Prologue
दण्डपारुष्यात् सर्वजनद्वेष्यो भवति
‘You create an enemy by punishing someone who is innocent.’
(Chanakya)
The day of reckoning is a beast in its own
It creeps up on you unaware
It arrives on a whim with its head held high
And burns everything to ashes
Till love nurtures the ashes to life
Love...it doesn’t let go even when you die
It is a strange beast
You can ship it, starve it, push it down your insides
But you can’t pull it out of you
If your heart knows where it belongs
You’ll fight with the whole world to get there
A wise man once said
It’s truly a blessing to be in love
Let it possess you
Let it bound you within its shackles
Let its serenity silence the poison in you
Love is its own reward
No one wins; no one losses
He looked at the sun as it painted the sky with its setting glory but the glow reminded him of the burning fire inside. His gaze steeled and his jaw hardened thinking about the past. He still felt the blood on his fingers and still could hear the screams in his head. Years have passed but still, the nightmares haunted him. Closing his eyes, he walked towards the bed and laid his head on the pillow. The images flashed through his mind like scenes of a film and he twisted and turned trying to save them but failed. Will he ever sleep peacefully?
The pain in her intensified as the minutes passed. She looked at the photograph lying on her lap and memories came flooding back. As tears fell, she ripped the bandage from her arm and exposed the wound. Anger was an extremely small word for the raging emotion she felt. Everything was burning inside her with the sting of the words swirling in her mind. Clutching the railing, she got up and walked inside the room. Drops of blood from her arm fell on the floor marking the earth with their heat.
