The white light calling - 8

[iniyamalar]

Hi readers,

Sorry for the delay, just had family come over from India. I know leaving the story in halfway without excuse was too bad on my part. But let me make it up to you.
How about three episodes at a stretch???

Thank you for the continuous support from you guys.
i love you all.
ok. come on.. lets go...
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Episode 8:

Part 1:



"Vikki.. vikki.."

"Vikram…."

Voices reverberated on the rocky surfaces in all directions.

Chemba closed her eyes for a moment and when she opened her eyes she looked all set for action. Looking at her from a distance Madhan came towards her.

“What is it ?”

“We have very little time. We need to move faster and smarter. How many sat phones do you have?”She carelessly scooped up her hair and twisted it up into a tight bun.

“Two. One is with Vikki which is not reachable right now for some reason.”

“Ok.. So. We split. Madhan you, I and Smitha will go down, in that rocky path. Shekar and Vangs will go up and let them take the one remaining sat phone with them.”

“Wait..wait..Chemba. On what basis are you deciding this? That path is too sharp and it looks dangerous” Madhan asked her in a concerned voice. He was keen in not taking a rash action.


“Path? Which path?” smitha looked in the direction Chemba showed. She didn’t see anything but a rocky texture with a tree or two dangling here and there. Which one is she calling a path?

“Yes Chemba. I cannot see a single flat surface in that for almost a ten minute stretch. You girls cannot climb down that thing. You are not professional climbers you know” Shekar too was skeptical in her decision.

“At least I am not.” smitha added in her objection, She was still searching or a path there .

“We need to find them before sunset or it is very dangerous. Something tells me that Oviya must have gone down the path leading to that stream” She pointed at a thin white line in some distance. “And vikki, though whatever happens to his mind, he will still take pictures. I can say that for sure because he had left everything else here except his camera. So you guys go up and find other scenic places. He might be there, if nothing had stopped him in the middle” she said that in a blurred voice.

She thought of her beloved cousin. Though he always fought with her most of the days, he had been her best friend from her childhood, from the very first day when she stepped into his house. That day, when the little girl chemba walked into their house. The, then ten year old vikki came to the crying girl and gave her his car to play with and he pulled her by her shoulders and wiped off her tears with his little fingers and said ‘ don’t cry we will play together. I will share everything with you’- that day came to her memory so vividly. She couldn’t stop her sobs.

But she had to. She didn’t have time for her silly sobs and she didn’t have time even for her weird dream. She had time only for her beloved friend and an affectionate brother.

She stood up and looked at the others. Madhan had been talking to others.

Vangs was totally against the decision of splitting. “why do you always listen to her? It’s true that she saved us from those tigers but that could have been plain luck. Just from that once, you want us to think that she will be right all the time? That’s so incredibly silly especially for you Maddy.

“No. Vangs. It’s not like that. I think her way of thinking is correct and I believe that we should do as she says, at least for now. We are still not un reachable ok? You know me guys. I won't let you down.”

"So you say her stupid logic is going to get us all out safe?"

"No I am just hoping and feel that it will work out fine. I feel posotive vibes on her. I know I sound weird"

“Oh weird? you call that weird. Sorry for saying but you suddenly seemed to have jumped into your great ancestors shoes. So when did you get into ‘pagan’ worshiping man?”Vangs spat back.

“Cut the crap Vangs. It’s nothing to do with the sex. If I had felt that on you, I would have said the same thing about you. Besides it’s just my suggestion. You can take it or leave it. And one more thing, I don’t agree to her just because ‘she’ said that, but because the plan itself is quite sensible.” he continued.

“Sensible? You call that sensible? Playing with two of the remaining lives on one girl’s ‘intuition’?”

“Fine he got a point there. Smitha you and Madhan take another route. I will go down that route.” Chemba who had come in just then declared.

“Don’t be foolish. This is not a contest on who wins who. Stop that ok?” Madhan chided her.

“whatever path you choose I choose to join you than let you go alone chemba", Smitha announced. Chemba looked at her friend and smiled thankfully. She came close to her and took her chilly hand in hers. ‘I am there, do not worry’ she said with her eyes and Smitha rested her head on her shoulder.

“Ok, now that is fixed. What next ?”

“What about the phones? I don’t get it?”

“Think Vangs! Chemba is having her normal mobile phone which will get signal as we go down. But the sat (satellite) phone can be used anywhere regardless of signal. So you can go up with that safely. We will call the forest base camp office from both phones and get a common and sort of backup link for ourselves. So that we can always have a backup contact even if we lose a contact in the middle. If I cannot contact you, I will call the base camp and leave message. And her theory of Vikki going up is quite a plausible one. I myself was thinking the same.”

“What about Oviya?” Shekar chirped in.

“You have better idea on that? She is her best friend and seriously she will have her best interests in mind. Come on guys!”Madhan was exasperated.

“Everything is Ok. But we haven’t thought about the external factors in this” Shekar said.

“Like what?”

“Tigers, landslides, poison ivy, anything like that?”

“Yeah I Thought of that. Vangs vikki’s bag is still here right? Get that mini tranquilizer guns. It was for some good reason we got them with us.”

Chemba looked wide eyed.” You brought tranquilizer guns with you? Why on earth would you bring something like that on a trekking trip? And how did the forest officers give permission for that?” She eyed him unbelieving.

“Just like how they gave the special permission for our satellite phones” he said looking at her.

Chemba took a step closer. Her eyes looked like burning coal when she asked him in a menacing voice “Just why did you come here Madhan?”