Oldman- Are you sure you want to go to Kaal's place?
Vikram - Yes. But tell me one thing first. Do you by any chance know a girl with blue hair?
Oldman - Blue hair you say? You must be talking about Julie. But why are you asking about her?
Vikram - Because she stole my money on the way to the town, and I want it back.
Oldman - Oh I see. She is living by stealing other people's money, food and clothes. What can she do anyway fate has been callous to her.
Vikram- why? What happened to her?
Oldman - It was 20 years back a man named Shiva was living in our town. He was a police man. He was a brave, talented, and kind person. She fell in love with a girl named Rohini. Both got married, and soon they were blessed with a sweet girl; they named her Julie. They were living happily together until that day!
Vikram- Which day? What happened to them?
Oldman- It was the day when Kaal and his gang attacked our town. Shiva fought against them bravely but was defeated. They captured him and murdered him in front of all of us gathered in one place, but we couldn't do a thing. Kaal did that to show us what will happen to us if we protest against him. He burned Shiva alive in front of all of us. And you know what was the most tragic part? Rohini and little Julie were present in that crowd. Both were crying so badly but couldn't utter a word because she wanted to protect her little child.
Vikram - So sad. So she lives with her mother then?
Oldman- No. Her mother is..dead as well.
Vikram- What? How? What happened to her? Did Kaal kill her?
Oldman- It was one year after that incident. Kaal's goons came to the town to collect taxes as usual. They took whatever they wanted from us. Sadly Rohini couldn't pay her tax. How could she? She was working so hard as a single mother to give her child two meals a day, how could she afford to pay the tax?
Yashu- So what happened then?
Oldman- They hit her, tortured her to claim their money, then they took her with them, dragging her on the ground to the execution ground. And then Kaal called everyone in the town and burned her down with his fire. I was the one who was holding Julie's mouth so that she couldn't scream; otherwise, they might kill her as well. Poor 9-year-old child watching her mother burning alive ...is a nightmare.
Vikram- yeah, I can feel her pain.
Julie- After that, she became a cold-hearted girl. She never talked to anyone in this town. She blames us for not fighting against Kaal to protect her parents. But tell me, what could we do? We were helpless. She started stealing food, clothes, and money to live on and pay taxes. The people of the town get angry with her when she steals from them, but deep inside our hearts, we love that child and want her to live long and happily.
Vikram- Yeah, I got it. So, tell me where she lives?
Oldman- She lives on the Southeast side of the town. Near the temple. It is a decrepit house.
Vikram- Thank you, old man. Ok, then we should leave Yashu.
Yashu- Yeah, right.
(Both of them left the old man's house and started walking towards Julie's house asking people on the way about the directions. )
Yashu- So, what's your plan?
Vikram- What are you talking about?
Yashu- Don't play dumb. I am talking about Kaal. Are you planning to take him down?
Vikram- Yeah, that's the plan. I will take him down and give this town freedom.
Yashu- I was thinking, why should we intervene in their matter? It's not like we know these people or that they did any bad things to us. And the girl.. Julie, he stole your money. Why should we help her?
Vikram- Because Only i can understand her pain. Neither you nor anyone in this town. That's why I want to help her.
Yashu- What are you talking about? How can you understand her pain?
Vikram- Forget it. Look, I think that one is the house we are searching for.
Yashu- yeah looking like it.
(Both came closer to the house, and Yashu entered the house, opening the door, and Vikram followed him. Yashu was keeping his one hand on the sword for precaution.)
Vikram- What a mess! How could she live in a place like this?
Yashu- Yeah. This house is totally broken and not suitable for living in at all.
(Vikram picked a photo from the broken shelf and wiped the dust on the glass. It was slightly broken. It was a photo of infant Julie and her parents.)
Vikram- (keeping the photo back to its place) They were happy. Until that monster came here.
Yashu- Yeah. But what should we do now? She is not here.
Vikram- Look. The table near the window. It's not like other things here. It's clean and there is a box under it.
(Yashu picked up the box on the table and opened it.)
Vikram- Why is this box full of maps, handmade arts, Geometric instruments and a compass?
Yashu- Well, I don't know, but I think the person this box belongs to may be a Navigator or maybe an artist who likes to draw maps.
Vikram- What? A Navigator? Do you think it's Julie's box?
Yashu- I am not sure. Maybe she stole the box from someone. She is a thief after all.
Vikram- Yeah. You may be right.
Yashu- So what do we do? Should we wait for her or leave?
Vikram- (sigh) No.. Waiting is boring. Let's go and take care of Kaal first. And we will take the money when we come back.
Yashu- Ok then. Let's go.
(Both of them came out of the house and walked towards the river where Kaal lives. But suddenly Yashu noticed heavy smoke from a distant place)
Yashu- Look, Heavy smoke. Isn't that the part of the town where we met the old man?
Vikram- So what? Someone may be cooking meat. And it must be the smoke of the chimney.
Yashu- You're stupid. This amount of smoke never comes out of a house chimney. I think something bad happened there. I am sure of it.
Vikram- Then we should hurry and reach that place as quickly as we can.
Yashu- Yeah. Let's go.
(Both of them started running as fast as they could. But what happened in the town? Why is there heavy smoke coming from that place? Did anything bad happen? Read the next Chapter to know.)