Too Cold- 2

Too Cold – 2

The heavenly aroma of strong, freshly ground coffee, mingling with the spicy aroma of cinnamon, well blended with buttery, flaky pastry hinting at the sweetness found every nook and cranny in the Chalet and rushed to fill it up. Sheela lost in her love, as she waited for Prakash to return from his longer walk to the summit, enjoyed the warmth. Between what to wear, what to do and what to eat, she heard the door open.

The blast of the icy cold breeze outside, rushed in seeking victims to chill. The footsteps were different… unknown. She turned to see who her mystery visitor was, as the cautious treading, light yet deliberate, approached nearer. “Hello! Who is it?” she welcomed in her cheerful lilting voice.

It was a beautiful, well dressed lady. She didn’t know her, had never seen her.  ‘I am Monica! A friend of Prakash. Did he not tell you about me?’ ‘It may have slipped his mind. Have you arrived from India?’ she said as she rose to greet her lover’s friend. ‘Yes! Where is Prakash?’                                                                                   ‘He should be arriving soon. He went just a little further up the mountain.’     ‘May I share some of that coffee?’ ‘Of course!’ Sheela went off to the kitchen as her guest settled down into an armchair to wait. She reminded Sheela of a cat, something about her reflected a cold heart and a preying mind.

Humming to herself, ‘ There was something in the air that night, the stars were bright…mmmm…’ she got busy. As she prepared the tray and walked into the hall, there were no signs of her uninvited visitor! Strange, she thought. ‘Monica?’ she called out, ‘Monica! Monica? …. Monica.’ As she sat down wondering about the strange behaviour, she loomed in front of her.

‘I hate you!’ Monica hissed through her clenched teeth. She looked hideous and sinister. A very bad choice, she would tell Prakash! ‘Calm down! We don’t even know each other.’ ‘ I know all about you. He loved me till you traipsed into our life, shattering all my dreams and hopes. I wanted to marry him. I wanted him for myself. I will not share him with anyone!’ Saying that she brought out a glinting knife, a foot long! Definitely the blade was sharp. Still keeping her voice calm, Sheela tried to appeal to her. ‘I am really sorry, I didn’t know. Once he is back, we can decide who can marry him.’

‘Naaah! I will kill you first, you witch!’ and she plunged the knife into the softest part of Sheela’s body, her stomach and kept twisting it till the blood oozed out.

Laughing maniacally , she drew back her knife, watching Sheela’s life slowly ebb out, as her body doubled up with pain and bewilderment. The soft stealthy steps had barely receded from the house when Prakash reached, announcing his arrival by flooding the room with his warm presence and request for coffee.

Getting no reply, he quickened his pace, and the gory sight drove him insane. The love of his life…. Bleeding to death! He rushed to her side, crooning ‘I love you’, ‘Nothing will happen to you’, ‘Just hang in’, as her cold body slowly slumped into his arms.

How long he sat cradling her, tears streaming down his face he knew not. Till he heard the purposeful tread of confident men, who marched in and their leader, Inspector Thurber asked him to go with them to the police station in the village nearby. ‘Cold murder!’ said he.

After a few months, the Mumbai paper headlines ran rife with ‘Jilted girlfriend admits Murder!’ The court announced life imprisonment for Monica! The verdict was well received by the friends and well wishers though Sheela was gone forever as was the life Prakash had dreamed of. The future loomed cold and gloomy!