Chapter 11: The Last Straw

A task so dangerous isn’t easy to find someone for. Priya searched everywhere and finally found me through a real estate agent. At first, I was suspicious—it sounded too supernatural. I wasn’t afraid of a bhootia saaya, but I was worried Priya and Sneha were scammers.

The agent, a balding man with a paan-stained smile, called me late one night. "Rohan Bhai, ek kaam hai, thoda alag type ka hai... paisa accha milega." I hesitated—too many scams these days, and with all that had happened in my life, trust didn’t come easily. Still, something about Priya’s voice on the phone made me agree to meet.

But when I met them, I couldn’t bear to refuse. Priya looked utterly desperate, just as I had been when I went everywhere begging for money for my wife’s treatment. When she saw me, it was as if she’d finally grasped the last straw. She hadn’t even spoken before dropping to her knees. I hurried to help her up, but she caught hold of my shirt sleeve, knuckles white, her voice trembling.

The sight of her, sari pallu trailing in the dust, made my heart twist. “Aapke bina hamari bachchi nahi bachegi, Bhaiya,” she whispered, tears streaking her cheeks. I remembered my own wife, her last words, and felt all my anger soften for a moment.

“Mr. Rohan, we really have no other way. Please, my daughter can’t hold on much longer.”

I glanced at Sneha—she hadn’t had a good night’s sleep in a long time. She tried to help her mother up, but had no strength left.

How deep is a parent’s love. I have a daughter myself.

There’s something universal about the way a mother clings to hope, refusing to let go, no matter how dark the road ahead. For a second, I saw my own daughter’s face, and all doubts melted away.

“I’ll take the job,” I said, flicking away my cigarette. “Whether it works or not, I’ll go with you.”

I crushed the cigarette under my heel, the smoke curling up in the air, and thought: Let whatever is waiting for us at Neemsagar come. I’ve faced worse.