3 - The Abduction
Back to 2 - The Revenge Plan
“Today, my taxi broke down so I borrowed one from my friend.” old man lied.
They both entered the taxi. Old man brought the taxi on the main road and increased the speed.
“Today we will stop over somewhere before going home.” old man said smiling and looking at Nikita’s face reflected by the rear view mirror.
“Where?” Nikita asked shuffling the pages of the book in her hand.
“What is this Niki?” old man, seeing the book asked her.
“Oh, this is the book of short stories. Sushi had given it to me as a return gift of her birthday party.”
“So, did you like it?”
“I haven’t read it all yet but I liked one quotation in the book.”
“Quotation?”
“Yeah, it is a story about Gandhi ji and he had said - An eye for an eye will make the whole world blind”
“Right. If we take revenge on people who have done harm to us then this whole world will be full of hatred.”
“But if someone harms us we have all the right to payback. You know, tit-for-tat?” the young girl argued.
“Oh dear, you are too young to understand these things. Only time teaches us such things, when we need it. Anyway, you were asking where we are going, right?”
“Oh, yes! Where are we going?... as you said.”
“You will see for yourself. Have patience for a while. It is a surprise for you.” old man said and pressed the gas pedal a little more. Speedometer’s needle climbed another ten kmph.
After sometime, the borrowed taxi stopped in front of a huge bungalow with “Sisaudias” written on the main gate in heavy silver metal.
“This is daddy’s another bungalow?”
“Yeah!” old man replied “this is unoccupied. Nobody lives here. Your daddy has bought it to gift you on your birthday tomorrow.”
“Wow! This is very nice. But why have you brought me here?”
“Your daddy had a word with me today. He wants you to see this from inside and approve of it. If you like it then it is yours otherwise he will sell it”
“This seems to be so nice already. But I am too small for this. I would have appreciated if daddy had arranged for a trip to Disney World instead.”
“That too is there. C’mon.”
The old man opened the gate with the keys he had snatched from the only old watchman pretty early in the morning after knocking him unconscious, silencing and tying him down in the basement of the bungalow.
They entered the bungalow and old man began showing Nikita the building from inside. Finally they reached an anteroom which had a single, grilled window and single door for entry and exit. It was probably a store room sort of. They both entered the room.
“You like the whole place?”
“Very much!”
“Then call and tell your father.”
Nikita took out her cell phone.
That was probably one thing which the old man had done so swiftly in many years. He snatched the cell phone from girl’s hands, almost jumped off the room and locked a dumbfound Nikita inside.
“What is this?” he saw Nikita’s frightened face though the window.
In response the old man pulled out his wallet and retrieved an old faded photograph. He displayed the photograph to the girl and said in his slow, gentle, husky but heavy voice “This is my son, his wife and their 3 year old daughter. They are no more thanks to your father. Your father was drunk and driving his land rover that night. I was clicking this photograph. Rajesh was standing behind Maruti. Sarika and Ahana were sitting inside when this land rover, with your father behind the wheel, erupted from nowhere and rammed into the car from behind Rajesh. Rajesh and Sarika died on the spot and Ahana?.....the small child died in hospital after suffering agonizing pain and…….” the old man’s voice distorted and he began to cry bitterly. Tears rimmed a shocked Nikita’s eyes.
“But…..but….” with difficulty she said “why should I believe that my father…..”
Old man looked up with a jerk but said in the same gentle voice “I sued your father. With his financial might he finally went scot free. I fought for five years but justice eluded me. Tomorrow I will prove that your father had done this and then I will punish him.”
“So you are going to kill me? But daddy will find you and kill you too.”
“This is the last place they will look for us Niki…..and what is written in your book?” he signaled the short story book still in the girl’s hand ‘an eye for an eye….?’”
“So you will pressurise daddy to confess to his crime?”
“Let’s see. Today we shall stay here. Let your father suffer the pain of the loss of the beloved ones. Tomorrow is your birthday, right time to pay your father back. Now catch some sleep. Tomorrow is the judgment day.”
“Where is your taxi? This is
different. No?” Nikita asked him.
“Today, my taxi broke down so I borrowed one from my friend.” old man lied.
They both entered the taxi. Old man brought the taxi on the main road and increased the speed.
“Today we will stop over somewhere before going home.” old man said smiling and looking at Nikita’s face reflected by the rear view mirror.
“Where?” Nikita asked shuffling the pages of the book in her hand.
“What is this Niki?” old man, seeing the book asked her.
“Oh, this is the book of short stories. Sushi had given it to me as a return gift of her birthday party.”
“So, did you like it?”
“I haven’t read it all yet but I liked one quotation in the book.”
“Quotation?”
“Yeah, it is a story about Gandhi ji and he had said - An eye for an eye will make the whole world blind”
“Right. If we take revenge on people who have done harm to us then this whole world will be full of hatred.”
“But if someone harms us we have all the right to payback. You know, tit-for-tat?” the young girl argued.
“Oh dear, you are too young to understand these things. Only time teaches us such things, when we need it. Anyway, you were asking where we are going, right?”
“Oh, yes! Where are we going?... as you said.”
“You will see for yourself. Have patience for a while. It is a surprise for you.” old man said and pressed the gas pedal a little more. Speedometer’s needle climbed another ten kmph.
After sometime, the borrowed taxi stopped in front of a huge bungalow with “Sisaudias” written on the main gate in heavy silver metal.
“This is daddy’s another bungalow?”
“Yeah!” old man replied “this is unoccupied. Nobody lives here. Your daddy has bought it to gift you on your birthday tomorrow.”
“Wow! This is very nice. But why have you brought me here?”
“Your daddy had a word with me today. He wants you to see this from inside and approve of it. If you like it then it is yours otherwise he will sell it”
“This seems to be so nice already. But I am too small for this. I would have appreciated if daddy had arranged for a trip to Disney World instead.”
“That too is there. C’mon.”
The old man opened the gate with the keys he had snatched from the only old watchman pretty early in the morning after knocking him unconscious, silencing and tying him down in the basement of the bungalow.
They entered the bungalow and old man began showing Nikita the building from inside. Finally they reached an anteroom which had a single, grilled window and single door for entry and exit. It was probably a store room sort of. They both entered the room.
“You like the whole place?”
“Very much!”
“Then call and tell your father.”
Nikita took out her cell phone.
That was probably one thing which the old man had done so swiftly in many years. He snatched the cell phone from girl’s hands, almost jumped off the room and locked a dumbfound Nikita inside.
“What is this?” he saw Nikita’s frightened face though the window.
In response the old man pulled out his wallet and retrieved an old faded photograph. He displayed the photograph to the girl and said in his slow, gentle, husky but heavy voice “This is my son, his wife and their 3 year old daughter. They are no more thanks to your father. Your father was drunk and driving his land rover that night. I was clicking this photograph. Rajesh was standing behind Maruti. Sarika and Ahana were sitting inside when this land rover, with your father behind the wheel, erupted from nowhere and rammed into the car from behind Rajesh. Rajesh and Sarika died on the spot and Ahana?.....the small child died in hospital after suffering agonizing pain and…….” the old man’s voice distorted and he began to cry bitterly. Tears rimmed a shocked Nikita’s eyes.
“But…..but….” with difficulty she said “why should I believe that my father…..”
Old man looked up with a jerk but said in the same gentle voice “I sued your father. With his financial might he finally went scot free. I fought for five years but justice eluded me. Tomorrow I will prove that your father had done this and then I will punish him.”
“So you are going to kill me? But daddy will find you and kill you too.”
“This is the last place they will look for us Niki…..and what is written in your book?” he signaled the short story book still in the girl’s hand ‘an eye for an eye….?’”
“So you will pressurise daddy to confess to his crime?”
“Let’s see. Today we shall stay here. Let your father suffer the pain of the loss of the beloved ones. Tomorrow is your birthday, right time to pay your father back. Now catch some sleep. Tomorrow is the judgment day.”
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