to inhale is of the coffee we'd ordered 20 minutes ago.”
“Ah the aroma of freshly brewed coffee," I gleamed. “Another one of my favourites.”
“You writer folks stick on to the slightest of details.” She smiled sarcastically. “You guys can be such drama queens sometimes!”
“Well” I smiled back. “We aren't really social beings. But do you know the thing that sets us apart?”
I paused for a second.
“We read people," I continued. “It is easier for us to understand and empathise with others.”
“Uh-huh” she said. “Aarav writes really well. Have you seen his works?”
“I would love to," I chuckled. “Hiba told me about his incident with Smriti.”
“Oh, leave the poor lad alone.” She laughed.
My eyes fell upon a few people scrutinizing us as they talked amongst themselves. Shreya followed my gaze and instantly swelled up in anger.
“Hey!” she smiled and waved sarcastically at them.
“Shreya, don’t pay any attention to them.” I said.
She tried to calm herself down through slow breathing as her fingers tightly grasped the end of the walking stick. She held onto it till she began to relax.
“It's not worth it.” I said.
“Yeah, you don’t see a scarred couple in a coffee shop everyday," She remarked.
“So we're a couple now?” I smirked.
“That’s not what I-”
“You can't pull yourself out of this one.” I grinned.
Our coffee had finally arrived.
24 Days to go
Shreya can be really calm when it comes to dealing with her problems. She has been able to pull herself back together after the incident, even when I couldn't.
The thunder still rumbles and the fire still burns as I try to close my eyes every night. Why were we spared? Do we have a purpose? The rain still drizzles into the utmost corners of my mind as I scream in agony.
It took me a year and more than a dozen of the self help meetings and not to mention medical procedures, to finally find meaning in life.
Talking to Shreya everyday, makes me not feel alone.
“So this is more of a usual thing now?” I said as I sipped my espresso.
“Who doesn't like coffee?” she chuckled. “Besides, it is the only thing I love after puppies and of course, my piano.”
The clinking of spoons and the buzzing chatter of people inside, were music to our ears. I felt happy.
The warm tint of the ceiling lights reflected onto her brown eyes and set her auburn hair on fire.
Fire.
I felt something dark try to clasp onto my fear. Was I having a blackout? My palms felt sweaty and my heart began racing; I felt detached. I found it hard to breathe as I clenched the ends of my shirt, trying not to look sick.
Her scarred face seemed more smoother than it had been before.
19 Days to go
I am worried about her aunt.
Shreya keeps telling how her aunt pretends to care for her. Apparently, she was waiting for Shreya to turn 18 to poach her legal inheritance.
She'd once overheard her aunt talking to someone on the phone.
Shreya says her aunt plans to abandon her uncle as soon as she gets her hands on the inheritance money.
I don't understand why Shreya would want to give her money to her aunt without any hesitation. Does she not think of her own well being? I don't trust her aunt.
I hate how people can become selfish when faced with a crisis. There is no place for empathy in their hearts; even when it comes to the ones who are close to you.
Sometimes, I get confused about this paradox of human psychology.
7 Days to go
My parents ask me to stay away from Shreya and her family.
“You may end up making immature decisions" they keep telling me.
I have always despised my parents when they try to control my life. I am 20 years old and I am capable of making hard choices.
3 Days to go
“You should try to apply for the IPS exam.” Uncle Salim said.
“I don't really think I could make a good police officer,” I said. “If you haven’t noticed, I can't walk without limping.”
Uncle Salim became thoughtful. He rubbed his chin in contemplation.
“There might be some other way,” he said. “You can become a responsible officer like your uncle Salim.” He winked.
“For the last time uncle, please stop talking about this.” I groaned.
“Okay then” he grinned. “Tell me about the girl then; you like her don't you?” he beamed.
“What is there not to like?” I rolled my eyes.
“Boy, you have become quiet stubborn!” he sighed.
“It is her birthday the day after.”
“What are you getting her?” His eyes widened.
“I haven’t thought about it” I sighed.
“Salim, leave that boy alone. Don’t spoil him" said my mother.
“What is there to spoil didi?” he winked. “He is a smart kid.”
I couldn't sleep that night.
I keep hallucinating every night; sometimes even during the days. I took out the sleeping pills Shreya had lent me and gobbled one down.
“Where did you get these without prescription?” I'd asked her.
“I have my sources, it's a secret.” She chuckled.
“I wonder how many of these she might've consumed.” I thought as I gradually fell asleep.
Day 0
The day had finally arrived.
I put on my best shirt and jeans. I'd groomed my beard, set my hair and made sure everything was perfect.
“I like tall bearded guys who wear glasses," she used to tease.
I looked at Shreya's present laying calmly on my rug. I grabbed a ribbon and gently tied it around it's neck.
“Woof!”
“Ssshh boy!” I chided as I lifted it up. “Mom and Dad cannot know about you.”
I set the puppy down and rubbed behind its ears.
“I'm sure she'll like you” I smiled.
I grabbed a bunch of red flowers and made my way to her place.
I'd rehearsed seven different ways to say ‘Happy birthday’, but none of them sounded good enough. I’d even dreamt about meeting her last night. Unfortunately, I woke up before I could tell her about the gift. Sigh, it felt so real.
I had every intention of telling her about my feelings today.
I bit my lower lip as my mouth curled into a wide grin.
***
I walked onto her porch to find a couple of cop cars parked outside her house. The place was swarming with people and police officers.
The retriever began to whine.
Something felt fishy.
I limped nearer to the crowd of officers; each step felt heavier than the last. My heart began pounding rapidly as I held a tight grip over the flowers in my hand. I started feeling dizzy and my jaws began to ache. Was I about to black out again?
The entrances to the house were sealed off with yellow tape. ‘Crime scene' it read.
I saw uncle Salim standing in the distance interviewing someone. As I approached closer, I understood that it was Shreya's uncle.
His teary eyed face, with tightly knitted eyebrows explained something grave. His arms sprung out in wild gestures, as he tried to explain what had happened.
Uncle Salim saw me approach.
He excused himself from Shreya's uncle and walked towards me. His face was drained of its usual colour. His jaws were set firm, his lips were pursed and his eyebrows were raised in concern. He had a tight posture as he walked towards me.
He removed his police officer's cap and sighed as he stood before me.
“I think you should go home Marwan.” He said.
“But uncle, what happened??”
“Please listen to me Marwan, you should go home.”
“I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what is wrong" I said. “Where is Shreya?”
Uncle Salim looked away, trying to conceal whatever it is that I had wanted to know. He squinted his eyes and bit his lower lip.
“Marwan, I will tell you after I get home. Please, you have to go.”
“Where is SHREYA!?!”
No sooner had I shouted, I saw a few female police officers escort somebody to their jeep.
The kids ran, crying behind her.
“Let her go," they screamed. “Please let her go!”
I squinted further to see who it was. Had her aunt done something? I limped towards the direction. Clutching the flowers, I was making a run as I somehow hopped towards her.
The puppy trailed behind me; its ears drooped. What was going on??
The colours drained from my face as I saw the person standing in front of me.
“Shreya?” I said aghast.
“Help," she said with a muted expression. Her eyes were scarlet with traces of tears along her burnt lashes. There was a bruise along her cheek.
“What is going on!?!” I exclaimed.
The female constable pulled at her handcuffs. “We're getting late, get in!” she said.
The jeep raced out of her porch onto the road. I limped behind the jeep with whatever energy I had. The puppy whined in fear and hopped behind me as it let out a series of high pitched barks.
I tripped and fell onto the coarse road bruising my burnt arm in the process. I pushed myself up and sat there staring at her being taken away. The flowers were squished under the muddy tyres of another cop car.
“What happened?” I sat there aghast.
******************************************
PART 4
NARRATOR
Day 0
“Why would she do that?” exclaimed Marwan. “She had no reason to do that!”
“You must calm down Marwan” said uncle Salim. “We are doing our best to track down the murderer, but meanwhile, we must interview all possible suspects.”
Marwan gritted his teeth and scrunched his eyes into a tight frown.
“She is not like any of the others” he said. “I know what she must be going through. We are survivors uncle Salim; I know she hasn't killed her aunt.”
Salim paused for a moment.
“I understand that you have feelings for this girl Marwan. I know this must be hurting you. I know how much it hurts when something happens to someone you care about.”
He lit a cigarette as we stood in his porch. The smoke created swirls in the satin dusky sky.
Marwan shook his inhaler and breathed in deeply to stop himself from coughing. The smoke brought back horrid memories.
“The fire,” he remembered as he began feeling anxious.
“You must understand that she is a suspect in a murder case. She has only been taken for questioning; I assure you that no harm will be done to her.”
“Yeah?” he snapped. “Then why was she wearing handcuffs!?!”
“Her fingerprints were found on the corpse. She became a prime suspect Marwan, calm down.” He said as he blew more smoke into the stale air. “Besides, her uncle Jacob is in custody. He has been accused of assaulting her regularly. We ARE working on the case.”
***
1930 Hours
Shreya sat in a dimly lit room. She slouched her back and rested her arms upon the rusted steel table. The small stuffy room with its windowless walls made her feel claustrophobic.
“We can't move forward unless you start talking dear," said the cop.
Shreya gazed at the dark walls. Her left eye twitched as she remained expressionless. The cop kept staring at her for an answer.
“All right then,” he said and left the room.
Meanwhile, Salim sat in his desk smoking another cigarette.
“Sir, she hasn't spoken a word for more than an hour.”
“Goddamit Suresh! Make her talk, she is a suspect, not a guest!" exclaimed Salim.
“But sir, she is disabled. I can't force her to do anything, it is against the law.”
“Do what you have to Suresh. Now leave me in peace!” he barked.
The door to the interrogation room flew open as it clattered against the cracked walls.
“All right then," smirked the cop. “Lets see if we can make you talk.”
3 Days after
The puppy lay asleep keeping one ear cocked up. Marwan stood in front of the mirror looking at his own reflection.
He felt pain soar through his forehead. Maybe he hurt himself when he had blacked out.
“Who are you?” he mumbled to himself. “What have you become?”
The breaking silence woke the puppy as it walked towards Marwan and licked his hand. “Its okay," it seemed to say.
He grabbed his backpack and set out to find Shreya. She had been at her uncle's ancestral home since the interrogation.
Droplets of rain descended from the skies as he gradually ambled through the sidewalk. The crystal drops slid through his burns as he felt the lingering scent of fresh soil.
"Petrichor," he smiled.
The puppy jumped and paced merrily beside him.
***
Shreya lay scrunched up in a corner of her room. She had closed all curtains and buried her face between her arms.
She twitched as she heard a knock on the door; she didn't respond.
“Shreya dear, there is somebody here to see you.”
She removed her head from between her arms and glanced up at the door. She gazed at the emptiness in front of her.
“Shreya! Are you okay?” sounded a familiar voice.
“Ruff!” came another.
Surprised, she inhaled a deep breath, mustered some energy and pulled herself upright. She grabbed her walking stick and limped towards the door.
“What was Marwan doing here?” she thought.
“Shreya!?” he called out again.
She clicked the door open to see Marwan standing in front of her as if nothing had happened. Beside him was a small retriever.
It wagged its tail and made soft eye contact with her, as it hung out its tongue and panted merrily.
“Ruff!” it said. “Nice to meet you!”
Shreya shifted her attention back to Marwan.
“What are you doing here?” she said. “You should leave.”
“I just came to make sure that you were okay.” He said. “I couldn't give you Scruffy on your birthday, so I thought I'd drop him by today.”
There seemed to be a light emerging from within the dark hollows of her pupils. Her lips made an effort to smile.
“Thank you Marwan, but you must leave.” She said as she took hold of the leash and escorted the puppy inside.
Marwan closed the door behind him. He felt his chest grow heavier; he had to do something to help her. He wasn't going to rest until he did.
***
1500 Hours
Head constable Suresh stood at the crime scene as he spoke to a few detectives. Salim was no where to be found.
Marwan braced his backpack and moved forward.
“Here goes” he muttered.
As he approached nearer, the detectives had a quick glance at him. They scrutinized him from head to toe and nodded at Suresh.
“Are you looking for Salim sir? He hasn't arrived yet,” said Suresh.
“No I was just nearby”, said Marwan sheepishly. “I thought I'd just drop by and have a quick glance at the crime scene.”
“Young lad, this is a crime scene and not a park,” said one of the detectives. “You shouldn't be loitering about here.”
“Oh I'm sorry, I thought I'd just have a quick look. You see, I'm a writer and I was writing this new piece; I thought this would give me some insight into writing with greater accuracy.”
Suresh looked at Marwan with wide eyes. He kept nodding his head in disapproval. His expression conveyed a strong sense of dissatisfaction.
“Who is this boy, Suresh?” asked the detective.
“He is Salim sir's nephew. He is a good lad; well disciplined.”
“Discipline" said the detective sarcastically. “I can see that. Back in the day, I wouldn't have dared to talk to my elders like this.”
“He is a good lad sir” grinned Suresh sheepishly.
“Hmm" the detective paused. “If detective Salim seems to be fine with it, let this be upon his head if something goes wrong.”
“What a great guy” I coughed.
“Excuse me!?”
“Oh nothing, must be the dust in here. Phew!” said Marwan as he used his inhaler.
The detective gave Marwan a stern look for a few seconds as Suresh pleaded with his eyes. He cleared his throat and said,
“Suresh will take you around, but mind you, DO NOT touch anything.”
“Thank you sir," I beamed and raced into the building.
Suresh led Marwan into the two storied house. Its bright walls seemed stripped of its essence. He pulled apart the curtains as the living room bathed in the sunset; it dripped onto the dusted carpets and the faux leather furniture. Marwan took out his inhaler and inhaled deeply to suppress his suffocation.
He fastened his back pack and limped towards the corner of the room to find the outline of the corpse marked clearly on the floor.
“It has to be the uncle,” he thought. “That bastard had the nerve to frame Shreya for his selfishness.”
Marwan explored the room as he gradually grasped the minute details within its interiors. Beside the outline, he saw a tiny sprinkle of red on the adjacent wall. The evening sun lit up a dried pool of blood on the tiled floor and a large patch of maroon on the carpet.
He limped towards the bedroom to find broken dishes scattered all over the floor. The bedroom seemed ghostly as darkness emanated from within.
“Be careful!” exclaimed Suresh.
Marwan stopped midway to find a shard of glass lying stray on the floor. "Oops," he said.
“What happened Suresh? How did she die?”
“She was struck multiple times in the head” he said. “She died of severe bleeding.”
“It has to be Shreya's uncle. I bet on it!” said Marwan. “Shreya kept telling me that he beat her frequently.”
“As far as evidence is concerned, Shreya is our prime suspect. We have only given her consideration because of her condition. We are seriously looking into her uncle Jacob as well.”
“She wouldn't do that! She is being framed!”
“Son, the victim was struck multiple times in the head using Shreya's steel walking stick. We found traces of her fingerprints on the corpse as well.”
Marwan stood motionless. He didn't know how to respond.
“But- But she is being framed!” exclaimed Marwan. He felt a fierce rage build up inside him. He punched his fist onto the wall and soon regretted.
“Although” said Suresh. “The walking stick has been cleaned after the murder. We are considering the victim's husband Jacob as a suspect too.”
“There has to be something here that leads to his trail,” said Marwan. “He would have left something behind.”
“You can stay here for five more minutes. I'd suggest you stop wasting your time son. Sometimes the facts are as clear as they are; there are no other explanations.”
Marwan stood alone in the living room. Long streaks of sunlight poured through the clerestory to highlight the swirling dust particles.
He progressed towards the bedroom, switched on its lights and began exploring it bit by bit.
“He must have forgotten something” he kept mumbling as he shoved aside a pile of clothes and delved into the wardrobe.
He checked the safe and all possible hiding places to get a hand on something that could help prove Shreya's innocence. He ruffled through the drawers to find a bunch of socks and some jewelry.
He opened the lower most drawer to find a bunch of undergarments that may have belonged to Shreya's aunt. He pulled them out and closely examined the drawer's interior. Along the inner most edge, he found something sticking out of a small recess. He reached inside and pulled it out.
Its dark leather bound seemed worn and tarnished and its pages seemed to have turned brown with age. There were minute grains along its edges and the colour seemed to have faded along the centre. He gently opened the diary and felt the crumpling texture of its pages. It had the ‘old book smell’ that he always loved. He looked at the centre of the first page to find a single word written in bold – ‘Maktub’.
“Marwan! Its time to go” yelled Suresh from the living room.
He closed the diary and quickly tucked it away in his bag.
“Yes! Coming!” he yelled back.
***
1700 Hours
Marwan stared at the diary laying on his bed. Considering that these were the very last memories of Anu, he hesitated to open it.
“Would this be disrespectful to the deceased?” he thought.
“Not unless it helps Shreya clear her name!”
He flipped open the second page to find a neatly folded piece of paper stapled to it. He felt its grainy texture as he gingerly opened it.
‘May 16, 1991’ it read.
I was waiting for you behind the canteen today when your father caught me hiding in the corner. He spat at me for a good ten minutes. Hehe, the perks of falling for the principal's daughter eh?
Marwan closed the letter and flipped onto the next page. He found a dry rose tucked between the pages with yet another letter.
‘June 6, 1991’
Happy birthday my love! Trust me, I’ve been waiting for this day more than you have. I have a surprise waiting for you at college tomorrow. Don’t worry, I'm not playing around. Wait till I show what I have in store for you.
Marwan flipped through to find more letters stapled to each page. He stopped at a random page to open another one.
‘September 19, 1993'
“My parents are against you. They are forcing me to get married to someone else! They said they'll burn me alive if they have to. I am mature enough to make my own decisions and I will not let them bully me around like a petty child. I will wait for you and I KNOW that you'll wait for me too.”
‘December 23, 1993'
‘How dare you! Who is this Jacob? Where did he come from!?! Just because your parents want you to marry him doesn't mean that you should. You said you'll wait for me! You PROMISED!
I'm sending you the picture we took on that special day. I hope it changes your mind. I hope you’ll come with me. See how happy we were!?
If you are willing to start a new life with me, we can run away from this mess. I am leaving tonight; I'll be waiting outside your lawn.
I love you.'
Marwan pulled out a crumpled photograph hiding beneath the letter. Time had gradually left its mark on the grainy picture. He held the photograph near the window to find a charming young Anu smiling back at him. She held a sound resemblance to Shreya; perhaps it was the cheekbone or her eyes.
She wore a traditional red kurti that held deep contrast to the beach in the background. Her windswept hair fell onto her eyes, just like Shreya's.
Beside her stood the man who had been penning the letters. Beside her stood her lover. Beside her stood Marwan's uncle Salim.
“What!?!” he exclaimed.
He pulled the photograph closer to find a younger version of Salim wearing a polo T-shirt and jeans. He put his arm around Anu and held her close to him. The birds swirled peacefully in the background and the seas splashed the shores in rhythm. They seemed happy together.
He stuffed the photograph into his pocket and frenzied out to find his uncle.
***
Marwan limped into the police station to find Salim sitting in his chair. His feet rested upon the table as he smoked his usual lights and browsed on his phone.
“What brings you here nephew?” he said rather sarcastically.
“I heard you were trying to use my name to get into a crime scene today?” He puffed out swirls of smoke.
Marwan stood motionless. His palm crumpled the photograph in his pocket.
“You know what's funny uncle?” he said. He gritted his teeth as his temples began to throb. “The fact that a criminal is investing his own crime.”
He threw the photograph before Salim and glared. “Explain this. Right now!” he roared.
Salim felt surprised at Marwan's sudden uproar. He had never seen Marwan throw a tantrum at him before.
“It must be about the girl again," he thought.
He put out the cigarette and composed himself in his chair. As he gingerly opened the photograph, his expression transitioned from awe to anger. His eyes grew narrower and his palms began to shake. He let out an unintended cough and cleared his throat as his breathing grew heavy.
“Where did you find this?” he pursed his lips.
“Why!?!” said Marwan. “Why did you do it?”
“Do what? Wait for Anu all my life?”
“Why did you kill her you bastard!?!”
“How dare you!” he pushed himself from the chair and towered over Marwan. “Your no-good friend did it! She isn't opening her mouth. The minute she does, I'm going to show her hell!!”
Marwan’s heart began pulsating rapidly. His face tightened in aggression.
“You killed her and you framed an innocent girl!!” He began roaring like a predator. He grabbed a nearby chair and hurled it at Salim.
Salim ducked and evaded the chair; he blocked himself from getting hurt. He pushed Marwan, thrust him onto the floor and grabbed him by the neck.
“I will kill that girl if I have to and if you don’t shut up, I will kill you too!” he spat.
Marwan grabbed a paper weight that lay across him on the floor. He smashed it onto Salim's forehead in a swift movement as Salim howled out in pain. He tried to squeeze himself out of Salim's grip when Salim rolled his fist and rammed it onto his skull.
The world began swirling as a loud pitched noise rang in Marwan's ears. He began gasping for breath as he panted with his tongue and tears rolled down his cheek. Darkness swiftly engulfed him into oblivion.
******************************************
To be continued...
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