A friend

“Wake up shyam”, shouted Manoj from outside. I was startled at first and then remembered that today was Sunday and we planned for a movie. I came to my balcony and asked him the time and he replied “dear sir you are just 1 hr late from your usual time.” I felt a disgusting feeling under me and replied coolly “is it so.” I called him up and made him comfortable at my room and rushed to my bathroom. After exact 30 minutes I heard a call from outside that I was now 1.30 mins. late. I stopped the shower and cleaned myself thoroughly, then adjusted my hair and wore my blue denim and a white ‘text t’ which said “I am never too late.” As I came out Manoj just almost boxed me. We then rushed to our bike and went out and a guilty smile on our face. We stopped our bike at a panwallahs shop and asked him to pack 3 bottles of cold-drink and 7-8 packets of chips. Next I took out my mobile and called to Sweety and Manoj to Mansi. They reached the shop by 5 mins with a bag hanging loosely at their back. Both of them looked good and the we were off. We were going to the nearby city for movie, lunch and a fast drive over the main highway through the forests and back to our city by 6. We had just planned everything the last day. We stopped our bikes at a petrol pump nearby and got our tanks full. I gave out my credit card and by a minute or two they returned it to me saying “hey give the correct card, this ones is a blocked one” and then to my horror I remembered that I picked up the wrong one at home. I felt shame but as always there’s a silver lining in the clouds I had enough cash in my wallet. We then rushed to the next city at speed of 80 – 120. We both were good riders and our both were good setters. We enjoyed our way and by 12 we reached the main gate of “inox” of that city. Manoj went inside and got the tickets of the movie of 3pm. We went for lunch at the nearby restaurant and ate to our full. We ordered everything that we could and celebrated, enjoyed the day. We couldn’t get up from our seat and all of ours stomach popped out. We however went to our bikes and rushed to “inox”. We reached there 5 mins. Before show and got our self seated with popcorn and cold drink each and for god sake we were not in a mood to eat anything but for formality we took it. The movie started and all went in a fix. Mansi’s cold-drink fell down and my too. Something vibrated and then we realised that it was a slight earthquakes reaction. We just had a laugh and sat back for our movie once again. It was a love story of a politician and a normal girl turned into a politician. It was first time I ever saw a movie in which a girl loved a boy but the boy didn’t. It was amazing. We liked it and it was 6 by that time. We had just 1 hour to reach home. We rushed out of the theatre and jumped on our bikes. We accelerated and off to the highway. We screamed and enjoyed a lot. On the way before the forest we had tea and bhajia. I thought to skip the plan of the forest and the highway once more but nothing works in a group of 4 with ratio 1:3. We entered the forest and crossed about 1 kilometre and found something unusual. There were two to three people standing on each side at distances. I felt a bit scared and actually we all four but my terror turned horrifying when I saw at a distant. There were lamps of fire and when I turned back we were surrounded by almost 100 people. I felt almost unconscious when I remembered last days headline “a man murdered by tribal’s in the forest area.” As I was hoping that it would not be this forest i saw a skeleton or to say more properly a heap of dead bodies at a distance of where we were standing. 2 men came to us and tied our hands. We were pushed to their camp were there were posts made with choppers. We had lost our thinking sense and they tied us to the post. They tossed the names that who would be killed first. The first one was to be my dearest friend Manoj. They untied his hands. He hugged us and then Mansi exclaimed “if he has to be killed then you should kill me first.” The boss told they don’t kill girls but she argued. I went and brought her back. She couldn’t see how Manoj was stripped of and then with just one choke the blade went through his body. We three gave out a scream as it was natural. Mansi went and sat beside Manoj’s body she was weeping continuously and even we two couldn’t stop our tears. It was my turn next and I don’t know what happened to me, a feeling of confidence came to me. I went all by myself and stood on the stand. All my good times I spend with my family, friend, and Sweety came to my mind as a slide show was being presentated to me. I couldn’t stop thinking what they would do to the girls after my death, will they leave her or they will also meet disastrous ends. As I was thinking this all I heard the police siren coming nearer and nearer. They got panicked and in this we three got a chance to escape from there. As we were running I realised someone following us. As I turned around I say one of the tribal coming nearer with a bow and arrow. I thought our end has come but to my astonishment he said” here sir take your bike keys, run from here as fast as you can, I’m leaving you because in you I see my son and please never come to this place again.” I took the key thanked that man, gave him a 500 rupee note and ran to my bike. There I saw the police van. They at once put us into their van and there we got water to drink. I heard several gunshots and then it was over. The police inspector came to us and told the boss has run away. I jumped out of the van and took Mansi with me. I took Mansi down the police van. There the inspector was standing. I told him where the boss was as I had seen him running. They ran to that place and brought the boss to us on special request on mines. There they shooted him and with a long hiccup he lay motionless. We all burst into tears not for that cruel man who in later died but for our dearest friend Manoj. I couldn’t thank him for killing such an unruly person but my friend’s deaths memories throughout the way saddened me. We reached our city by 1.30 the next morning. All my family members were very happy to see me. Manoj’s family when got the news of her son’s death they were grieved struck. One day in a conversation i asked my father how the police reached there. Then my father explained “the police actually went there for investigation of the murder but then they heard laughing voices of the tribal so the first covered the whole forest by force and then they attacked.” I was amazed but I only thought that if they would attack before 10 minutes my most lovely friend would be alive whose memory i can never forget throughout my life. After two or three months I had a dream in which Manoj came and he told me that Mansi was alone and he hoped that I would take care of her. The very next day instead of my calling her call came to me. I was surprised to see her call. She said “come as fast as you can to Me.” And the phone went dead. I do not know what kind of shiver I got but I rushed to my bike and at full speed ran to her house. I climbed up the stairs and opened the door wide open just to see no one there to talk to me.