Meera parked the car right outside Paradise. They closed the iron grille behind them and hurried towards the entrance. Suddenly, Meera tugged at Aditya’s shirt. He followed her gaze to the window on the first floor. For a moment, he thought he had seen a ghost—a woman with long, dishevelled hair, in a white gown, was staring down at them. Her palms were pressing hard against the windowpane, as if wanting to push it out of its frame.
Aditya and Meera stood frozen in the garden, unable to take their eyes off Tanvi. And then she was gone, drawing the curtains abruptly. Aditya felt she was still standing behind them, watching. He noticed that Meera was clinging to him. He put an arm around her.
‘Are you okay?’ he asked.
‘I am fine,’ she exhaled.
Aditya rang the bell.
Rohit’s condition seemed to have worsened considerably since they had last seen him. He appeared to have aged several years over the past month; his eyes had sunk even deeper in their sockets. Music blared inside the house. Aditya recognised the song that was playing as a Scorpions classic, something he might have enjoyed listening to under different circumstances. Rohit picked up the remote and switched the television off.
‘Another episode?’ Aditya asked.
Rohit nodded weakly and poured himself a refill of black coffee from a large thermos on the living room table. ‘Help yourselves,’ he told Aditya and Meera, as they sat down on the sofa next to his.
Ignoring the courtesy, Aditya said, ‘We’ve spoken to some experts, Rohit. There may or may not be a cure for Tanvi’s condition. Why don’t you reconsider ...?’
‘Out of the question,’ Rohit interrupted, with a finality that implied he did not want to discuss the point any further.
Aditya sighed. He was about to say something when they heard a creaking sound on the wooden stairs. Meera jumped, and looked at Aditya. Slowly, as if in a trance, Tanvi came down the staircase and walked into the living room.
Meera shifted closer to Aditya. Rohit simply stared at Tanvi, mouth agape and eyes fraught with fear. Tanvi looked at each of them, one by one, without expression. Then she sat down on the third sofa.
Complete silence ensued. Nobody moved, or spoke. Tanvi stared into empty space for several minutes. Suddenly, she lunged for the thermos on the table and flung it at Rohit. He tried to duck, but it caught him on his shoulder, making him grimace in pain. Aditya sprang into action and waylaid Tanvi as she advanced towards Rohit.
‘Hold her. I will get her medicine,’ Rohit panted, as he ran up the staircase. Tanvi was screaming now, but Aditya had a firm grip on her and eventually managed to make her sit on the sofa. Meera moved closer to Aditya, trying to assist him.
Rohit came down, carrying a disposable syringe filled with a transparent drug. While Aditya held Tanvi, Rohit removed the cap off the syringe. Aditya noticed countless tiny spots on Tanvi’s right forearm before Rohit jabbed the syringe right amidst them, creating one more. Tanvi’s screams subsided, and within seconds, she had collapsed on the sofa.