He stood before the library, clutching a stitch in his chest. He was panting heavily as a lady came up from inside, "Ah! I thought you'd never show up!"
"Never!" Grishneshwar said. "This is my one solace - those books and that silence. It is why I work the night shift here. It's just that I'm..."
He looked at his watch.
"Fifteen minutes late!!" The woman barked. "Now, get in before I report the situation. You'll face LOP for a day if I report this! Next time, you'll be fired!"
"S-Sorry, ma'am!" Grishneshwar bowed.
He was taller than her and yet she commanded over him due to her age and seniority. The woman continued, "You look like a gust of wind could blow you away into those hills!"
Grishneshwar rushed inside, content to be left alone with his books. He was now used to her taunts and only looked forward to sitting with his books. He could spend all night reading in silence. His only job was to patrol the area, investigate if he heard any sound, and perform hourly rounds.
As he settled on his chair, his heart wouldn't stop thumping madly against his chest. He supposed it was due to nerves, so he drank some water.
__
She had overslept on her hiking trip, and the group had dispersed, leaving her behind. She knew not what to do. Ambika ran as fast as her legs carried her in the direction of the road. There was no sign of life anywhere. It was pitch black. Her heart was thumping madly, and she wanted to find a way out of this predicament.
"Natasha!" She cried out! "Paaru! Vidya!!"
A dog barked somewhere.
Her voice broke as she tried her luck with the boys in her camp - maybe if they heard.
"Amarendra! Ajit! Bhuvan!" She screamed, with no difference whatsoever, regardless of which gender she called out to.
"Mrs. Sumati!!" She called her teachers. "Mr. Ashok!!"
Suddenly, her left ankle twisted, and she fell hard onto the cold ground, her belongings scattered around her. With soft sobs, she gathered everything quickly and stood up. As though determined to make things worse, her flashlight went off right when she was crossing the stream over to the other side.
She hated hiking or camping, for that matter. But this was an important project—named "Human Values and Mind Management"—that apparently involved them going to mountains and jungles. She never understood the jargon of "peace, companionship, unity, and courage" or whatever else her peers and teachers kept talking about.
Everybody called her lazy. She was short and stocky and never preferred the outdoors. She was on this trip to earn an extra 30 points on her marks sheet, which would boost her chances of graduating.
She wasn't lazy. Her idea of fun, socialization, relaxation, and bonding was sitting under a warm blanket and watching a series or movie while drinking hot beverages. She was gaining weight because of this, but everybody else except her seemed to mind.
__
Currently, Grishneshwar's nose was an inch away from a cliffhanger.
"He raised the oil lamp to his eyes to see who was there. The surroundings were silent as though scheming. Just as his eyes discerned a shadowy figure..."
"AAARGH!!!!" A high-pitched female voice as sharp as a sword cut through the library.
Grishneshwar jumped two feet into the air, his book went flying onto the floor, and he crashed into the wall.
"Ouch!" He rubbed the back of his head. Immediately, he grabbed his flashlight and a stick and rushed outside to see what was wrong.
__
She cursed and flung away her now-useless flashlight. Unfortunately for her, Ambika did not see where she threw it. A drunk man in rags turned up in what she had previously assumed was a pile of leaves in the dark. His eyes were unfocused, and he licked his lips.
"Ma-Ya!" He said, eyeing her horribly.
She took a tentative step behind, but he, too, took a step ahead.
"Come to me, girl! You've spurned me in favour of that stinking man in that horrible suit!! Let me show you who is better - him or me!!" He growled and pounced on her.
Her foot gave way again, and she fell hard on the ground for the second time that night. This led to the man missing her and crashing into a tree behind her.
"Leave me alone!" She cried as he jumped up again.
She clutched her forehead as he stared hungrily. "I don't know who this woman, you, or the other guy is!!"
He shook his head and attacked her. She screamed and took off in the direction of the valley.
Now and then, she looked behind only to see him in furious pursuit. She jumped over rocks, waded across streams, and climbed up trees, from where she jumped into the moors upon finding him behind yet again.
Soon, she fell against a wall, panting hard. Thankfully, the man, too, had stopped. He was panting, but with fury, he threw a sharp knife, which ripped off her sleeve. She wailed out of pain and ran into the night, even as he ran to retrieve the knife and pursue her.
Ambika's eyes were blood-red, and the tear tracks on her cheeks mixed with blood oozing out of her forehead and her arm. At the distance, she spotted a library and a man coming out with a stick and a flashlight, looking bewildered.
__
Grishneshwar, with his heart racing, emerged from the library's shadowy entrance, the beam of his flashlight cutting through the darkness. The night was still, save for the distant echo of Ambika's cries. He scanned the area, his grip tightening around the stick.
"Who's there?" he called out, his voice steady despite the adrenaline coursing through him. The silence returned no answer, only the rustling of leaves underfoot as he ventured forward.
Meanwhile, Ambika, her breaths shallow and ragged, stumbled towards the beacon of light emanating from the library. Her mind raced with fear, but the sight of Grishneshwar, a stranger yet a potential saviour, offered a glimmer of hope. She mustered the last of her strength and called out, "Help me, please!"
Grishneshwar's flashlight suddenly landed on Ambika, revealing her dishevelled state. Without hesitation, he sprinted towards her, ready to defend her from whatever—or whoever—was chasing her.
She was more than a head shorter than him. It would be easy to cover her.
"Stay behind me," he instructed firmly, positioning himself between Ambika and the darkness from which she had come. Together, they waited, the night air thick with anticipation.
__
The night was thick with tension. Ambika's sobs were the only sounds that broke the silence. Grishneshwar stood between her and the darkness, his heart racing. Suddenly, Ambika let out a soft scream and Grishneshwar strained his eyes into the distance. Surely enough, he saw a drunkard in rags approaching.
"Caught you in the act, Maya! With Shashi! It was always meant to be ME and YOU!" He pointed with a growl. "Not YOU and HIM!"
"STOP RIGHT THERE!!" Grishneshwar's voice cut through the night and Ambika's sobs.
The man did stop, but only his steps. "I'm not talking to you!"
He looked at Ambika. "MAYA and SHASHI!" He screamed as he pointed at them.
"Get out!!!" Grishneshwar swung the lathi, striking the man on his shoulder.
With a yelp of pain, he ran into the night howling, "WHY?!"
"Shashi and Maya?" Grishneshwar wondered.
Ambika shook her head, still in tears. "I don't know them. Nor do I know him. Please believe me."
"Okay, I do. Why don't you sit down?" Grishneshwar said and fetched her a bottle of water.
"Relax. He wasn't talking about us. He was talking about those guys." He pointed to the outside with his thumb as Ambika drank the water and finally sat down.
"She wiped her eyes and grabbed her bag to her bosom. "Thank - thank you!!"
"Who are you? What brings you here?" Grishneshwar asked calmly.
__
Ambika had told Grishneshwar everything about the trip, along with her introduction.
Her puffy eyes now looked at him with curiosity. "Who are you? What is this place?"
Grishneshwar couldn't help but chuckle. "This library is actually new. Built only about three years ago." He stood against the wall as he narrated.
"In our town, there are two brothers. They have been growing crops on their large estate since they were teenagers. They are self-sufficient and independent, having lost their parents so young. The older one is Rishabh, a well-read man who is content with his estate and free time. The younger one, Saurabh, always wanted to do something more than grow crops in their estate. So, he built this library with their family savings, as he had no money of his own, This did drive a wedge between the brothers, but of late, they seem to have sorted out their differences. You see, both the brothers are literature enthusiasts, and have done their masters in agricultural science as well as bachelors in English literature, They aren't married. They spend their free time reading various novels. You know, they even lend books for certain periods of time! Saurabh wanted to encourage people to take up reading as a hobby. Oh, you don't know, our village used to be notorious for town gossip and crimes around the local bar. Saurabh's vision was to make people read books over gossip and drinking. Building the library wasn't easy, but he stood by what he believed! Today, Saurabh runs the library he built, while Rishabh continues farming. They are among the most content people in all the villages around!"
"You seem really enthusiastic talking about them. You must be related to them, aren't you?" Ambika asked.
Grishneshwar turned around, "What? No!"
With a laugh, he said, "I do give the impression, don't I? Loads of visitors do tell me the way I speak of people is as if I know them personally. I can't help it. This is who I am!" He shrugged.
"Sorry." Ambika looked away.
"Nah, no big deal." Grishneshwar waved his hand.
"You didn't tell me about yourself." Ambika pointed out.
"I run a bakery in the village square, actually. I like books, which is why I work the night shift here. In any case, working here gives me a little extra money to look after my old parents." Grishneshwar shrugged.
"Oh, when do you sleep?" Ambika was surprised.
"Mornings. After my shift in the library. I open the bakery at 2 in the afternoon, keeping it open till 8. It takes about 20 minutes to catch a bus and come over here. I'm usually expected here around 8:30 in the night." Grishneshwar said.
"What about food?" Ambika asked, offering him a chocolate from her bag. She insisted that he eat it.
"I have my breakfast and lunch at home. My dinner is usually at the village square. Or else there is a nice bun joint on that side of the street here but it closes at 9." Grishneshwar said.
"That-that creepy man seemed to come from somewhere there!" Ambika let out an involuntary shiver.
"I shouldn't have brought that up. Sorry for..." Grishneshwar started but Ambika cut him across.
"Don't. It's not your fault. Thank you so much for saving me, though!"
Grishneshwar nodded grimly.
Ambika had now taken to glaring at the floor as though it had done her personal wrong.
After a pregnant pause, Grishneshwar spoke. "Stay here for the night. We'll figure out what to do in the morning."
He didn't wait for her to respond and instead sat between her and the main entrance. Upon seeing if she was comfortable on her chair, he leaned against the wall and spread his legs on the ground. He still had his duty.
As the first rays of the sun shone upon him, Grishneshwar looked around. The first thing he noticed was that, over the night, Ambika had chosen to sit on the ground with him. She now sat leaning against the wall, too.
__
Ambika did not know the time. Her eyes felt like lead. All she knew were voices growing louder and louder by the minute.
"Yes, Mrs. Sumati! That was a madman, a drunk! He was chasing her!"
"No, Mr. Ashok, she came in here late last night."
"Natasha, you can find her sitting there. Would you mind retrieving her belongings from that shelf, Ajit?"
"AMBIKA!!" It was Natasha's voice. "So glad we found you!! It was late evening when we noticed you weren't around, and when we returned to the campsite from earlier, you weren't there!"
"Eh?" Ambika opened her eyes.
"Are you all right?" Ashok enquired about his student.
"You gave us all a fright, Ambika! Your parents have been informed, and you will no longer be allowed to participate in any group activities!!" Sumati yelled.
"What? Ma'am, no, please!" Vidya cried.
"NO means NO!" Sumati was in a fury.
"Madam, you need to remember that this is a young, frightened teenager who has just been found safe. None of us had any idea if we'd ever find her. It's only because Mr. Grishneshwar here was kind enough to look up the details of campers in this area that we found her. We should be glad she is safe." Ashok began to reason.
Suddenly, Sumati changed her demeanour, "Y-Yes, sir! Agreed!" Her face flushed.
"How are you feeling, Ambika?" Grishneshwar asked.
"I am good, Grishneshwar! Thank you so much for your help! Don't worry, Vidya. I am not interested in these group activities anyway. I'm glad I'm out of this without me having to say a word!" Ambika said. Vidya shook her head.
"Your shift is over; You'd be tired." Ambika turned to Grishneshwar. "All because of me, as I kept you on your toes all night."
"No worries." Grishneshwar said. "Anyways, it's Monday morning. Today's a holiday for the library! I just need to shut the library and go home."
"Okay, guys. Time to pack up." Mrs. Sumati called.
Grishneshwar lent a hand to Ambika, "May I?"
Her eyes met his, "S-Sure!"
She walked alongside him, holding hands.
As the group got into the college bus, Ambika trailed behind the group to look at Grishneshwar.
"Hey, so, here's the thing." Ambika said,
"Yes?" Grishneshwar asked.
"Let us stay in touch!" Ambika said.
"Sure!!" Grishneshwar added cheerfully.
The handshake that followed would bind them together, as it was the start of a long-lasting friendship.
THE END
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