At the foothill of the mountains, the car started turning around the curves of the hills. His eyes wet with tears, he could see her beautiful face. He remembered her dupatta flying in the wind, crimson against the setting sun. She was sad as she saw him leave. He could feel the kiss by the rivulet, her sweet soft lips offering more than taking. He could smell the kites as they made love in Ahmednagar. The sum of his life was the stolen moments he spent with Rajjo. He could almost touch the red fabric that brushed against her face softly as she bid adieu to him against the rising sun. She whispered the story of that legend the whole night, telling Harsh about letting her go away to fulfill her vow. He held on to her tightly and wept. He begged her to change her mind but she was adamant. Now she was gone and the only way to be with her was to go after her.

As he approached the temple ruins, Harsh took a deep breath and instructed the driver to stop the car on the side of the road. He stepped out and smelt the sharp tangy air. He was in the vicinity where Rajjo had passed from this world to the other about four weeks back. Harsh breathed in long and hard, as he believed she was still in the air, in the mountains and in the water around. All he had to do was become one with her.

Harsh had taken the wheel and instructed the driver to wait by the roadside. Confused by the strange request the driver complied. He knew better than to ask questions or resist. He had a job to keep. The worried driver looked at the car dangerously racing away up the hill. He eyed the burning tyres as the car sped off. His master was behaving strangely. He had even thrown his cell phone in a bin. The new phone kit on the backseat of a car also hinted at him buying a new instrument but he did not want to poke his nose too much into his employer’s idiosyncracies. However, today his actions seemed more ominous than his usually erratic demands. He knew it was not a good idea to let him drive off. After a brief moment of hesitation, he ran after the squealing tyres as the car took another dangerous and sharp turn.

He took out his cell phone and called ‘Madam’ on his phone. He had never called her before, only received her manager’s calls or taken her calls twice. His palms were sweaty with anxiety as he heard the bell ring. The shrill phone bell rang in his head and shortly after he heard her pick up the phone. An irritated voice barked into the phone. He could hear the tyres squealing. Up, up and up, till he heard a deafening crash.