Collateral Damage (Episode 1)

Dreams and Nightmares

“Night has this strange quality, it always shows the true color of an individual”

Lying on her bed, she was trying to get some sleep, tomorrow would be a big day for her and she needed a good night’s sleep but sleep was far away from her. All she could do was thinking about her future, she was so excited, it was her dream to get admission in Lalit Kala Kendra (In my FF. It’s in Kolkata in reality, it’s in Pune (I need Kolkata as the backdrop of my story)).

Finally, she could convince her Dida to let her do a part time course in music as her Dida was strictly against her decision. Her Dida wanted her to see as a business women this was her Dida’s dream and she was also not against her dreams, but somehow she had a very strong bond with music which was not ready to let her go. “It was like destiny’s call even if you wish you can’t ignore it” same was with her.

It’s always said that businessmen don’t have much sense and love for the arts they might be a patronage of many artists, but never have that spark which an artist have for the arts. But she was an exclusion, she never understood how she possesses such good business skills (Title of Youngest gold medalist of IIM Kolkata being the proof) as well as this heart wrenching ache for doing something in music. At the age of 21 she had completed her undergraduate as well as masters with top spot in both of her colleges. One month back, she had finished her PGDM course, since then she has tried to convince Dida to let her join the music academy, but she Dida somehow had very strong hatred for the arts which was very astonishing given the fact that Bengali’s have a natural inclination towards the arts. But being the solitary thing that her Dida ever loved truly, she could convince her Dida for a part time course after a lot of pleading and cajoling as her Dida strictly said no for a full-time course. As soon as she got her approval from her Dida she had called her future employer and got her joining date delayed for a month. They readily agreed to the same as they had seen her potential as an employee during her internship there and were not ready slip such a promising talent.

So, after settling everything on her work front she gave her entrance exam for Lalit Kala Kendra three weeks back for the course in western music and violin. She herself was an exceptional guitarist and vocalist so she just wanted to get some formal training on vocals and add one more instrument on the list of instruments, she has mastered on. Yesterday itself, she got her acceptance letter from the institute stating her join date two days after.

She was so happy (or on her own words “Happiest person in the universe”) she just wanted to sleep so that she can go to her dreamland but somehow sleep was far away from her. There was some unknown restlessness in her heart, which even she was unaware of. She was very anxious for some unknown reason. Being a keen observer, she could guess that there was some change in the nature, like a big storm was knocking her door to destroy her peaceful life forever. What was happening to her, but she was feeling that something big and life changing was going to happen.

Thousands of miles away from her was he working on his laptop for the next deal. This deal was extremely crucial for him as after getting this deal he can start what he was waiting for last 10 year. Not getting this deal will break their already ailing business backbone and once down he will never let them stand up. 10 years ago, he swore in front of a burning prey that he will destroy them and remove their name from this earth now time has come he can execute what he started 10 years ago.

At that very moment his phone rang and looking into the caller ID he got this devilish smirk on his face, which not only humans but gods will also fear. He knew just then that his most loyal employee had completed the job assigned to him. So, he picked up the call and talked to him, but what he heard from the other side was not as satisfactory as he wished it to be. It was disappointing to him, but he was happy that at least he got some clue. Until unless his enemies don’t get for its hunt, he had no reason to be worried about it. But he knew better that with his every attack, they would get desperate to get the only remedy that could save them so he must find it and destroy it.

This news was a confirmation to his doubt, now that he was confirmed that he was right regarding them, he had won the battle, he had to just find that thing and destroy it completely, then there won’t be anyone in this universe who could save them from him after all he has given his life for this one purpose.

They had turned his life into a living nightmare. Now it was his turn to pay back and he decided to pay them back with interest. He had vowed to destroy each and everything that was dear to them. He wanted to avenge her and he had promised to do it in the bloodiest way possible.

Unknown to his destiny he was ready to wage the war against someone who was too innocent for her own good. He was ready to destroy the life for whose one smile he would give up his life thousand times.

On the other side of the world a princess was sleeping so peacefully as if she didn’t belong to this world, but it was not false as she really didn’t belong to this world she was too pure for this world to touch, too innocent to understand its ways and too fragile to walk its thorny paths. Her heart had so much warmth that you’d melt even the stone, but that warmth and innocence were her biggest enemies. She was safest on the cocoon of her Dida’s love, but now that she had decided to venture into the woods, she needed to be strong enough and cold enough to safeguard herself from the wolves in disguise of men. But as it’s been said time and again that life teaches everything, her life had also decided to teach her a few lessons.

Unbeknownst to both destiny was laughing at them. She had already planned her game and was ready to play her first card.