Prisoner Of Time

After half an hour, Rohit hears something. 

 Someone is walking up the stairs!! Rohit hears two women laughing and goes forward near the door to check the same. He sees two women, walking down up the stairs and into the hazzeled darkness.

“Hello….is anyone there?” enquires one of them.

“”Perhaps there`s no one…Rohit is that you?” asks another voice

hearing his name Rohit is now puzzled. How do they know him?

These were none other than Shilpa and Madhurika. Rohit was expecting them but he is now confused, In a large empty banquet hall, only three people? Why?

By now all the three came out of darkness and started discussing about how and why are they called here?

“I feel this is some kind of prank.” Says shilpa.

““Prank!!! I don`t think so, as far as I know, no person on this earth is fool enough to play such costly pranks!!. I suspect something fishy.” Says Rohit.

Just then there are footsteps, the door opens and a faint light enters the hall, a man seeming completely like a shadow enters.

“Ah…I feel I am too early…is there any valedictory function here?” says the figure.

“May be…who you are by the way?” enquires Rohit.

The shadow comes under the window pane light.

“Hridhay Srinivasan, Am I right, the topper of S.S.E.S.” says Shilpa.

“yes…but,…shilpa, that`s right.. Is that you?”

Finally all of them meet,but still what was their purpose of meeting? And who is this person behind this plan; well these were the things which were being discussed in between them.

Just then there was spark of light which came into the auditorium and the whole room was enlightened. Now each one could see each other`s face clearly. Each of them recognizable.



Now enters the main character of the story, he gets down his B.M.W and gives the keys to the watchman of the gate and says-“Park it”


He enters the enlightened room and says-"welcome."  

"I know that it is very surprising and wierd for all of you to see yourself alone in this banquet hall and more surprising to see me hosting you all, but what to do? It was my long time desire to get you all together. Well, it is sad to see all of you to fall for greed, so all of you deserve a punishment, because greed is evil”

All the people there were confused about what this man is speaking, except Madhurika.

She knew who that man was? She was aware of his words and understood why he was speaking those words.

“Enough….why have you done all this?” asked Madhurika.


“Ah, expected..........Madhu.  I can do a lot more if u dont speak now!!  let me tell you Mr. Dinesh is quiet worried about you” said the man.

“Madhu, do you know him?” enquired Hridhay.

“Does he know you? How?” enquired Shilpa.

Madhurika was silent on all these; Rohit saw mild tears in her eyes. Tears of betraying the friendship. Now he was confident on few things which he had suspected in the beginning. He shouted with a force-

“Speak up, Madhu”

Madhurika is in tears, she looks at Rohit and then everybody present there.

"come on Madhu!!!  go ahead, tell them the truth, tell them about me!! do you have the courage to tell them or shall I call Mr. Dinesh too here." asks the Man

"I`m so sorry!! I would had ......but I did not know how to? I was too scared.....I am really sorry An...."

"Madhu!! what is it?" Rohit screamed.

" I am the One who Killed Shalini......" screams Madhurika.

the whole hall is silent now.

tears rolled out of Rohit`s eye!!  He never expected this.  He looked at the man.

" Would you like to throw some light on your confession?" asked the man in the black suit.

" Shalini and me were best friends!! on the night of 26/11 we were in leopold cafe!! when the terrorists started their attack, both of us ran to the kitchen, where we were hiding.  one of them entered the kitchen and started killing everybody, at the end only me and Shalini were left. Shalini was hinding under a rack where already broken glasses were there. The terrorist was searching for any remaining people!! I hid myself behind a cupboard and threw my ring on the glasses kept above shalini`s hiding place!! Hearing the sound, the terrorist came searching and killed her!!  I was acting dead among the corpses near the cupboard, so he dint bother to check them.  If there wasn`t any attack, I would had poisoned her to death!!" Madhurika said in a half husky voice, full of tears.

"Why did you do that? what had she done to you?" asked rohit.

"She was my best friend!! but she cheated me!!  I wanted to marry Anil!! but Anil wanted to marry her!!  I was jealous,  I was the one who made him meet Shalini......How could she do that?  after her death even he refused me!!  I had to get Married to Dinesh cause of this guilt."

"AN......"  Rohit had heard this name before, Shalini had told him about Anil.

"I am Anil....Anil Verma!!" Said the man.

Rohit looked puzzled!!  "A.C.P Anil Verma??"

"YES!! ACP Anil Verma!!! the night this incident took place, Madhurika called me and had cancelled the dinner at my home!! I had asked Shalini to come home with her family!!  but she had manipulated Shalini too."

"When I got the news that Shalini is killed in the terrorist attack at Leopold cafe, I went to the officer incharge and checked few footages of CCTV, i could see Madhurika alive,  her hand with this tatoo, was captured in the CCTV, showing her attempt to throw the ring!!  The footage in court appeared as though she was trying to save herself.  I waited for 8 years so that I could see her fall in her own eyes!!  she had to marry Dinesh because I had refused to marry her, when I did so, she even planned an attack on me, I lost my leg but I dint stop my investigation, I got myself transferred to Chennai!! I wanted Shilpa, Hridhay and You to be present because I wanted witnesses who knew both Shalini and Madhurika.  It wasn`t a tragedy, it was planned murder."

explained Anil.

" Why did you wait so long??"  Asked Rohit.

"Evidence brother!! Evidence.  the reason why I called all of you to Chennai is , the investigatory cell was not ready to give the evidences to Mumbai via me, so I called all of you here." said Anil and clapped twice.

"Mrs Madhurika. your cofession has been recorded by 10 cameras present here...  you are under arrest  Mr. Dinesh and few others are waiting for all of us in the Police station.  Please be my guest."

Anil turns back to see he officers ready with guns, and handcuffs.

Its 2December , sitting silently on the beach, Rohit is looking at the dawn. He is thinking about freedom and time. One 26/11 took several lives, directly and indirectly. Is it right? Somewhere or the other we may also be equal to a victim- victim to remain silent on such issues, although we may feel guilty but that is not enough. What do you think, what should be Madhurika`s fate? It took 8 years to get out of a single misconception, which still doesn`t have any sufficient proof. 

 Its absolute silence which tells us that a crime like this could have taken place way back in time.

Objections, expectations and anticipation have to be clear before others and more than that understanding every person`s view is important. Every person may not be wrong, Every time you may not be right either.  Breaking friendship is Easy but building one is really difficult.

All of us are just Prisoners of time, and time does not allow its prisoners to express a right over it. 

                                                                                ~The end~