Chapter 39 Creatures, Creatures!

• Arunava shouted his lungs out. But his cries got lost amidst the incantations and noise. Tears rolled down his eyes. He remembered the police station he served. He found himself sitting at his desk with coffee. He saw the white board crammed with charts based more of his imagination than clues or crime scene evidences - which appeared like jigsaw puzzles to others in the Department, a child's meaningless scribblings to his boss who wondered how Arunava had passed the IPS interview. But it was an exercise which always led to the truth in the end, much to the discomfort of his peers eyeing the promotion ladder. He always knew he was made for the job. Images of his village, his home, his parents flitted by. Since when did he last paid them a visit? It's been ages he had food cooked by his mother. Would his parents be able to cope up with the pain of their eldest son's death? After he was gone, who would pay for his brother's education? He was a good painter too and had ambitions of holding exhibitions of his art works, his Borda being his only support, Arunava knew.
• Like he knew Mr. Shashmal wasn't aware of his situation, otherwise he wouldn't have left any stone unturned to rescue him. 'You've grown many enemies son'. His boss's words rang into his ears. Arunava knew he might've been a bad boss - hellbent on performing his duties like an old school, given his age; but he sure had a soft corner for him - though he made it a point to see to it that Arunava didn't find that corner most of the time. But Shivangi? How could Arunava evade her and retire from the world? The look on her eyes.. when Arunava met her. They had unsaid expectations. The only person in her life who should've lived upto them had already handed her over to Vetaal, to let her die slowly. 'God! What dilemma had you put me into?' he thought. Even if he had no claim over her, could he possibly let her die before his eyes? And now he'll have to leave the world with the penance of failing to rescue her. His thoughts traced back to that incident inside the temple in the middle of nowhere. He remembered the priest's words. Along with Shivangi's missing sister a number of victims were either missing or murdered brutally. Bodies were rolling out and for the first time in his life Arunava Sarkar was miles away from even the defaulter's shadow.
• 'Concentrate all your energies in believing you are him. Remember you have everything in you to fight your enemies like him. You only have to trust your powers. That's the only way of invoking them'. The priest was talking to him. Suddenly Arunava found himself teleported back to the temple. Bells were ringing all around him. The cave had vanished along with Upendra Ghosh and the creatures. He felt himself free to move his limbs, walk. Even run. Did he escape the hell then? Arunava felt elated. He was so happy that he couldn't resist laughing. Raghu, Upendra - his enemies had failed to hold him at last. But then he realised he couldn't allow himself time for such revelries till he had completed his mission. He has to reach Dodamarg and help police in the investigation of the unnatural death of that girl. Her uncle was a reputed scholar, a pride of his city, of the Bengali community. Arunava's boss, his department had pinned their hopes on him.