The Forgotten Gateway
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Bishwadeep Mukherjee
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Chapter - 2
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In Search of the Uncertain
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Maria had just returned to the office after covering a news story when her phone rang. She answered the call, remained silent for a few seconds, and simply said, "Alright," before hanging up.
She turned to the cameraman, Kunal, and said,
"Drop the footage off at table number four with Deep Da."
After giving the instruction, Maria entered a room. The walls of the room were lined with numerous drawers. She took out a key from her jeans pocket, unlocked a drawer, and placed the microphone she was holding inside. Locking the drawer again, she put the key back into her pocket and left the room, heading straight toward the news editor’s office.
Knocking lightly on the glass door, she asked,
"May I come in, ma’am?"
Shipra Sen, the news editor of News X, was engrossed in her laptop. Lifting her head, she looked at Maria.
"Maria! Please, come in."
Maria entered and took a seat across from her.
"Did you complete the news coverage?" Shipra asked.
"Yes, ma’am. The footage has been submitted for upload. I just need to write the script now."
"Good. What’s your next assignment?"
After a brief pause, Maria replied,
"I haven’t taken up any assignment yet, ma’am. I actually have a request. I need a few days off."
"Well, no problem at all. You haven’t taken a leave in a long time anyway. Just email me an application, and I’ll approve it," Shipra said.
"Thank you, ma’am. Thank you so much." A bright smile spread across Maria’s face.
"I still remember the last time you took a leave, Maria. Even then, you didn’t step away from your duty. You kept sending us news updates from there."
"Yes, ma’am. I don’t feel at peace unless my doubts are cleared. Even on this break, if I find any newsworthy information, I will surely report it. You see, ma’am, reporters don’t get real vacations because news follows them wherever they go."
Finishing her words, Maria stood up, took Shipra’s permission, and left.
After Maria walked out, Shipra turned her attention back to her laptop, a thoughtful expression on her face.
---
Maria Collins had been working at News X for about a year. She was twenty-four years old, tall, and slim, with short bob-cut hair. Her skin was dark, but she had an undeniably sweet face. Her ears were slightly longer than usual, earning her the nickname "Lady Buddha" among her colleagues.
Within a short time, Maria had made a name for herself at News X. She had started as a general reporter but had now become a well-known investigative journalist. Despite her growing reputation, she remained humble. She believed in hard work as the key to success.
Leaving the office, Maria retrieved her car from the parking lot and drove home. She always drove herself.
Maria's mother had passed away when she was very young. Her father had remarried, but societal prejudices still persisted, and she had never gotten along with her stepmother. As a result, Maria was raised at her maternal uncle’s house.
She had faced many insults regarding her dark skin. Her mother, too, had been dark-skinned, but Maria's complexion was even darker. Her father never truly favored her, possibly because she was a girl. After remarrying, he had all but abandoned her, and her uncle had taken her in.
Maria lived in an apartment on the tenth floor with her cousin, Catherine Walker. Catherine was younger than Maria and still in college. Though her skin tone was similar to Maria’s, her features were even more beautiful.
As soon as Maria rang the doorbell, Catherine opened the door.
"You're home early today?" Catherine asked.
"I have to leave for a few days,"
Maria replied, tossing her shoulder bag onto the sofa and taking a few sips of water from a bottle on the center table.
"Where are you going?" Catherine asked again.
"Outside Kolkata. Actually, not just Kolkata—out of West Bengal."
This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.
After speaking, Maria glanced at herself in the mirror hanging on the wall before heading into the washroom.
Since Maria often had to travel outside Kolkata for work, Catherine wasn’t too surprised and didn’t ask any further questions.
When Maria came out of the washroom, she told Catherine, "I have to go out now. I’ll be back in about two hours."
"Will you have lunch before you go?"
"No, I’ll eat outside."
With that, she picked up her bag and left.
---
At a restaurant in Esplanade, Maria sat across from Arko.
Arko Lahiri was Maria’s close friend—almost her boyfriend. He was involved in multiple businesses, though Maria wasn’t entirely sure what his primary business was. However, he often provided her with confidential information—whether political or otherwise.
Maria enjoyed Arko’s company. He was a cheerful guy, and she had never seen him stress about anything.
Both had large glasses of cold coffee in front of them.
Taking a sip, Maria asked,
"How reliable is this news, Arko?"
Arko widened his eyes at her.
"Have I ever given you false information? Then why the doubt?" He smirked. "Madam, this news is as true as the sun, the moon, and—our love."
"Uff! Don’t joke, Arko. I need to book my reservation."
"But be careful, Maria. Everything is happening in secrecy. No media outlets have caught wind of it yet. Honestly, I think you’re taking too big a risk by going this far."
By now, Maria had finished her cold coffee. She wiped her lips with a tissue and looked at Arko.
"If I was afraid of risks, I wouldn’t be doing this job. I know I’m not doing anything wrong. I earn my living honestly. I know my Jesus is with me."
"In that case, you’re not going alone, Maria. I’m coming with you. The place is quite far. God forbid if anything happens, you’ll be completely alone. And as far as I know, you don’t have any relatives there to help you."
Maria smiled at him. Holding his hands in hers, she said, "No one has ever cared for me this much before, Arko. I’m not used to it."
"Then get used to it, because from now on, I’m here for you."
---
The Stellar Nexus main building was about five kilometers from the launch pad. The company had designated vehicles and buses to transport staff between the main building and the launch pad.
Near the launch pad was another large building where various technical operations took place, and astronauts underwent training.
Mr. Bhaskar Sharma, the project manager for the upcoming lunar mission, was extremely busy. Soon, a spacecraft would launch toward the moon from the Stellar Nexus launch pad.
He had already received a call from the main building regarding Shubhankar Debnath. A company vehicle transported Mr. Debnath to the launch pad.
As soon as he entered the launch pad’s building, he came face-to-face with Ishika Banerjee.
"Mr. Debnath! You’re here? I thought you were supposed to go with Sir." Ishika asked Shubhankar Debnath.
"I'm not going, Ishika. I've joined the lunar mission. From now on, I'll be staying here," Mr. Debnath replied.
"Any particular reason for not going?" Ishika asked again.
As they spoke, the two of them walked toward the elevator. Once inside, Ishika pressed the button for the fourth floor and looked at Mr. Debnath with a questioning gaze. He nodded in agreement—he needed to go to the fourth floor as well.
"My health isn’t in the best condition, Ishika. Surviving in that extreme cold for an indefinite period isn’t something I can manage," Shubhankar Debnath said.
"That means a spot just opened up," Ishika remarked.
"Are you interested in going?" Mr. Debnath asked, looking at her.
By then, they had reached the fourth floor. The elevator doors opened, revealing three corridors leading in different directions—straight ahead, to the right, and to the left.
"I need to go to the psychological training room, Mr. Debnath. Where are you headed?" Ishika asked.
"You haven’t answered my question, Ishika," Mr. Debnath reminded her.
After a brief pause, Ishika replied,
"If I weren’t the captain of the lunar mission, I would have definitely gone."
To be continued…
