Yawning, he sat up on his bed. His body ached with the long hours of sleep, but he was relaxed somehow. He didn't know how he slept this well, but he did. The sunlight flamed through the window and his eyes squinted at it. He had overslept. He looked up at the clock.

12:13 pm

How could he have slept so long, again? He always woke up at 4 am and even if he overslept, it'd be 5 am but this was way over even his imagination to be sleeping till 12 continuously for over a week. 

Pulling the sheets out, he stood up, but his legs felt wobbly. His eyes were too drowsy. Holding the wall, he tried moving through the room and to the stairs. He felt a kind of fear seeing the stairs. His legs screamed no to climbing the stairs down. 

Exhaling, he kept one foot by foot, slow and steady throughout the process. His head swayed along, feeling too heavy. Breathing heavily, he reached halfway and heard the loud cackles of women.

Madhavi, Aditi and his grandmother.

"The pill must be working on him right now. Poor thing, sleep doesn't seem to be his thing it seems. Padmavati, give him the pills whenever he lacks sleep. Aditi has dozens and she'll keep supplying you with them," Madhavi said in a hushed tone but Ayush could hear it.

"Madhavi, I don't know what to do about this child. Aditi, please help him out. He is all yours," his grandmother sounded desperate and so... lowly. "Thank you for giving him the pill, or else I think he'd be a maniac," she laughed at his depressing condition. 

His mind went to last night when all of them were having dinner at his house. After dinner, Ashika and Aditi went to the kitchen to make some cold lassi for everyone. Aditi handed him one and he sipped at it without scepticism, obviously almost every night this entire week. 

Rage boiled inside him knowing that he was drugged by his own family. Putting his unsteady leg in haste, it slipped. He tumbled down the stairs with sudden pains pricking his body. As he landed on the floor, he groaned. 

Suddenly something pulled at his leg and his mouth let out a wild shriek. The pain just went to his head and back. Everyone ran to him and tried helping him but every time they touched him, he yelled.

"We should call the ambulance," Madhavi uttered breathily by dialling her phone and running outside the house with his grandmother following. 

He wanted to yell no because he had no idea what other drug they'd insert into him now, but he stayed low. The word ambulance was too alien because they never got here much and the hospital nearest was the farthest from the village. Ambulances barely came in his villages and they barely tried to call one either. 

Sighing, he hoped for the best- for the ambulance to arrive so he could keep himself away from bursting over them about the drug. He didn't want them to know that he had heard them.

Aditi bent down to him and caressed his hand. Grimacing, he slapped her hand away with his other hand as it stung. Her eyes were large with shame and shock. Her mouth dropped open slightly. 

Looking away, she began to stand up, but then halted and looked at him. A smile went through her rep luscious lips. She bought her hand to his face and caressed it softly. His breath halted at the gesture and he held her wrist tightly.

Yanking her closer to him, he looked into her eyes and surged up the courage to not curse her. Exhaling deeply, he threw her hand away and turned his face to his left. A few moments passed as his mind wandered with innumerable thoughts. He leaned onto his right elbow and tried to sit up. 

Aditi began to help him by supporting his back.

"I didn't ask for your help and I don't need it," he hissed at her but she kept stable and tried to help him. "I told you to not," he stared at her gravely.

"Ayush, stop being reluctant, let m-"

"I TOLD YOU TO LEAVE ME!" he exclaimed and suddenly a pain bolted through his leg. 

He cursed under his breath and sat up on his own, panting slightly over the rage that gushed in him. He heard footsteps nearing. "There is the troop," he whispered to himself.

"What was happe-"

"Something that you wouldn't like," Ayush interrupted rudely, with all the intention of keeping them off.

"That is obvious. But, the context?" Madhavi asked this time before Padmavati could say something.

"Why should I tell you? Why are you even in my house?" he snarled his words at her as he crawled slowly to a wall and let himself rest there.

"Ayush! How disrespectful of you! Apologize right now!" Padmavati reprimanded him with her mouth dropping open at his questions.

"Why should I? She asked the wrong question," he retorted, wincing at the pain in his arm and leg. 

Suddenly everyone swivelled at a siren at the doorstep while Ayush simply sat and waited. It was a bit too abnormal that an ambulance reached so quickly at their doorsteps as if it was all plotted. 

A man in white came into the house and inspected him.

"We need an x-ray. You fell from the top of the stairs?" he asked after he had examined his entire body. 

Ayush nodded, with his brain saying to him, NO, IT'S THE THIRD STEP!

"Well, we better get a better look. It kind of looks a bit severe to me. Does anywhere else hurt? Like, the back or something?" he asked as he gaped at him from head to toe, again.

"No, not the back, but my arm, it pains a lot," he flinched as the man touched it. "And my head, a little bit," he added as he felt the throbbing on his forehead. 

The man got his eyes to the wound and examined it and gasped slightly.

"That head needs some attention, it seems. Let's get you to the hospital. One bystander may join," he announced by looking at the people gathered around.

"No, I'm enough. I just need my phone," Ayush suddenly said as Aditi opened her mouth to speak. 

The man looked at him as if he said something unexpected and then gestured for Aditi to get his phone. But she stood there, unaware of what was being told. Ayush looked at the man and tugged at his arm. He leaned in closer as Ayush inclined his head.

"I don't want her to get my phone, it's complicated. Could you do it? Help a brother out in here, please," he whispered into the man's ear. 

The man didn't say anything for a while and then nodded his head. 

"It's the second floor, clean door. On the table. Could you lock it and bring the key as you come out, too?" Ayush pleaded to the man with a desperate tone. 

The man chuckled slightly and took to his heels. He went up the stairs and Ayush looked at the rest with tired yet challenging eyes.

"None of you will come to the hospital, I don't want you to. If you do, don't expect any politeness," he uttered the words with such hatred; he was surprised it was even him. 

He heard the closing of a door and the man was running down the stairs to get to him.

"Think you can get up? If not, we'll get the wheels," he asked Ayush by letting his hand grip his right hand as he called out to someone standing outside. 

As Ayush got on one leg, the wheelchair was pushed to his back, letting him get seated. As the other guy pushed him out of the house in the wheelchair and into the ambulance, everyone came out of the house and stood at the door. 

He saw people standing near the ambulance and staring at it like an extraordinary thing. He got lifted to a bed and he yelled again, unable to sustain the pain. As they left the site of his house, he looked at the man.

"Thanks, Kiran," he exhaled deeply as the man kept tending to his injuries.

"Nah, just helping my brother out," he said with a wink. 

Kiran used to be the caretaker of Arjun last year and they had grown into such great friends in a short while. 

"Just wasn't expecting a reunion like this," Kiran laughed while making his leg comfortable on a stable thing. "So, what's up?" he asked, with his brows raised.

Ayush exhaled deeply, thinking of other lies. "I don't want Dadi to be in the hospital and all, she's old. So, I thought I'd call Ashika as we go. Where's it?" he asked suddenly, looking around. 

Kiran pressed his tiny phone to Ayush's chest and continued his work. He kept wincing every now and then because of the pain. Kiran softly wiped his forehead and tissues and cloths stained by blood were thrown into the tray beside him. 

His head was hurt, it seemed but it was baffling how he couldn't feel it much. He dialled Ashika's number and waited for its ring to end. Nobody picked up the phone. He dialled again, the same answer. Exasperated, he dialled the third time; it did the work.

"Ayush, I'm working," she sounded exasperated and as if whispering.

"I'm at the hospital," he mumbled as the vehicle turned to a large building. 

His house was a bit far from the hospital and going in a car was impossible as he didn't have one. He was at least glad Madhavi called the ambulance. His pain was so immense, he didn't know if he had his body parts.

"WHAT? What happened?" Ashika was suddenly loud and concerned. "I'm coming, where's the hospital?" she asked and he heard the ruffling of papers in the background.

"The one nearest to our village, the big and expensive one. Get some money too. Be quick, I'm alone," he mumbled by almost pressing the button to cut the call.

"Alone? Where's Dadi? Or anyone else, like, Aditi or someone?" she held her breath suddenly.

"You just get here, Ashu," he mumbled and cut the call before she could add any more of her queries. 

He took a deep breath as he got pushed out of the ambulance and into the hospital. Kiran patted his shoulders as a relief and took him to the emergency ward. 

************

His face rubbed the hard pillow of the rock-harsh hospital bed. Groaning, he tried rubbing his forehead as it stung, but there were bandages over it. He opened his eyes suddenly and looked at his leg. There was a huge plaster and his hand had a minor one.

Was he asleep through all this?

"Ah, you're awake, at last," he heard Kiran laughing to himself and holding a cup to him. 

It was warm water.

"Thanks. When did all this happen?" Ayush gestured to the bandages.

"You kept yelling all the time, we were so fed up. We gave you a drug as we did the bandage for the wound. You were mumbling about some random stuff and I picked some up if you don't mind," Kiran chuckled and blinked his eyes.

"What-" Ayush could barely remember anything that happened and it felt like he was mostly asleep floating in the air. He sure remembered the part where the doctor asked him about the pain in the leg and arm.

"You kept mumbling about a girl named Kriti. I guess another one of the storybooks you read?" Kiran laughed again and his heart missed a beat hearing it. 

He nodded to Kiran as if avoiding the question. He looked around the white room that had a bed table, a table, two chairs and a television. 

"Don't worry, you got discounts here," Kiran added as Ayush kept gazing at the room like it was an extremely expensive hotel suite room. 

They suddenly heard a knock on the door. He looked at Ayush and then went to open the door. As it opened, a panting figure drenched in sweat peered inside the room. Her eyes were large and red as if they'd burst.

"Oh, Ayush!" she barged in and stood beside him. She looked at him from head to toe and reached his forehead. She bit her lips to falter from crying. "You look miserable," she exhaled as she sat on one of the chairs.

"It's obvious, Ashu. What else did you expect? A tiny Band-Aid?" Ayush chuckled to his joke and the rest followed. "Before you ask, I tripped from the top of the stairs and well, they are marble, I'm lucky to have lived," he gave a response to the unspoken question from his sister.

"I might as well get going. I just came in when I got some time. I'll keep checking on you whenever I get time. We need to get back to our old times, eh?" Kiran said as he reached for the door.

"Thank you, Kiran. You helped a lot, today," Ayush grinned thankfully and Kiran just gave a wink.
 

He exhaled deeply as Kiran left.

"You have the money?" Ayush asked suddenly as he gaped out through the large window on his left. It was a blazing evening with such tranquillity that he questioned the existence of others.

"Yeah. I'm sure we'll be able to handle it with my leftover salary and the amount we just received as rent. If that doesn't cover it, we can take a bit from our savings. If even that doesn't cover, I don't know what else will," Ashika said it aloud, as if telling someone else. 

Ayush chuckled along to her ridiculously precise statement. He turned to face her and stared at her for a while. His mind full of thoughts.

"Ashu, why'd you allow me to be drugged?" he asked with his eyes moist with the morning's conversation between the three women in his house. Ashu's eyes popped open and gazed at him perplexed.

"Drugged? What are you saying?" she felt genuinely confused at what he just probed, but he had let his trust fall with everyone suddenly.

"Ashu, don't lie to me, you kno-"

"Ayush, what are you talking about? What drug?" she cut him off as her eyes kept searching for his answer. He felt like he shouldn't have asked her that.

"The drug that I was being fed all this week to sleep," he said in a bitter yet calm voice. "You didn't know?" he asked as if realising something after noticing her knitted brows.

Her head wobbled as it nodded. "I didn't. Tell me what happened. Oh god, I keep myself busy and all this happens," she clutched her head and pressed the bangs back to her head.

"I- today morning, no, afternoon, when I woke up and walked down the stairs, I heard Madhavi Aunty offer Dadi some drugs that she has been giving me this entire week without me even knowing. Aditi used to add it in the lassi that we drank each night. Dadi knew it, so I thought you might as well... I'm sorry, Ashu. I-I questioned that you were-"

"You mean, Madhavi Aunty, Aditi and DADI HAVE BEEN GIVING YOU DRUGS?" she yelled, outraged by what she just heard.

"Ashu, calm down. Okay? We aren't at our home, calm it down," he whispered to her as she visibly took deep breaths. 

"Don't let them know that we have known about it. Let it be, for a while. I'm too tired for any of the drama. And, they kept mentioning it as 'pills'. Could be sleeping pills, but Dadi already uses them once in a while as part of the medication. It could be something else if she has to be asking them to supply it," Ayush added as he fumbled with his hands thoughtfully.

"I just can't believe- that- that pretty face of hers is simply just- oh Ram, what all am I hearing," she exhaled tiredly as she stood up from the chair. 

She walked towards the television and turned it on. "Should we inform the police?" she asked as she struggled with the operation of tuning it.

"Ashu, just, leave it. We don't need to stress on the thing. You didn't tell them anything, did you? Like, which hospital I am in or something?" he asked, almost sitting up from the bed. 

She swivelled and nodded him a no.

"I went home to take some money and a few of your belongings. I found that your room's door was locked, so I used the spare Dadi had and don't worry, I locked it. I forgot to give it to her. I didn't take much of my stuff as I thought I'd go back to get it later. They didn't say it to be any serious, they said it could be just a fracture, so I thought we'd be back in a while, but from what the doctor said, I don't think...." Her voice faded into the lurking silence. 

He raised his brows as Ashu looked at him.

"We might... uhh that forehead of yours; it is a whole lot serious. The doctor said we might need to do some more treatment. You might know him, he's Martin Noel. Mother's companion in this hospital. I don't think you remember him much," she said as she saw him thinking visibly, his brown knit. 

"You know that this hospital is where Maa worked right?" she smiled as he nodded.

"Martin uncle was the one who helped her out in this hospital. He made her better in medical science and as I remember, he was a jolly old man. But now, he's become so old, I had to rub my eyes," she laughed faintly.

"He kind of like cried when he saw you, he said. It bought back her memories..." She pressed some button on the television and it changed to a screen that just blared sound and a blank screen.

"You know, I miss her now. I have been having these dreams where I see her last minutes flash suddenly into my brain. Paa too. They both visit me in my dreams frequently as if giving me relief from the loneliness I go through every time you just die in your own world, becoming someone else," her voice cracked and he knew she was almost crying.

"They tell me... they tell me to take care of you every time. They say you just need some time and that I should just let you be aware of the world sometimes," she tittered this time and turned to him. "It's wonderful how they just know us, isn't it?"

His eyes were soggy and he looked at her. His mind ran through the months he ignored and dashed his sister away for everything she did for him, feeling miserable.

"You've always taken care of me so well I've never felt the absence of our parents. I really am grateful and jealous of my parents that they got such a good daughter. You did what they told you. You made me realize there is another world other than the imaginary world I keep getting myself hooked into. You made me realize my mistakes too. I had felt that I was being miserable again and again and again but I never had the strength to look at your face and say an apology," he bit his lips and held back the tears. 

"I'm sorry, Ashu. It would've been really difficult for you and I barely recognized that the past few months," he looked away suddenly, resenting his own deeds. He let the tears fall softly, taking deep breaths to hold it back.

"So, what about the treatment? You going to do it?" she asked, dodging whatever just happened and smiling at him.

"The expense wou-"

"I have got it covered. Martin uncle has said that he'll help us. He said he'd do it even if we said him not to. He just wants to help, let him," she shrugged and smiled widely as the television lighted on a screen with some advertisement of some cell phone. 

She changed channels and put on the news.

"I'll get something to uhh eat? I'm starving, so I'll go to the café that's just below this floor. A tiny one. I'll get you a coffee too," she said as she put the remote in his free hand. 

She looked at him for a while. Letting her hand reach his head, she ruffled his hair. 

"Monkey," she called him and laughed, almost running to the door as if he was going to run behind her.

"DUCKKKKK! QUACK QUACK!" he screeched after her and he heard her laugh as she closed the door. 

It was relieving to have a proper talk with his sister. It felt just perfect like everything was just great. His life, his family, his college, his friends, just as if everything went back to normal. He was much glad he was able to talk his heart out to his sister and put the weight down. 

He slightly felt glad at being drugged. He laughed at the thought of his and groaned as his head throbbed under the slight gesture.

He turned on the volume on the screen and listened to the news. It didn't sound much interesting to him and he changed each channel and reached a movie. It was a comical one. He looked at the bag right beside him. 

Leaning softly to it, he took it with a sharp pain in his shoulder that he got after the fall. Grabbing it, he kept the bag on his lap. Opening, he found a few of his clothes and toothbrush but those weren't anything of his concern then. He rummaged through the supplies and found a book.

The book he was reading- Rasleela.

It had been ages since he wanted to read it, but he never got the impression to begin. Every time he read, it reminded him of Kriti. He turned the television off and let himself dissolve into the book. There was one of the dried flowers from the weed Kriti had given him. 

Smiling, he began reading the book, letting it dissolve in his mind but it just wandered off to the day when he met Kriti. He bought his sodden eyes back to the page and suddenly the door opened.

"I got sandwiches and coffee," Ashu came into the room, with a cover hanging from her middle finger as she held two cups of coffee in both hands. "There weren't many people, so I got it quick," she smiled as she kept it on the bed table. She tore open the sandwiches and gave one to him.

"There were other stuff like samosa and cutlet, but they didn't seem much edible and you need a whole lot of "nutrients"," she emphasized the word as she munched on the sandwich like a hungry tiger. 

Suddenly her phone rang. Turning to it, her brows knitted.

"Hey, Kunal uncle. It's been long, how're you?" she asked, bringing enthusiasm to her words. 

He could barely hear him say anything, but the expression that changed in his sister was something to be recorded. Such expressive faces were rare. He chuckled at his thought.

Kunal uncle was a close friend of his father and he had known him way well since childhood. He had loved to spend time with him, but as time passed, he got a bit away, but he always called. He held his hand out and asked for the phone. When Ashu gestured for him to wait, he pouted like a child.

"That is- that is severe. How are they?" her voice was suddenly put down. "Oh, uncle, we are here. At the hospital," she added suddenly. 

"Yeah, I'd love to. Is there any way we can be of any help?" she asked, letting her expression flow into her voice. "Oh yes! I can arrange that. I'll be right there," she said with a quick bye and cut the call.

"Something happened to him?" Ayush asked, his senses feeling something bad.

"Nah, his friend's daughter is here. She met with an accident and well, she turns out to be our neighbour. They are the ones buying Mr Prasant's house. Kunal uncle asked me to meet him as they get in and to let Martin uncle be informed about it. There is a gravely injured man with them and he says it might be just moments," her voice died suddenly, feeling her heart falter.

"That seriously sounds severe," he mumbled by letting his voice get low with sympathy.

"I'll get Martin uncle now. They might be around," she stood up, gulping the sandwich down. "Ayush, eat it," she ordered as she moved to the washroom to wash her mouth and face. 

As she came out, Ayush still sat staring out the window. She gave him a death stare, asking him to eat it.

"I'll eat later. Just pass me the bottle of water," he said as he flexed his neck. 

Ashu didn't say anything more and let him have the water.

"I'll be right back. Don't do anything mischievous, please," she rolled her eyes and walked out of the room. 

As she left, he let out an exhausting sigh. His heart pounded at what Ashu just said. He would meet Siva today, most probably and that gave him a kind of excitement along with a fear.

What if he would meet Kriti today? He felt himself smiling at that thought.