Prabir walked up to Winky and caressed her softly, calming her down. Som screamed even louder, noticing Prabir's reaction. Parul looked helplessly at the bellowing kid. She walked up to him and beseeched," Stop screaming! Please!"

"Paru. Let him know that it's not fun...not cool to throw a tantrum not having a captive audience. Don't initiate a conversation with him.

He misbehaved and was punished," Prabir commanded. He knew that Som was looking for attention and would stop yelling once he was paid no attention by anyone.

Prabir let Siya touch Winky and she clapped her hands happily. Not wanting to encourage Som's behavior, he let him fulfill all his pleasure of screaming his lungs out, avoiding an eye contact or even looking at him.

When Som didn't stop crying for a straight fifteen minutes, Mayank showed up in the living room and demanded," Stop that yelling monster."

Mayank and Parul watched Bhargavi come downstairs, with a poker face and could certainly discern that Som had summoned misfortune, he had conjured up something far sinister.

Remarking both Parul and Mayank's reaction, Prabir realized Bhargavi was standing right behind him and he turned around to see her.

"That mother flunker is arrested," Bhargavi said loud and clear and bit her tongue the next instant closing her eyes shut. She opened up her eyes slowly to look at Prabir who had a disappointed look on his face.

"Really?" Mayank enquired with a mixture of emotions, half in relief and again feeling sorry at the same time.

Siya tugged at Prabir's trousers and enquired," What is a mother flunkaaa?"even before Prabir could react to the information he had just received.

Prabir knelt down to be at her level and softly whispered," You should never say that Siya. It's a bad word. Okay?"

"Okay!" She replied back jovially and laughed hysterically as Prabir tickled her.

Som screamed," You only love her, you don't love me," and turned around with his arms crossed over his chest.

The piece of puzzle was solved, Prabir had let Som play with Winky while he made Siya say the rhymes and spent time with her, making the little boy envious. Harassing Winky was an innocent attempt made by the kid to grab Prabir's attention. He called the kid," Som. Come here."

" No!" He screamed but came running to Prabir when he said softly," I love you kiddo. I am sorry.

You are a good boy right? You shouldn't hurt Winky. "

Prabir hugged both the kids.

" Everyone loves her more. Do I still matter?" Som complained crossly.
Prabir could feel that Som was developing bad and dark thoughts and feelings for his younger sister.

"Som, why do you feel like that?" Prabir enquired seriously.

"You were sitting with her all this time.
Maa, scolds only me... whosever fault it maybe.
Baba treats her like a princess. He always tells that she's more intelligent, she started to talk way back,much earlier than I did," Som sobbed horribly.

"Som.You are such a good boy. You are a good bro. Sia loves you a lot. Don't you Sia?" Prabir enquired Siya. She nodded admitting that she loved him. "Here, common Siya, give him a tight hug. Look Som Bhaiya is so sad, he has been crying for so long," Prabir murmured.

Siya hugged Som tightly and kissed his cheek softly beaming with joy.

"Now you two sit there quietly and watch TV. I'll be back in sometime and I'll tell you a story. Okay?" Prabir asked.

"I want to hear a story about a princess," Siya blurted out instantly.

"No...no princess. I want to hear a story about a dragon," Som erupted.

"No dragon. Princess."

"Dragon"

The kids picked up a fight amongst themselves.

"Hey! I'll tell two stories - one about a princess and the other about a dragon," Prabir said brightly.

"Yaaayyyy!" Siya yelled hopping with joy.

Prabir switched on the TV and made both of them sit down watching a cartoon show before he stepped into the kitchen.

The kids paid no attention to the presence of the others in the room and now were engrossed in the cartoon show.

Bhargavi followed Prabir in the kitchen. She whispered, " What feels creepy as hell is that...no fight...no struggle, he just gave up. He confessed to all his crimes as soon his party withdrew support."

Prabir did not even spare a glance at her, he was busy making a vegetable soup. "I am sorry Prabu," Bhargavi apologized sincerely with her gaze fixed on the floor. She did not notice Prabir come close to her, and was startled when he whispered in her ears," A pretty doll like you shouldn't say such words Bhargu."

Flustered and with her heart throbbing faster than ever, Bhargavi stood rooted in that place for a while. Prabir was quickly chopping some vegetables after washing and peeling them. Bhargavi had been thinking that Prabir would be furious, as she had used swear words before the kids and Parul. But here he was in a pleasant mood whistling to himself.

"Can I help you?" Bhargavi inquired cheerfully.

"Yes! Will you babysit those two kids for a while?" Prabir enquired quietly.

"Wha...?Me? You are trusting me with the kids? What if I spank their butts a deep red? " Bhargavi quizzed alarmed.

Prabir nodded in approval and gave her a gentle reminder," Remember! Don't disclose your name and maintain a little distance from the kids, so that you don't get hurt."

Bhargavi strode towards the living room, where the kids were glued to the TV earlier and was shell-shocked. Som's face was scratched and Siya's left cheek had deep red fingers imprinted. The remote laid on the floor, broken to pieces.

Parul was having a really hard time trying to separate the two kids. Mayank was watching the show from a distance not interrupting. "Di, please help me, it's mentally exhausting to referee their arguments. They just can't stop squabbling," Parul muttered as she noticed Bhargavi.

Bhargavi separated them apart in an instant pulling their ears. "Paru. Switch off the TV," she demanded.

"She always has everything her way," Som yelled.

"You broke the remote," Siya complained.

Bhargavi instantly realized that Prabir had so sweetly inflicted a punishment on her, without her even having the least idea that she was punished for having used a swear word before the kids. She laughed maniacally and the kids looked at her amazed and confused stopping in between their shouting match.

Mayank had an ill feeling in the gut and was apprehensive that the kids were in deep trouble. Though, he wasn't really worried about the kids, he did not want to see kids slaughtered right in front of his eyes. It was ludicrous that Prabir let Bhargavi be so close to the kids, knowing very well, how savage and cruel she was. He rushed to the kitchen to call out Prabir before any mishap took place.

"Bravo! Siya. You did a great job. You scratched his face. Should I tie him up at the gates outside the house? He is so mean to you. He doesn't care about you," Bhargavi questioned curiously.

The little girl hugged her brother and whimpered," No! I was a bad girl. I argued with him. I did not give the remote when he asked for it."

"Marvellous! Som. You broke this remote. And you even slapped her. What a good and sensible elder brother you are! I am so proud of you. Why do you have to let her have things her way, when you can have everything the way you want it to be? You want me to break her bones? Break her nose maybe?" Bhargavi probed sarcastically but the innocent child had tears in his eyes and blabbered," No! No! Don't hurt her. Please."

"But why? You slapped her," Bhargavi quizzed sounding alarmed.

"Because she's my sister," he mumbled softly.

Bhargavi smiled at the kids and ruffled Som's hair softly whispering," Som. It's okay to let her have her way sometimes as she's your little sister.

Siya. You should listen to your brother at times. There is nothing wrong in letting him watch his favorite show on TV, right? You too can watch it with him.

See now I had to switch off the TV because you two ended up hurting each other. It is not good to hurt each other."

Mayank on the other hand beseeched Prabir to save the kids," Prabir please come with me before Bhargavi hurts the kids, she's so infuriated."

"She will never hurt the kids Mayank, you don't have to worry," Prabir replied back carelessly.

"You know how savage she is? The kids picked up a physical fight and..." Mayank explained but was countered with Prabir's statement," Mayank, I asked Bhargu to babysit the kids. She is too fabulous to fit in your standards, so don't judge her from your perspective."

Parul was flabbergasted with Bhargavi's personality, she had a unique way to deal with all her problems. When it had been a dreadful experience for her, dealing with the kids, Bhargavi had so easily stopped their bickering.

Prabir filled bowls with vegetable soup for everyone, he placed five bowls on a tray and pleaded Mayank," Mayank, please take this for your Maa and Mira Di( the nurse)," as he filled two separate bowls of soup for Mayank's mother and the nurse and placed them on a small tray. He placed the small spoons in every bowl before Mayank left the kitchen.

Mayank was shocked to see Siya smiling, she had placed her head on Som's lap and he was patting her head softly. Som seemed to be enjoying his sister's company, who mischievously pointed out at a cartoon character saying," Look! That's you," as they watched TV together.

Bhargavi was perched at a distance from the two kids, carefully jotting down something on a notepad left on the table while Parul was fiddling with her phone, seated beside her.

Mayank slowly walked into the room where his mother was lying on the bed almost lifeless. However, she had a beautiful smile on her face, with brightly shining eyes. Mayank thought that the nurse was pretty well mannered and was treating his mother with an insurmountable amount of care and affection, as she also had offered him consolation when he was in immense pain.

Bhargavi was startled to hear the noise made by Prabir as he placed the tray before her, on the table. She had been so preoccupied with her own thoughts, that she hadn't notice him at all.

Prabir offered Parul and Bhargavi their soup bowls with a gentle smile, then he walked back to the kids and fed them both from the same bowl and using the same spoon after blowing softly on the hot soup. Both Som and Siya had forgotten all about listening to stories, now keenly interested in watching the TV.

Bhargavi put down the notepad and picked up the soup bowl, as a fleeting look of trepidation passed over her face. She could feel something ominous hanging in the air, a darkness.

The theory that Mr. Nishwas Sinha was broken and devasted as he was exposed by his own son and thrown out of the political party he had been serving for years, was misleading. Something was amiss. Was Mr. Nishwas Sinha trying to throw up an open challenge befooling them saying,
" Come and get me"?!

Bhargavi kept on thinking at a nerve wrecking speed. It was true that Mr. Nishwas was expelled from his political party as it had to promote, electoral accountability by enhancing judicial punishment for combating corruption.

Not only embezzlement and bribery, Mr. Nishwas was involved in heinous crimes. A person who has more than just commemorative passion, a macabre fascination for true life crimes, Mr. Nishwas admitting to his crimes...felt undeniably spooky.