by Candy Laine
He was lucky to get running water in the building. The men didn’t even have that luxury. The excitement of shifting to guard the frontiers was still heady with his men. The sheer boredom of sitting at pickets and patrolling roads would not get to them for a while as yet. He reread the poem he had just written in his diary.
Heart Broken
My heart is broken,
I heard it crack.
My choice is taken,
What sorrow that wrecked.
I fear that I,
Will love no more.
Tears my eye,
Will shed no more.
I’ll lock up my emotions
And feel no pain.
Is there a magic potion,
To heal this strain?
I’ll hide my heart behind a wall,
That no one else can scale.
There will be no way to fall,
Again in love and fail.
Arun stared at the words. Unable to believe the reality of his love life. Even as he thought about it, the door flung open and Lieutenant Bankim Roy entered.
“Good Day, Sir.” He paused to salute Arun before walking in and claiming his bed by falling head first into it. Boots dangled off the end of the bed.
“Doesn’t seem like it was a very good day, Roy.” Arun could sympathise with the young officer. It was tough being the junior most officer in the unit. Everybody could, and would pass on tasks to you at the slightest provocation.
“Sir, you have no idea.” His muffled voice came through the pillow he was lying on.
“Let me guess, the CO gave you a task at morning briefing which you should have finished by lunch time. Only as you were leaving the Adjutant called you to his office and gave you a couple more tasks. Then there was some problem with the men’s new barracks that you simply could not avoid handling. By the time you finished everything and reached the dining room, lunch was no longer being served.”
Roy raised his head from the pillow and turned to look at Arun. “What are you, Sir? Psychic?” His eyes lit up when he saw Arun holding out a Snickers bar towards him. It motivated him to a sitting position quickly.
“Thank you, Sir.” There was pure reverence in his tone. “I forgot you would know exactly what I’m going through, considering you were the ‘baby’ till I got here.”
“It gets easier, trust me.”
“I sure hope so. It’s been a year of non-stop madness so far.” He was chewing like his life depended on it.
“We’re getting another youngster from the academy next June. Your life will be much easier then. Although you will have to mentor him.” Arun gave him a small smile.
“I don’t mind, Sir. I’m really looking forward to his arrival. Would you have any more...” His hopeful voice trailed as Arun shook his head.
“Sorry that was the last of the lot. I’ll ask my mother to put in a few extra in the next package she sends me.”
“A real pity you can’t walk to a grocery store and buy chocolates.”
“Well, considering the closest grocery store would be about fifty kilometres away, it would be more of a route march than a walk.”
“At least we have this awesome view.” Roy was definitely feeling more optimistic after the single candy bar.
~~~
The Commanding Officer looked harried as he spoke on the phone. The rest of the officers were seated in the briefing room waiting to hear what this new task was. They had spent a month familiarizing themselves with the local area of operation. Now something big was going down and they were ready for the action.
There was anxiety, excitement and anticipation awash in the air. The Adjutant was sitting ramrod straight except for the pen in his hand which he kept jiggling. Roy and Arun were at the back of the room waiting for orders.
“What do you think it is?” Roy whispered to Arun.
Arun was sitting much too calm to be normal. “We’ll know soon enough.” Arun’s low voice was barely audible.
“Okay everyone listen up. Here’s the deal. There is a credible tip about a fresh lot of terrorists coming across the Line of Control. They went into hiding in the hills surrounding the LOC and a few of them are headed for villages supposed to be in our Area of Operation. I need two officers led patrols of ten men each to start scanning some regular routes starting today.”
Arun let out his breath. He knew what was coming next.
“Any volunteers?” The CO scanned the room.
“Yes, Sir.” Arun responded standing up before anyone else could.
“Very good Major Rastogi. Anyone else?”
“Yes, Sir.” Roy stood up next to Arun. Arun almost looked away from the CO to stop Roy, but caught himself just in time.
“Very well. Major Rastogi in charge, seconded by Lieutenant Roy. Go pick your men. I’ll have the maps of the routes you need to patrol ready by the time you are ready to leave. Collect them from the adjutant. Dismissed.”
They both saluted him and walked out of the briefing room.
“What on earth were you thinking Roy?” Arun burst out as soon as they were a clear distance from the room. Roy looked back at Arun nonplussed.
“I thought I could help you, Sir.”
“Do you have any idea what you are volunteering for? It’s dangerous to be out on such patrols. The terrorists could be anywhere. A slope in the mountain. Up in a tree. The house that seems unoccupied. Even hidden in the middle of the next village you walk through. If they spot you, they shoot to kill.”
“So I’ll just spot them first and kill them.” Roy shrugged his shoulders.
“This is not a game, Roy. This is actual field duty.”
“I am well aware of that fact, Major Rastogi. You may consider me the ‘baby’ and want to protect me, but I am a trained soldier as well. I thought you would be pleased to have me with you.” The steel in Roy’s voice let Arun know his error.
Arun let go a long deep breath. Roy was upset with him, justifiably so. Just because he was going to court danger, gave him no reason to yell at Roy. It was their job. They would get it done. Arun would make sure Roy came back safe.
“I am pleased to have you with me. Now go pack your kit while I send out the word to the men. Then speak to the cookhouse about food packs for the next two meals. We are going to be out a long time.”
~~~
Two days of marching through hill trails and forest covered ground and it had come down to this - a gut feeling. When Arun had led his ten men through this village yesterday, the locals had seemed settled. They were friendly enough and answered all their questions. He had no reason to doubt their word and had continued into the village with his men.
Today they seemed somehow distracted. As though expecting someone to burst into the village at any time. Now they were marching back towards their unit headquarters and had to pass through the small village again. Only this time the villagers were mostly quiet, subdued. They were avoiding eye contact with the patrol and seemed eager to see them move away.
Arun could feel the difference. There was an unsettled element in the air. He asked his senior JCO to speak with the head of the village to get a better grip on the situation. While they were waiting he spotted Roy and his patrol heading back down the mountain as well. The second officer led patrol had veered off in the opposite direction after this village.
He counted the men as they came down the trail and was glad to see all of them accounted for. His gaze swept past the village as he opened a bottle and took a sip of water. He was ready to trek back the last half hour to the unit and get a hot meal in him.
There was a single, two storey building just outside the village which was the building closest to Roy and his men. Arun was looking at the men march towards him as he waited for word from his senior JCO. His eye was distracted by movement on the first floor of the house. He capped the bottle and put it back in it’s place. The window was opened very slowly, deliberately. It was almost as if the person did not want anyone to notice the windo
w being opened.
As the fact registered Arun paid more attention to it and saw the tell-tale shine of metal pointing right out of the window. It was a gun. He was sure of it. It was pointed right at the unsuspecting patrol led by Roy. Arun grabbed his walkie talkie to warn them, but it was a second too late. The first shot hit Roy in the chest area. He staggered back, landing on the man behind him.
Arun shouted a warning to his men and ran towards the building. The others were a few seconds behind him as he charged down the mud track through the village. The men in the other patrol had fallen into defensive manoeuvrers hiding behind rocks, trees and whatever other shelter they could find.
Arun saw Roy being helped away. He was swaying but walking on his own steam. Arun had his weapon in his hands and the window in his sight. He dropped to one knee to give himself a steadier shot and fired. The wooden window shattered showing a shadow of a man in the room within.
“Call the unit for back up now.” Arun barked to the man on his side. “A column needs to be mobilised right away. Give them location coordinates for the village.”
He knew it would be at least an hour before the reinforcements got there. He needed to contain the terrorists till then. He looked at the tree behind which he assumed Roy was hidden. Thankfully the shooting had stopped. They seemed to be conserving their bullets, which was fine with Arun.
The senior JCO came charging to his side and explained that once the shooting had started the villagers had broken down. They were being coerced to host the five men, who had threatened the villagers. The terrorists had holed up in the building when the first patrol has passed through.
Now they were trigger happy because they saw the second patrol and believed the village had informed the Army about them. Thankfully there were no hostages in the building with them. Arun sighed as he looked at the fast fading light. It was going to be a long night. Occasional gunshots kept them contained to the building while Arun coordinated with the soldiers setting up a cordon around the village.
They were trapped and now the terrorists were like cornered animals. They would try to take out as many men as they could before being taken. Ideally the Army would wait till dawn to make their move, but the terrorists would force their hand by trying to get away in the dark. Arun prayed for the safety of the men with him.
o0o
13
Life is No Picnic
o0o
Lady, weeping at the crossroads,
Would you meet your love
In the twilight with his greyhounds,
And the hawk on his glove?
Wystan Hugh Auden
Shweta looked at her closet and wondered, not for the first time, what she should wear. The summer dresses were rather informal and would not work well if there was any physical activity involved. She wished he had at least told her what the plan was before extracting her promise to go along with it. It was difficult for Shweta to refuse Vishal this request.
She didn’t know how, but somewhere along the line a few months after Rahat’s wedding, Vishal had ended up becoming a really good friend. He took her to task for working too hard and began dragging her out to dinner with friends on weekends. The funny thing was she kept expecting him to make a move on her, but he never did. After the first few outings she realized that he just wanted to get out and have some fun.
He would plan picnics, meals and games she least expected. Eventually she let her guard down and had been enjoying his company. One of the reasons she was comfortable was that they never went out as a couple, it was always a group of friends. She now knew Ashish was his friend, his sister Ashima had been in school with Rahat and her.
She was also introduced to a bunch of other people who were sometimes with them on these occasions. Rahat and Gagan were often part of the gang. Even her brother Sameer had joined them once and ended up best buddies with Vishal. The trouble was she was really busy at the hospital and had been socializing a little more than she could handle.
Shweta was feeling run down and exhausted. That’s why she had refused to go anywhere the last three times he had called. This time he wasn’t backing down. It had been nearly a month since they had done anything together. Reluctantly she got up early on a Sunday morning. Now she stared at her clothes and wondered if it was possible to sneak in another five minutes in bed.
Vishal had been very clear that time was of the essence and she had better be ready when he reached. Unfortunately he hadn’t been that forthcoming with the plan for the day and now she was wondering what to wear. She finally decided to go with a simple blouse paired with jeans and keds. With no patience to deal with her hair, she simply took a clip and twisted her hair before pinning it down.
That should be suitable for whatever madcap adventure he had planned for them today. She wondered how long she had before he showed up and gave her unmade bed a look of pure longing. That’s when the bell rang. Shweta picked up her sling bag and placed it across her left shoulder letting it rest against her right hip. One last look in the mirror and she was set to go.
“Hello gorgeous! Ready to go?” Vishal was always giving outlandish compliments. It used to bother her initially but now she was used to his flamboyant mannerism and speech.
“Yes, I am. Now can you tell me what we are doing today?” She pulled the apartment door shut behind her and they began to walk to the elevator.
“We’re meeting up with the others in the Empress Garden, you know the botanical garden.”
“Empress Garden?” There wasn’t anything to do there in the mornings. It was a good place for a picnic, sure, but Vishal would not be so hyped up about sitting on a mat and eating food. He was something of an adventure junkie.
“Yes, we’re going Geocaching!” He grinned at me as we entered the elevator. Her nonplussed expression must have got through as he punched the button. “Oh come on! Please don’t tell me you’ve never heard of Geocaching.”
“Okay, I won’t tell you I have no idea what Geocaching is.” Shweta’s lips tugged into a smile.
“Sometimes I feel you don’t have a clue about the world outside that hospital of yours!” He held his hand against the door as it opened and motioned for her to move out.
“Okay, Geocaching is essentially a treasure hunt. Someone hides a cache in a specific location and posts the coordinates of the site on the main Geocaching site.”The car beeped and Vishal opened the door for Shweta to get into the passenger side.
“We use the GPS to hunt down the location and find that cache. It is usually a waterproof container of some sort with a few things inside it along with a log. If you find it, you get to sign the log. Then you return the cache to it’s position and share your experience of finding it online. We’re hunting for caches in the Empress Garden today.” He pulled out of the colony and onto the main road.
“That sounds interesting. Who all is coming along today?”
“Oh the usual suspects. Ashish, Ashima, Gagan, and Rahat. There they are.” Shweta waved at her best friend as Vishal pulled into the parking lot next to Ashish’s car. Gagan’s vehicle was parked to it’s other side. It was going to be an interesting day.
“We’re going to split into two teams. Girls vs boys. Let’s see who finds the most caches before lunch.” Rahat was bubbling over with excitement. “This is going to be so much fun. I wish Ashima would get here fast. We need to start with all three team members in place.”
Shweta was glad she was in keds and jeans. This was going to get really competitive as neither Rahat nor Vishal liked to lose. Another car pulled up and Ashish and Ashima climbed out. Once the pleasantries were over Rahat gave Shweta a phone with the GPS coordinates already fed in. She helped herself to a shovel from the trunk of Vishal’s car.
“Okay, let’s go.” Rahat urged them pointing to the others with the shovel. “We have to beat the boys at this. Gagan is still crowing about beating us at badminton last time.”
“They cheated!” Ashima may be small but she was feisty. “That l
ast volley was ours. It was not outside the line. Just because it was Vishal, he gave it out.” Eager to restart the old argument, Ashima would have said more but Shweta interrupted her.
“I know, but there’s no way to convince them about that fact.” Shweta started walking out towards the path indicated and both the girls followed. Ashima still cribbing about how they should have won the badminton match.
Shweta hadn’t been with them that day and she couldn’t really give her opinion on Vishal being partial. She knew he would cheat when he could get away with it. Not that it mattered to her, it was just fun and games where she was concerned.
The thrill of the hunt finally got to her and Shweta was glad she came. Leading her group into the Empress Garden she looked from the GPS to the path. Trying to navigate the easiest route to the geocached treasure. The girls were laughing and joking as they walked away from the guys who had decided to head in the opposite direction.
Two hours later with sweat plastering her hair to her scalp and neck, she was not too sure about this being fun. They had managed to find one cache and signed the log, but the second one was missing. Maybe the boys had hidden it after finding it first but that was against the geocaching ethic. It didn’t stop Rahat from complaining loudly all the time it took to reach the third location.
Shweta was glad it was almost time to meet up with the boys and go to eat lunch. That’s when the phone in her hand rang. “Hello Gagan.” Shweta answered Rahat’s phone without thought. “We should be with you guys soon. We still have fifteen minutes left.”
“Shweta, please head back right now. I need to take Rahat and go home. There’s a family emergency.”
“What happened?” Concern lit her voice even as she offered professional help. “Anything I can do? Is someone ill?”
“I don’t know. My mother just asked me to get back right away. I could hear my aunt crying in the background. I’m not sure what happened. Just get to the parking as soon as you can.”
