SUCHITRA - The Beautiful Picture

Chapter-2

Last time I introduced myself and Ranga sir who is an amazing man because he challenges your commonly held beliefs and perceptions. As I have already pointed out, his advice will play a crucial role in my journeys of the paradigms.

Enough of talk! Let’s venture in some action! Let us see where my journeys take me and who all do I encounter on my way. Let’s go back to the beginning of all this, the Day 1 of the experiment. The big day! The day that changed my entire life!

DAY 1

25^th February 2011, 1:30pm

In my laboratory, I was the subject of my experiment. I was undertaking a huge risk, but the one which was essential, for the implications of the invention, I knew, meant a lot. Keeping my mind filled with the positive thoughts, I overcame fear and ventured on one of the most amazing journeys anyone could ever imagine.

In the glass-chamber of my machine, I pressed the GO button and waited for the engines to start-off. The engine started zooming and the smoke emanated, yet my machine remained still. Though the speedometer actually showed the speed increasing, I did not feel any motion and in fact could still see my laboratory from the glass walls. Then, it happened.

The speed of the chamber was approaching close to the speed of light, though still as a reading on the speedometer only. But, as the numbers approached closer, the machine began to vibrate and as soon as it touched the speed of light, I felt a sudden jerk and a huge expanse of light rays fell on me. It was as if a number of flashlights were focused on me from all the directions, as if I was a criminal caught while trying to run out from a penitentiary. I closed my eyes and waited for the machine to stop. It was supposed to stop automatically, because it was coded to do so after reaching the assigned destination (rather, time). I waited. It took fifteen minutes and twenty two seconds (according to the clock in my traveler) to travel. The machine responded by making a beep sound and running the smoke-remover-fans. I stepped out in anticipation.

What awaited me was distressing for I found myself in the same lab where I had started my journey; just that it was a bit disorganized.  I thought, maybe some vibration or movement from the machine would have done that. I came out of the traveler feeling dejected. I lied down on the sofa.

When will I get success? So, much of labor, and no result!

I tried to calm myself by taking in deep breaths. But, while I did that, I heard someone insert a key in the lock and move the door-knob to open it up.

How can this happen? Only, I keep the keys to access to this part of the lab! God, who is there? Oh! I need to hide the machine.

With a quick movement, I hid the machine behind the automatic curtain and I myself crouched behind the sofa. As the door opened, I heard a familiar voice.

“What’s your big surprise Mohan?”, a voice asked. I was surprised. How could someone know that I was hiding something in here? Feeling that I had been caught red-handed I was about to come out and offer an explanation, when I heard someone else say, “Suchitra, It’s a machine that I have made. I will experiment it today. And, I wish that you be present here with me.”

It was my voice.

The explanation was that I had in fact been successful in doing time travel. But, it was not past, for such an event had never occurred in my life. I had always kept my machine a secret. Maybe the aberration in my machine had taken me to the future. To ascertain my destination (rather, time), I looked at the digital clock kept on the table. To my surprise, I discovered the date and time were 5 minutes less than the time when I had pressed the GO button.

So, was this not a time travel?

I recalled that before entering the machine I had thought about bringing Suchitra, my trusted friend, in and showing her my invention. The secrecy had been killing me. I needed someone to encourage me on my endeavor. But, that had remained just a thought. I had not brought her in. Here is ‘myself’, I mean the ‘other myself’, standing in the lab with Suchitra thinking about telling it all to her. But, what is it? If this is not a time travel, then what is it? I was trying to figure out what my existence in this place meant.

Meanwhile, their conversation went on.

“It’s my new invention,” said the other-Mohan with a visible spark in his eyes.

He removed the curtain and showed her the traveler. For a moment, I thought that this other-Mohan will see my machine. Fortunately, his machine that looked quite similar to mine was kept on the opposite corner of the lab, and he did not notice my machine.

“It looks nice,” Suchitra said with a smile. “What does it do?”

“It’s a time machine.”

“A time machine! A real time machine! You must be joking.” Suchitra was incredulous.

Mohan added, “It’s a real one. And, today I perform the first test on it. I will myself travel using it.”

“You are joking, aren’t you? Tell me that this is your new trick to make a fool out of me.”

Suchitra still could not believe Mohan. However, when she noted sincerity in his eyes, she asked, “Are you sure?"

After a pause, she added with a look of concern, " In that case, don’t you think that you should first test it on some animal like a cat or a dog to ensure the safety of this travel?”

“I can’t risk doing that. If the machine does not work as expected, it will not return back. The animal along with the machine will stay in some other time. If that happens to be past, it might result in anachronisms which might change the world, as we know it today. That would be too huge a risk for it could alter our histories and our lives. Such paradoxes need to be studied and understood.”

“But, what if it lands you some place which is very dangerous?”

“Don’t worry about me. I will be safe. I just want you to keep these blueprints safe and use them wisely, in case I do not return. You are the only one I can trust.”

She frowned and said, “I don’t think you should go on like this.”

“This research has been my life, Suchitra. I have to do this. For emergency, I have stocked in enough food to last a month, and I’m confident about my calculations. If things turn out to be right, there will be no need to worry, for I will land in the future, precisely 10 minutes from now. So, I might spend a month or a year somewhere else, but you will find me here with you just another 10 minutes.”

While the other-Mohan and Suchitra were busy talking, I tried my best to stay low and do some calculations on a piece of paper. I wrote a lot of formulas and did some mathematics to figure out what went wrong. I wanted to ascertain my present location and time. The thought of going to this other-Mohan also came to my mind. But, you never know, time-travel is a tricky thing. He might be very friendly. Or, he might get scared and attack me.  Random thoughts, some rational, some irrational; some logical, some illogical crossed my mind, as I did the math. And, then my eyes noticed something significant on the paper of the notebook. Of course, how could I be so stupid? I observed the parallel lines drawn on the page of the notebook and exclaimed, ‘parallel! Parallel universe!’

“Did you hear that?” asked Suchitra.

“Hear what?” asked Mohan turning towards the sofa.

I realized that instead of travelling through time, I had travelled through space and landed in a parallel universe. There were various theories on parallel universe’s existence, some of which I had even read. But, my algorithms were designed to make a time-travel possible. How could I land in a parallel universe? I had no answer to that. In any case, this travel itself was a breakthrough and that - our understanding of the universe is still very less - was proved.

“Nothing,” said Suchitra.

“It is time to leave then. Adieu,” the other-Mohan hit the GO button. And, he was gone. I noted the time. It was 1:30pm.

Suchitra waited anxiously for Mohan to come back. Every minute, every second seemed difficult to spend.  She waited. As the digital clock showed 1:40pm, Suchitra’s face lit up with anticipation. Her heartbeat was audible even to me. But, nothing happened. And then, tears came rolling down her cheek.

Though she didn’t say anything, I heard her voice in my head. I could not understand how, but I heard her voice say, “Why didn’t I stop you? Why did I let you go? At least, I should have told you about how I felt about you? You were so dear to me. Oh God...”

As I heard the voice in my head, I felt a strong urge to go to her and seize her in my embrace. I always loved Suchitra, ever since our college days. The day I  met her first, I had fallen in love. She was beautiful, sensible and committed to her work. She was all any geek like me could hope for. There had been many instances when I thought of speaking my heart out. But, I could never gather the courage and the most important matter was always suppressed and postponed for some other day.

“I loved you! I loved you so much!”

No, No, damn it! Don't listen to her. I cannot be subjective here. This is not my universe. It’s an alternate reality. I could cause a disaster in this universe with my actions. Moreover, what if the other-Mohan returns? What will I do then? In any case, the simple truth is that my traveler has malfunctioned and I need to go back in my timeline. For that, I have to stay focused. This is an experiment and I need to be objective!

But, Suchitra’s words hit me like painful arrows and pierced through my heart. And, what should not have happened, happened.

I let myself go. I came out of my hiding, embraced her and planted a kiss on her lips. Although she was slightly taken aback, she kissed back passionately. I could hear her thoughts, “never ever leave me again Mohan. You don’t know how much you mean to me.”

A terrible mistake was committed.

(Stay tuned! For the next part has more to keep you all enticed.)