For the heart

May be a short film someday

Janeesh walked down the wet steps of the military hospital. Hours were still left for the dawn to break. It was still drizzling and made obscure shapes in the steps were water pooled in. His memories reflected a melange of emotions. He knew not whether to smile or weep. One hour back he was lying in his sleeping bag inside his military quarters, with his brain cherishing the alcohol he had from havildar Narain shah's daughter's birthday party.

Captain Janeesh Jagannath...was he thinking about Shamnaz then...in that bone freezing temperature in that beautiful valley of Kashmir when he was comfortably sleeping in the sleeping bag.... he dint know...may be his dreams travelled that extra distance to those moments he remembered with a smile... Shamnaz..the beautiful red flower that bloomed in the valley...with long dark curly hair and deep blue eyes...cheeks red as apple with contours of lips brimming with bloodrush.

Saw her first at the usually deserted Oriental Library in Lalchowk. Captain Janeesh being one of the rare visitors of the library developed a rapport with Ijaz Khan, the librarian. On a beautiful August evening, Janeesh was talking with Ijaz Khan in the Library after taking Aldous Huxley's 'Brave new World'. First came the heartmelting fragrance of arabian parfum followed by a beautiful countenance. "baba i need Aldous Huxley's Brave new world" said Shamnaz. Ijaz Khan gave a confused expression. "You can have it. This is my second time" Janeesh acted instantly. But the damsel did'nt seem to care as she hoped away like a pretty peahen saying " never mind. I have already finished it five times" . Janeesh was surprised by the sudden response. "She is retd. Prof Shafiq Khan's daughter, finished her graduation in law" said Ijaz seeing the questful look in Janeesh's face.

Janeesh retrospected those days of courting girls at college. He thought it was time to brush up his flirting skills. He never wanted to wait for chances.

It was another day of window shopping at a mall in the town when Janeesh's eyes got stuck up with the pretty Kashmiri rose that flowered with attention among the multitude. She was inside a textile shop. Janeesh never wanted to give a second thought to enter the shop. "How does it look" Shamnaz asked her friends holding a red salwar to her body. "You will look like an angel in this dress" the answer was from Janeesh. Shamnaz suddenly turned to see the strange source of male voice. Her eyes glittered for a second with tinges of blush in the cheeks at the sight of Janeesh, though she kept her calm quickly. But that glitter in the eyes was more than enough for Janeesh.

"Please excuse me but I'm unable to select a dress for my only sister whose b'day comes next week. I'm very poor at selecting for girls. Can you help me"

Janeesh had a flirtatious smile when he said that. "But I don't know your sis" said Shamnaz. "She would almost resemble the girl over there with a comparably lesser complexion" said Janeesh pointing to one of her friends. "Sure" nodded Shamnaz and said something to her friends in Urdu and everyone smiled. They started searching and finally ended up selecting a light purple saree with luxurious embroidery work. Janeesh literally cried when he paid the bill. Rs 12,500/- ! He understood the meaning of the smiles from Shamnaz and friends. " oye sweetiepie. You fetched me 12k for a sister i never ever had. I will make you wear this soon" Janeesh told himself.

Another day without battles and guns. Janeesh was walking through the lonely streets of an interior village by the Border when he was suddenly shaken by the footsteps of a horse that almost went over his head. He turned back overwhelmed to see Shamnaz on the horse-top. "Don't you know being a soldier and walking in this region can be dangerous? What if some terrorist finds you?" Shamnaz face had a medley of seriousness and blush when she said it. "how can i visit the true beauty of Kashmir and angels riding on horses if i dont make trips like this" said Janeesh. "Don't be foolish. jaldi jao yahan se" she said with her face literally turning red. Janeesh regretted for his misplaced humor.

Janeesh was still in his sleeping bag when he suddenly heard gun fires outside the quarters. Cries of agony and fear fainted in the cold air. He pounded from his sleeping bag in search of his revolver. "Damn it...terrorists...they have taken over the military dettachment" Janeesh frantically started searching for his revolver when a voice at the doorway stopped him. "Don't move captain Janeesh...your dettachment is no more than forty corpses now. We are in command" His heart wept. He knew it was his turn to be one among them. The voice at the doorway was covered in black with the hood leaving a little space for the eyes. It stood there for sometime. "why is he not firing?. This moment facing death. its unbearable" thought Janeesh. He was at point blank. He closed his eyes. Lot of scenes flashed by. He saw his trainer Puneet Shah at the infantry in Delhi who could easily assemble and separate all parts of Gun. He remembered the Stun M.C class were he was sitting lost in thoughts when a cold metal object touched his back. Mr. Shah was holding a Stun M.C to his back. "If i pull the trigger your body will turn itself to a filter. You know...like a fishing net..that's what your life costs..now concentrate".

Janeesh was suddenly brought back to senses by the sound of a vehicle moving away from the dettachment. The black figure was still at the doorway looking towards the vehicle. It turned its back and was about to leave. This was the moment. Janeesh reached for his revolver underneath the pillow. He fired 3 rounds at the figure. The terrorist fell down suddenly even without a groan.

A long moment of silence prevailed. "but why did the terrorist spare a soldier, that too a captain?" his mind asked frequently as he reached for the hood of the body. He removed the black hood that covered the face. A thousand nails pierced his conscience. An unknown sound came out of Janeesh's throat. The eyes still glittered in blue. A naughty smile still filled those lips. It answered his question of why his life was spared.

But..Shamnaz...you