"Sorry. Maaf karo aur jaao yahan se," yelled out Gyaneshwar. Abruptly he turned around and walked to his desk, fuming mad. The frail old man followed him tearfully.

"Please, sir, please don't do this. I can't go back to my village without my son's body and I don't know anyone in this city," pleaded the frail old man.

"Listen, old man, I can't do anything and the doctor is on leave till next week. Till he signs the papers, you can't claim the body."

The old man looked at Gyaneshwar tearfully. With weary steps, he turned around to go. Gyaneshwar called out.

"Wait a minute." The old man stopped in his tracks and turned around hopefully.

"You have any money on you?"

The old man slowly dug his hand into his pocket and came out with a few crumpled notes and showed it to Gyaneshwar.

"What? Just this much? I want more. The doctor has to be given money to sign the papers."

"But sir, I have only this much", the old man said.

"This won't do. Now go away and bring more or else come after a week when the doctor's back."

"Please, sir "

"I said go away before I call the security," Gyaneshwar threatened.

The old man turned around slowly and walked away. His son, who had worked as a casual laborer in the city, had died in a road accident a couple of days ago and he did not have enough money to bribe Gyaneshwar to claim his body from the morgue. Gyaneshwar is an employee in the government hospital and in charge of the morgue. All dead bodies went in and out of the morgue through his clearance. Though his salary is meager, Gyaneshwar leads a lavish lifestyle from the bribes he receives from relatives of the dead, to get bodies released with minimum fuss. He has absolutely no sympathy for the dead or for the dead person’s poor relatives. For him, money is of prime importance and he is often harsh on the claimants - no amount of pleading or begging arouses any pity in him.

Gyaneshwar is happily married to Jyoti. They have an 8-year old son Abhay. For Gyaneshwar, Abhay is the apple of his eye and he spoils the child by lavishing him with gifts.

Things were going fine for him till today. As he walked out of the hospital in the evening after duty, he found the frail old man sitting outside the hospital gates with tears in his eyes. But Gyaneshwar felt no remorse. He went home to his family, spent time with them, ate his dinner and then lay down to sleep peacefully. In the dead of night, in his semi-slumberous state, he heard a voice call out to him. "Gyaneshwar Gyaneshwar." He woke up with a start and looked around the semi dark room. He looked at his wife and kid next to him. They were fast asleep. Outside, he heard a dog wail. Thinking it to be his imagination, Gyaneshwar went back to sleep. But the next minute, he heard the voice again. It was clear and precise. It called out to him.

"Gyaneshwar Gyaneshwar."

He got up and looked around again. He saw that his family was fast asleep. He walked to the window and looked out at the street. No one seemed to be around except for a stray dog that just seemed to howl away. Cursing himself, Gyaneshwar went back to sleep. But he heard the voice again. It pleadingly called out his name. Warily, he got up and chill with panic, walked to the door and peeped out from the spy hole. He could see no one outside. As he slowly pulled the door open, a wave of cold air hit him on his face, making him nervous with fright. Fearfully, he looked around. There was no one outside. He quickly shut the door. That night, he couldn’t sleep. He tossed and turned on the bed, wondering fearfully about the strange voice.

The next day, at the breakfast table, he narrated the story to his wife, Jyoti, who knew all about how her husband got his extra income. But having gotten used to a lavish lifestyle, she continued to encourage him in his illegal activities.

"It must have been your imagination," she said, after Gyaneshwar had finished narrating last night's episode.

"No, I am absolutely sure I heard that voice. It was so clear and distinct."

"Forget it, dear. Don't let it bother you. As soon as the school closes for vacation, we will go to some nice place for a holiday." Saying this, Jyoti got busy getting their son Abhay ready for school.

Gyaneshwar was back on duty at the hospital. But as he walked around in the morgue, gleefully scanning the faces of the dead and thinking about the wealth it would bring him, he heard the voice again -it seemed to pleadingly call out his name. Fear gripped his heart and he darted quick glances around the morgue to locate the source of the voice. All the dead bodies were in their usual places lying dead.

Gyaneshwar’s life went from normal to unusual, as he kept hearing the voice wherever he went. He tried hard to ignore the voice, but it kept haunting him, following him night and day. It was ironical that he was the only one who could hear it. He started having sleepless nights and became paranoid of the people around him. He started to look at people who called out his name, with fear and suspicion. Before long, he lost his job.

Jyoti is disturbed by Gyaneshwar's strange behavior. It had been a week since that fateful night when he had heard the voice and narrated the story to her the next morning. She knew that it was his imagination. But now he was taking things too far. He had become a complete recluse and this was angering her. Gyaneshwar locked himself in the confines of his bedroom, shunning the family responsibility. She and her son were now forced to sleep out in the hall. Finally unable to bear the humiliation, she banged open the door to find Gyaneshwar huddled in the corner and cowering in fear, his eyes closed. She called out to him angrily.

"Gyaneshwar Gyaneshwar."

There was no reply. She yelled out his name again but all she got in response was his clamping his ears with his hands to ward off all sound and fearfully turning away from her.

She walked towards him and started to hurl abuses at him. And as she did so, she kept taking his name repeatedly in between. Hearing his name being called out again and again, something triggered in his brain. He quickly opened his eyes and looked at his wife. All of a sudden, he could hear nothing at all. He stared at his wife strangely. A menacing smile broke out on his face. Behind her, he saw his son standing at the door and looking at him oddly.

Outside the building, people walking down the road heard a menacing laughter emanating from Gyaneshwar's flat. The laughter soon turned into a shrill cry of despair and then a whimper.

The next morning, the neighbors broke down the door of the flat to find Jyoti and Abhay dead by strangulation and Gyaneshwar huddled in the corner of the bedroom - dead.

His dead body was brought to the very hospital where he worked. Gyaneshwar now lay in the same morgue where he had looted the dead and the alive. The voice called out again for the last time as he lay dead, "You should have at least responded when you heard my voice nobody ignores the voice of their inner conscience and lives a normal life.”

And outside the hospital, at the gates, the old man still waited patiently with tears in his eyes, to receive his son's body.

9th August 1947. India was burning. There was widespread chaos and mayhem all around, not to forget looting and murder.

But Rehmat Ali was in a world of his own as he paced up and down in front of his small house in an agitated state. His mind was preoccupied with what was happening inside his house.

He could neither see nor hear the din outside his Muslim dominated locality as he strained to hear the sounds from within his house. Most of his Muslim brethren had given up their homes and migrated to the other side with the surge. But he had no intention of doing so.

This was his country, his birthplace, his home. He felt pity for all those who had succumbed to the evil designs of those few in power.

His thoughts were broken when the door of his house opened. He anxiously rushed over as a frail old lady walked out smiling.

“Congratulations, son, your wife just delivered a baby boy.”

Rahmat Ali couldn’t control his joy. He quickly put his hands in his pocket and pulled out whatever money he had and held it up for her to take.

“Thank you very much, Daadi (Grandma) I won’t forget all that you have done for her.”

The old timer pocketed the money. “Son, Allah is great. I am just his servant. Just take care that she gets proper rest.”

Saying this, the old lady walked away with small strides.

Rahmat Ali slowly entered the house. In the dimly lit room, he could make out the bundle of joy lying next to its mother. His face lit up. The baby seemed to be sleeping peacefully.

He gently picked up the child and held it close to have a good look. The features were sharp and well chiseled - just like his mother’s. He looked at her. She was looking at him with tears in her eyes. He gently sat down on the cot next to her, with one hand holding the baby close to his chest. Holding her hand with his other hand, he gave it a gentle squeeze of assurance.

Even a bit of affection in such a tensed up situation was the biggest solace anybody could give. Just a few days before, they had both been running and hiding from various unruly crowds who were hell bent on eliminating them till they finally reached his village. He knew that even this place wasn’t safe for long - at least not till everyone realized their mistakes.

Hindus were killing Muslims; Muslims were killing Hindus. If only they would learn to live in harmony. He had lost his family in the consequential riots and she had lost hers too. Yet, they had stuck together through thick and thin for the sake of the baby and finally today, the baby had come out into this world a world of hatred and fanaticism.

But he was going to see that the child grew up loving everyone equally. As he continued to hold the squirming child against his body, he sensed that something was amiss. The baby seemed to be crying, but there was no sound. He looked questioningly at the mother.

There were faint traces of tears in her eyes as she realized the thoughts that ran in his mind. Surely, he thought aloud, Allah wouldn’t be so unmerciful so as to not give the gift of speech to this beautiful child. But his fear proved true as days passed and the child didn’t utter any sound.

15th August 1947. It was 12.01 a.m. and the world was lit up with lighting and din at such an odd hour. But it was a different kind of din than what Rehmat Ali had perceived in the last few weeks. There was rejoicing and dancing all around as the country celebrated its independence.

He stood in front of his house and watched the people dance and celebrate. Some were busy lighting up the fireworks, and some were distributing sweets, while others were involved in wishing everyone. He too was happy to be a part of a free country and murmured a silent prayer to the Almighty for this day. Yet, somewhere in his heart, there was a hidden pain, pain for the baby who had not uttered a single sound since his birth a week ago.

He didn’t notice that she had walked with uneasy steps out of the house to stand next to him and watch the scene. As she slowly held on to his hand to steady herself, he turned around to look at her. Just a couple of weeks ago, they were strangers. She was on the run from some people who were out to kill her. He had felt pity for her when he saw that she was pregnant. He offered her protection and they somehow managed to reach his house safely. He promised himself that today itself he would visit the Maulvi and legalize his relationship with this woman who had given him a reason to live like he had given her.

He knew he would have problems in the process, but then, marrying a Hindu wasn’t something he was averse to. He loved her. He had fallen in love with her since that fateful day when he had lost his family to the rioting mobs and in turn, had saved her life.

And for Bharti too, he was her future. Some fanatics from his clan had killed her husband and family, but this man was different. This man was her saviour. And she loved him for it.

Rehmat Ali slowly squeezed her hand gently and as the din grew louder, they heard an alien sound. Both Rehmat Ali and Bharti stood rooted to the ground, unsure if they had heard right. And then the sound of a baby crying, rose over the din and echoed in their ears. They both rushed inside the house to see their baby crying out hoarsely. And while the world rejoiced, the baby cried and his proud parents looked on with tears of happiness at this miracle. It was a genuine cry a cry for freedom.

Sam, a slightly built, 12 year-old boy, is lying on the bed with a dazed look on his face. He is in a mental institution under the care of Dr. Gerald, an intelligent looking bespectacled man, with shades of gray hair over the ears.

There is absolutely no reaction to his Aunt Sarah’s talk as she feeds him fruit pieces. Inspector Petty, a tough cop with gentle mannerisms, walks into the room.

"How are you feeling today, son?"

Sam continued to maintain his silence. He hardly seemed to notice his presence.

Aunt Sarah gave a remorseful sigh.

"He has been like this for a week now. My poor baby. What did he do to deserve this? Officer, has there been any news of the killer?"

Inspector Petty shook his head. He stared at Sam for some time and then giving Aunt Sarah a reassuring smile, quietly left the room.

Down the corridor, he gently rapped on the door carrying Dr Gerald’s nameplate. Getting a response, he walked in to find Dr Gerald studying some papers.

After the regular round of greetings, they got down to seriously discuss Sam’s case. It was ironical they thought, that Sam still wasn’t able to speak due to the shock of seeing his family killed in front of his eyes. The doctor assured the Inspector that Sam would get well soon and then they could extract a statement for him. Till then, the killer was out on the loose. Fearing for the child’s safety, Inspector Petty promised to provide some protection for Sam.

But Sam has lost his peace of mind. He has trouble sleeping as he tosses and turns in the bed. His face bears a tormented look as sounds of whips connecting with skin echo in his ears, followed by gunshots. He wakes up with a loud shriek and jerks out of his sleep in a fright. He sits on the bed, trying to fathom where he is, fear written large on his face.

Things were the same a few days ago when his grandfather, an ex-military man was target practicing in the lawns of the house. It had made Sam press his hands to his ears in fear, to ward off the sound of gunshots. The sound seemed to instill fear in his mind. Sam’s grandfather was like any other military man, very disciplined and tough. But while Sam cowered in fear, Tommy, a boy of Sam's age and Sam's good friend, is all excited and in awe of the gun.

"Hey, Mr. O’Neil, someday you will have the neighbors complaining for sure."

Grandfather looked up to find Officer Petty peeping over the fence with a smile.

"Officer, what do these neighbors know about manliness. Forget them, look at my grandson. I have never seen such a big coward in my life. I feel ashamed to call him my grandson. Hey Sam, come here and be a man. Hold this gun for me."

It was too much for Sam and he ran away inside the house, banging the door close behind him. Tommy walked over to Grandfather.

"Sir, may I?"

He slowly extended his hand, took the gun from Grandfather and stared at it in awe. He felt thrilled as he slowly moved his hands over it. From inside the house, Sam stared at Tommy through the window in apprehension.

The next morning, as Sam and Tommy walked down the road to school, Tommy taunted Sam for being such a chicken. Seeing them, a street dog starts to follow them menacingly and barks furiously. Sam is afraid of the dog but Tommy angrily picks up a few stones and hurls them at the dog. The dog whimpers in pain and retreats.

"You are one lousy chicken, Sam. Afraid of a dog! Jesus, Sam, grow up."

"Tommy, that dog was just barking at us. You shouldn’t have hurt him with the stones."

Tommy shakes his in disgust at Sam’s words and they walk the rest of the way in silence. As Sam and Tommy enter the classroom, Bruno, the class bully and his pals, stop them in their track.

“Hey, guys, see who’s here. Mr. Chicken Face and his bodyguard.”

The whole class bursts into laughter. Tommy moves menacing at Bruno. Sam tries to stop him but Tommy was in no mood to pay heed to him.

Bruno provokes him further and Tommy pushes Bruno hard, sending him reeling against the teacher who had just entered the class. Everyone point their fingers at Tommy and Sam and they find themselves in the detention room after school.

For Sam, things get worse at the dinner table. His mother reprimands him for being a naughty student. Outside in the street, a dog is barking savagely. Angry at the dog’s noisiness, grandfather curses the dog aloud. Sam tries to reason with his mother that Bruno was responsible for the mischief. Hearing his endless babble, grandfather gets angry and slaps him hard. Sam walks off in tears, not knowing what he did wrong.

In his room, Sam lies on the bed and stares tearfully at the ceiling. Outside, the barking starts again. He hears his mother and grandfather angrily discuss the dog. There is a slamming of some drawers and then a gunshot.

Fearfully, Sam gets off the bed, slowly walks to the window and peeps from behind the curtain. With his shotgun still blazing, his grandfather aims it at the bleeding dog lying on the ground. The dog is still alive and whimpering.

Grandfather fires again and the dog gives a final cry and dies. Fear grips Sam and he quickly runs back to his bed, jumps into it and covers himself with the blanket. That night, he finds it difficult to sleep.

The next day at school, Tommy and Sam walk out of the building and to a bench in the school compound. They both appear tense and angry because of another tiff with Bruno. Sam tells him the happenings of the previous night at his house and the dog's gory end.

Hearing the story, Tommy is excited and tells Sam that if only they could lay hands on the shotgun, they could instill a little fear in Bruno and then Bruno and his pals might leave them alone. Fearing his grandfather’s wrath, Sam refuses to cooperate with him. Tommy gets angry with Sam for being a coward and walks off in a huff.

In the dead of the night, Tommy slowly pulls open the window of Sam’s house and jumps in. He looks around the dark room, searching for the gun. He opens a couple of drawers and finally gives a sigh of happiness when he finds the gun in one of the cabinets. He picks it up and as he holds it triumphantly, the lights turn on.

Outside, Officer Petty is patrolling the locality with the car radio on. He is munching on a cold, tasteless hotdog. As his car cruises past Sam’s house, he hears the gunshot. He slams on the brakes and as he opens the car door, another shot rings out. He rushes to the house with his revolver drawn, pushes open the door and hurries in.

The sight sends a shiver down his spine. Grandfather and Sam’s mother are lying on the floor in a pool of blood, shot to death. In the corner, huddled in fear is Sam in complete shock. Officer Petty walks quickly to him and getting no response to his questions, tries to shake him out of his fright. Sam screams and screams…

After a week in the asylum, Sam shows signs of improvement. There is a subtle change in his behavior. He is more relaxed now. Officer Petty gently questions him about the killer. Sam points out that he didn’t get to see to see the killer’s face. Sam couldn’t offer the officer any other clue. Officer Petty points out to Aunt Sarah that though Sam has no threat to his life, he would increase the patrolling in the area.

Sam and Aunt Sarah slowly open the door of the house and walk in. Sam shivers slightly as he stares across the room at the floor where his grandfather and mother had breathed their last. Aunt Sarah holds him close to give him courage. She knew that Sam would take time to overcome his grief.

It was time to resume school. Sam slowly walks into the classroom and all of a sudden, there is a heavy silence as the students stare at him.

Unable to control himself, Bruno remarks with a sneer, "Hey, look who we have here, Mr. Freak himself."

There is no reaction from the class. He looks around in anger. "Did you hear what I said? I said Mr. Freak is here!"

The class broke into laughter. Sam ignores them and slowly walks over to his desk and sits down. Tommy is already there but he ignores him, not looking at Sam or acknowledging his presence. Bruno and his pals continue to poke fun at Sam.

Angrily Tommy tries to intervene.

"Hey, Bruno, will you cut the crap? Can’t you see he is not well?"

"Bugger up, Tommy. That guy’s sick in the head." And the class bursts into laughter again.

Tearfully, Sam gets up and walks to the door just as the teacher walks in.

"Hi, Sam. Where are you going?"

Sam maintains silence and tries to push himself past her. But the teacher catches him by his shirt.

"Now listen, young man, go back to your desk. Now!"

Sam slowly walks back to his desk with his head low.

In the school compound, Sam and Tommy are seated on their usual bench in silence. Bruno and his pals walk up.

"Hey guys, check this out. The shrink is analyzing Mr. Freak. Tell me doctor, will Mr. Freak drop his chicken feathers under your care or will he keep clucking like a little hen?"

It was too much for Tommy and he ran over to Bruno and rammed his head hard into his stomach, causing them both to tumble to the ground. As they rolled over trying to grab each other, Sam rushed over to pull Tommy out of the grip.

The teacher and the principal rushed over on seeing the commotion. Again, despite Tommy’s explanation that Bruno was responsible, Tommy and Sam found themselves in the detention room. As he was being led away, Tommy looked back in anger at Bruno and promised to get even with him.

At the asylum, Officer Petty and Dr. Gerald are discussing Sam’s case. They are trying to fathom what must have happened that night when Sam’s family was killed. They go over Sam’s story and find it incomplete.

In the middle of their conversation, Dr. Gerald gets a call from the principal of Sam’s school. The principal tells Dr. Gerald to get his patient Sam to stay away from Tommy as he is a bad influence on Sam and prone to violence. The principal then tells him about the fight. Officer Petty remembers how Tommy was excited when he had held the gun at Sam’s house. They decide to visit the school and talk to Tommy.

But a shock awaits them as they enter the detention room. The Principal, the teacher, Bruno and his pals are lying dead in a pool of blood. They have been shot dead with a shotgun from a close range.

At Sam’s house, Sam and Tommy are in a grim mood. Tommy still doesn't look Sam in the eye as Sam talks to him in a peaceful tone.

"Tommy, my dad always used to tell me that we get a family without any choice but with friends, we do the picking I’ll always be a friend to you, no matter what."

As Sam talks to him softly, Tommy tries to remember that fateful night. He had felt so strong and so powerful when he had held the gun in his hand. And as he felt the gun lovingly, the lights had turned on and he found Sam’s grandfather staring at him in anger. He had found himself rooted to the floor in fear.

Grandfather had walked over and snatched the gun away from him and placed it on the table. Abusing Tommy for being a thief, he pulled out his belt and whipped Tommy on his behind. Hearing the commotion, Sam had come out of his room and watched them in fear as the sounds of the whip filled the air. His eyes had fallen on the gun and he had stared at it for long.

Satisfied with the beating, grandfather then walked over to the phone to call the police. But he had hardly dialed a couple of numbers when the shot rang out. The bullet pierced him in the chest; he stared in surprise and awe across the room.

The sound of the shot brought Sam’s mother running into the room. Seeing grandfather lying on the floor in a pool of blood, she shrieked in panic. Another shot was fired and she too fell down dead as the bullet pierced her heart.

It was so simple, he thought aloud as he opened his school bag and pulled out the shotgun. He held it high menacingly, feeling the power. He was a changed person. He was god now and he turned to look at Tommy who cringed in fear. Tommy tries to reason with him.

"Sam, please drop the gun. It will hurt you."

"Ha ha ha, no, Tommy, don’t you feel the power within you when you hold the gun? Yes, Tommy, yes, I am the power now. I feel great. I stood by you, my friend, because of this gun or else you would have been in prison for theft. My grandfather would have destroyed you forever, if I hadn’t killed him. Don’t I make a good friend?"

"No, Sam, you are wrong. You did something very wrong. You shouldn’t have killed them all. We just meant to frighten them, but "

"It’s okay, Tommy. We are friends and that’s what friends are for to stick with each other through thick and thin."

"No, Sam, I am not with you in this. I am going to call the police. Please give yourself up.”

But Sam was in no mood to listen as he basked in the glory of the power of the gun. Tommy threatened to call the police again. Sam is shocked at the betrayal and as Tommy walks over to the phone, Sam fires the gun. Tommy falls down dead. Sam then trains the gun on himself and fires as the door bursts open and Dr. Gerald and Officer Petty rush in.

The stage was set. It was just a matter of another 15 minutes before the curtain came down on her personal vendetta. How dare did such a lowly director Samir spurn her advances for a small time television actress Seema. She, Menaka was the top most heroine in the country and had men ranging from bankers to politicians, businessmen to producers vying for her attention. But her interest span was short and she soon moved on to the next person in queue leaving the last person devasted. But Samir had proved to be a nemesis for her and as try as hard as she could, she never managed to garner his attention. As she waited impatiently in the dark in her car parked not inconspicuously within a thick bush off the only path leading down from Samir's house about 3 hours away from the city, where he and Seema often spent the weekends together, her eyes stayed focused on the exit. It was Sunday night and she knew that any minute, Samir would come out on his bike with Seema in the pivilion. This was going to be her sweet revenge. She would knock them down with her to their death in the steep valley below.

She remembered the last time he had embarassed her in front of hundreds of people. It was at this party to celebrate her latest jubilee hit. She had seen him with Seema huddled in a corner and sipping on juice. She signalled her trusted waiter and as she walked to the couple, the waiter followed with 2 glasses of whiskey. One for Samir and one for herself. Little did Samir know that his glass was laced with a highly intoxicated chemical added to his drink. She turned on her charm.

"Hi there Samir", she purred in her best sexy voice possible. "Hello Ma'am", Samir tried to be his modest best.

"Hey don't ma'am me. Call me simply Menaka." She said walking over and linking her arm through his completely ignoring Seema's presense. "Listen, why don't we go in private and share this drink," she continued picking up the glasses and handing over the vital glass to him.

"I wish I could do that ma'am but there is someone with me", he answered indicating Seema and at the same time, unlocking himself from her arms.

"Oh that woman. Wonder what you see in her. Anyway atleast lets raise a toast to each other." Their glasses clinked and as he raised it to his lips, the unexpected happened. The power went off. Chaos spread and a hysteric Menaka lost her balance in the dark and stubbled on her trusted waiter. Assuming him to be Samir, she locked her lips with his and kissed him passionately just as the lights came on. Hearing a pin drop silence around followed by a short chuckle, she slowly opened her eyes to find herself sprawled on the floor and in the waiter's arm. Embarassment turned to anger as she looked up to see Samir grinning like a cheshire cat at her predicament. She would have gladly killed him that day with her bare arms if it was not for the crowd that watched her silently. No one dared to even flinch or smile least the most powerful woman in the film industry blew all her fiery fury on them.

But today she will have her revenge. She was going to kill him for spurring her advances, of not the man in her life. She heard the sound of the bike in the distance and quickly she pulled over her cap low to obstruct her face. Not that anyone would have recognised her in the dark. She turned the ignition on. The car wouldn't start. The chill of the night seemed to have turned the battery cold. "Oh damn it," she cursed aloud. She tried again but still the car wouldn't start. She got out and tried to push the car to start. The car wouldn't budge an inch. "Jeez, how can I be so stupid," she thought aloud and she sat back in the car and released the hand brake and turned on the ignition. The car came to life just as Samir came around the bend on his bike. Like she had thought, Seema was seated behind him. She quickly switched over the gear and shot in the dark behind them. As she took the bend, she found the car flying in the dark over the edge, hurtling some hundred feet below. "Jeez, didn't expect the ride to be so smooth," she thought aloud again. The car was a brand new Mercedes SL. The car hit the road again with a bang and as she lost conscious, her mind was more glued on killing Samir.

"Ouch that hurts" She exclaimed aloud as she regained conscious, her hand moving to check on the bump that had appeared on her head. It was still dark and she wasn't sure where she was. Her body ached and with a groan, she tried to pull herself up. Somehow she felt that the crash had pulled the ground from beneath her feet as she slowly felt herself around in the dark. Was she dreaming or did it really feel like she was walking on thin air. She had no idea how long she had been unconscious. And why was it still so dark she wondered aloud. As if reading her thoughts, a voice boomed just inches away from her ears. "Cause you haven't opened your eyes after the fall my child."

As if on cue, she opened her eyes in fright to stare full face in the glare that confronted her. She quickly brought her hand to shield her from the glare and tried to peer at the source of the sound. She could make out a funny looking man in the garb of a mythological figure and sitting on a bull. Jeez, how long has she been unconscious, she wondered aloud and who brought her to the studio and that too in the middle of some shoot.

"Hey will someone put off the HMI" she yelled out. "And who brought me to the studios?" she continued. Slowly the light dimmed and the man in the funny garb inched closer on his black bull. To her, it looked as if the bull seems to be gliding on the foggy ground. The bull looked menacing itself but the man looked fiercer. "I brought you to this universal studio, my child."

"Hey cut this child crap. My name's Menaka, got it? she yelled back in anger. Franctically she looked around for a familiar face. But the dense fog around them forbidded it. Suddenly she turned back on him. "Hey you said universal studio? Where the hell this came from in Mumbai and who the hell are you?" she demanded.

"You seemed pretty adamant about hell don't you? He shot back at her with a knowing smile.

"I asked you something mister!"

"Ok ok, lets put it this way once again. You are an actress right? Well right now you are in the universal studio and according to your track record, I will assign the right shooting floor for your future endeavors.

"What the hell are you talking about?

"My dear child, let not your mind wander off to useless places before your judgement time."

"What?" Fear seems to grip Menaka and she slowly takes a step backwards and seems to bump into an invicible wall.

"Don't!" he goaded her gently. "From now on you just walk straight. Now if you will follow me." He slowly turned his bull around.

"Hey wait. Please tell me where am I and who are you?"

"Well that's better. You are in the land of eternal sunshine, in the court of the almighty and I am Yama, the god of death. I brought you here."

"What? That can't be. You must be joking! Maybe I am dreaming."

"Believe what you will. You are I guess still delirious after the long ride off the cliff in that metal thing you call car. I prefer my faithful friend over here anytime. I know it won't betray me" With a chuckle at his own little joke, Yama continued to travel at a leisurely pace. Unbelievely she ran after him. "Please tell me if this is a dream. Yes it's a dream." Suddenly she looked surprised as she saw him pull out a jazzy cell from his waistband. "Sire, we have Menaka over here ok sire, I'll bring her in."

A mystical door appeared and they entered. "Who was that you spoke to? She demanded. But Yama continued now obviously interested in playing on this cell. They reached a man in a flowing white beard and seated on a high chair with a laptop. Yama slowly gave a soft bow. "Sire here is that troubled child."

"Hmmm, so this is the woman Menaka. Let me check her records." The man turned on his laptop and punched in a few keys.

"This is all a dream!" Menaka yelled aloud. "Shhh, you will simply anger Sire."

"Oh shup up. Who is that man by the way?"

"Oh that's Chitragupt. The official IT executive who keeps a tab on all of us.

"Oh yeah and then I am Menaka, the official vamp of the silver screen." She spoke sarcastically.

"That we are aware of. Now you must prepare to lead a very different life than what you led in the other world."

"What other world you talking about?"

"Child in case you are not still aware, you are dead now."

"Me dead, I don't believe you."

"Come here." Saying this, Yama walked over to a Home Theatre System and put it on. He flicked over the channels and came to stop on one. The newsreader was giving the latest breaking news. " reports seems to suggest that Menaka perished in the car accident. But what she was doing at the time of her death in this remote hilly area, no one is aware of " Yama then switched off the television. "Satisfied?"

"No way. That's not me. I am alive. That can't be me when you know I am alive over here in front of you!" yelled an hysteric Menaka.

"Oh no not again." Saying this, Yama put his hand to his temple in mock surrender.

"Enough." Chitragupt's voice thundered. Quickly Yama stood to attention. Chitragupt then turn to look at Menaka. He stared at her for a long time.

"To hell with her!" He ordered Yama.

"What? Oh no, I don't want to go to hell."

"Well child, that's the only place for you for the kind of life you lead. Now follow me."

Bowing low, Yama turned around and unwantingly, Menaka found herself following him.

As if in a trance, she found themselves at the gates of the burning inferno. Fear gripped her heart with the thought of having to spend the rest of here life time here. She wondered aloud if all this was dream. As if reading her mind, Yama blurted, "This is the final dream. Be prepared for what you are about to see."

And then in the land of hell all chaos broke as the residents realised who their new companian was. She couldn't help smiling to see that most of the inmates over there new her. Some tried to climb out of their boiling pans to touch her, while others tried to break free from their shackles of fire to visualise her from closely. A wide spread commotion spread and even Yama was surprised by the kind of attention she generated and then it dawned on him that Menaka was as much enjoying this as the inmates.

"Sire, we can't put her in hell. The inmates are all trying to break free of their punishments. If we keep her there, those guys would forget their moral obligations and she is turn will bring chaos and mayhem with her attitude. We have to move her some place else."

"Ok then take her to heaven. But see that you explain to her the rules and regulations of living in such a sanctified place."

It was tough than Yama had imagined. The journey to the sanctified place was filled with her cribbing and crying of living in such a place where she will have to live the life of a simpleton and be nice and humble. At the door of the sanctified place, she refused to be drawn inside making it clear to Yama that she'd rather live the rest of her life in this oblivion than inside. Yama was no match for her stubborn nature and he found himself back in Chitragupt's presence.

He narrated the happening and with folded hand and head bowed, he pleaded for forgiveness for failing him. Chitragupt pondered for a long time and then turned both of them. "Child, I don't know why but I guess you deserve another chance " Quickly, Yama thought alound, "Oh no, the Sire too is unsure about his next action."

Chitragupt continued, "Because you had been an evil woman who manipulated others all your life and who brought about grief too, we were forced to cut short your stay on Earth. But now we feel, we had been too harsh with our judgement. What we can do is give you a chance to live a normal life back on Earth if and only if you do one kind deed for someone "

"Oh no. I can't do that. I am not born to be nice. Please Sire, put me in hell. It will be nice to be amongst my fans over there."

"Ahem no, that won't be possible. Yama, escort her to Earth and see that she gets a couple of chance to be nice while in spirit. And if she still persists with her bad attitude then I guess we won't have another choice but to send her to hell."

It gave her a funny feeling to know that it was her spirit that now roamed the earthly streets. She knew Yama was around someone keeping a tab on her. And then her eyes fell on Samir and Seema as they got out of a cab to enter a building. Wow this was the chance she was wanting. To fullfil her last wish of killing Samir. She quickly followed the building. She read the huge billboard outside the building. It was a hospital. Aha, she thought aloud. Seema must be pregnant with his child. She missed them and finally found Samir leaning with his back to the wall outside a doctor's chamber. 'Sit!' she thought aloud. As if reading her mind, Samir walked over to a chair and lowered himself in it. The next second with her little power, she tried to pull the chair from below him so that he falls down but another unseen power seems to be firmly holding the chair rooted to the stop. Angrily she turned around to find Yama smiling at her. He gently shook his head to indicate she had to be a nice person.

She followed Samir and Seema to his mountain house. And as they rode the private car to the top, she tried to kill them and yes, Yama acted as a spoke in the wheels of her deadly plans.

But for some strange reasons, she found it difficult to enter the bedroom where Seema lay confined for the next too days. She realised that there were holy scriptures in that room that forbidded a spirit to enter. She cursed both Samir and Seema. And one night, she saw Samir come out of the room in tears. She followed him to the edge of the garden. Wow, she thought aloud, this was the final opportunity to kill him. She quickly tried to push him offer the edge in the deep chasm behind was nearly seconds away from it when his sobbing stopped her in her track. She heard him talk to himself. As she listened, she felt some unknown pain in her heart. Seema was dying and Samir was shattered. He loved her and he was willing to lay down his life for her if only she would live. Is this love she thought to herself. Yes, its love that binds two hearts together, Yama told her. She questioned him about one good deed that she had to do to get to live a normal life again on earth. Would it be possible for Seema to get her life back at her cost? She asked him. She was ready to rot in hell if that's the price she would have to pay. Yama smiled at her. Behind them the door seem to open and a very sick look Seema stumbled out. Samir rushed forward to hold her as he took her in his arms. They looked at each other lovingly as she slowly lost conscious. Fear and then anger gripped Menaka's heart as she turned to look at Yama with full resent. But he just kept smiling at her and then turned to look at the couple still sprawled on the ground, Samir craddling her in his arms. "She'll live." 

And Menaka found a new fan following in heaven where she lived a happy and spiritual life.

It was a stormy night. Rains poured heavily as Anita walked out of the office building. As usual, she saw him leaning casually against the lamppost unmindful of the heavy rains that engulfed the night. Her heart skipped a bit as he stared at her through the thick sheets of falling raindrops, the same silly grin on his face. He straightened himself and followed her, keeping a safe distance.

The road was deserted. The station was at a distance but tonight she had planned to take a cab back home rather than the train. It was very late and with the vengeful rain creating havoc, she knew her parents would be worrying a lot. But even a cab was not available at this hour.

She had no idea of the impending weather until she left the office but by then it was too late. As the stranger followed her, she showed no fear. This has been going on for a long time and she would also find the stranger following her all the way to her house and then quietly disappear once she entered the threshold.

Who is he, she would often wonder. She remembered distinctly the first time she had encountered the stranger.

They had bumped into each other at the railway station just as the train was about to leave the platform and she was trying to get in. Someone had pushed her aside and climbed in the crowded compartment. She fell down with a thud, hurting her arm. She missed the train and she angrily turned to look at the person on the train as it pulled out, gaining momentum. The man too turned around, his right hand holding the vertical bar at the entrance to the compartment.. There was a wide grin on his face. With his left hand, he slowly waved at her. Fuming with anger, she watched as the training disappeared from sight. Silent curse words escaped from her mouth.

'It was so awful', she told her father after she arrived back home. 'The man was utterly rude and to top it, he grins at me like a silly cat.' She continued applying anointment on her bruised elbow.

'Chill down.' He gently chided her. 'You should have taken the ladies compartment.'

'Well it was late and I wanted to come home as soon as possible.'

It was days later that she noticed him again. This time as she extended her hand to pull the door of the cab open, he beat her to it. She entered the cab and gave him a mean look that seemed to say, 'lay off' as he slammed the door shut behind her. The driver woke up with a jerk and she ordered him to drive away leaving the man on the footpath, the grin still intact. She was hating him now. She heard the loud crash behind her as the balcony of the building overlooking the footpath crashed down to where she had been standing a few minutes ago. The man had disappeared. She shivered in panic. That guy seemed to bring her bad luck.

Days later she found him waiting outside her office. She was apprehensive of him now and avoided eye contacts with him as she hurriedly walked towards the station. He followed her. 'Psst psst ', he called out. She ignored him and waited to cross the road. Again he teased her. She was about to take a step forward but stopped and turned around in anger. A small crowd had gathered near the signal all waiting to cross the road. Through bobbling heads, she saw him with his patent grin on his face, looking at her teasingly. She took a step or two towards him. Wham! A car had crashed in the signal pole just as she moved away. Her body shivered in fright and her breath came faster as she stared at the spot where the car over ran and into the signal pole. 'Damn this man' she cursed aloud as she turned around. He had disappeared. There was something definitely sinister about him she thought. He was out to kill her.

But her fear soon disappeared in the days that followed when he simply started following her without any upturned incidents. Soon her fear gave away to curiosity to know who the man was. She was still hesitant to talk to him. That silly grin turned her away. But today as she hurried back home on the stormy night, she decided to question him why he followed her often.

She stopped in her track. The footsteps too stopped behind her. She turned around to face him. The grin had disappeared and now there was a peculiar expression his face. He looked at her hard. A shiver seemed to pass through her body. She felt a bit of fear. But something was wrong. His expression appeared to be of a person in deep pain. She stood still unable to fathom what was happening. Seconds passed. Neither of them noticed that the rains had stopped and the night was clear again. He turned around and walked in the direction of her office again. This time she followed him. That's what he wanted her to do, she felt. They had reached her office building. He paused at the lamppost opposite her office where he usually stood. Behind the lamppost, stood a single storey chawl building with its entrance just near the lamppost. She hadn't noticed it earlier. He turned to look at her and then walked up the stairs. Without any fear, she followed him, curious now. His house was the last in the line. The door was ajar. He entered. She followed. The house had minimum household stuff. In the corner near the window was a bed and an old lady lay bedridden on it. Hearing her footsteps, she struggled to face her, her old eyes trying to peer hard in the dim bulb light. Recognition seemed to spark in the old lady's eyes as she struggled to sit up.

'You have come, my dear.' Her old voice crackled.

Puzzled, Anita walked over to her bed and gently helped her up. 'You know me?'

'How can I know? My son's always used to talk about you.'

'Used to talk about me?' Anita quickly turned around to look at the man she had followed. There was no one in the room. And then her eyes fell on the man's photograph on the wall, with a garland around it. Shocked she looked at the old woman. Tears loomed in her eyes as she nodded slowly. 'Yes that's him.' She pointed out of the window. Anita followed her gaze. She was looking at the entrance to her office building.

'He would always watch you enter and leave the office. He was in love with you and would tell me that someday he will marry you but fate had other things in store. That day he dreamt about you that you were in an accident a train accident. It was as if he knew it was bound to happen. How would he know it was his death-in-waiting on that fateful day. His lost his balance and fell off the train that day '

The woman sobbed slowly. Anita looked at her in daze and then at the photograph. There was no question about it. He was the same man. Tears swelled up in her eyes as past scenes of him flashed before her eyes. He had been her guardian angel all along and she in turn had been cursing him. She now had a duty to fulfill as she slowly took the old woman in her arms and sobbed gently with her. His soul was free but she knew he was around to protect them always.