FIREPLACE

  

"Main tumhare bachhe ki maa banne wali hun"

As this emotional line was said the red amber tongues of flames danced and licked the hearth around the fireplace. The crackling of the sizzling log accompanied the otherwise silent room. The wisps of smoke emanated from the corner of burning log in the areas untouched by the roaring flame.

Specks of ash got spat out as the light grey and white flakes floated around settling in the surrounding hearth.

Head bent in shame Radha was weeping.

Trilokhnath was zapped for a minute. In his scheming mind, thousands of sparks zig-zagged trying to work out a way to slip out of this quagmire. 

The situation in hand demanded that he firstly reassure her and pacify her.

Acting as if he was on top of the world, with a big smile on his face, he held both her arms and drew her close towards him.

As he enveloped her he felt the warmth of her body and was immediately transported to another night in another country besides another fireplace.

Fronalpstock, Switzerland -- a few months back.

                           

                             -------///--------

A raffle ticket had brought both of them together.

The lucky raffle winners were handed out an all-inclusive 7 days holiday to Zurich.

She had won it.

A first year's art graduate student she was the daughter of a schoolmaster in Bombay. She was very keen to travel and see the world as a bachelor before she would probably get married in a few years. Matrimonial offers were already trickling in. As the whole trip was paid for she would not have to dig out a lot to cover other expenses. It was a Godsent gift.

He was a pampered hotelier from Simla. He was outlandish, a playboy and a bachelor.

He was travelling on a business trip.

Both landed up in the seats beside each other on the Swiss Air flight into Zurich and got talking.

He had found his prey and he just had one thing in his mind. Licentiousness

He managed to woo her and the wolf in the sheep's garb enticed her into his lair.

She was gullible and fell for it.

They spoke about Bombay and they spoke about Simla.

As they went their ways at Zurich airport she agreed to meet him during her stay here. They exchanged details.

He was staying in a log cabin in Fronalpstock which was about Eighty minutes away from Zurich 

She had Stoos-Fronalpstock on day three of her itinerary. This was a convenient time to meet him.

Every day as tourist groups they arrived at various hot spots to enjoy the downhill and cross-country skiing, snowboarding, tobogganing, air boarding, ski touring, snowshoeing and hiking – all of this and more. 

They were trying to cramp in as much as they could and make the best of the day.

It was an exhilarating experience.

The snow crunched under their feet, the surrounding landscape which was glittering, and the mountain air made them feel invigorated. It was a  spectacular panorama. Nature lovers were in seventh heaven here.

Being active outside in the fresh air made them tired and hungry. 

Besotted by him and as she was looking forward to seeing him, two days passed very slowly for her.  

Day three came.

Standing on the summit of Fronalpstock is like viewing the valley from a bird’s eye view at 1,922 metres above sea level. Lake Lucerne glimmers like in a storybook, lodged between mountain peaks and soft slopes.

He was waiting for her on the summit.

Both of them started enjoying the day together.

At the end of the day, as they returned to their hotels, Trilokhnath invited Radha to his log cabin. He had it all to himself.

She agreed to join him.

This was so much better than her cramped, single bed, room at the Zurich hotel.

A huge log fireplace warmed the surround.

Offering her a glass of wine he started making conversation.

She felt comfortable with his talks.

She felt she had found her life partner.

They spoke of a life long relationship in the form of wedlock.

He promised to get married to her as soon as they got back to India. 

Unknown to her he had spiked her drink and was laying the ground for executing his carnal pleasures. She was drugged and this made her lose her sense of judgement.

He rose and crossed to the fireplace and began to bank the fire as the hall clock struck ten times accompanied by the popping in and out of the cuckoo from its home.

She remembered the red amber tongues of flames dancing and licking the hearth around the fireplace. 

The warmth of the fireplace enveloped her Simultaneously her mind was being transported far away from her physical being. 

She woke up the next morning in her bed in the hotel. 

She remembered that she was in the log cabin in Fronalpstock. How did she land here in Zurich? 

Her head was heavy and her body ached.

Slowly she started realising what had happened.

Just having three days in Switzerland she desperately tried to locate Trilokhnath  No luck. Calls to the log cabin were met with incessant unanswered rings.

He must have urgently gone back to Shimla. Innocent that she was, the thought that he would ditch her never crossed her mind.

Mentally stressed the next few days were a burden and she returned from her trip to Bombay.

Depressed and full of guilt she now had a strong sense of intuition, and "gut feelings" that things were not physically right with her. She just knew that she was pregnant. But she had no one to turn to for advice.

At around 4 weeks, she got a sign. She missed a predictable cycle.

Other physical symptoms started creeping in --  cramping, backache, and a feeling of bloating.

She did a POAS test to detect pregnancy. It was positive. It was too early to be conclusive. There could be an error in the results.

She waited for another two weeks to confirm. 

The test results this time was confirmed. She was pregnant.

She felt desolate and guilty towards her family. She would run away from home rather than pull all of them into this muck that she had got herself into.

She would cut her family ties and go find her lover. He would accept her and their baby and marry her. 

One early morning, packing a small bag with basic needs, without informing anyone, she left home. She decided that she would travel to Shimla and confront Trilokhnath  During their aeroplane talk, she had managed to note down his Shimla address. 

After one and half-day travel she reached Shimla late evening.

There was light snowfall but she trekked her way with her bag to his bungalow which was not far from the station. 

She rang the bell and after incessant ringing was greeted by a flustered Trilokhnath at the door.

He was clad in a warm dressing gown.

Shocked to see her he hurriedly took her in and closed the door. 

He said that he was alone at home. 

It was a very tastefully furnished large living room.  

The centre of attention was a large fireplace which in the wintry night glowed with radiant gold flame.

Gliding her towards the fireplace he tried to calm her down as she mumbled.

"Main tumhare bachhe ki maa banne wali hun"

                           

                             -------///--------

Her eyes darted around and took in the scene as he enveloped her.

There were two glasses of half sipped wine lying beside the glowing fireplace. 

She could look through an adjoining open bedroom door and what she saw there made her see through him.

Lying on the bed was a semi-clad young girl around her age. She was in a state of drunkenness and ecstasy. Radha realised that the girl was delirious due the state she was in 

Radhas memory catapulted back to the log cabin in Fronalpstock besides another glowing fireplace. The realisation sunk in. 

Trilokhnath was an evil man. He had trapped another victim as he had trapped her. He had no right to live and destroy lives. She had to act. 

She could not control herself. Her quivering hands reached beside the fireplace towards the artistically carved antique brass poker.

She felt the handle of the cold metal in her hand. Retrieving it from its stand she plunged the spike deep into his cold heart.

She had managed to snuff out an evil flame. He fell from her arms.  She was trembling and shivering. 

As she realised what she had done a warmth starting from her womb slowly started spreading in her body. 

The glowing fireplace was not the reason for this.