Eight and a half years ago
Place: Convocation Hall , Malgudi University
Date : December 15 , 2001
Time 1700
"Finally we are graduates. " Rhea said beaming at him and removing her ceremonial hat. "And you know what dad didn't even flinch when I told him about you."
"What?... " he only got a chance to start the sentence but she didn't let him.
"He said that he will pick us up after the convocation and there he is. DADDY!!!" She cried.
Before Achyut could understand another word or even gather his senses about what was going on Prof. Raman Singh, popularly known as "Ravan singh" among the mathematics students was standing in front of him holding out a hand.
"Sir, Achyut. " He had said meekly grabbing the hand and shaking it. Prof Singh did have a tight grip he observed.
Singh smiled , " I have loads to talk to you dear and no time can be better than this for it but this I fear is not the place. So would you and your parents like coming over for dinner tomorrow. No wait this is not the right way to invite people" he laughed " I will call them in the evening to invite them. And don't worry if they don't know about Rhea. My colleagues say am good on convincing people." He laughed again. He was right about that thing he did actually have a convincing aura about him. Achyut could have never imagined that meeting his girlfriend's father could be such an easy affair. Especially a father who was dreaded as a teacher. This was one of the first lessons that Achyut had learnt about not mixing up the personal and professional profiles of people.
Moreover professor singh was right about his convincing powers as when Achyut reached home that father had simply asked him not to wear "that horrible college sweat shirt. " and gave him an understanding smile which he could swear he had never seen upon his father's face.
Sleeping was an unusually hard affair that day as you need one of the pre-requisites of sleep is that your mind must be free of all exciting thoughts and his Rhea's father actually convincing his parents about her was a thought that under no circumstances could be termed as non-exciting. He could not remember the time when he actually dozed off thinking about the near future.
***
Avtar Singh had always felt a certain amount of pride on the fact that he had not missed a single prabhat pheri in the past 40 years. Yet at 55 he was no way among the eldest members of the group. Twice every year for 15 days apiece they roamed the streets of malgudi singing the praise of lord and the guru. "what a great way to start a day!" he had always thought.
Every year for fifteen days that followed Diwali and preceed the birth anniversary of guru Nanak Dev and for fifteen days that preceeded the birth anniversary of Guru Gobind singh had he and his fellows had started at 4 in the morning, sang around in joy and returned with dawn-break.
That day as so many others they were going around singing their path illuminated by street lights and the candles that few of them carried. Avtar noticed something strange in the park right opposite to the faculty hosing of MU.
"someone is lying there" He said and immediately a few of his fellows rushed to the spot. It was a girl around twenty. She was unconscious.
"Who is she?" someone asked
"I know her." said a voice from among the group.
***
He did not remember being woken up by his father or by anyone. All he could remember that when he had come his senses he was sitting beside his father in the on the way to Rhea's house and as he could remeber from what he had heard something was terribly wrong with Rhea. He turned his wrist only to find out that he was not wearing a watch. He did not ask anything trying to recollect what had happened and he remembered that some 10 minutes ago Rhea's father had called and said that she had been attacked. His father had then woken him up and given him the details. But what could have happened. He practically ran out of the car into the open door of her house. There was a man sitting on the sofa with her father. A rather peculiar man with a rather long pitch black beard matching beetle like eyes. As soon as Achyut entered the room he looked up and said, "Achyut, what a surprise! We would have needed you in any case there is a vampire at large."
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