You must go Misty. It makes no sense for you to remain here, not when there is nothing that can be done,” Captain Surya said. His voice, pain-ridden, his body perspiring and bleeding out from where the bullet had pierced him, the Captain was breathing his last breath.
“I can’t. I’m not leaving you to die here. We’ll find a way Captain. We must not lose hope,” she replied. ‘Captain’ that’s what she had called him even then. She knew the way he felt about her, for no matter how hard one tries to conceal one’s feelings for another, they always find a way of reaching that other person. She knew his command stemmed from a desire to make a true rebel out of her, it had been the need of the time.
“Today’s the day of the final verdict, mum. I need your blessings today.” Misty’s trance of memories was broken by her son’s voice. He was a lawyer now, advocating for a girl who’d long lost her rights.
“Nothing can defeat truth Babu,” she said. “The girl has lived in darkness for too long, it’s time she have her victory. You’ve given everything to this case. The verdict will be in her favour. My blessings are always with those who need it,” Misty said, caressing her son’s head.
Once her son left for court, she fell into her voluntary trance again, the enchanting memories of her youth. She had fought for her nation’s welfare, and that had made her who she was today.
“Our ideology is more important than anything else, greater than our lives. We’ve come this far, and you cannot hold backnow for my sake. We’re very close to our destination. You cannot afford to lose Misty. Do it for my sake, don’t worry about me. Just go!” Surya urged.
“There’s still so much to accomplish. Nothing will be possible without you Captain,” Misty replied as she tried to haul the Captain’s wounded body off he ground. “We can get through this together.”
“Things will be possible with you around Misty,” Surya’s voice radiated with immense faith in her—the voice of a devoted lover. These were to be the very last words he would utter. The enemy would reach where Misty now stood, poring over Surya’s body any time now. And so Misty caressed her love’s face for the last time and
walked on. She was not going to belong to anybody again, not like she belonged to Surya. If only she had told him how she had sensed his love and returned it...but it was too late now, he would never know.
••••
Six years prior to the incident, when Misty was only 22, a car had hit her. She had left home in agony, not knowing what her destiny would be, apprehensive of what would happen to her. That accident had led to such circumstances which let her explore her potential and strive for the country’s good. The collision had left her body scarred, but it had also introduced her to an ideology that would dominate, in her life and the lives of thousands of other young people.
Surya had been driving the car that night, and it had been raining cats and dogs. Misty had regained consciousness on a hospital bed, and the first thing she’d seen when she opened her eyes had been Surya, the love of her life. The serenity on his face had erased all her apprehension, looking at it, she’d felt as if she were back home, after having wandered for a long time. The two strangers were communicating through mute gazes. In the morning, Surya had taken Misty in his arms without even so much as asking her her name.
Surya lived in a two-storied building with his three friends, Arpan, Nishant and Shreyan, unknown to the world at the time. These four men and Misty would soon be united as a rebel group, out to transform the country. They would also amass groups of opponents who would, one day, obliterate their existence.
‘All for the nation’ had been the group’s motto. Misty, taken by the ideology that drove these men, would devour the world’s economic and political histories. Surya had wanted to make her strong, physically as well as mentally, and she had happily accepted the difficulty and pain that came along. She had finally found a reason to live, a path to walk on, an ideology to surrender to. She was living for the sake of her nation. At the same time, she had also fallen in love with Surya, and their unspoken love had made both their lives more happy and meaningful.
Over time, they had won over a large number of followers, young people like themselves who wanted to do something to change the country for the better. They dreamed of a prosperous nation where every institution was in order, where the people were in charge of their own destinies.... A truly independent nation were national and international affairs were not drenched in murky secrecy, where all people are treated equally, where nobody is above the law, victims are granted justice and corruption is a deadly crime.
Youths from all spheres of life had joined in an armed rebellion; they were willing to give their lives for their country. It had taken years, but they had collected enough manpower and arms to lead a rebellion because the government had not been too happy about their ideas and had been out to get them ever since they’d gotten wind of the situation. Although, by that time, they’d also spread their message across the nation, all the people had been won over. For these young ‘rebels’ spoke the truth and demanded what every citizen wants, a happy, prosperous and most importantly, an equal nation. The government could not harm them at all.
And with the whole country behind them, the government had been compelled to agree to a ceasefire. There had been losses and deaths, and at the time of Surya’s own death, their group were tantalisingly close to victory. The government was under immense pressure, and Surya, Misty, Arpan, Nishant and Shreyan, were readying themselves for political proceedings. The bullet that killed Surya had been fired by a group of men who remain unidentified to this day.
After a long struggle, the government had relented, and agreed to let Surya’s group enter parliamentary elections as an independent political group. When the time came for elections, their party did not need campaigns, posters, wall paintings or pamphlets, they’d already proved themselves capable of serving their motherland with unmatched dignity. The party did not need to canvass for votes.
Unsurprisingly, the new party—with its commitment to get the poor out of their poverty and the rich to aid the process—had won by a broad margin. They’d won the maximum seats in parliament and Misty had been elected the country’s first female Prime Minister. With a majority in the
parliament, her party had indeed been able to bring sweeping change. The age of impunity and corruption had come to an end.
•••
Misty, now in her sixties, re-lived her memories every day. These very memories that had made it possible for her to retain the vigour and strength she’d had when she’d first fallen for Captain Surya, and she was beyond happy for she was living the Captain’s dream.
That day, when he came home, Misty’s son had a confident look on her face. She knew the reason for it even before he’d spoken.
“She won, mother,” Surya had said, and Misty had looked into his eyes and smiled. It was an era of fairness and justice.
- Sabina Dhakal
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