You need not be there by Ramesh Baliga

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The rigor mortis had set-in; the delicate feature now, ashen, contorted and the large eyes wide open in fear. The mouth partly open in silent scream and, the chin-jaw region swollen with gnash and bled wound.
The concussion and injury on the forehead was deep enough to cause profuse bleeding. The deep bruise furrowed into the face and, then the cheek, right down to ripped out blouse exposing the ample bosom, had bled, and clotted.










Aruna Rammohan Malhotra
Aru- her pet name- was returning after completion of studies, specializing in computer software design from a well-known American university and a three-year work stint. She frequented USA a luxury she could well afford- her father had bequeathed considerable wealth when added to her own savings from work stint at US worked to a tidy sum- to complete her thesis: Integration of audio, video, and the olfactory. The place was tastefully redone without being ornate. The interior designers and specialized electronics vendors-obviously they had been paid well for the their professional services- were more than forthcoming.
All the wiring and cables routes within the premises were stripped, cast away, and replaced with copper shielded cables. The walls were torn down, rationalized giving spacious, open ambience and the furniture heights were down sized. The apartment as a whole was made soundproof with additional redundancy, to ward off traffic the noise, the magnetic interferences and harmonics generated by the high-density traffic.
With meticulous attention to privacy, the rooms were designed to be within the radius of 25-feet from her large bedroom, which housed a high-end server networked to PC in each of the five rooms. All the hardware, be it TV, VCR, refrigerator, air conditioners, micro-oven, apartment entrance door, window panes and even her garage- had curious tiny black-box-like gadget installed- under her personal supervision. The entrance door to the apartment could be opened by swiping access card and from within the premise by the voice command. Only Aru had the access card, the second card was physically destroyed- which was issued to her father- after his demise. After considerable thought and to meet any emergency, a sealed envelope was deposited with the housing society office, giving the telephone number and address of the bank locker- with 24/7 access.




Anagha and Siddhant
Anagha graduating from the Institute of Experimental Olfactory Sciences, Orlando, U.S.A, was absorbed by the institute in recognition of her remarkable hands-on in emerging technology: integration of Audio, Video and Olfactory through computer based application.
Your conjecture would not be far off the mark from mine with the equal chance being right or wrong: whether Dr. Richard W. Bush- his liaison with Anagha was avid corridor whisper gossip- intentions wanting her out the hair and save his marriage or it was the institutes proposed road map for presence in the growing Asian market. Be that as it may, the continuity contract fell in her lap with an added attraction to relocate to Mumbai, India.