Rakesh told me that Shruthi will prepare breakfast for me also.I was happy that I could have some home-cooked food. I left for the office and in the e...vening around 4 pm, I got a call from Rakesh. He has to leave to his native Kanpur as his father met with an accident. As Shruthi already vacated from her PG due to her on-site, he requested me that she will stay in our room.I was so excited and told him that I don’t have any issue. He shared her number to me and messaged me that my number is also. . you died in my arms minutes before I could bring you to Mother ... and now she’s dead too.”“She is ... but really she isn’t. I can feel her even now, resting. She was so very old and tired! She lives on in me now, and as a part of this very hill, as does her own Mother before her as well. She’ll never really ever completely pass but forever become a small part of this hill and island, her memories passed on downwards to her daughter, the next Mother.”“Which is you ... you’re now ... Mother?”. " Perhaps." I doubted it. I still didn't know how the Chinese figured into all this, but the fact that the only two people in the world who were capable of beating one of Hastings' bodyguards just happened to be in the same place as Talibah's mother when Mei went to get her was just too coincidental.Talibah remained silent until we were once again headed south and beginning to see the snow covered peaks of the Austrian Alps in the distance."What do you think of the Islamic religion, Darren?". * * * * * Fourth Challenge Friday morning, Denise awoke feeling exhausted and concupiscent. As she lay in bed deciding if she wanted to get up or to try to go back to sleep, she remembered her latest dream. She was in a small bar, dancing with two men, men she thought she knew. They were playing a game of strip dancing. She didn’t know the rules, but whenever one of the guys pointed out that she was out of step, she had to remove a piece of clothing. She wore only a skirt, blouse, hold-up.