Sunday, December 16, 2018

Lucifer smiled, the coldness of his smile chilling the air around them, "You humans have no grasp of the truth, despite people coming out with brilliant quotations. As one erratic genius said, 'the truth is never pure and rarely simple.' What I showed you were facts but not the full truth, to understand the truth, you must put the facts in the correct perspective.

Let us start from the beginning. Shiraj Patel, whom you were convinced was a womaniser? He was, there is no denying that weakness of his, but then he is also the man who saved thousands of families from being homeless. In the long drawn out battle where the people refused to vacate the slums they built on the land that legally belonged to someone else, he came up with a solution of relocating them by constructed small apartment flats for them. That was how those tall sixty stories high residential towers were built. Prudent of him and a win-win solution for everyone concerned. He had a funeral fit for a hero.

Dr Mitra, whom you judged wanting, convinced that she facilitated illegal abortions of female foetuses. The girl she was helping out, is fourteen years old and a victim of sexual abuse, in the hands of her father and brother. There was no way she wanted nor could she carry the baby to term. But then your country laws made it impossible for a legal abortion. That fact that the unborn child was a girl was incidental and did not influence her decision, though it helped you make up your mind. Dr Mitra has helped many young girls terminate pregnancies as a result of abuse, despite not having the law on her side. Why do you think she had her clinic so close to Sonagachi?"

Raghuveer had no answers, not that he was expected to reply.

"Who was next? Deepshika. The factory she closed down was an environmental hazard. In its place, she planned to build a humongous shopping mall and would ensure that at least one member of the families of the displaced workers would be given a job. Mr Gupta opposed the decision for he was using that factory for his illegal operations. She knew about that but was hesitant to initiate legal action against a man she considered to be like a father. A courageous woman, you would have to admit."

And he had pegged her to be a callous businesswoman, with a focus only on money and profit. But what he heard next destroyed any illusions he might have had that the others deserved their fate.

"Then there was Arjun. I almost thought you would not shoot him. I could see the sympathy despite the evidence that he had killed others. And your sympathy would not be misplaced either. He did kill three people, but only because his sister had been gang-raped by them and subsequently murdered. His family had waited for a month as she battled for life before she succumbed to her injuries, as per the hospital report. Which again was a lie, for she was killed by Muthuswamy to prevent her from filing a case against his brother. That tipped the scales and Arjun took matters into his own hands. Guess his temperance had reached a breaking point."

Raghuveer struggled to breathe as he remembered Arjun's mother's face; that abject helplessness, to which he had added, would haunt him for the rest of his life. He did not want to hear further, though Luc did not give him any other choice.

"Annapurna, like her name, runs a free kitchen that feeds the poor and homeless. She turns a blind eye to the pilfering because she cannot take any more beatings from her husband who owns that shop. She cannot cook with broken bones and there are a hundred people who depend on her for their only meal of the day.

And the last, Satish, the paint maker; he paints dreams on the walls of bedrooms of kids who have terminal diseases for free. The background, the financial status, nothing about his young patients, matters to him. For a little while, he is happy to see them smile. He is an artist, one who restores faith in humans, however temporarily."

Raghuveer did not reply, he was replaying the entire conversation with Luc, recollecting what he had been told about the people he had killed. For the time being, he refused to think about his role in their deaths, he wanted to focus on what they had been. It was clear the Devil did not want them dead for the reasons he thought they deserved to die, so must have had a hidden agenda.

"Virtues, you wanted their virtues, the ones which were hidden by the vices you showed me."

For the first time, Raghuveer saw surprise flit across the Devil's face, which was gone when he spoke, "Brilliant. You are astute, but then you would have to be, to be picked up by RAW and determined to be one of their sharpest operators. "

Lucifer's face turned dreamy as he continued, though his eyes did not lose the sharp glint, "It is quite absurd, how you humans always have and always will presume virtues and vices to exist in isolated bushel loads. All humans have some of each, what dominates is what you allow"—

"Why me?"

Lucifer glared but Raghuveer did not want a lecture on morals and if it meant that Lucifer was now annoyed, he could not care less.

"Ah! The mournful wonder that airs itself whenever you humans find yourself ailing. Never that question when you are blessed. Why not? You had the skill and the need, I had the power to grant you what you wanted. A win-win deal, as I did say earlier."

"No, not that, you have skills to get what you wanted, why bother having me kill. You could have killed them or have your demons do the jobs. Why pick me to do the actual killing?"

Raghuveer never took his eyes off as he watched Lucifer consider his question, not that any answer would alter his stance, he would not kill the one Lucifer wanted dead. Now that he knew what exactly Luc had wanted all along, he was even more determined. As to how he would face himself and the rest of his family he would decide that later.

Raghuveer smiled, "It does not matter if you do not answer me, nothing matters anymore. My friend often tells that wakt se pelhe or kismat se zyada, kabhi kisi ko kuch nahin milta. You do understand what it means?"

Lucifer nodded, "Roughly translated it means that 'no man could ever get anything before it was time or beyond what destiny had in store for him', It is an annoying and fatalistic belief, those who seek refuge in that maxim are a trifle difficult to tempt or threaten."

"I can see the benefit in that. If we had believed in it, Kamakshi might not have pleaded in vain with God nor would I have bargained with you. I cannot change what has happened, but maybe I can stop things from further deteriorating."

Raghuveer felt a shiver of perverse pleasure as he noted the deepening of the frown on Luc's face, one which even now retained its handsomeness. He was now in a battle mood, where he could retrieve and analyse all the facts at his disposal. And he recalled a little nugget that Luc had let out, that night in Mumbai. It was a gamble, but one that he would take.

Staring at his hands so that Luc could not see his face he whispered, "Do you remember that night when you first insisted that I get the time correct? You mentioned that there are times when death is probable, right?"

"Yes, I did, what has that got to do with you?"

"Nothing." He answered, though he knew it was everything, a probability did not mean a necessity, maybe there was a way out. A way out that would somehow make him a better man from the one he had turned into. The names burned into his mind; Shiraj, Mohini, Deepshika, Arjun, Annapurna, Satish. Living with the knowledge of what he had done was not going to be easy yet leaving it behind was impossible.

From the corner of his eye, he saw Khaleed step in to the room. Another coincidence and it had to be Luc's doing. It cut down the time he had to decide, which was a blessing.

There was only one way, and he was going to take it.

Seated behind the desk, he reached out for the drawer and pulled it out, mulling his options as he tested the weight of the gun. His right shoulder ached, each nerve burning but he was sure that he could manage with his left hand. Especially a handgun that he had been familiar with all his life.

Raghuveer made up his mind, one more life should not matter, not when it would solve all his problems. Maybe it was cowardly, but then it seemed the most reasonable choice, especially when having to face either his son dying or Khaleed paying the price for Tarun's life.

In one smooth movement he brought the gun up, his suddenly alert brain registering the reactions; Lucifer stunned and Khaleed shocked as they realised what he was planning to do. It did not matter, Khaleed would understand, he knew it and that was enough, he did not care what the Devil thought, though it would be fun if he managed to spoil Luc's plans.

Raghuveer pressed the trigger and in the muffled gunshot, echoed Kamakshi wail of terror. Why was she there, she was not supposed to see them, to know how weak a man he was. Regret invaded his thoughts, he had never apologised to her for his temper outburst, and now he would never have that chance.

He strove to say the words, struggled to keep his eyes open and then crashed into the welcoming darkness. 

And that is how it goes, the end of the road and of hope. What do you think will happen? Do you agree with Raghuveer's actions? I would love to know what you think.

Thank you for reading,
Nyna