SUSPENSE STORY

                                   "CONCEALED INTENTIONS"

“All the time I thought and concluded at a single point; things always happen in the most unanticipated ways. I always failed to figure out, is it me or someone else, designing my fortune. I pondered that Fate cannot be merely pronounced just a chunky chain of actions attached to sequential reactions. In fact fate is unpredictable; one cannot design it for oneself. One must have faith that one will have it.”

Rhea’s grandfather elaborated these words, in the dark nights of the winter, when misty cool wind covered everything. She wasn’t old enough to envision the sense of these words carried. Rhea was the grand step-daughter of Garb Mahmud of Rees family, which was once known to be the most powerful people of ancient Egypt. Rhea’s father paid his life in a tight combat with an enemy of the family. As a payback, Rees family adopted the young lady.

The worthy family her father served for 30 years was also pronounced as “Godly family”. They were actually the worshipers of the God Amen-Ra of Egypt, but the secret deviations and flexibility in thoughts and beliefs, performed by their indigenous elders assisted them to claim as the, “Heirs of Amen-Ra”, with the title as “the Rees”. Masses believed in the divinity of their power and sense of spiritualism. But, bad things always follow popularity; ruthless storms of time and tide started crushing them, ruthlessly. A few Rees left departed the land with the passage of time. It was a mythic belief that, a pure Rees must have at least an enemy otherwise his claim to be pure Rees was not true.

A conspiracy roamed that Mr. Jalal Mahmud was involved in the mysterious murder of an old Rees. So, his father took a decision to leave the land with heavy heart. Rhea’s family left the family of the Rees and migrated to British India on the eve of partition. His father was a strategic sort of person. A mindset thrived in his approach so he put an ace up his sleeves to strive and survive in the land of hope, Pakistan. They were allotted a large piece of land. Her family was entirely educated. Rees were considered as the most effective and hardworking people. They were adept in evolving the cultural, economic and geographical changes. They were having an ability to persuade convince and communicate people in an effective manner. Their personal lives were not like an open book. Rhea got admission in a local College. She never told anyone about her family background. She was self-confident and had nerves of steel. As a Rees, she was not supposed to have emotions like love or romance.  She passed the college life steadily.

She entered University life. She always remembered the things her grandfather advised her. “Listen! Hoffer narrated that if you desire to envision the future you must have power to shape the fortune of future. Dear! There are two sides of coin, with a different outcome; you can see only one side, when it’s tossed, see both sides of coin, by controlling it in such ways an ordinary person don’t know. But, It’s difficult to control it, I never could, only a brilliant Rees can” Grandfather Mahmud, told her once, when she ignored it as a weird thing not suitable for kids. Her only brother started co-operating with her father’s business of land deal schemes. She never seemed to be interested in what her family was dealing with. Her step mother once asked her whether she tried to remember her previous family; she just shook her head with a smile.

During the mid of the spring season, she met him, the tall, silent, calm, young man. Unwillingly, she felt an attraction in his personality. Once, she noticed that the other side was also showing an interest. On a humid day of May, she talked with the guy with shyness. He was her group mate in a discussion for a competition. They bagged the event in a majestic victorious style. The knowledge oriented skills of Amar Raees and unrivaled debate skills of Rhea propped them in gaining victory.  It was the time when they came closer to each other. They shared their areas of interest and common habits with each other. Amar Raees was the name of the grave and tall guy. She was flabbergasted to listen that he also belonged to Egypt, although she didn’t tell him about her background. He told her that he took interest in subjects related History, Myths and Strategies. In games, his craze for shooting was at peak. She expressed that she had pursuit of likeliness in watching thriller movies, playing cards and chess and all that stuff related. Strategy related ideas were the common feature of both and it made them come close to each other.

Abd Rizwan brother of her got the wind of his only sister with a stranger. He informed his father. Whole family got worried because it was the only thing they feared most. They feared it because they thought; things they concealed for a long time were in danger to be unveiled. On the other side the roots of their love were strengthening. Amar made her realize her tremendously ideal perseverance. She remembered the words of her grandfather, “Listen! Never jump into river until you know the depth and mood, if it would be deeper, you may get drowned, if it’s cold it may suffocate and seize you heartbeat to death”.

She also looked at the locket, her Grandfather Mahmud gave her. While giving the locket, he said that it contained his whole life. He advised her not to open it until time of trouble came. Rhea also tried to look into the life of Amar in order to analyze the depth of his love. He convinced her a lot. Relationships became too strong that Amar proposed her to marry him. Rhea admitted that she was in love with Amar but without permission of her family nothing was possible. Amar gave her another option by saying that they were living in modern world. She did not accept that offer. But he promised her to go with her in every thick and thin. She accepted his proposal but on the condition that he would send a regular proposal through family.

Abd Rizwan and his father Jalal started imposing conditions on Rhea as she was becoming risky for them. They came to know that Amar belonged to Egypt but could not figure out why he came to study in Pakistan in lieu prestigious institutes were there in Egypt. Rhea suffered a lot from the hardships imposed on her by her family. She thought it to be worse than slavery. She was shut in a room. On the other hand Amar tried to contact her but failed. She thought to open the locket. Locket was having a seal on it. Word “Concealment” was carved on the seal. She opened it read the note of the locket and smiled with a confidence; it seemed something flashed across her brain.

“Hmm! Try to be like a Rees” she murmured.

At night! A fierce discussion started between her father and brother. The conversation she could listen had the words, “How is it possible” said the son.

“Goddam! How they are behind us?” father uttered.

“I think only he is behind us” father proceeded.

Rhea also witnessed a file in the hands of her father. It was family tradition of Rees that the accounts, money or wealth must transformed to the eldest of the succeeding generation on the death of the predecessor. Rhea was well aware that Rizwan was rightful owner of their generation in case her father would die. She was well aware of the chess philosophy that drawn game was a dummy game, and in victory there was only king, trapping the other.

Rhea got permission to go to the university on the support of her mother. Amar was not available in University so it seemed too boring; it was too heavy to bear the boredom. Days passed like an evening gale. One day, during pouring the coffee into the cup, she came across the file on the table her father carried a few days ago.

Her father thinking, “How a stupid immature girl could think of business” often left his business related work at home. She became flabbergasted to face the information, the file carried. But, her confidence of youth, brilliant strategy oriented skills and the pieces of advices convinced her that right time to unveil the hidden intentions had come.

“Remember, Son! Our one intention suppresses the other” grandfather told her when she left her previous family. She placed the file on the table and went to market to buy such a thing, to carry what a huge resilience and determination is required. She bought a revolver. When she entered home, phone beeped. It was Amar who called her. He promised her that he would come that day to bring her with him. She accepted. Last sentence he said that time had come to pay the debt of centuries. She intrigued him to come. She said that she would end her life with all the five bullets she had in the revolver.

It was December 7, 1999. Clock struck 9 O’ clock.  Mother slept unaware of what’s going to happen. Father and son were discussing the daily business. Door knocked, son opened the door. The house sounded with the sound of fire and a hue of Rizwan. Father anxiously rushed towards the door, a bullet had peeled his skin off before he carried his revolver. A calm, tall young man kicked the dead body of the old stricken white haired, Mr. Jalal the eldest predecessor of the Rees. Anyhow some blood was present in his body, he tried to speak some words, “Hhoww, wwho aareg you?.

“I am Amar Rees not Raees son of mysteriously murdered by you”.

Before his body turned from red to blue he had told him that he hadn’t killed him but Caesar father of Rhea. “Hmm!” he with anger rushed towards the door of Rhea’s room. Before facing her he killed her mother during sleep.

When he opened the door, labeled with, “Don’t disturb”. A stealthy bullet flayed his neck and crossed it. He could say only the word, “yy yyou the chea ”, before he completed his words another bullet striped off his skin with a silent sound. She kicked his body by saying, “Yes! I have paid the debt of the centuries”, in a trembling voice, whilst tears in her eyes but a smile on her face. She placed a note on the chest of Amar,

“Rhea! My Son! My love! Rees always exploited your family. It’s their family tradition to take some person from the families of their slaves, they grow them up and then use for their purposes. You like your father are born for fulfillment of some pursuit; No one will cause any trouble for you but the Rees. Try to be like a Rees. Fulfill the debt with concealed intentions.”

A wind stroke came and this note flew in no time. Outsiders heard a huge sound of fire when they were gathered outside of the house. The door opened and Rhea along with blood dripping out of her left arm came outside of the house.

Police was called, everything related was collected. Next day, her family lawyer narrated that Ms. Rhea only tried to defend herself against such a paid criminal who had been trying to assassinate the whole family for three years. She was the only left heir of the family so the whole wealth, money, bank balance and the accounts were allotted to her. Whilst Rhea, sitting in the court, with a knot tied to her spotted arm, was endeavoring to hide her concealed intentions and thinking about the note of the grandfather since it flew away. She signed the documents of the property.

After a month she got herself recovered from hospital. She entered the lone, abandoned but grand house. She opened the drawers and checked the revolver which was having three bullets in it. She lifted her eyebrow, smiled after watching the opened empty locket hung on the hook. She murmured, “Who the hell has been designing my fate, tell me grand pa!!!” and went to asleep….

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