The Men in Dark | Episode – 09

K L V Saivardhan Reddy

What happened previously? Click here to read

Shadows of the Heart: A Journey to Reunion

Manikyam, pondering the mystery behind Arjun, drifted off to sleep. It was around 7 PM when Arjun, busy with his homework, received a call from his brother, TMD, asking to join a video call.

“Brother, Manikyam is sleeping in the room. We might disturb him,” Arjun replied to TMD.

“It’s been three hours, and I don’t think he’s still asleep. Go check on him,” advised TMD.

Arjun quietly made his way to the room and gently opened the door a crack to peek inside. Just as he was about to look through the opening, he heard Manikyam’s voice.

“Come in, dear!” Manikyam said.

Entering the room, Arjun asked with a smile, “Are you comfortable, Grandpa? Have you regained some strength?”

Manikyam nodded, a gentle smile spreading across his face. “Yes, dear. I feel much better now. Your care means a lot to me.”

“That’s great to hear,” Arjun said, his concern evident. “TMD is asking for us to join a video call. Are you up for it?”

Manikyam’s eyes brightened at the mention of TMD. “Of course, dear. Let’s not keep him waiting.”

“Okay! Brother he is ready. Let me connect the Video call to you.” said Arjun on phone to TMD.

“Yeah! You connect the call, I will be there in five minutes.” Replied TMD

Arjun closed the curtains of the room and switched off all the lights, plunging the room into pitch darkness. He then took a remote from his pocket and switched on the screen present on the wall to the left of his bed. The screen flickered to life, casting a soft glow that illuminated their faces.

Manikyam watched curiously as the screen booted up, displaying a secure interface. Arjun navigated through the menus swiftly, his fingers moving with practiced ease.

“What is this, Arjun?” Manikyam asked, his curiosity piqued.

Arjun smiled, a hint of pride in his expression. “It’s a secure communication and research setup that TMD helped me configure. We use it to keep all our information safe and to stay in touch without any risk of interception.”

As the screen flickered to life, it displayed a black-and-white feed. On the other side of the video call, a table and a chair, turned against the wall opposite the screen. The chair slowly rotated, revealing TMD’s face structure as a shadow, creating an effect reminiscent of a shadow puppet show. Neither TMD’s face nor the details of the table and chair were visible—only their silhouettes.

“Brother, you are connected,” Arjun said in a normal tone, as if speaking to someone right next to him. And switched on a focus light with a remote that just focused on where they were sitting.

TMD’s shadowy figure leaned forward onto the table, and his voice came through, clear and steady. “Good to see you both. How are you feeling, Grandpa?”

Manikyam, sitting beside Arjun, leaned slightly toward the screen. “I’m feeling much better, thanks to Arjun’s care. But this setup… it’s quite something.”

“The mood plays an important role in everything. It’s crucial to create a distraction-free environment so we can focus on the issue at hand,” said TMD.

“Agreed, but I can’t see your face clearly. It’s all shadows in the video. I think you forgot to switch on the light,” Manikyam responded excitedly.

“You can speak softly,” Arjun interjected, closing his ears and motioning downward to indicate lowering the volume. “Just like you talked to me earlier, there are receivers placed everywhere in the house. He can hear everything, even a drop of water leaking in the kitchen.”

“Okay! Sorry! I’m just a bit excited and new to all this video call stuff,” replied Manikyam.

“Not a problem, Grandpa. Arjun is just noise-sensitive, and as for appearance, I prefer talking like this to everyone,” said TMD softly with a smile.

“Brother! Stop making fun of me,” Arjun replied, his lips pouted in mock annoyance.

“Okay! Okay!” said TMD laughing

“I was excited to see you, but not being able to see your face is disappointing. Yet, I’m happy that we’re having a conversation. You have such a great heart, helping so many people around you. My granddaughter told me about many things you’ve done, and she had a personal experience of you helping her friend. She’ll be thrilled to see us and talk to you. She always praises you and tries to emulate you, especially in helping others.” expressed Manikyam.

“That’s so nice of her, and helping others truly uplifts the soul, purifies her heart and makes her the happiest person. I’m sorry I can’t show my face for now,” replied TMD with gratitude.

“Coming to the point, Arjun, did you ask Grandpa why he was sad and soaking in the rain?” TMD asked, his tone shifting from laughter to seriousness.

“No, you asked me not to bother him with my chat and let him rest. So, I didn’t bring that up,” said Arjun.

TMD nodded his head and continued, “Grandpa, what is bothering your heart? Please do share it with me. Sharing your burden will lighten your heart,” he asked with much concern.

“I am lonely. I have a granddaughter, as mentioned, but she left home without any information, and her parents have no idea where she is. They’re not even trying to find out her whereabouts. I’ve urged them many times to search for her, but they’re not responding,” continued Manikyam, tears welling in his eyes. “I can’t sit at home doing nothing.”

“They have no heart”, Manikyam burst into tears, crying like a baby.

“Grandpa, don’t cry,” Arjun said gently, leaning towards him and offering his shoulder for comfort.

“Grandpa, why didn’t you go to the police station? They would have helped you find her,” asked TMD.

“Her parents didn’t allow me to do so. They feared their reputation would be tarnished if people started saying their daughter eloped,” replied Manikyam, grief evident in his voice.

“Do not worry, Grandpa. We will find her. Tell me some details about her,” TMD said reassuringly.

“I loved her so much that I cannot bear to be without seeing her. It’s been six months since I started searching for her. All my money is gone, my heart lost hope and I am alone,” Manikyam sobbed.

“It’s okay, Grandpa. You can stay here with me, and we’ll find her as soon as possible. What is her name?” asked Arjun, placing his arm on Manikyam’s shoulder and offering comfort.

“Grandpa, you are not alone. We are all with you, and we will find your granddaughter. What is her name?” asked TMD, reassuringly.

“Her name is…,” Manikyam began, but the doorbell interrupted him.

Both of their heads turned towards the entrance door, and TMD instructed Arjun, “Go see who it is.”

Nodding his head, Arjun directed his wheelchair towards the entrance door through the hall.

When he opened the door, Aarushi and Prerna appeared in front of him. Aarushi was leaning towards the door, looking for the symbol inside the house.

“Hello, ladies! How may I help you? And you, Miss Blue Saree, can you please stop peeking into my house?” said Arjun with a friendly smile.

“Sorry! She just got lost in eagerness to talk to you,” Prerna apologized.

“Why do you want to talk to me? And what is it about? I haven’t met you before,” asked Arjun, surprised.

“Shall we come in? It’s a long story. And we are thirsty,” said Aarushi.

“Yes, come in and have a seat,” said Arjun, pointing his index finger towards the sofa in the living room.