Chương 40: Luke Sings and Zia Awakens

They had successfully completed their task for Town I. Thereafter, they headed back to the residential hostel of the scientists for a good night's sleep. They were encircled by the Orbs as it was their task to protect everyone. They all needed to get up early so that they could leave for Town J by 8.30 -9.00 a.m.

Luke had hinted that it had been a long day and they had been up since 5 a.m. Zia knew he meant her as he was looking at her. She wondered why he said something then looked at her to indicate that the matter involved her.

For her and her students it had been an eventful day. Under normal circumstances they would never have had such an adventure. This entire episode of stumbling into an Utopia like place in which people had developed their own society which they considered as a better society, was a dream come true. These people were the best in their fields who had left the world as we know it to establish their own world. It was something unheard of.

But then when a society gives powers in the hands of one person and forgets to take him/her to task for wrong policies, then the person at the helm of affairs gets absolute powers. There is no one to stop him. Ultimately he becomes corrupted and gathers people of his temperament around him (Birds of a feather flock together).

So, all corrupt elements started to have their way through out the administration. 'Absolute power corrupts absolutely'. This seems to have happened here. There did not seem to be any checks and balances like in upper cities. That is the legislative that makes the laws, the executive that executive the laws and the Judiciary whose aim is to safeguard the rights of the citizens by ensuring that wrong rules were not framed. No wrong rules could be executed/implemented. The Judiciary was the watchdog of the Constitution.

Any law made that went against the basic framework of the constitution was struck down. If the executive harassed the citizens by using obscure laws then those laws could be struck down and the executives would be hauled up. So, all there arms of the government were working as checks and balances on each other for the benefit of the people.

This adventure was something they should remember for posterity to tell their children and grandchildren provided they were allowed to remember and not made to forget by means of the hypnotizing like devices.

She could not see much of the Town I as it was dark, but it she wondered about the Town's construction style and would ask Mono about it.

Upon reaching the hostel they took a proper bath as the hostel had attached bathrooms. There was a lovely herbal scented soap and shampoo in every bathroom. On the beds were laid out new pajama suits. All slept as soon as their heads touched their pillows.

However, Luke was awake and tossing and turning. He was not able to sleep. He had only half a day tomorrow and how was he to manage to talk to Zia? He had hardly spoken to her alone.

Mono was also not able to sleep. He had a long frame and the bed was of normal size. His feet stuck out by almost 2 feet. It was uncomfortable to sleep. He then pumped up his pillows and shifted back. Then he lay down in a half sitting position so as to bring his legs and feet up. In this way his feet did not overshoot the end of the bed.

Thereafter he took out his mobile. It was only 1 a.m. and he had tuned to the local radio station but there were no songs. So, via their internet, he connected to the FM Radio channels above his Towns. He had seen a lot of movies and also listened to the new songs but preferred the old classical songs especially the romantic ones that were still melodious.

A beautiful soulful song was playing on the radio and Mono started humming along with the song. It was a Ghazal sung by the great ghazal singer, Jagjit Sing from the film Sath-Sath (together). The words of the song, as translated, were as follows:-

When I saw you this thought came to me,

Life is like the blazing sun and you are the soothing shade.

When I saw you this thought came to me,

Life is like a blazing sun and you are the soothing shade.

When I saw you this thought came to me….

Today again my heart wished for something,

Today again I had to make my heart understand.

(Sometimes the heart does not get what it desires)

Life is like the blazing sun and you are the soothing shade,

When I saw you this thought came to me….

When you go away then I shall ponder,

What did I lose (by your going away?).

And what had I gained,

(by spending those moments with you).

Life is like the blazing sun and you are the soothing shade,

When I saw you this thought came to me...

The song that I am forbidden to hum,

Why did time sing this song for me?

Life is like the blazing sun and you are the soothing shade,

When I saw you this thought came to me….

Upon hearing Mono humming the words of the song, Luke started to sing. He could sing very well. He had been singing in school and college and had won many awards. But a career in songs was that easy.

Zia woke up with a start. She felt that someone was singing right next to her head while she slept. The singer had a melodious voice but was singing in a sad tone as if he was missing his soul mate. Something like as if he had been separated from his soul mate. The voice and the words of the song seem to pull at her heart strings.

She got up from her bed and started looking around. There was no one there. Then she went to the wall and felt that the voice was coming through the left side wall of her room. If she remembered that room was occupied by Mono and Luke. It could not be the voice of Mono as he belonged to this part of the world and most probably did not know about the songs from their world. The song belonged to their part of the world so the singer must be Luke.

Luke sings so well, she thought.

Maybe she should go and tell him so. She went to the door and unlocked the door in order to get into the corridor. But she suddenly stopped herself from turning the door knob. She thought that it could be dangerous as the Orbs were not around. They were probably resting too.

In addition it was already past 1 a.m. and maybe it would not be right for her to knock on the door of male colleagues so late. It was not a done thing unless there was an emergency. At present there was no emergency. She could wait and would definitely remember to tell him in the morning when they all gathered in the canteen to have breakfast.

It was already past 1 a.m. and she should get some sleep. Tomorrow would be a hectic day.

But as she lay down on her bed to sleep again, she found herself humming this very song. It was as if the lyrics of the song as well as the tune were playing in her mind over and over again. The voice was naturally that of Luke. Zia slowly slept with a smile on her face and a song in her heart.