The Sand Falls

[beaku 2,656]

The Sand Falls

 

Note: This story is a Part 2 of a series. Please read the previous parts before reading this one.
Part 1

 

26th May, 2016: A generic IT office, Gurgaon 
 

Arya yawned rather loudly staring blankly at the screen. He couldn't care any less since he was the only one working overtime in his department that day. In the back of his mind, he cursed his colleagues for messing up a simple report. The next day was a holiday which combined with a weekend, made up for a highly optimistic mood for most people. "Finally! Done! Now for some much needed sleep!" As he was about to shut down his computer, for a fraction of second, he thought he saw a mail marked 'Urgent'. But as the shutting down process commenced, he put that though away. "After all, who would send an urgent mail after closing hours?"

"No.. No.. Not Oriya! A-R-Y-A! Arya!" He sighed. His British accent did not help in this place. Even months after moving to India, he still had to catch up on the accent. He connected his phone to the wi-fi while sipping the overpriced coffee. 'Unread Mail: James'. Memories flooded his mind as he opened the message from his old pal. 'Where are you?! Have been trying to contact you since yesterday! Something bad has happened to the old geezer. He's critical! Has requested our presence. I'll be on flight for next few hours. Please contact me ASAP! '

28th May, 2016: Heathrow, London 
 

Finally! Nothing like London air to refresh our friend. On the other hand, though, Arya couldn't afford to enjoy his old hometown. The traffic was quite clear. Something he hadn't experienced in a long time. He got down at the hospital and raced to the reception, "Arya Agarwal. Here to see Professor John McGrathy." The receptionist looked at him for few seconds, as if wondering whether this unkempt man had any ulterior motives. Pushing any thoughts aside, she glanced at the screen and said in a monotonous voice, "Room 54, 6th Floor. Take the elevator on the right." Giving an obligatory thanks, Arya proceed to see his old history professor.

 

15th August, 2002: Oxford University
 

A lean and pale looking boy sat in the library reading possibly the fattest book available. His tall athletic friend didn't seem to like it and it was clear by his periodic scoffs. "Arya! 'nuff of that now! You've spent the whole afternoon reading that ancient text! What's the point of it, anyway? You're a Computer Science student not History!"
Arya scowled. "I suppose your life revolves around nothing but Maths, James?"
"Hahaha.... I get your point. But you seem to take things too far."
"Well, Indian history in particular has a lot of points which rather pique my interest. Anyway, it's getting late. I have a very busy evening. I'll catch up with you later."
James gave a smirk, "Who's the lucky girl?"
Without looking back, Arya replied, "Microsoft PowerPoint."

17th August, 2002: Oxford University
 

Arya knocked on the heavy oak door and waited for a reply. "Come in". The old man smiled as he walked in, "Arya Agarwal! I've been waiting for you. I suppose you have no idea why I've called you?"
"Frankly, Sir, no. I don't. "
" I noticed you have a deep interest in History.. Indian History, to be more precise. "
" Mysteries, Sir. I like to read about mysteries. "
" That is good. Tell me, are you familiar with a Professor AK Sengupta? "
" Of course, Sir. He's the one who introduced me to ancient history. He was our neighbour back in India. He had many twisted theories about various historical events. They were interesting to me as a child, but most adults did not like to entertain him. "
" Well, Arya, Prof. Sengupta was a close friend of mine from back when we were in college. Regrettably, he recently passed away. He ingested some kind of poison. Anyway, the police is investigating all that. I'd like you to do me a small favour here.. "
" I can't interfere with police matters, if that's what you mean, Sir "
" Oh, No! Nothing like that. Actually, he contacted me a few weeks ago. He said he was onto something. Something quite hush hush... He said he was going to post some papers which, haven't arrived. I'd like you to go and get those papers for me. "
" Uh... I will be going to India at the end of this semester. But.. Um... "
" Oh don't worry about anything. Those papers are in a bank locker. I have the details with me. You won't get in any trouble. And I can promise you a deep and intricate mystery if we get those papers. "
The professor gave a wry smile, knowing that the fish had taken the bait.

24th June, 2003: Oxford University
 

James stormed into the room, running frantically and out of breath...." I.... I've got it!"
McGrathy got up and offered a glass of water, "Easy there James.... Here, sit down and relax."
"I've got the code, Sir. At least the first part. The numbers form a logarithmic series. If we take the Euler's number as the common base and apply a shift in geometric progression, we'll get various different sets of numbers. "
Arya took the sheets and started analysing the numbers. " Good job, mate. We're getting some where now. "
McGrathy looked quite disappointed. " We just got more numbers now."
James smirked, "Yeah.. But now they're in a pattern and make more sense.. They'll probably correspond to some characters."
"It's definitely not English. Since this code originated in India, it could be Hindi, or Sanskrit. ", Arya said, looking up.
McGrathy looked at the clock, " If that's the case, you can leave it to me. Both of you should go now. I won't disturb you for next few weeks. Prepare well for your exams. We'll continue this later."

28th May, 2016: The London Bridge Hospital 
 

Arya greeted James with a warm smile. " What happened?"
"Some kind of accident. Heavy internal bleeding and Organ damage. Chances are pretty slim. "
" Oh dear! Why did he call us, though?"
"I don't know. Maybe something to do with our secret project?"
The light above switched off and a group of doctors came out. "Are you people related to McGrathy?"
"Yes"
"I'm sorry. He couldn't make it. There was just too much damage. He managed to say some last words though. He's left some papers for a Mr. Arya Agarwal. "
" That's me. "

30th May, 2016: Oxford University 
 

" WOW! There are a ton more papers than what we left him with! "
" Did he decode everything? "
" Seems like it.... Oh, here's a letter addressed to us. "

 

" Dear James and Arya,
If you're reading this, I am probably missing or worse, dead. The codes are worth far more than what I had initially speculated. The mystery is deeply connected with the Mughal reign in India. I still have no clue as to what all this leads to, but I am sure that I am not the only seeker. Many of the players won't stop at anything to get to the end. Fortunately, I hold the major keys. The numbers which James decoded led to various sites in India. I tired to visit them personally but it was an unsuccessful venture as my Visa was denied. The clues are all in front of you. If there is any mystery worth solving, this is it!
Yours,
John McGrathy "

 

James looked awestruck, "His death.... His death is related to this thing?!"
Arya nodded. James said, "We should hand this over to the police! It's a murder!"
"You think they'll believe this tale? Ancient secret... Conspiracy theories?! "
" Well, what do we do then? I'm no Indiana Jones, if you're getting any ideas in that funny little head of yours. This is serious matter! If you want to die, go ahead! I don't want any part of this! "
Arya smirked. James knew.


His eyes opened wide. Whatever he was seeing, it wasn't of this world! The light was blinding. He could feel the pure energy emanating from it. There was nothing more to be done. He let himself be consumed by it.

[GoldRock 6,165]

Very funny, haha. Any description here is very inaccurate if applied over to myself. Good piece of writing other than that  <_<

[beaku 2,656]

All characters in the story are fictional. Any resemblance to a real person, living or dead is purely coincidental.

[F.I.N.I.S.H.E.R 2,397]

Good one.

Edited July 25, 2016 by F.I.N.I.S.H.E.R

[Penguin40 1,714]

That's an epic piece. Good job! Hope you do a third which you will definitely judging from that last paragraph.

[Destrod 2,634]

You had to didnt you. You had to name him Arya. 

[NERF836 202]

Any more parts?

[Guest]

Any more parts?

Can't believe you actually raised this from the dead... :mellow:...Guess I'll have to complete the series now? :P

[I3.R.0 1,700]

Another nug is back to ruin AWS. First it was the Shorts and now this :ph34r:  :ph34r: :mellow:

[Guest]

Another nug is back to ruin AWS. First it was the Shorts and now this :ph34r: :ph34r: :mellow:

Brug...This is much older than Shorts :mellow:

[I3.R.0 1,700]

Brug...This is much older than Shorts :mellow:

xAxA I know that....But still, this is deez nuts..Arya..name does not suit a person like goldy

[I.G4M3R 121]

Nice story + funny too !  :lol:

[LargeBlob 12]

Nice story. It shows that it's written by beaku.