“Sanyukta, take your professor around our school, I guess you will be the best person to make him tour our campus” Principal Nikunj Kothari spoke out in Sugar coated tone.

“Sir, this is our Physics lab which is well-equipped” Sanyukta pointed towards the Physics lab.

“And this is the common school ground with a canteen at that corner” Sanyukta spoke reaching the last part of the school.

All this while Vardhan quietly followed Sanyukta thinking about something deeply.

“Sanyukta, what about Randhir?” Vardhan asked out of the blue.

Sanyukta's forehead got embedded with sweat beads, she mustered all her courage to blurt,” That man died for me a long ago”.

Vardhan looked at her with evident shock,
“Sanyukta what are you talking about? You guys had a bright future ahead together”.

Sanyukta replied,” I prefer not to discuss it anymore” and she made her out of the school without even glancing back at Vardhan.

The clouds came brimming to accompany her solitude, tears again unfurled from her dried eyes.

Within a few minutes, water droplets fell on thirsty earth, rains are frequent in the Doon Valley multiplying the beauty this Valley holds.

Sanyukta just made her way towards her house, the pair of peacocks danced together with their magnificent feathers. Both looked happy together as if nothing could separate them.

For once, a thought lingered in Sanyukta's mind that 'Indeed animals are leading a more peaceful life, nothing could do them apart except death itself. While human need thousands of reasons to live together and one single reason sufficiently separates even the strongest bonds, when destiny plays humans are mere puppet to watch and suffer'.

Sanyukta closed the door, tears made it difficult to see anything, she stumbled with a side stool beside the sofa. The injured again start to bleed.

Carelessly she sat on the floor and sobbed like a baby, physical wound heals by ointments but when your heart is on fire nothing soothes.

Lulled by the tears, Sanyukta slept on the bare floor, pain of toe and heart both stopped as the slumber took place.

“Bloody traitors, throw them out” an angry voice echoed in her ears.

Sanyukta got up with a jerk, freaking out in her sleep, those haunting again started making way to her brain cells, flashes of the past again scavenged Sanyukta like claws of wolf.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
“Cheetah, today made a record of the best sprint in the whole unit” Panther congratulated Randhir.

The latter nodded his head in response,” Boy, don't you ever smile?” Panther asked Randhir curiously.

Randhir remained quiet, although he wanted to say that' the reason of his smile is no more with him, the beautiful woman who made his heart skip beats, the queen of his dreams and life got away from him ruthlessly'.

“Cheetah…where did you get lost?” Panther asked when Randhir responded to him.

“Uhmm… I think I need to go,” Randhir replied to avoid any further questions.

Randhir made his way towards the area where the dumbbells and other weights arrangement for trainees was available.

He sat on the bench press with the heaviest weight lift. Swiftly he did two lifts but then his strength gave up, his arms quivered, and the weight lift straight fell with force on his chest, his breathing stopped, a small puddle of blood flowed out of his mouth.

“Randhir, I wish I was a widow instead of having you in my life!” Echoed in his ears.

The remaining light faded out, making everything dark but with an eerie peace with which Randhir wanted to stay, having no sense of pain or suffering only silence occupying the soul and body.

Traces of the past are flashing bit by bit. Gradually what  happened in the past will be revealed, but now an urgent question arises, Will Randhir's fire of heart will revive him or will the fire of his heart extinguish his life forever? Stay tuned to know more.