Treasure Hunter: The Seventh Tide of Andaman

Chapter 13 – The Silent Island

S ome places don’t speak loudly.
They don’t need to.

Because silence—
when it’s deep enough—
starts revealing things.

🌿 Neil Island

Morning felt… different.

Not rushed like yesterday.
Not excited either.

Controlled.

As if we all knew—
we had crossed something.

🌅 Leaving Havelock

We checked out early.

“6:30 ready thakben,” the hotel staff reminded.

“Ferry miss hole next ta late.”

“Noted,” I said.

Subho Kaku already awake.

“Breakfast packed,” he declared.

Consistency.

I respect that.

The road to the jetty was quieter than before.

Less traffic.
Less noise.

But inside—
more thoughts.

⛴️ The Second Crossing

Inter-island ferry

This ferry felt calmer.

Or maybe—
we were calmer.

Seat arrangement similar.

Window — Ishani Di
Beside her — Arindam Da
Across —
Window — Me
Beside me — Subho Kaku

“Today wave kom,” I said.

“Or you’re used to it,” Arindam Da replied.

Maybe both.

🌊 The Quiet Sea

No sudden jerks.
No panic.

Just steady movement.

Sea stretched endlessly again.

But this time—
I wasn’t looking at it for beauty.

I was thinking.

Patterns.
Clues.
Sequence.

And one question—

“Why this route?”

🧠 Arindam Da Thinks Aloud

“They’re not random islands,” he said.

“Port Blair… Havelock… now Neil…”

“All historically connected.”

“How?” I asked.

“Movement,” he said.

“Transfer points.”

“Colonial routes.”

Ishani Di added softly—

“People moved like this too.”

“Not by choice.”

That stayed.

🌿 Arrival

Neil Island appeared slowly.

Smaller than Havelock.

Less crowded.

More… still.

Jetty simple.

People fewer.

No rush.

“Eta beshi shanto,” Subho Kaku said.

“Yes,” I replied.

“Too shanto.”

🚗 Island Vibe

Our driver greeted us.

“Welcome to Neil.”

Roads narrower.

Green everywhere.

Small houses.

Fewer shops.

No chaos.

No distraction.

Perfect place—
to hide something.

🏨 Check-in

Coco N Huts

Simple property.

Cottages.

Open space.

Less network.

More silence.

“Network kom,” I said.

“Good,” Arindam Da replied.

“For what?” I asked.

“Focus.”

I didn’t argue.

😄 Rit Reality

“Content upload korbo kibhabe?” I muttered.

“No distraction,” Ishani Di smiled.

“Nature enjoy koro.”

“Views diye rent debe?” I replied.

She laughed.

That helped.

🌊 First Stop – Natural Bridge

Natural Bridge Neil Island

We reached around noon.

Tide low.

Rock formations visible.

People walking carefully.

Sharp edges.

Hidden pools.

“Careful,” driver warned.

“Slip korben na.”

👣 Walking the Rocks

Every step—
calculated.

Not like beach.

Rough.

Unforgiving.

“Eta dangerous,” I said.

“Or natural,” Arindam Da replied.

Same thing sometimes.

Ishani Di moved slowly.

Looking at textures.

Patterns.

Not just the view.

She stopped suddenly.

👁️ The Pull

“Rit…”

That tone again.

I walked toward her.

“Ki holo?”

She pointed.

A section of rock—
slightly different.

Less weathered.

More… defined.

⚡ The Discovery Begins

I crouched.

Touched the surface.

Rough.

But not random.

Lines.

Very faint.

“Dada…” I called.

Arindam Da came.

Knelt.

Looked closely.

Didn’t speak immediately.

Then—

“This is it.”

🔍 The Coral Bridge Secret

The carving was incomplete.

Or broken.

But enough remained.

Initials.

Two letters.

Barely visible.

“E… R…” I read slowly.

Ishani Di froze.

“That’s from the diary.”

Yes.

Same initials.

Same hand.

Same presence.

🧠 The Missing Name

“Problem holo…” I said.

“There’s no official record.”

Arindam Da nodded.

“Exactly.”

“That’s the point.”

“What point?” I asked.

“That someone existed…”

“And was erased.”

Silence.

Wind moved lightly.

Sea in the distance.

But here—
something felt closer.

👁️ That Feeling Again

I stood up.

Looked around.

Fewer people here.

More space.

More visibility.

And still—

That feeling.

Not seeing.

But sensing.

❤️ A Quiet Moment

Ishani Di stood beside Arindam Da.

Looking at the carving.

“Do you think he wanted to be found?” she asked.

He replied softly—

“No.”

A pause.

“He wanted the truth to be found.”

She looked at him.

Different this time.

Deeper.

Because this—
wasn’t just history anymore.

😄 Rit Grounding

“Okay… so let me summarize,” I said.

“We have a ghost freedom fighter…”

“No records…”

“But full trail across islands…”

“Great.”

Subho Kaku smiled.

“Golpo ta interesting hochhe.”

“Dangerous o,” I added.

No one disagreed.

🔚 End Hook

As we stepped back—
one thing became clear.

This island wasn’t just quiet.

It was hiding something.

Carefully.

Patiently.

And now—
we had found another piece.

But the more we found—
the more one truth emerged.

This wasn’t just about discovering something forgotten.

It was about uncovering something—

that someone had tried very hard—

to erase.

❄️ To Be Continued…