The Punishment - II

-Continued from the previous post, which is here-



Moorthy
5-6-2007


He was a bright student in school days. But suddenly his marks slipped to low, when he was studying eleventh. He had got the highest marks in his school in tenth. His mother started crying when she saw a cigarette stub in his pocket once. His elder brother Karthik, was in college. He used to come home only two months once. And once his mother was called from Arun's school, and informed that he had not been present for more than a month. She started crying in the school itself, and came home without uttering a word to them. When he came home, she beat him up. In the following days, we came to know some shocking things about him. To make a long story short, I will list the things he had done.

His Teacher said, he was fully drunk all the time, even in the class. Most of the time he was seen sitting at the far end of the school ground, fully drunk. When she saw this for the first time, she beat him up, kept his school bag with her, and asked to bring his parents to get his school bag back.

He had become a chain smoker.

He had given a love letter to his science teacher's daughter. (I do not know further details about this to explain you.)

He had stolen most of the jewels from home, for drinking and for watching movies.

This behavioral change started when he went to kerala, with his neighbors once (their neighbors were actually from kerala), for a week, during a summer.

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Karhtik came home, once he heard about all these things, he started crying with his mother, didnt know what else to do. Then they stopped sending him to school. At that time, I was working in kodaikanal for a project. I suggested them to admit him in a new school in kodaikanal. A change of environment would work for him I thought. And I would also take care of him, during the weekends, since I was staying there alone. So he joined there. Though he got a hostel room, he used to stay in my room most of the times.

On a sunday, I had gone to chennai to meet my boss, so Arun was alone in my room. Karthik planned give a surprise visit to my room, it seems. Me and karthik were thick friends, so he used to visit me often, even though he doesnt go home often. At the same time, he also wanted to make sure that Arun is doing well. When he entered the room, he was shocked to see arun boozing there.

He got angry and started shouting at him and threatened him that he was going to tell their mother what he saw there. Arun hit him with the bottle he had in his hand. He fell unconscious and died.

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I reached home at eight o clock that night, and was taken aback to see his body lying there. I did not know what to do. I was shivering, and I could not even take out my phone from my pant pocket. I called my aunt and told her that her son's body was lying in my room. I could hear her howling from that end. And I went searching for Arun and found him crying at a road side. He was sitting there alone with his arms around his legs. I could guess what would have happened. I asked him not to tell this to anyone. We went home, waited for my aunt to come. Once she came, I took the body with my father's help (My aunt and my father had come in a car, so our job was made easy), and threw it on the railway track.

The next day police found out the body as expected. The body was brought to our native. The fact that my aunt was too hysterical to speak to the police, helped us. After initial investigations, the police lady told me that the injury does not seem to be got from a train accident. She said it was definitely a murder.

Covering a murder here in india is very cheap I learned from this experience. We spent 70 thousand rupees for the police to register it as an accident.

After that, Arun's mother went back, saying that she considers both of her sons were dead. I took care of his studies after that. He did his studies about average. He became so silent after that incident, and talked only to me and not even with his classmates. He also finished his college there in Kodaikanal. After that, he joined my room, in chennai. Now he is in the hospital. I initially thought it was a delirium caused by the shock of whatever had happened. But I never thought it would be some kind of a mental disorder. And he is much better now. I feel he has suffered a lot already for whatever he did.

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Arun
11-6-1998



That day I went outside and took out the bottle in the midst of the firewoods kept there. I usually keep my bottles there, since Moorthy does not go there often. Since he his gonna come only at 9 in the night, I can enjoy today. I switched on the TV, and was just browsing through the channels. I heard a sound and when I turned back, I saw my brother standing there.

He dropped his bag in shock. He was in tears.

"What happened to you da, Psycho?"

I had also started crying by the time. I am usually, kind of moody and very sensitive. I had been using this as a weapon, since once I start crying, they would let me off, whatever I do. I was only 15 by then, for your information.

"Not even had a sip na, this is the first time since I came to kodaikanal". I lied.

Saw the news paper lying on the floor unread.

"We welcome Honorable Kalpanath Rai, Union Petroleum minister!"

"Enough of your acting!"

"I am gonna go and tell mother about this. You dont need schooling. Its waste of money."

Need to tear yesterday's date in the calender.

"There is nothing called present, there is only recent past and immediate future."

"How much we have suffered because of you, scum! You are not gonna change.
Enjoy your present, but be prepared for its consequences! And you are going to see the consequences of your present for yourself"

He turned back and started leaving. I dont know what was I thinking, I hit him with the bottle on his head. He fell down. There was blood everywhere. He was shaking awkwardly as if he had a stroke. His eyes were fixed at me. Still he was crying, it seemed. Slowly he stopped shaking.

"I killed him!"
"I killed my own brother!"


-End-