The Stigma Called Love - Chapter 68

Dhruv entered his office and sat down with a sigh of relief. With Nishant not being there, the work almost seemed to be double. Even Vikrant Bhaiyya and Naresh Uncle were feeling the brunt of it. He closed his eyes as he rested his head against the chair. Five days had passed since Nishant had left for Tosh. Even though he had received periodic news from Lakshman about him, still, somehow he was waiting to hear from the man himself. But, he knew well that he wouldn’t call till he returned from trekking. 

Being his friend, Dhruv had got used to his ways of dealing with situations. Right now, Nishant wouldn’t find solace anywhere else other than the mountains. 

Sighing, he stood up and picked up his bag, and then dragged out the contract papers for their recent project. Picking up the marker from his table, he sat down on the sofa and started flicking through the pages one by one, marking the corrections. 

He was still in the middle of the 22nd page when Siraj rushed inside and stumbled against the door panting hard. 

“What is it?” Dhruv questioned realising something was wrong. 

Siraj gulped trying to clear his throat. His heart thudded against his chest as he thought about it. 

Looking at his transfixed stature, Dhruv got up and grabbed his shoulders. 

“What is it?”

“I just got a call from Lakshman.”

“And?”

“The weather in Tosh has been bad since the last 24 hours. It’s been raining real hard.”

Irritated, Dhruv let go of Siraj and picked up his phone from the table. He was about to dial Lakshman’s number when Siraj’s hand on his shoulder stopped him. 

“Lakshman says there has been a landslide right where the trekkers were camping,” said Siraj, his face twisting with anguish. 

“What do you mean?” Dhruv asked, his heart already dreading the truth. 

“The army has started digging the area to find the trekkers.”

Dhruv’s mind refused to register the truth. He looked at Siraj as a dreadful feeling of fear started to settle inside him. 

“Bhaijaan is missing.”

For a minute, Dhruv just stared at him, his mind not registering anything at all. But slowly as the words played in his mind, he stepped back and collapsed on the sofa. 

Missing?

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

Aparna was still reeling from the effects of what had happened near the gorge. Not able to stand on her feet, she stumbled to the bench and sat down. Her whole being was trembling as she remembered the look on Nishant’s face. 

Had she really imagined all of that? Or was it real?

No, it can’t be.

Her heart jumped to her throat at the thought of it and she almost picked up her phone to dial his number when her mind stopped her. 

What the hell are you doing?

How does it matter?

He is out of your life once and for all. Let it be like that.

Conflicted and jarred by the thoughts running through her mind, she got up from the bench and neared the edge. As the cold air touched her face, the anxiety slowly started to cool down. But still, a small part of her wanted to rush to him. 

Shaking her head, Aparna turned away from the magnificent view of Kanchenjunga and then slowly started to walk towards the railing that embarked the jutting rock structure on the mountain. She looked down and realised that the gorge was deeper than her soul.

And, the depth of the slope was crazily familiar as it reminded her of the deep pools of love she had once wanted to be a part of. She looked down as far as she could and then her courage failed her. She backed away and turned towards her cottage.

Suddenly she stopped and looked behind. Yes, she had imagined all that. Nishant Naik would never come here. 

Their worlds were different.

She can never walk the path he was in and he could never cross hers. 

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

Dhruv’s hand trembled as he dialled Lakshman’s number. The more he talked to him, the more his breathing quickened. As he disconnected the phone, he saw Vikrant Bhaiyya and Naresh Uncle rushing inside the room. 

“Is it true what they are saying in the news?” Vikrant Bhaiyya asked. 

Dhruv nodded realising that the news had reached far and wide. 

Naresh Naik came near Dhruv and grabbed him by the shoulders. 

“Where is he?”

Shaking his head, Dhruv said, “He is missing.”

“What do you mean he is missing?” Vikrant Naik asked as he tried to believe what he was hearing. 

Dhruv looked at him as words failed him. He slowly turned away from them and closed his eyes. 

“The army is digging the area but…..” Siraj started to say but somehow his voice choked invariably and he stopped. 

“But what?”

“But, they haven’t found him,” Dhruv replied.

As his words echoed in the room, everybody stood still not knowing how to react. 

Suddenly Naresh Naik wobbled back and was about to collapse when Vikrant and Dhruv rushed to him. 

“Dad, sit down please.”

“Uncle, don’t panic. We will find him, don’t worry. Siraj, we need to leave now.”

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

Aparna unlocked the cottage door quickly as she heard the house phone ringing from inside. But, by the time she reached it in the bedroom, it had stopped ringing. She looked at the caller ID and saw several missed calls from Madhu. 

“Hey, so many missed calls. What’s the matter?” she asked as her the moment she answered the call. 

“Why’s your phone not reachable? Anyways, did you see the news?”

“Nope! I have just returned from Prakriti’s school. Why?”

“Check the news. And, Aparna sit down before you do,” he heard her friend say in a grave voice before she hung up. 

Aparna’s eyes narrowed as she heard her. 

What has happened?

She picked up the remote from the bed and switched on the television and then located a news channel. 

“The weather in Parvati Valley has been pretty bad since in the last 24 hours. Altogether 3 landslides have been reported due to heavy rainfall. Although the other 2 has only blocked the main pathways but the 3rd one has resulted in major tragedy,” she heard the newsperson say. 

As the scene shifted to the real-time footage of the valley, her eyes widened with recognition. 

Tosh!

The Kheer Ganga Trek!

“We are now standing opposite to where the Kheer Ganga trekkers were camping. The landslide that has wiped out the other end of the road was right where the trekkers had set-up camps. The army has already started their rescue operations but still they haven’t reached the gorge area where the huge mass of debris is believed to have some trekkers under it.”

Aparna listened with a feeling of dread inside her. Something told her nothing was right. 

“Till now the army has found no trace of people like Hyder Ali Beg, the erstwhile mountaineer, Shivangi Prakash, journalist and columnist, and Nishant Naik, industrialist and real estate king.”

The moment she heard his name, everything around her became cold as hell. Her body shook with effort as she staggered back and then collapsed on the floor. 

“I just hope you are not too late.”

His last words reverberated in her ears and Aparna looked at his face flashing on the TV screen. An inaudible sob escaped her as she trembled with the truth.

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