Akash places Prithvi's breakfast in front of him. Even though Akash insisted on Prithvi having breakfast at the dining table, Prithvi took a seat at the bench in the kitchen, making his intention clear. The clanking of the plate against the table brings Prithvi out of his reverie. He keeps his mouth shut until Akash brings his own breakfast and sits across.

"Why didn't you throw it out?" Prithvi asks.

Akash sighs. "Why do you care? Not like it's getting in your way, or anyone else's."

"If someone finds out?"

"Did anyone find out yet?"

"That's not the point."

"I have kept my mouth shut for all these years. Unless you want to open it now and make me a spectacle, leave things as they are." The bitterness in Akash's voice does not go unnoticed.

Prithvi cannot think of any further arguments. He decides to resume eating.

After a while, Akash clears his throat. "I am going to the market. It might take me an hour. Or even two. You can stay here if you want. You can accompany me as well. It's up to you."

Prithvi smirks. There's hope- even if in fear.

***

That Akash has a jeep at this lodge comes as a surprise to Prithvi. The ride downhill is as bumpy as it was uphill, or perhaps even worse. Prithvi, in the passenger seat, observes Akash who has his eyes glued to the road. Prithvi turns his eyes to the road too, as the jeep slowly descends.

"How long has it been since you came here?" Prithvi asks.

"Eleven years."

Prithvi is shocked. "You directly came here?"

Akash nods. "I wanted to die. I was scared of jumping off the mountain. So I took this route. There seemed to be nobody around, so I thought I would die of exhaustion while climbing. But that couldn't happen either. I ended up meeting the owner of this lodge en route and he spoke in a way that left me with no choice but to drop the idea of death."

Prithvi takes his time to absorb everything. "You wanted to die? Why?"

Akash smiles sadly. "I didn't have a reason to live. I don't have one right now either. But I need to look after the lodge."

Prithvi no longer has it in him to look at Akash. He looks away, out of the window. "Where's the owner of the lodge?"

"He passed away." Akash takes a moment to look up before fixing his gaze on the road again.

"The lodge must be in his name."

Akash shakes his head. "No. It is in my name." 

Prithvi turns to him, shocked. "Akash, that's not possible. This is Kashmir."

Akash chuckles. "Everything's possible with enough contacts."

"Those contacts wouldn't be yours for sure. Ever since I have come here, I keep hearing the weirdest things." Prithvi looks out of the window again, unwilling to drag this conversation any further.

***

With the groceries already loaded and Prithvi having stepped away to make a call, Akash leans against the door of the driver's seat. He crosses his arms and looks at the people and vehicles passing by. He likes such trips to the market since they bring him to the outside world long enough to not forget it, but also short enough for him to not get embroiled with anyone.

A bus passes by and Akash sees a boy in his early twenties by the window. He remembers himself from eleven years ago. The Akash who had ended up here was a scared kid, unsure about his future, but possessing the knowledge of all his dreams having to be buried. Forever. He had no hope within and none outside. He felt alone, and this grief was killing him. He was hollow, nothing but a shell.

***

11 years ago

Akash was standing in the living room, with the suitcase next to him. He scanned the living room, boding it a farewell. His eyes stopped at the TV cabinet. He went to it and opened it. Well-concealed by other objects and pushed to the very back was a family photo taken some five years ago. Prithvi, Akash, Amit and Prerna- their mother. He wiped the dust that had gathered on it.

Prithvi emerged out of Amit's room with Akash's backpack. Prithvi thrust the open backpack into Akash's hands, and the latter peeked inside. It was filled with jewelry and some bundles of notes. Akash gasped and handed the backpack to Prithvi.

"What are you even planning to do?" Akash screamed.

Prithvi zipped the bag and gave it to Akash again. "I have thought about it."

"What have you thought about? This is no thought. Tell me what it is that you are planning. I need to know."

"I'll explain everything when the time comes."

"No. Just let me talk to Papa. I think things are going wrong. We need to speak to him."

Prithvi barked. "What is Papa going to do? He'll send you to jail. Let me handle-"

"How the hell are you going to handle things?" Akash yelled. "How?"

Prithvi grabbed Akash by his shoulders. "Now is not the right time to discuss this. Leave."

Prithvi looked at the photo in Akash's hand. With a heavy heart, he put the photo in the backpack and made Akash wear it. He struggled pushing Akash out of the house with the suitcase, but somehow managed it. He shut the door once Akash was out.

***

Prithvi emerges out of his room with a book in his hand. He finds the fireplace already lit. He can hear some radio from the floor upstairs, with some noises which indicate that Akash is cleaning. He places the book on the arm of the sofa. He neither bothers reading it, nor going upstairs. He finds it to be the correct time to sneak into Akash's room. He peeks upstairs, but Akash seems to be at a distance from the stairs. He approaches Akash's room, stands outside the shut door, but opens it eventually. He enters the room and shuts the door behind him noiselessly.

He moves his hands over the wall adjacent to the door for the switches. He finds the switchboard and tries the switches. One of them brings the light above Akash's bed to life, bathing the entire room in a yellow. He walks inside, taking in his surroundings. He spots a photo frame on the bedside table. It is the family photo. He picks it up and admires it, moving his fingers over his parents' face. He sniffs and hugs it.

***

11 years ago

Prithvi came back to the living room after sending Akash out. He placed his hands on his hips and scanned the room in its original condition one last time. He spotted the cricket bat lying under the staircase. He picked it up, marched to the TV cabinet, and rammed it in there. The glass shattered, with the shards flying all around.

Prithvi then entered Amit's bedroom. The cupboard was open and so was the safe in it. The key was still in the keyhole of the safe. Prithvi took out a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the handles of the cupboard and safe, and the keys. He scattered some clothes around and then rammed the bat into the metal cupboard. The contact made a cankerous sound, and dents formed on the metal.

Prithvi then headed upstairs. He entered Akash's room, wiping the knobs of all doors, and every other thing Akash could have touched. He came out of Akash's room and saw the room at the other end of the landing. He wiped the knob of that door too. He stood there for a while, confirming with himself if he had done everything as it should have been done. A hint of regret showed on his face, but he shook it away and descended the stairs.

Once downstairs, he headed to the telephone. He picked it up and dialed Amit's office. The phone was answered soon enough.

"What's the matter?" Amit barked from the other end.

"Papa, I just reached home. Everything's scattered in all rooms. I saw nobody around, so I checked. It appears to be a robbery." Prithvi maintained a state of calm.

"What are you even saying?" Worry laced Amit's voice. "Where's Akash? Is he okay? And those two?"

"Akash? Was he supposed to be here? I talked to him yesterday. He didn't mention coming home."

"Huh?" Amit lowered his voice. "He was supposed to arrive this morning by train."

Prithvi bit his lower lip. "When did you last speak to him?"

"A week ago."

Prithvi heaved a sigh of relief. After a short pause, he spoke, "What should I do now?"

Amit scoffed. "You are a policeman, Prithvi. You shouldn't be asking this question. Call the police. We'll have to file a complaint at the local police station. Did you call them?"

"Not yet. I thought of calling you first."

"Call the police. I'll be there in a while too. Is that clear? Prithvi?"

"Yes-yes. I'll call them." Prithvi placed the receiver back in its place. He muttered to himself, "I don't know how and if I would be handling this. But something must be done. Something must be done." He picked up the receiver again to call the police.

***

Prithvi is sitting on the bed with his back to the door. He is oblivious to the door being open, the room being flooded with light, and Akash entering. Only when Akash stands behind him and his towering figure casts a shadow on the photo and the floor, does Prithvi realize Akash's presence. He looks up, shocked.

"I just..." Prithvi stammers.

Akash snatches the photo frame from Prithvi, making him stand up. Akash shifts his gaze between the photo and Prithvi. After a long pause, in a detached one, Akash asks, "Did you tell Papa?"

Prithvi shakes his head and sits on the bed again. Akash sits next to him and moves his thumb over Amit's face.

Prithvi sighs. "He understood everything. I didn't have to say a word."

Akash forces a rare smile at the photo. "How's Papa?" He turns to Prithvi. "He must be an old man now, right?"

Prithvi stares at Akash in disbelief. He purses his lips for a while before speaking. "He passed away four years ago."

Akash gulps, making every attempt to hold back his tears. "Oh."

Oh. That's all Prithvi gets. Even the news of his father's death cannot shake Akash, or elicit a response of grief. Akash's emotional distance and detachment concern him greatly. The Akash in front of him appears a doppelganger. Unrecognizable.

Prithvi still views it as divine justice of some sort. Amit had spent his last years as a lonely man. His younger son, he had sent away. His older son had refused to talk to him upon the discovery.

***

11 years ago

Two police cars and two ambulances stood outside Amit's house. There was not a single passerby owing to the fact that there were just two houses on that street- one that belonged to Amit, and another one, a short distance away.

Three policemen were standing outside. One was leaning against a car. The police radio had some instructions being delivered. Medics and forensic photographers rushed in and out.

A car came to a screeching halt outside the house. Amit stepped out of it and rushed towards the house, catching the eye of the policemen standing outside. A policeman grabbed Amit by the arm. Amit saw the crime scene tapes around the house.

"You can't go inside." the policeman said.

"What do you mean by that?" Amit asked. "It's my house. Let me in."

"Oh." The policeman let go of his arm.

"Why are there crime scene tapes for a robbery?" When Amit looked at the policemen, they lowered their gazes. "It's just a robbery, right?"

The policeman lifted the tape. "You can you inside."

*

Prithvi, still in his police uniform, was in the living room with a policeman, being questioned. They were sitting on a sofa, and Prithvi has a glass of water in his hand. Prithvi was visibly shaken, but was managing to answer. "When I got home, everything was in a state of disarray. Broken. I went upstairs to check since nobody was answering when I called them. And then I saw..."

The policeman chuckled. "A robbery at a policeman's house." He received a glare from Prithvi which made him realize his mistake. "I'm sorry." The police officer looked around. He stood up and went behind the sofa to look at the photo. "This looks like a family photo. You aren't in there?"

Prithvi exhaled. "Papa remarried. This is him with his second wife and son. You wouldn't find us here."

The policeman raised his eyebrow. "Us? You and who?"

"My brother and me. Akash. He is in IIM Ahmedabad."

"Oh."

Amit barged into the living room. "Prithvi! What's this?"

Prithvi kept the glass on the table and stood up. He went to Amit. "Papa..."

The policeman who was questioning Prithvi interrupted. "Are you Mr. Amit Kant?"

Amit nodded. He turned to Prithvi. "The two of them...?"

The policeman looked at Amit and then at the photo. He sighed. He was disappointed in Amit, but said nothing.

Amit kept looking at Prithvi for an answer, but Prithvi stared at his feet, unable to form words. Amit heard footsteps coming down the stairs. A photographer came down first, followed by four men carrying two stretchers between them. Amit went pale. He staggered backwards, but eventually his legs gave away, and he collapsed.

Prithvi could not prevent Amit from falling on the floor in a heap- a destructed heap at that. He helped Amit back to his feet and took him to the sofa. He offered Amit some water, but Amit refused.

Amit's eyes remained fixed on the two bodies being taken away. White cloths covered the bodies, but the stains of blood could not remain concealed. "What's happening here?" Amit asked in a weak voice.

The policeman cleared his throat. "We'll find it out. You don't need to worry about it."

Amit nodded. He began massaging his temples and scanned the room, not being able to move much. His eyes came to the TV cabinet and stopped there. He gulped and stared at the shattered glass for a while. He pursed his lips and his face lost some more color.

Prithvi made a quick observation of Amit's eyes on the cabinet.

***

Prithvi looks at Akash who still has the photo frame in his hand. A realization hits him like a boulder. It was this all along. It was this. Amit had noticed the absence of the frame from the cabinet. It was the frame that had made Amit realize that things were not as they were being made out to be. A pang of guilt hits Prithvi, but it passes quickly. He gets up from the bed, pats Akash on the shoulder, and leaves the room, shutting the door behind.

Prithvi comes out and sits on the dining table. He puts his head in his hands and rubs his face. His eyes begin getting moist, and he does his best to avoid tears.

***

11 years ago

The lights were dimmed. Prithvi and Amit were sitting at the opposite ends of the dining table. There was no food on the table; just a jug with some glasses on a tray. Prithvi stood up, poured some water in a glass and handed it to Amit.

Amit took it, but didn't drink it. He just held it, swirled the water in it, and waited for Prithvi to go back to his seat. He was contemplating on something, but did not know how to verbalize it. He finally kept the glass aside and spoke. "Where is Akash?"

Prithvi bit his lip. "In Ahmedabad."

Amit shook his head. "He isn't there and both of us know it. Even the police must have found out by now. It's been two days."

"He's right there in-"

Amit cut him off in a roaring voice. "Don't hide things from me."

Prithvi looked at his hands and said nothing.

"Are you going to lie to me?" Amit asked.

"I won't say anything Papa. Neither the truth, nor the lie."

"Prithvi," Amit said, "Do you even realize that the path you are walking on is very dangerous and wrong? It is immoral. I did not make you a policeman for you to put his life at stake."

"I am putting his life at stake? What should I have done? Didn't you put our lives at stake when you brought them in?" Prithvi realized he had spoken too much. He stood up and paced around, his hands on his hips. "He is my brother and I will watch out for him. This is exactly what Ma would have done. She wouldn't have thought twice before doing something like this. I'll take care of it."

"Akash is my son." Amit said. His thoughts were undecipherable.

Prithvi scoffed. "Glad you remember us."

"Prithvi!" Amit's voice went stern. "How will you take care of it?"

Prithvi shrugged. "I don't know. But I will manage it."

Amit raised his arms. He admitted his defeat.