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~ a short film story by Kaushik Layek ~

Come on Vikram lets start the game now tell me tell me a secret of yours,
Priya said to her famous film director husband while having a candlelight dinner on
the Valentines Day sitting in a posh sea-side family restaurant.

Priya and Vikram have been happily married since last 9 years. Theirs was an
arranged marriage fixed by their parents. Priya was a beautiful, sweet and soft-
spoken girl. When Vikram came to see Priya for the first time with his parents, he
was swayed away by her flawless beauty and he knew she was the girl he wanted
to settle with. They soon got married. After marriage, the shy soft-spoken Priya
suddenly opened up. She became bold and vivacious Vikram was pleasantly
surprised by her change. She liked playing games love games mind games On
their first marriage anniversary, they both decided that they would disclose a close
secret to each other on every anniversary as a tribute to their love for playing
strange mind games. In the last eight years they have disclosed eight secrets to
each other which didnt bother any of them. Today was the ninth one. And Vikram
appeared uneasy and tensed.

Priya this is a shocking secret I dont know how to tell you. I dont know
whether you would understand me I dont know whether you would forgive me.
Whatever be it just promise me Priya you wont leave me You wont leave me I
cant leave without you Priya. Promise me Priya promise me!

Priya stared directly into her Vikrams deep set brown eyes and could tell that
something was deeply troubling him. She held Vikrams hand to calm him down.
Vikram appeared agitated and tensed. He looked away from her.

What is it Vikram? Whats the secret thats disturbing you so much? Tell me Tell
me Vikram

Priya I was seeing a girl called Neha before I met you. She was a successful model
and I was then a struggling theatre director. She wanted to be an actress and me,
a film director. I met her first time when she came for an audition of a play which
I was directing. She was a bold vivacious girl without any inhibitions. I liked that
quality in her. Looking at her at once, anyone could say she was a SUPERSTAR
material. I thought she had the perfect figure tall, voluptuous with awesome
looks. God! She was a beauty queen by any standards. She wanted to improve her
acting skills so she wanted to do plays. Incidentally, she got the lead role and we
became good friends. Our friendship quickly developed into a relationship a
rather volatile and an intimate one.
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Vikram paused to watch Priyas reaction but Priya sat there expressionless
patiently listening to the secret. And Vikram continued

Evidently, Neha had a much different impression about the relationship that she
and I shared.

What do you mean? asked an inquisitive Priya.

I mean, she was serious about me, but I wasnt about her. It was purely physical
for me. I never had any distant plan of settling down with her".

So you you just liked having sex with her!

Yes I was sort of addicted to her physically. revealed Vikram and turned away
to the window staring out at the sea. Priya sat patiently on the couch and waited
to hear the rest of the story.

Our relationship went on full swing. Meanwhile, I got my first chance to direct a
movie. The producer had already roped in a top actress for the lead role and he
was rigid on keeping her. And Neha thought it was actually me who didnt want her
in the movie. She thought I didnt want her to be successful. And she stopped
taking my phone calls. She stopped meeting me. Initially I felt bad and angry. But
gradually I recovered from that breakup as I wasnt too serious about her. But
Neha couldnt distance herself from me for long. She suddenly stormed into my life
with more fierce possessiveness. She loved me more than anything in her life. And
I wasnt able to handle her mad obsession. My film released. It became successful.
And I still remember the day I met you. I thank my parents for choosing you for
me. Had I chosen someone I would have made the wrong decision.

If you had the opportunity of choosing someone could you possibly have chosen
Neha by any chance? asked Priya with great inquisitiveness.

No Not really She wasnt my type you were winked Vikram. Priya smirked
mysteriously. Then what happened?

After our marriage was fixed, I decided to meet her for the last time to tell the
truth. We met at our house. That night, we didnt get intimate. I told her that I
had met you and that I did not want to see her anymore. I told her that I loved you
and that I wanted to settle down. She stared at me. We started to argue. She
accused me of using her, which I guess I did. She slapped me in the face. She told
me how much she cared about me, that she loved me. She could not believe that I
did not feel the same way for her. It was a bitter argument. She wanted to know
all about you, Priya who you were, where you lived, how we met, she demanded
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to know everything. But I didnt tell her anything. And later after crying for some
hours she left saying that I wont hear from her again but I did. You remember on
our wedding day your house had caught fire and though you escaped with minor
burns, you were having severe problem in breathing nasal congestion blockage
of lungs due to smoke of the fire You had to be admitted in the ICU. You were
critical. And I was heartbroken. I was living every moment with the fear of loosing
you. I was pacing down the corridor in grave anxiety when I got a call on my
mobile. It was she Neha. She had gathered your address from one of my friends
and planned to kill you. I came to know about it when she confessed her crime on
phone. I was fuming with fury. I went straight to confront her. How could she do
this? But as I entered her flat, I saw her lying dead on the bed. She had stabbed
herself when she had realized what she had done was wrong and that she can
never get me anymore. Seeing her dead body for the first time her innocence on
her dead face screamed at me and I felt somewhere I was also guilty guilty of
betraying her guilty of using her guilty of driving her to insanity and death.

Priya sat in silence for a moment staring at Vikram. So this is the secret Is it all
you had to reveal? Isnt any part of secret left untold?

No I mean of course I have disclosed everything about this secret I have told
you everything I remember But why are you asking me that?

No I was just Priya stopped in the middle when the waiter arrived with the
food.

Vikram and Priya had the food almost silently while occasionally looking and
smiling at each other. Vikram felt there was something that was bothering Priya.
He thought Priya must have got upset after hearing his secret. Paying the bill and
the tip they went out for a long drive in their luxurious Merz. Priya was still silent
pondering over something when Vikram asked to ease the ambience, Hey I have
told you my secret Now its your turn Come on Tell me Priya looked at
Vikram

Vikram you havent finished telling me your secret you havent told me the
truth yet.

What! What are you saying Priya?

Tell me the truth Vikram the truth you will loose the game if you dont reveal
your secret completely And I dont want you to loose Come on Vikram, tell me
the truth

What truth? I have told you everything Priya
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Oh shut up Vikram Just Shut Up!!! Accept it Accept that you are lying The
story doesnt end where your secret ends Vikram Neha didnt commit suicide you
had killed her!!!

Vikram stopped the car with a screeching halt and stared at Priya in sheer shock
and astonishment. How did she know all this? He said to himself. Even I havent
told myself in all these years Vikram looked at Priya in question.

Vikram you remember when you entered Nehas flat she was still alive she had
stabbed herself but she was alive she was breathing She wanted to talk to you.
She wanted to say sorry. She pleaded you to save her. She wanted to live but
didnt give her a chance. You wanted revenge and so you did the same what she
did with Priya Do you remember Vikram? You remember how you burnt her
alive!!!

Vikram stared at Priya in shock and horror. The flashes of Nehas death jazzed
before his eyes. He saw the helpless burning Neha He remembered how he used
the LPG cylinder to pour the liquid petrol on her and he remembered everything.
He actually didnt forget anything. He was lying to Priya to make out a story that
he could start believing in to cover his guilt his conscience He looked at Priya
as if asking how come she knows all these things.

Priya continued revealing her secret a secret that was far more shocking than
Vikrams

Even after you set her on fire, Neha didnt die Vikram She lived for some more
moments to penance for her sin the sin of killing Priya Yes Vikram Priya died in
the hospital because of her inability to breathe caused by nasal congestion. And
after you left Neha burning, her loud screams attracted the ears of her neighbor
who then called an ambulance. Call it destiny, God-willing or call it a mere co-
incidence Neha was brought to the same hospital in which Priya had taken her
last breath. When Neha was brought in, she was declared dead by the doctors.
With 96% burns, no one can survive. Neha was dead. And her soul was restless she
wanted to survive to breathe to live But her body had given up. This was a
strange situation. But when it comes to the will of a soul, which is divine, every
logic, every law of nature fails. Nehas soul found Priyas body and Neha lived as
Priya to tell the tale Yes Vikram I am Neha!!! You must have wondered how a
shy soft-spoken girl suddenly turned bold and vivacious. But you never
understood Vikram I dont blame anything for what you had done because at the
end of everything we both have got what we desired for You got Priya And I got
you Neha smirked mysteriously and winked at Vikram.

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Vikram sat in his car stunned and astounded. He couldnt believe he had been
living all these years with a dead. But such is life there happens to be a secret
behind every secret untold unleashed unexplored It gives a second chance to
all who believe life is worth living the dream again. Neha believed in it and she
lived on to live her dream again

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