“Love recognizes no barriers. It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls to arrive at its destination full of hope.”

~ Maya Angelou

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He wandered aimlessly as his feet took him towards the foothill of the Himalayas, his only motivation being the bewitching melody ringing in his ears. The moment Sanskaar realized that the flute had captivated Vanya as much as him, he just yearned to know who this magician was. He did not know ‘why’ but he just wanted to!

After putting Vanya back to sleep, he took the course at the back of their house. Walking down the stone pavement for a few hundred yards, he found himself straddling the twigs and damp leaves. The path had ended but apparently his life had just taken a turn on a whole new pathway. With an endless stretch of muddy road, soiled with the rain, lying in front of him, Sanskaar had two options.

His brain reprimanded him for his foolish act, claiming that following just a voice was so unlike him and that he should turn around and walk back the way he came.

And at the same time, his heart urged him to venture into the unknown and unravel the surprises life had in store for him.

Regardless to say, first was the easier one. His feet stood rooted at the same position as his mind and heart contemplated and just when the brain started having a upper hand, a different note of the flute hit directly his heart, and for the first time ever, in a tussle his heart won over the brain. And without even realizing, his feet had already stepped forward on to the muddy path.

Not knowing which way to go, he just kept walking as if the trees had become his unsaid guide, and beneath the green canopy, an enchanting spirit called him in its embrace. Looking at the less number of feet imprints on his way, he could already tell that not many people had walked down this path. Or if they had, the evidences of their arrival had been washed down by the rain. He was pulled in an entrance as he kept walking and was brought into the reality with a splash of water.

The music had dimmed already and when he looked around, he stood captivated by the brilliance and serenity of the place. The water roared as it tumbled down the rocks nonchalantly and fell down in a plunge pool underneath. The waterfall was nothing like he had ever seen before. As if the trees guarded it from either side, the mighty waterfall flowed majestically like a king. It was the most enthralling site his eyes had ever beheld.

In an attempt to find out who played the flute, he looked around but could find no one. He was quite sure that whoever the person was, had been here but now that he could no longer hear the music, he realized that the person had already gone. Sighing, he rubbed his palm on his face.

‘What were you thinking?’ His brain chided.

‘No worries. We will look again.’ His heart assured.

He nodded his head to no one in particular and took a deep breath. A small smile made its way to his lips. Most possibly, it was the effect of the place. Now that he was here, he decided to have a look around. He still had quite sometime before going to the hospital. Walking around a big boulder, he rested his back against it. And that was when something caught his eye. A little shine, hardly a meter away. An anklet, lying in between the grasses, was shining as the sun rays hit it, slowly peeping from behind the mountains.

Bending down, Sanskaar picked it up and took a deep breath as he looked at it intently.

So, his magician was a ‘she’!

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He was all jumpy and jittery as he kept looking at his wrist watch. A minute, a minute more and he will be here. Mr. Satyendra Das had never expected Dr. Maheshwari to pay their college a visit. He had not been able to sleep even a wink ever since he had received his call last night. He had not said anything with confirmation but he just wished for him to accept his proposal.

He took a deep breath as Sanskaar’s car came to a halt in front of the Siliguri College of Medicine and Nursing, SCMN for short.

“Hello, Dr. Maheshwari. I hope you had a pleasant ride here. I have been waiting for you,” Mr. Das said with a smile, forwarding his hand for a handshake.

Sanskaar took his hand in his and smiled in response, “I hope you had not been waiting for too long. I tried to keep up with the time.”

“And you did. You have always been so punctual. So, would you like to take a demo class as well? Just to get a little acquainted with our students,” asked Mr. Satyendra Das and Sanskaar gave a small smile. “I am planning to meet the dean of your college first and then we can get into the details.”

“Of course. Of course.” Mr. Das nodded his head vigorously. “This way, please.” He guided Sanskaar inside the college.

Knocking at the door of the first room on the ground floor, Mr. Das waited for a reply patiently. The golden name plate on the door read,

‘Dr. Purushottam Roy Choudhury
Dean’

On receiving the permission to enter, Mr. Das opened the door to the cabin and gave a slight bow. “Good morning, Sir. Dr. Maheshwari is here to meet you.”

“Oh, yes! Of course. Hello, Dr. Maheshwari. I am so glad to meet you. You are really quite a young man for all those achievements.” He smiled as he gestured towards the chair, requesting Sanskaar to take a seat. Dr. Purushottam Roy Choudhury was a bald middle aged man, probably in his late fifties. With huge-rimmed glasses resting on his nose, he looked like someone quite knowledgeable but his short stature made him look cute at the same time. And the smile that always played on his lips made it quite evident how much of an amiable person he was.

“It is a pleasure to meet you as well, Sir.”

“Oh, no Sir, please! For you, Dr. Choudhury would do,” he urged and Sanskaar nodded his head with a small smile.

“So, shall we discuss the details?” Being a man of few words he came straight to the point and Sanskaar agreed in a heartbeat. At first, he had thought of declining the offer as things might become a little hectic for him to manage but then something about the college urged him against it. And Sanskaar did not know himself why, but he could not decline.

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The discussion went for about half an hour before everything got finalized. Sanskaar would teach in the college for a month, and if everything went well and if he wished to, then the duration would get extended.

Taking a deep breath, Sanskaar shook Dr. Choudhury’s hand, “I will see you in the morning then, Doctor.”

“It is indeed a pleasure to have you here, Dr. Maheshwari. Thank you so much for accepting the offer. Allow me to see you out,” said Dr. Choudhury and Sanskaar nodded instantly. “It would be an honor.”

Stepping out of the cabin, all three of them started walking down the hallway, when Sanskaar stopped instantly, for he had heard that enchanting flute once again. It was the same tune he had heard in the morning a week ago. He was absolutely sure it! His heart danced in absolute delight.

“This music?” he enquired from no one in particular and Mr. Das answered, “The first year and second year students are preparing for the upcoming fresher’s party. I guess that the talent showcase round is going on. They do that every year for selecting Mr. and Ms. Fresher.”

Mr. Das kept on explaining but as if pulled in by the enchantment once again, Sanskaar walked down the hallway towards the door the music was coming from. He just wished to know who that person was!

But even before he could reach there, the door opened and in came someone with a huge pile of books, dashing straight into him.

Ouch!

Poor books! Each one of them now laid sprawled on the floor begging for a little mercy.

“What the…,” a particular someone shouted but stopped instantly as their eyes met and Sanskaar was taken aback. In front of him stood the same crazy library girl. When they met for the first time, she was all set to go ninja on him, but today she was giving him a full blown smile, very much like a Cheshire cat. Sanskaar narrowed his eyes growing skeptical. What was going on in that crazy head of hers?

Was she going to shout on him again?

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I am apologizing before you start shouting again. I did not do it on purpose,” Sanskaar started blabbering before she could open her mouth. You know, just to be on a safer side because he did not even want to imagine what utter nonsense she would blurt out if she started speaking.

“Here, let me help you!” he spoke hurriedly and even without waiting for the reply, he picked up the books and handed them over to her. “I’m sorry,” he apologized once again. And what did Swara do next?

She pulled his cheek and exclaimed, “Oh, God! You are so cute. I never knew that you were our senior.”

“Ms. Bose. Behave!” Dr. Choudhury’s out of the blue scolding took Swara aback and she pulled her hand back looking at him with a questioning gaze. “Dr. Maheshwari is not your senior. He is your professor!”

Busted!

And the poor books fell down on the floor again!

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A/N

Hello everyone!

I hope that you all would have liked the chapter. A small video of a beautiful flute music has been attached in the media box. Do listen to it to have a better idea of the scenes.

Also, now that I have increased the frequency of updates, the chapters might be a little smaller at times.

Now, before signing off, I would like to tell you all about this awesome community I have come across.

IndianLegion

Do have a look at their works. All of the members are doing a commendable job. It’s definitely worth giving a try!

That’s all that we have for now. See you soon with the next chapter of The Hidden Half.

Till then, stay safe, stay blessed and happy reading!

With love,
Stella ❤️