'Avyaan..nilu pa..'

He stopped in his tracks while Lakshmi walked forward and stood beside him,

'Inum evlo nalaiku pa avakita ethayum solama iruka pora?'

He snapped his head at her, who looked back at him with concern filled eyes.

'Enala yen avakita sola mudiyadhu nu ungalku theriyumla paati?'

'Theriyum kanna, aana ipo ni eduthirukra mudivu avalku unmela irukra veruppa inume jaasthiyakum nu therinjum ethukaha ipdi panra?' she looked for him to respond, but he kept silent.

'Enna veruthalum ava enkoodave irupaa la paati?' his eyes got blurred when he said those words. Lakshmi saw the longingness in his eyes and felt her eyes turn shiny. 

She touched his hand while he looked at her with teary eyes and tears threatened to fall down which he masked with his stone face, as usual.

'Intha paththu varshathula nee kan kalangi na patha naatkal romba kammi..unoda ella kashtathayum marakradhukaha unna suthi potukita veliya enala oru kattathuku mela odaikka mudiyala nu purinjudhu...'

Avyaan looked at her blankly while she continued,

'Virumbiyo virumbamalo ni thorakka virumbatha unoda manasukulla nozhaiyuradhuku avalala matum dha mudiyum nu unoda kanna pathu annaiku na purinjukiten..(smiles) avala pathi yosikra ni, unna pathi yenpa yosika matengra?'

'Yen na ava dha paati enaku ellam...'

Lakshmi went silent as she expected this reply from him. Maybe she had not spoken about this for a while, but each time when she was about to talk to him, she used to try her best to bring him out of his misery. Today, she felt the need to talk to him, at least to explain what might happen if he proceeds with his decision.

'Adha ava purinjukradhukaana vaaipa ni epo avalku kuduka pora?'

Avyaan smiled with pain and hung his head low, as he felt himself breaking in already,

'Adha enala kuduka mudiyathu paati (chuckles with pain)..kadavul enkiterndhu eduthukitadhu athu..adhu marubadiyum kedaikuma ilaya nu kuda enaku therila, aana na mirugama maarama irukanum na ava enkoodave irukanum..'

Without waiting for her reply, he walked past and closed the door behind him. Lakshmi sighed looking at his disappearing figure. She expected it to happen even before she tried to convince him, but she wanted to try her luck before she involved herself on behalf of her grandson. She knew what he was worried about, and she didn't want him to suffer anymore. Also, she didn't want to make the girl agonize without knowing about why she was here. 

'Unga rendu perkahavum itha na panniye aahanum...'

'Sir, neenga sona mari orphanages list shortlist pannadhula engalku mothama 122 orphanages oda details kedachiruku..sumar 25 varshathuku munadi ingerndhu adopt aayi pona kozhandhainga, ilana ethathu karanalatha orphanage ah vitutu pona pasanga nu collect pana details intha file la iruku sir...'

Bala checked the documents, while Moorthy continued,

'Mothama aan kozhandhainga nu namma sona age range la pathappo 67 per ah filter panirukom..ithula ivanga currently irukra places check pana soli already inform panitom sir..'

'Good Moorthy, avangala trace pani parunga..ithula entha information oh, avanga irukra thadayam ethuvume kedaikama suspicious ah irukravangaloda details nu namma filter panna kandippa romba sila peru dha minjuvanga, then our search will be easy..'

'Sure sir..'

Bala nodded his head and turned towards Nilosh. He frowned when he spoke to someone seriously through the call. He thought not to disturb him, but the change of expression on his face made Bala worried for some extent. 

He decided to go and check on him. When Nilosh noticed Bala, he slowly disconnected his call and questioned him,

'Enachu da?'

'Namma avana seekramave pudichuralam da..we are almost there..namma guess uh correct na avan maatikra naal romba dhoorathula ila..'

Nilosh nodded his head and sighed while Bala questioned,

'Aama, phonela yarukita pesitu iruntha?'

Nilosh snapped his head at him while Bala stared at him for an answer,

'Athu..company la irunthu call da..neraya foreign projects la commit ayirunthen, ipo ellame freeze ahi nikuthu..yarkum badhil sola mudiyama, nanum nimmathiya ilama iruken da..' he said in a low voice, while Bala felt sorry for him.

'Feel panadha macha..kandupudichuralam...'

Nilosh nodded and spoke looking at him in determination,

'Kandippa pudichuruven..'

'Amma, please ma..engalala ungala intha nelamaila paka mudila..ithuku melayum neenga ipdiye iruntha Shiru engala thittuva ma..'

Devi opened her eyes with extreme tiredness as she had started to feel her body getting weak since day 4. Regardless of her suffering, she still believed that her daughter would come soon to make her worries fly away.

'Ava vanthurattum Pavi, kandippa en ponnu enkita vanthuruvaa..' she said weakly.

'Amma, ava kandippa vanthuruvaa, ava varrappo neenga themba irukrathukahavachum sapdunga ma..' Pavithra tried to control her tears but failed miserably.

Preethi tried to convince Devi from her side,

'Almost ava irukra edam therinjuruchu, neenga sapteenga na namma avala nerla poi seekrama kutitu vanthuralam ma..'

Pavithra snapped her head at Preethi in shock while she ignored it. She didn't regret her words when she saw the way Devi's eyes brightened.

'Nejamava?'

'Aama ma, ipo neenga saptu unga maathra lam correct ah poteenga na, namma Shiru irukra edathuku namma seekrama poiralam..'

Pavithra looked at her in disbelief, while Preethi looked back at her helplessly.

'Na sapdren..ava saptu irupaa la?' Devi asked with yearning, while the girls looked each other before Pavithra spoke,

'Saptu irupaa ma, ipo neenga sapdunga...'

'Enala yen avana purinjukave mudila? yen enaku matum ipdilam nadakuthu?'

Shirnila clutched her head with tears as she felt the time she had to free herself from his hold was much less than she imagined. The moment he said about their marriage, Shirnila lost her peace. She definitely didn't expect this from him at this moment. Various thoughts were running in her mind, and she felt her headache getting worse.

She took the medicine for the last five days and wondered how he knew them correctly. She was not surprised as she knew him stalking her for a long time, and this should be one of the information he gathered while shadowing her. With all the happenings, she skipped her medicine and felt her headache making her condition worse.

The food was kept untouched as each minute felt like hell when the fear of him killing her people scared her the most. In a way, she felt relieved not having a wall clock in her room which she might look and panic each time if she saw it and realised the time she had was reducing in no time. But what she knew was that she had only one day left to do whatever she wanted to try.

She walked to the dining table and had a few mouthfuls of food and gulped her medicine before she came back and sat down. She knew that protesting against him was not going to work rather than thinking of a good plan to escape once and all.

She jerked from her thoughts when she heard the door clicking sound. She frowned in confusion when she felt him coming on a different time from his usual schedule. During these days, she very well knew about when he comes to provide her needs and food but was confused now.

Her knotted eyebrows widened when she saw an old woman entering her room. She had not seen her before and realised her guess was correct that day when she heard multiple steps around her which she guessed a couple of days back. So, she should be the person behind him.

Anger surged up in her and she stood from her place. Ignoring the smile, the lady gave she went towards her furiously,

'Neenga yaru nu enaku therila, aana neenga intha edathuku vanthirukeenga na onnu matum puriyudhu..'

Shirnila's eyes were glazed with anger, but the lady remained calm until Shirnila finished,

'Periyavanga thane neenga? neengalum oru ponnu dhane? epdi inoru ponna ipdi chithravadha panrathuku odandhaya irukeenga?' Shirnila couldn't control her tears and immediately wiped them before she spoke further,

'Budhi sola vendiya edathula iruka vendiyavanga ipdi keezhtharama erangi oru ponna kadathi nenachadha saadhikalam nu nenaikravana poi ipdi support panirukeenga ngradha nenaikave romba kashtama iruku..'

'Ni pesi mudichutana, na pesalama Shirnila?"

Shirnila snapped her head at her, while the lady smiled at her,

'Unoda kovam enaku puridhu, avan panna thappa nyayapaduthrathuku inga varala, sila vishayangala ni purinjuka muyarchi pananum nu solradhukaha tha na inga vanthen...'

Shirnila stared at her blankly, while the old lady continued,

'En peru Lakshmi, enaku nu yarume ila..avana thavira..' a painful chuckle escaped her lips while she continued,

'Intha kezhavi apdi enna panira poraa nu enna emathinavanga neraya peru..en purushan irukra varaikum enna engayume kai vidala, aana avaru ponadhuku aproma na petha pasanga kuda enna othari thallitu poitanga..'

'Intha vazhkaiya na edhukaha vaazhanum nu nenachappo, sondhangale ilama vaazhura vedhana epdi pattadhu ngradha enna vida chinna vayasula, ennayum vida jaasthiya purinjukita avan enkita vanthappo tha na purinjukiten ma..'

Shirnila tried to process her words, while she continued,

'Ni un manasula ipo enna nenachutu irukiyo athu kedayadhu ma avan..avanoda varthaigal, avan nadanthukra vidham venumna thappa irukalam, aana avan thappanavan ilama...'

'Ipo kuda na inga vanthathu avanuku theriyadhu, aanalum en manasu kekala..intha odamba vitu ennaiku enoda usuru pohum nu therila, aana itha na solama poiten na kandippa periya paavam aayirum ma..'

Shirnila was now confused,

'Neenga ena solreenga enaku onnume purila..'

Lakshmi smiled and caressed her hair before she spoke further,

'Ithuku mela enala unaku ethuvum sola mudiyadhu, niye therinjukrathukana vaaipa unaku kandippa antha kadavul kuduparu..'

Shirnila stood there, looking at her disappearing figure as her mind was confused to the core. her already clouded mind was now completely perplexed due to the words she heard from the old lady who came there all of a sudden. Why was she not telling anything about him and wanted her to find it out?

Suddenly, she got remembered of the diary she secured from his room. She totally forgot it with all the chaos which happened throughout the previous day. Her mind was clouded with confusion as her urge to know about him was totally forgotten. She immediately searched for it and took it in her hands before settling on the bed.

She caressed it with her right hand and read the golden words which were written on it, once again. A tinge of fear and anticipation was visible on her face when she opened it to read.

The first page had nothing but a pencil sketch which made her frown. Her eyes widened in realisation when she saw her own sketch, but it was her childhood image, maybe around her age of 10-12, which made her shocked. She caressed the photo and looked at the smile she had on her face in that image. She faintly remembered something but couldn't actually point out where it was from.

Her eyes fell on the words which were written below her sketch,

'உன் கண்கள் என்னை ஊடுருவிய அக்கணம்

என் நீங்கா இருளை தாண்டி வெளியில் வர ஏங்கினேன்

ஆனால் என் தவிப்பை மறைத்து விலகிச் செல்ல விழையும் நொடி புரிந்து கொண்டேன்

என் முதலும் நீ முடிவும் நீயென

என் நிலவே..'

(Un Kangal ennai ooduruviya akkanam

En neengaa irulai thaandi veliyil vara aenginean

Aanal en thavippai maraiththu vilagi sella vizhaiyum nodi purinthu kondaen

En muthalum nee mudivum nee ena

En Nilave..)

To be continued...

Author's Note :

Hi Makkale!

So here's the 12th part of the story! Keep guessing what's going to happen next!

If you like my story vote panungo, comment panungo, follow panungo, intha storya share panungo!

Sollunga bha! how was the chapter? 

Aduthu enna nu purinjirukum nu nenaikren makkale! stay tuned to know what was there in his past!

Porumaiyudan kathiruppom!

With Love,

Aathvi