Novels by Kokku

Shrey and Tiya are still sleeping when we leave the hotel for the mental asylum where Nivedita is admitted. We had looked up the address yesterday and everyone we asked knew where it was. Avantika and I have hardly talked since morning. We are a little unsure of what we’ll say to Nivedita. Not only that; we don’t know what to expect.According to his notes, Nivedita doesn’t talk or understand anybody other than her brother. She talks through her smiles, which only Ritam understood. We won’t be able to tell her anything. And even if we do, what will we even say to her? I sweat thinking what I would’ve done had Avantika not been with me.‘This is going to be strange,’ I tell Avantika.‘I know.’We enter the building. It’s an old one, probably standing since the early1890s. We ask the receptionist if we could meet Nivedita. She asks if we are from her family. We nod. She brings out a register, goes to

I find us packing our stuff as soon as we get to the hotel. The adrenaline is getting to us. We are finally getting somewhere. Though the thought of Ritam’s crippled sister saddens us. But at least we have a name. Ritam Dey. That’s a start. I am sure we will be at Ragini’s doorstep soon.‘Are we leaving already?’ I ask. ‘It’s a nice city. Can we rest a while? Have a few walks along the city lanes? Nice dinner?’‘Deb,’ Avantika says and throws my bag to me.‘What?’‘Nivedita. It must have been weeks since her brother hasn’t met her.What if Ritam’s parents didn’t let Nivedita know? What if they never tell her that Ritam is never coming back?’ she says with concern.‘I was just kidding. I wanted to see how kicked you were.’From what I inferred from the diary Ritam’s parents had never bothered to contact Nivedita after they sent her

It’s becoming embarrassing now. I can’t take my eyes off my own girlfriend, the girl I’ve been dating for five years. My jaw had dropped the moment I’d seen her walk out of the hotel door and I have not returned to normal yet. I thank Shrey for it. Avantika and I have been driving for the past six hours and it is the best drive ever. She has mastered the art of seduction. Though, I should add here that my threshold is shamefully low. At times I have gotten seduced seeing her brush her teeth.But today is off-the-charts awesome. Avantika has been slipping her hands in ... everywhere! I liked her anyway but I like the new her more. But it’s bothering me. She does not have to pretend in front of me. That’s not what people in love do, right?‘You really don’t have to do this. I think you’re still fun and awesome.’ ‘Why do you think I’m doing this for you?’ she says and looks at me.‘I don&

A warm breath grazes my neck, and I hear a soft whisper in my ear: ‘Get up.’ Avantika looks at me and smiles, her hair falls over my face and she smells of expensive moisturizers and shampoo.Shrey and Tiya haven’t woken up yet. I get up and follow Avantika to the balcony, where she has already ordered tea for us. The tea tastes horrible but the early morning breeze is amazing. We look inside and Shrey has already moved to the bed. He hugs Tiya, who purrs in her sleep, and kisses her on her neck. Avantika looks at them and smiles. I wrap myself around Avantika and hold her close.‘That girl is crazy,’ she says.‘I know. I don’t know what Shrey is doing with her.’‘Naah, she is a nice girl. She apologized yesterday’ she says.‘She did?’Avantika nods.‘Deb ... why Haridwar?’‘Umm, just like that,’ I say.‘You can hide it from them, b

Our argument regarding Tiya reaches a crescendo and we are almost at each other’s throats. We’re shouting outside our hotel and a lot of people are staring at us.‘Are you crazy?’ I say out aloud. Shrey makes a face and pulls me away from his car. ‘She is not coming with us, Shrey. This isn’t happening.’‘But why not?’‘She is a girl. She can’t go on a road trip. It’s not safe. Plus, we stay at really dirty places.’‘She would be more comfortable in a filthy room than you. Stop being so sexist. And I really want her to tag along. She’s special,’ Shrey counters.‘She is seventeen.’‘Eighteen. And how does that matter? I really like her. This could be something new and meaningful.’‘You always say that, Shrey. Three weeks later, it’s all history. All that will remain will be a few naked pictures of her. I am not ru

It’s been four hours since I’ve been in office and I still don’t know how to approach it. Ever since Shrey and I had started working together, he has been pestering me to take a vacation. But I’ve always turned it down as we both can’t take leave from the office at the same time.But when Avantika left this morning, I felt like going on a vacation myself. Not really a vacation, more like an investigative journalism mission sort of thing. It sounds super cool in my head, like what those men in Hollywood movies do. I just have to find out more about this guy.All I know is the nickname of his best friend and where he did his schooling from. I have to know more. I rub my hands together in excitement and mentally start packing my bags for a road trip. I have been waiting for the right moment. I don’t want to sound like I have an agenda in mind. I don’t want to sound stupid going on a road trip to trace a dead guy’s girlfrie

Pranav lay on his bed, head on a pillow and a cigarette burning in his right hand. Children’s voices drifted through the open window. The curtains were drawn, and the room was semi-dark. Pranav’s motionless eyes were fixed on the ceiling. He was feeling something – what it was, he wasn’t sure. There was no simple way to describe it. Losing something you felt was yours and then getting it back. But, more importantly, he simply couldn’t fathom why he was forced to give up something which was truly his?You will make a very good director, son. Pranav could hear his father’s empty promise hanging in the silence around him.He felt a hot sting between his index and middle finger.He jerked himself up, threw the cigarette on the floor and watched it burn.The feeling of indignation fanned across his chest like a forest fire. He had done everything he possibly could to gratify his idealistic father. He worked with the labourers at the kiln, repaired cracks, carried buckets of h

The air was uncharacteristically crisp for January.The gruesome image of his sister’s dead body replayed involuntarily in Rishabh’s mind as he walked over a bed of manicured grass, crossed the cobblestone path and sat on the wooden bench under the Peepal tree. Arya sat by his side.The blue envelope is gone.The sun was straight above them, the cool wind skimmed through Arya’s long hair as he watched Rishabh’s movements attentively. Rishabh’s eyes were fixed on the glistening snow that capped the mountains in front of them, but Arya knew that behind those dark grey eyes, the brain was processing a lot of information.‘What’s in your mind Rishabh?’ Arya looked uncertain.Rishabh exhaled but did not offer an answer.‘What is it? Are you not going to tell me?’ The uncertainty on Arya’sface rapidly turned into annoyance. ‘Are you w-worried that since I am not studying Engineering like you, I w-wouldn’t be able to process the stuff going on in that big brain of you

Meera’s left hand was trembling badly.She had a fleeting vision from the time when Mr Vishal Arora and his first wife had brought Esha into the family. Meera was standing at the door, her eyes fixed on the smiling baby, whose tiny fingers were extended towards her. The image was involuntarily replaced by Esha’s lusterless body gazing aimlessly into the emptiness of the room.She dried her eyes with the edge of her turmeric stained blue sari.‘You want to know what I was doing?’ asked Meera slowly. ‘I was in the kitchen with Jyoti. I was making tea and she was distributing it to the guests. She was supposed to make some snacks too. But she got engaged in a conversation with Mr Dhruv and I was getting late ... You might ask what I was getting late for ... TV serial, mother, son and daughter-in-law – big drama – I watch it every day at 5 pm. When Jyoti was back ... I dashed into the living room. The glass entrance door was open ... So, I closed it.’ She paused. ‘You might ask

The door opened and Naina walked in. She was lean and graceful, her long black hair, tipped with golden streaks, floated in waves till her midriff. Her sharp nose and mascara-coated lashes accentuated her allure and her tight blue top accentuated her firm body.‘Hello ...’ She almost whispered. Her voice soft yet clear like a small silver bell. The inspector almost rose to offer her the chair.‘Thank you, Miss Naina for coming in,’ the inspector smiled, something Rishabh and Arya saw for the very first time.‘It is not a problem at all. This setup Mr Inspector,’ she smiled, ‘looks exactly like an employment interview. Three people staring at a nervous candidate while she rummages her brain for a pre-rehearsed answer. It is actually quite intimidating.’ She smiled like an air hostess welcoming the passengers on board.‘Are you feeling intimidated, Miss Naina?’ the inspector shot his first question.‘No,’ she smirked. ‘Why should I be? Interviews are dicey affairs. Most

The inspector played the different techniques he could employ to handle Jyoti in his mind. He had two lines of attack; one was through the expensive piece of shopping she had done at Solan, and the other about the last evening when she went snooping near Esha’s room. But, he was not going to confront her directly. The idea was to scare the truth out of the young housemaid. He did this twice every day in the police station. Fear was his ally.With a little help from Rishabh, the inspector had converted his room into an interrogation room. Four chairs with a small coffee table at the centre was placed right in front of the window. The room was blazing with winter sunlight and tiny worm-like particles could be seen against the rays, floating in midair. The variety of glass items sparkled from all the corners like secondary sources of light.I must squeeze a confession out of her, the inspector thought, biting his lip.Arya walked in through the open door and occupied the chair

The inspector stopped short in front of the glass door at the Arora Mansion.Thoughts were swirling around inside his head ... the sub- inspector’s observations about Anubhav ... his wife’s sizzling tale about Jyoti ... His own views based on the timings and alibis. Nothing was convincing enough. A sense of urgency was rising within him. On the other side of the glass door, Rishabh and Arya got up from their seats, their tired eyes distant but their minds keen and ready to assist the inspector. In the next moment, the inspector rapped his knuckles on his forehead, pushed the door sideways, walked in and took a left. The decision was made. Forget everything and follow your instincts. And, the very first thing his instinct told him was – Pranav, stepbrother. Possible motive – Control of the company.He knocked on his door.‘Come in,’ Pranav bellowed from inside.The inspector hurried towards Pranav with his arm extended. Pranavturned around on his rotating chair in fro