December 2017, Newtown, Kolkata
I went back to Kolkata and entered the workplace. I spent 4 days in Gulmarg. The experience was fantastic. We discussed our marriage and living after marriage in great detail. He pledged to talk to my parents about our marriage when he returns to Kolkata in a month. I was overjoyed. I began to notice his absence when I got back to Kolkata. He will be yours in just a few days, I pleaded with my emotions. I learned in the office that Sid had fled the building and was now in America. Thank God.
Jasmine’s name was placed on my phone’s interface. When I answered the phone, she said, ‘Hello Pranali, how are you?’
‘How are you?’
‘I’m fine, you?’
‘Me too, free?’
‘Yes, yes,’
She asked, ‘How was your meeting with your boyfriend?’
With a sigh, I remarked, ‘So gratifying.’
‘Ah, I see,’ she remarked. ‘Can I ask you a question?,’ she said.
‘Yes.’ She asked me how it felt to be a soldier’s partner.
‘So, being a para commando’s partner can be rewarding and difficult at the same time. The quantity of time you will spend apart is one of the most difficult aspects of dating a para commando.
Long deployments are common for para commandos, and being so far apart makes it challenging to keep healthy relationships.
‘However, it is possible to make the most of the time you do have together and to stay connected even when you are apart.
Another challenge of being in a relationship with a para commando is the danger they face on a daily basis. This can be a difficult reality to come to terms with, and it is important to be honest with each other about your fears and concerns.’
‘Oh I see. Did you encounter similar difficulties?’ I chuckled.
‘I can’t explain it.’
‘Oh, I see,’ said Jasmin.
‘But you know what? Being reunited with your companion can bring you greater joy than anything else,’ I said and chuckled.
…
I discovered myself in a barren, decaying environment with a lonely scenery. It seemed as though the surrounding’s very life had been sucked out of the air, which was dense with an unnerving silence. My senses were sharpened and I felt a knot of worry growing in my chest as well as a tangible sense of dread.
I caught a glimpse of a form in the distance that appeared to be all too familiar: a man covered in darkness. Although Vikrant’s features were hidden by the dream’s veil, I could still clearly feel his presence.
218 In the Arms of a Soldier My heart was thumping in my chest as I walked towards him, sending a shudder down my spine. He had a distinct difference that was really frightening. His eyes, which had formerly been warm and kind, were now intense in an alien way, without any trace of feeling or recognition.
‘Vikrant?’ I spoke a hesitant call, my voice trembled with a mix of terror and perplexity. However, nobody replied. Instead, his shape started to twist and deform, becoming a horrifying countenance. Veins throbbing beneath the surface of his ashen skin. He grinned menacingly, exposing rows of jagged, sharp teeth that appeared to be glowing with an alien light.
My senses were in danger of being overtaken by a wave of panic. I tried to get away from this horrific image by running, but my legs seemed heavy and immobile, as if they were firmly planted. Vikrant, or whichever perverted creature had taken control of his shape, drew nearer with smooth motions that were out of character.
Through the barren terrain, his voice, now twisted and resonant with a terrifying resonance, resounded. His voice was a menacing melody of the night, hissing, ‘You shouldn’t have come here. You have unleashed powers that are beyond your grasp’.
As his words resounded in my ears, fear seized my heart.
Dark, shadowy beings with eyes gleaming with a malevolence that sent chills down my spine appeared from the depths of the surrounding darkness. They encircled us while whispering strange phrases that felt like they were gnawing at my flesh. In an instant, the forms sprang forward, their hands grasping at me and their touch freezing and paralysing.
Vikrant, or the creature that had captured him, raised his hand.
Unbearable agony overwhelmed my senses, threatened to rip me apart, and was so intense that it was impossible to bear. In my need for relief from this suffering, I screamed, my cry piercing the darkness. But the horror had me in its tight grip. Being imprisoned in this atmosphere of dread and sorrow, with my spirit entangled in a maze of bizarre nightmares, seemed to last an eternity.
Just as the darkness was about to swallow me whole, I suddenly startled awake, my body drenched in sweat and my heart beating as if trying to break free of the dream’s grip.
Yes, it was a dream.
When I realised it had all been a horrible hallucination, I gasped for air and felt a wave of relief wash over me. But the dream’s traces persisted, imprinted in my mind like a terrifying spectre.
The feelings of dread, agony, and impending doom persisted in me and wouldn’t go away entirely. It took me a few seconds to calm down and tell myself that it was all simply a dream, the result of my overactive imagination.
I couldn’t get rid of the lingering disquiet that clung to my thoughts as I lay there, the room bathed in the gentle brightness of the moonlight flowing through the drapes. The nightmare’s vividness and the spooky depiction of Vikrant tormented me, leaving me with a queasy feeling that wouldn’t go away.
My shaking fingers made their way through the pitch-black nightstand to the phone on the nightstand. My heart yearned for the comfort of Vikrant’s voice and the reassuring presence that could allay the residual anxieties from the dream, so I quickly swiped his number into my phone.
His voice replied after a few rings, weary from sleep but full of worry. ‘Pranali? Is everything all right?
My voice trembled with a mixture of relief and anxiety as I described the specifics of the terrifying dream, tears welling up in my eyes. With his tenderness-infused voice, Vikrant listened carefully, giving my anxious spirit some small measure of solace.
‘Pranali, I’m here.’ He told me, ‘You’re safe,’ and the sound of his voice calmed my strained anxieties. ‘It was only a dream, the product of your fears, I assure you. I’m sorry it made you nervous.’ His statements rang with some feeling of reality, serving as a warning that dreams can be warped projections of our deepest worries. But the lingering anxiety persisted, refusing to be explained away by reason alone.
220 In the Arms of a Soldier I mumbled, ‘I know, Vikrant,’ with lingering undertones of dread in my voice. ‘But it felt so genuine, so eerie. It seemed as though I was unable to free myself from a nightmare.’ Vikrant’s comments were a consoling presence over the phone, and his voice was resonant with empathy.
‘Sometimes, Pranali, our thoughts build up the most terrifying fears. But because of your strength, we can overcome any darkness that seeks to cloak our love.’ His comforting comments served as an anchor while we spoke, bringing me back to the truth of his unfailing support. A ray of hope that could be seen through the gloom gradually replaced the terror.
After hearing Vikrant’s guarantee, the burden of the dream was removed, and a fresh resolve to meet the challenges that lay ahead took its place. The nightmare had shown a level of vulnerability I had been hiding, but it had also acted as a reminder of my inner power and toughness.
I felt tranquil as we said our goodnights to one another. Even though the nightmare’s horrors persisted, I would not be defined by them. With the love and backing of the man who held my heart, I would meet them head-on.
The frightening dream’s traces gradually vanished from my memory in the days that followed. Even when we were separated by physical distance, Vikrant and I continued to face the difficulties of our individual lives while getting strength from one another’s presence.
And as time progressed, I discovered how to let go of the anxiety that had consumed me that fateful evening. The dream reinforced the human spirit’s tenacity while simultaneously serving as a reminder of how fleeting life is.
Even our deepest anxieties may be faced, and we can come out the other side stronger. I found comfort in our embrace because I knew that we could overcome any nightmare that attempted to block our way. The eerie dream would endure in my memory for all time as a reminder of the strength of love and our unbreakable spirit.
