The Death

To the east of Pearl City and at its boundary, exists the RK colony. In this working class colony, Karthik and Siri are sleeping in their room and in their world of love with eyes resting with hope. The left hand of Siri is on the right side of Karthik's waist as if she is palming him under her magic with her head leaned towards the left side of Karthik's chest. While Karthik's body was in a position of horizontal stand. Their semi naked bodies are engulfed in a chocolate colored fleece velvet throw blanket. The bed is warm enough for the love birds under such a blanket to escape from being day walkers.

Unfortunately, their romantic postures got disturbed by the call of a mobile lying on the nightstand. The mobile is quite successful in passing its continuous customized sounds to the eardrum of Karthik, but failed in case of Siri.

The sensory organs of Karthik communicated well enough to activate each other and awaken him. His eyes may be shattered with this compulsion. But hands are reflexive to the tune of electronic gadget. Fingers of his right hand are clumsy on the nightstand, but reached for the mobile phone before he could vision roof the room completely. In a state of subconscious mind and horizontal posture on bed, he picked the call to his right ear.

"Hello!"

The radio waves from the phone of the dialer passed an information that pushed Karthik to a state of chaos. He listened to the dialer for a minute with his eyes unblinking. Tongue in his mouth got static. Mobile slipped from his fingers onto the bed. Looked at his girlfriend. She is still in her closed eyelids, holding Karthik tightly.

Karthik slowly removed Siri hand from his waist and kept it near to her body and later replaced his chest with a pillow for her. Bestirred himself from the claws of resting period and dashed into the adjacent bathroom. He mirrored his face with a grieved throat. His eyes dried with no work for tears. Shackled there for a few minutes and then washed his face before walking back to the bedroom.

Covered his colorful flowered boxers with blue jeans and bared chest with a plain red colored round neck T-shirt. Picked his mobile from the bed and stowed it in his right side of the front pocket jeans. Took the car keys, lying near the table lamp and stepped out with no bothersome to Siri.

                                         ***

An under construction building was congested with media, forensic department, police officers and aspiring pantomaths. A yellow colored tape is being fenced by the police as a line of control. "CRIME SCENE DO NOT CROSS" is written on the tape. The building premise was not more than 100 meters away from the main road. Media journalists are busy in trying to capture the breaking news of the day through the lenses of their digital cameras and mobiles in the best way they can. The presumed writers with mikes in their hand started their exclusive reporting. 

And, suddenly a car crossed them. Karthik got down from it. Looked at the people around, appalled. Pushed his way through the enthusiasts towards yellow tape. But a constable at the line of cross stopped him. 

Karthik, engrossed at the crime area, sighed dejectedly. "My Dad!" he said. 

The constable then allowed him to the crime spot by lifting the tape slightly. Karthik bent low enough to pass through it. The corpse of his father laid there. He trudged towards it and stood close enough. His father's body was blood-soaked. Head was found with the left part pleading the ground and a rupture at the crown of the head, enough for blood to take away one's last breath. Yet, no work of tears from Karthik. 

"Excuse me! Who are you? You can't be in a crime scene man", a warning voice from the other side of the corpse. 

Karthik looked at the voice. It was from Sub Inspector (SI).

"I'm his son" cleared his identity.

"Karthik?" Inspector confirming his name. 

"Hmmm!" Karthik confirmed. 

SI looked at the dead body and then back to Karthik with a fraction of thoughts. 

"Chari! clear these crowds quickly from here" SI yelled at his another constable standing behind Karthik and walked away from the corpse.

Karthik stood still looking at his stiff father.

*** 

SI sat in a chair available on the ground floor of an under construction building. Lighted his cigarette and started making certain assumptions about the case. 

"Chari, bring his son here" ordered his disciple. 

The constable went and brought Karthik to the place of his superior. 

SI pushed a rusted stool with his left leg near towards Karthik. Signaled him with a cigarette hand to have a seat on it and told chari to bring a tea. Chari followed the words of his boss. Karthik stared at his father's last face, ignoring the presence of police and his gesture for the seat.

 "Ahem! excuse me" SI initiated the conversation. Karthik paid no attention to him.

What do you think about your father's suicide? 

No reflex from Karthik. 

In a series of attempts to emphasize his presence, "Any suspects in your thoughts?" SI continued his questionnaire. 

But Karthik was in his own hush. SI looked at Karthik seriously. Thrown away his two-third burnt cigarette. 

"Where were you last night?" Heightened his voice to break the silence of Karthik.

Karthik is in no mood to join the world of investigation. 

SI had a small laugh with annoyance. 

"Hmmm! Let's make this some other time. We have lots in the process. You can't miss me every time. Chari, where is my tea?" walked to his government-provided vehicle with a clamor.

                                              ***

After a moment of time lapse, a white luxurious car reached the death place. Stopped behind the pantomaths. 

Siri and his friend, Rishi walked out of the four wheeler and darted towards Karthik, who already got inerted at his father's last see. Karthik was in need of a bolt-hole and they helped him with no exchange of words with any of the people around. Picked him straight from the crime scene into the car. 

Siri was dreadful seeing her boyfriend. Sat in the driving seat, with Karthik on her left side. Rishi signaled her with eyes to leave. Siri nodded and drove with no waste of eye contact.

Later Rishi discussed with police the process needed to be followed for the receipt of the dead body from them. He signed some documents provided by the law vigilantes. Police and a few hospital staff shifted the dead body into an ambulance which later followed the car being driven by Rishi, who was a self claimed incharge of the funeral process.