Whispers in the Dark

Knowing the risks of having such a Federation, Gulab got a glimpse—Arjun held a worn photograph by those hands that shook vigorously, and on the glass crunched, his face mirrored. He has millions of questions to ask her—the look of confusion, the desperation for an answer—very much clear through his eyes. "You seem to know everything, don't you?" he asked me in a low voice, almost whispering. He pointed the question at his brother, who was now sitting opposite him with a frown—the twine of lines across his forehead. "Why were you and Mom hellbent on keeping our family a secret?" Arjun went on, but his voice broke with tears that he had refused to shed. "Why was she ever never mentioned?" He nodded toward the picture that almost seemed like a pale photograph now, and his unsaid questions seemed to choke him to death. Sam looked directly into Peter's eyes for a moment, and for a second, sadness briefly crossed his face. He drew close in an extremely gentle motion, placing his hand on the elder brother's shoulder. "There are some things, Arjun," he began hesitantly, "Some things related to us, to our family that we simply never discussed You know it is.. complex." Arjun frowned. Reflecting theoretical perspectives, one was worse than the other in giving him the shivers. 'But why? ' he asked aggressively with a tremor which betrayed the anger he so clearly wanted to express. "What kind of secrets?" he asked slowly, his eyes lowered, shifted to the carpet. A flood of memories hit him and most of them were bittersweet; there were some which he couldn't even fully comprehend. "Kanwar, this is why we never talked about Dad Arjun," he said in hushed tones, almost as if he was praying. "He was a scientist par excellence; selected personally to spearhead this project for NASA & ISRO combined with a few Japanese AI geniuses. They were on the cusp of an edging discovery, something to do with rewiring DNA's with AI assistance." Arjun frowned. Realization hit him hard, felt an ache in his chest as if a ton of bricks had just fallen on him. But what happened? " "It was said, if not shouted, and there was a tinge of fear in the question. Looking at Sam's face, one can see that an adult has appeared, tears welled up in the eyes of the boy. "Dad. . he didn't come back, Arjun," he said struggling to hold his tears. "The project.. it all went terribly wrong twenty years ago. And then there was someone else. a someone we lost too." He looked at the photo again, and a brief agony stabbed him. Just as Sam was to say more on that, the door opened and Maya walked in; she had a frown across her pretty face, clearly tensed. "Sam, what are you implying? "she muttered, lost in the volumes, though her tone sounded edgy. It's time you stop narrating those stories you've been telling him, Arjun. It's not doing him any good… Arjun turned around, his voice, pleadingly shaky. "Mom, please," he wheedled. 'I don't know', 'I don't understand what happened to our family' Maya's shoulders drooped and she was filled with sadness. "Oh yeah," she whispered and there was a strange sort of sadness in her voice that only love gave. But some things must be left well alone. Your father's death… it is a hurt that never fades away. quot; Let it lie, quot; I said softly, feeling the burden of years of sorrow well up in my chest, and knowing that she could hear it in my voice. Reminders of the past are heavy and they couldn't escape the gravity of their situation and the lives that were taken. Thus, Arjun comprehended that some truths cannot be faced, and some secrets cannot be explained to the very end as they are hidden in the darkness. But, contrary to what was going on around them, something like the black cloud was ready to swallow them up; there was still the faint light of hope. Maya, Sam, and Arjun closed their eyes, holding on to each other – their family ties, and the hope for a better future when they could be happy again.