Rudra, who was the only son of his parents. He was not their biological son but they loved him a lot. He was with them for two years and they found him unconscious near a lake. He lost his memory so his parents accepted him and told him as their son. His family was not very rich but not poor too.

He was a very handsome boy but it's true that if you have merit in one thing then there will be demerit in other. His mental state was not right.

"Rudra! Rudra! Wake up it's already 9.00 am" Rudra's mother said.

"Hey, no, no don't" Rudra murmured in sleep. "Noooo!" He shouted.

He used to have wierd dreams, mostly he saw fire, so he was very afraid of fire. He saw a girl burning and he was crying for her in his dream.

His mother ran into his room, "what happened? Did you see the same dream again?" She asked.

"Hmm" He nodded.

"Have you taken your medicine?" She asked.

"They are just useless. Nothing happened to it. Sedatives in these medicines make me lazy. I could not even do anything, it make me weak." He said.

He stood up from the bed parted towards the bathroom.

"But, it's necessary doctor suggest to take it regularly for your recovery." She shouted.

"I will eat breakfast after bath." He said.

"You like bathing this much?." She said.

"No, I like water, it's soothing, calm and refreshing. My whole tension shed off in it." He said.

Rudra like bathing a lot, sometimes he even spend three hours in water. He came out of bathroom and hear the voice of Damini, her only friend. He went downstairs to the dining table and saw Damini chatting with his parents, "what are you all talking about?" He asked.

"She was asking about you." Rudra's father said.

"We were telling her how much time you take in bathing but you came pretty fast today." Rudra's mother said.

"I will go again in noon. " Rudra said.

"Off course you would love water." Damini in lowered voice.

"Both of you can go inside and have chat, Rudra take your breakfast with you." Mother said.

Both Rudra and Damini went inside the living room and sat on the sofa, Damini took out a parcel from her purse.

"This is your appointment with doctor and your medicine too." She said.

"I don't want it I already have them" He said.

"You didn't take your medicine on time, you should take care of yourself. " She said.

"I am hungry, I forgot to bring breakfast." He said.

Rudra went inside to brought his breakfast where he overheard his parents chat, "I think we should tell him truth, he keep asking me about his childhood." Rudra's mother said.

"How do I tell him when he love us so much. How can I tell him that he is not our real son?" Rudra's father said.

Rudra felt confused and puzzled more than sad, he went to his parents and said, "so that's why there are no childhood photos of mine."

"I am sorry my child I should have told you before but when I heard about your mental condition from doctor that you forgot everything I was worried if situation get worse so we decided to tell you after your recovery but whenever we heard you saying dad and mamma to us we could not able to tell you." Rudra's father said.

"It's okay dad I do not blame you for anything, I know you both love me and you keep me like your own son and I love you now even more but I am very disturb, I don't know who the real I am. Whose blood I have now and what is my real name ? I feel like useless. " Rudra said.

"Rudra, you are our son, we love you, you are not useless but a very nice child..." Rudra's mother said.

"But I want to know about myself. I see glimpses every time I know these are surely from my real life. I everytime saw a girl, I am sure I know her." Rudra said.

"I understand you, what do you want? I will fulfill your wish. " Rudra's father said.

"Where do you find me? I want to go there, maybe I get to know anything or remember anything. " Rudra said.

"But..." Rudra's mother was trying to resist but Rudra's father stopped her and said, "we went to live in our town's house for few days. There we found you at the bank of lake that was at small distance from our house. I will book your bus tickets for there you can go there tomorrow. "
Rudra's mother wanted to stop him.
"Don't stop him, let him do what he want. But promise me that you will come satisfied and happily from there." Rudra's father said.

"I promise and don't worry mamma I can never and I will never forget you. I will always remain your son no matter what" Rudra said.

Damini were listening them, they saw her, "Sorry, I didn't mean to but I was worried about Rudra." She said. "Let me go with you."

"No, don't worry, I will take direct bus of village. It's alright. You do not have to do that because of me" Rudra insisted.

She agreed. "Don't forget to take medicine with you, they are very important. Wait, I will put it in your bag."

Rudra packed his clothes and reached the village next day. He found his parent's farm house in village and arranged his clothes there. His parents already had called a servant for cleaning and cooking.
Rudra saw the servant cleaning the yard, he saw him fully covered in sweater, shawl and pants.

"Sir, sir good evening, how was your journey? I had clean the house and I will cook the dinner for you." Servant said.

"It was nice and thank you very much for helping me." Rudra said.

"It's my duty, sir. But sir are you not feeling cold ? You had not any woolen on your body." Servant asked.

Rudra was only wearing the full sleeves t-shirt and jeans.

"No, it's not that cold" He said.

Rudra didn't take much attention to it.

Servant's job was from 9.00 am to 6.00, "sir, I had prepared the dinner, it's going to be dark, I had to return before that then, wild animals roam in forest, it will be dangerous for me." He leaved from there.

At night, the house turned complete dark, there were no electricity because house was isolated and outside the populated site. Rudra lighted the candles inside the house and took his sleep.

At morning, he went to found that lake. The lake was quite far from his house, he had to went there from between the forest. It was not that dense but he got some scratches on hands and legs from tree branches and bushes. Luckily he didn't encounter any wild animal on path. He also brought his clothes to wear after bathing there.

He was in underwear and entered in the river water. The weather was around 10°C but he didn't feel any chills. He felt the cool water on his body but he was relaxing in place of shivering. He didn't know yet that he was more than a human.

He felt something weird like anything was staring at him. He looked around but found one. He was a little scared so he came out of water and dressed himself. He still felt a strong energy or someone's presence near him then he saw a dark shadow in the fog at the opposite shore, he thought it was a jaguar and got frightened and ran away with full strength. He was very frightened even he left his wet clothes there but he did not care as he reached home safely.

The servant arrived at 9.00 am, "Good morning sir, did you sleep well? You are already fresh and clean."

"Yes, but tell me there are tigers also in forest ?" Rudra asked.

"Tiger, cheetah, jaguar, leopard, wolf, hyena everyone are here. What happened? Did anyone attack you?" He replied.

"Actually, I was gone to take bath in the nearby lake there I saw a animal's shadow?" Rudra replied.

"Lake? Neerkari lake ? Sir.... s... r... never go there again" His voice was trembling because of fear. "That lake is cursed. It's haunted. That shadow was of girl, many villagers had saw her. Whenever anyone bath in there, they felt like someone is pushing them down. Nobody went there, even we had not seen any animals going there." He said.

"Are you serious with what you are saying ? Rudra asked.

Rudra thought, 'No matter what I will go there again and found the truth. If it is really haunted then I would never found alive there to my parents. If they got me from there then I will surely remember anything so I will visit there today again.'

Although Rudra hope that he would definitely found something about him but he didn't knew that his life would completely change after this. There would be new person in his life, his love that told him his real identity.

Rudra reached the lake in afternoon and looked around. He focused on his mind and closed his eyes. He saw glimpses of a girl. He started taking walk beside the lake, while he was walking he saw bushes and felt something familiar, looked around. Then, suddenly thunderstorm occurred and it started raining. He tried to find any shade then he saw a small cave there, he went inside it. He was whole drenched, the roof were leaking so he went a little more deep in the cave.

He went more inside and there he saw a girl's statue.

"OMG! Is she that ghost? She is very beautiful. Such a beautiful ghost." He laughed and move his hand forward and touch it with his wet hand. He was looking at the statue and smiling then suddenly a blue light entered in his eyes, it was hurting in his eyes, he covered his eyes then suddenly a girl appeared in front of him. She was in long blue gown with earing of water droplet.

He got scared and he think of her as ghost so he tried to ran away from there then suddenly the cave get flooded. He couldn't breathe, he was moving his hands and legs randomly and was going to choke. Then suddenly the water arranged into waterspout and the water inside cave start circulating around her. He was able to breathe and he saw this he was even more scared that he ran away from there as fast as he could and reached his house, closed all doors and windows.

The house was all dark, he was really exhausted, he sat on sofa then his door knocked, he was very afraid he didn't understand what he should do. He brought a knife from the kitchen and tightly hold it in one hand as attacking position and slowly opened the door, there he saw his servant, "sir, sir there is a injured girl there, she must has got into any wild animal. It's raining heavily outside so we should bring her inside or her situation get worse." Servant said in quick and tensed manner.

Rudra didn't said anything. "What are you thinking? Let's bring her or she will die." They carried her inside, laid her on bed in room, covered her with a blanket ane lit the fire. She regained consciousness after a while.

"Are you okay child?" Servant asked her.

"Where am I? Do I know you?" She said.

"We found you unconscious outside so we take you here. What is your name? How did this happen to you?" Servant asked.

While servant was trying to talk to her, Rudra was all quiet and listening. "I don't remember anything and my head is hurting. I want to change too, my clothes are all wet." She said.

"Sir?" Servant looked at Rudra with pleading face.

"I don't have female clothes... okay, I will give you mine." Rudra said.

She changed her clothes and came outside while holding the wall slowly.

"Come, sit here on the sofa. I have made the hot 'chai' you will get relief after drinking it." Servant said.

Rudra was sitting on single sofa and she sat on long one, servant served 'chai' to both.

"Do you remember anything? What happened and what is your name?" Servant asked.

"I don't remember anything. My head hurts whenever I think of it. I remembered my name, that's Neerkari" she said.

"Neerkari?" Rudra surprisingly said.

"Do you feel something?" She asked in hope.

He laughed loudly, "It is so weird name."

She became angry, "you should not make fun of someone." and upset.

The rain stopped. The servant came out of kitchen and said, "sir, I am going. I have prepared food for both of you."

"Both of us?" said Rudra in shock. "Is she going to stay here?"

"She doesn't memorize about herself so she doesn't have place to go so..." servant said.

"Take her with you." Rudra said in sarcastic way.

"I am very tired, I can't even move forward. Look I have injury on my leg." Neerkari said making guilty face.

"Yes sir, her condition is bad and my house is a bit far from here, so..." said servant.

Rudra agreed but he was unwilling to accept her. Servant left from there.

"You sleep on bed in the room, I will sleep on the sofa here. I am not that rude to let you sleep on sofa." Rudra said.

She smiled, "Can you help me to move there? I couldn't move easily."

He support her to the bed and left. The next day when servant came he bought some clothes for her. They took breakfast together. While Rudra was busy in his phone, she asked hesitatingly, "do you feel something familiar about me?"

"Familiar ? No nothing" Rudra and she was sitting with same position on the sofa.

"Come sit near me. I want to talk to you about something." She said.

"You can tell me from there too. Just tell me " He said while his eyes busy in phone.

"Listen, it's very important, come" she insisted. He sit on the other side of long sofa with her, she came near him.

"You want me to leave from here, right?" She said while he was nodding.

"So for me to leave here, I have to memorize about myself, right? (he nodded) So the thing is if you want me to leave your house then you should also help me memorize, right?"

"But, how can I help you?" He asked.

"Give me your hand." She said.

"Why?" Suddenly shouted he.

She hold her and look into his eyes quietly. "What are you doing?" He asked confusingly.

"Actually, I am trying to remember any face of my family, if I could remember someone's face by looking at you." She said seriously.

He looked in her eyes. There was a pause in the environment, she then hold his face with both hands. "Do you remember something?" She said.

"Why do I remember? you need to." He said.

"I think it's not good idea. Let me check on internet." He surfed internet and said, "if you got hit on head then hit again. Let me try."

"No, no you can't hit me." She said while he forwarded his hands and body towards her. She hold her both hands and he was trying to off his hands. They laughed and made a game of it. In this play of them, she fall on Rudra on sofa. The time paused for few seconds for them, Neerkari was above the Rudra and they both were looking to each other, she was very close to him.

"Ahhhhh! My head hurts" Rudra shouted.

Neerkari get off from him, "what happened? Did your head got hit?" she worried.

He covered his head tightly. "Aaahhh!"

"Are you okay?"

He get up and said, "you... I know you. You were there. I am sorry, it was all my fault. I should not have done this." Then, he fainted there. Servant came there, "sir, sir." They lifted him to the bed.

"What to do? What happened to him? Is he sick? " Servant worried.

Neerkari put hand on his forehead to check temperature.

"His temperature is high. Bring a bowl of water and cloth piece." she said. She put wet cloth on his forehead. He awaken after a hour while she was sitting beside him.

"Do you feel better now?" She said. She passed him hot water.

"Yeah, I am okay. " he said.

"You said something before getting faint. What did you said? Do you remember it?" She asked.

"Me? I don't know. What did I say ?" He said.

"Can I kiss you?" She asked.

"What!! Why? Did I hear right? No, never I will not just kiss anyone. " He said.

"I just remember something in which I am kissing someone so I just wanted to see if..." She said.

"I understand how it feels to be forgotten about everything but it doesn't mean you can kiss anyone. You can't kiss me, no" He felt a bit shy.

"But, maybe I memorize something, it's just a kiss. Why are you making it issue. It's normal now a days." She said.

"No! It matters for me. Never ask me this again. I think now you are better you can leave my place." He get annoyed.

She felt very bad, her nose and eyes turn red and about to cry.

"Don't cry, why are you crying?" He said while her face become more red.

"Okay, okay I'm sorry. It was my fault. Listen I understand how it feels when you don't remember about yourself. I know how it feels when you forget about your true family and friends, your identity. I am also here to find about me. I also don't remember anything." He told her everything about him. "I agree I should not be rude. You can live here as long you want." He said.

She smiled, "now, we will help each other to regain our memories."

"But not kiss" He said in funny tone. She laughed.

They lived together for fifteen days while helping each other to regain memory by tricks from internet. They played indoor games together. They became good friends within a month. Their bond became stronger that they were very informal with each other. They care about each other and anyone could tell they were more than just friends but they didn't agree for it.

Neerkari realized Rudra was hiding something from her, there was something in his mind but he was not telling her. She started realizing his absent minded nature.

One day Rudra asked Neerkari, "let's dance together"

Neerkari said, "why all of sudden?"

"I just want to learn it" He said.

Rudra put his hands on her waist and she put her hands on his shoulders. They moved their legs in pattern then suddenly Rudra hold her face with one hand and then her neck from back. He moved a little closer to her, about to kiss but then suddenly he left into the room. The whole day Rudra didn't talk with Neerkari as he usually did.

Neerkari didn't understand why he act in that way so she got worried.

The next day, Neerkari asked, "Don't you think you should go the same place where your parents found you? It will be more helpful to you."

"I had already done this but now I will never go there again." He said.

"But, why let's go there." She insisted.

"No..! That place is haunted. I had seen it myself. I became very scared, she was horrible." He refused.

"She doesn't look horrible she is beautiful, very beautiful. I am not horrible." She said.

"But still she appeared from nowhere." He said.

"You don't listen to me when everytime I ask you to kiss you but this is small matter. You have to so pack your clothes you can also bath there." She said.

They reached to lake, "go take your bath" she said.

"Are you not coming?" He asked.

"Nope, I don't want to." She said.

He took bath while she was around looking flowers, he came out wet from lake in half pants.

He asked, "Hey, give me towel from the bag" she passed, "are you not feeling shy by looking at me like this? I have seen in movies girls react weird on looking men"

"It's not new, I had seen you many times like this." She replied casually.

"Many times?" "I mean at movies. They all look same." said like an excuse. He dressed.

They sit together facing towards water, "it's very beautiful and calm. I like this peace. It's quiet and relaxing." He then stopped talking for a while.

"What happened? Why are you not saying anything?" She asked.

"I like this calmness. I don't want to disturb it." He said.

She hold his wet hand and said, " I like your voice, please keep talking." He still hesitated a little.

"Do you think it's nice if you have to be here alone for hundreds of years. In this silence, alone for many years, will surely be depressed." She added.

(Rudra remembered something and saw himself sitting with a girl there and kissing her.) "I think I know this place. I... I know her. She always came in my dream." He said.

Neerkari looked him surprisingly, said, "what did you see?"

"I saw I kissed someone, I think I had girlfriend." He said in exhausted way, holding himself head. His head started to hurt again, he felt dizzy and tired.

She hold his both hands and assured him, "look I am with you. Imagine me as your girlfriend. Assume you remembered everything, think about that girl. I am that girl, look (she got close to him and look into his eyes) I am your girlfriend. I am the one you kissed."

He then hold her face, gently pull it closer to his face and kissed her. She opened her mouth a little but didn't react first while he stroke her lower lip with his lips two times, she then couldn't control herself too and slide her lips on him, she cups his both earlobes. He caressed her neck and cheeks. For a minute they both forgot everything, they forgot their relation with each other, they forgot who were they and where were they.

Then Rudra opened his eyes and realized, he immediately pulled his face back and said, "it's not assumption, it was really you. You are my girlfriend. I saw you in my dreams. I saw us together in love but why ? Why didn't you told me this? Do you think I am stupid I don't understand. You everytime said weird things like you know me before. You care me like my family. When I first time saw you I felt a link with you but I ignored this. Whenever I touch you I saw glimpses of my past. Yesterday when we danced, I became more confirmed that I am related to you. I had realized it before that this was your excuse of loosing your memory. Now tell me truth. Why did you lie me?"

Rudra memorize and saw himself with her in front of water, on the boat, in room kissed and hugged each other.


To be continued...
© Neelu

#fantasy #lovestory #Kiss #longform #Novel