Chapter 16 – Sunset Message

Treasure Hunter: The Seventh Tide of Andaman

Chapter 16 – Sunset Message

S ome messages are written in ink.
Some—
in stone.

And some—
wait for light.

🌊 Laxmanpur Beach

By late afternoon—
the island changed color.

Neil Island always felt quieter than Havelock.

But evenings here—
felt almost unreal.

Slower.
Softer.

As if time itself—
became careful.

🌅 The Road to Sunset

“Today no mystery for one hour,” I announced dramatically while getting into the vehicle.

“Only sunset.”

“Dekha jak,” Subho Kaku replied.

Meaning:
he didn’t believe that for even two seconds.

We left around 4 PM.

Roads nearly empty.

Green trees arching over narrow roads.

Occasional scooters.
Small tea stalls.
Children playing cricket beside open fields.

Very different from mainland India.

Less noise.
Less urgency.

And somewhere between those roads—
the mystery kept moving silently beside us.

❤️ The Quiet Between Them

I sat in front beside the driver this time.

Behind me—
Ishani Di and Arindam Da.

Subho Kaku at the last seat—
already discussing fish prices with the driver.

“Pomfret ekhane mainland-er cheye bhalo,” he declared confidently.

No one asked.

Still—
he continued.

Behind me—
silence.

Not awkward silence.

Their silence.

I noticed in the mirror—
Ishani Di resting her chin lightly near the window.

Wind moving strands of her hair.

Arindam Da watching outside too.

Then suddenly—
without a word—
he reached out slightly.

Moved a loose strand of hair away from the edge of her camera strap.

Small gesture.
Natural.

But careful.

Ishani Di looked at him for one second longer than usual.

Didn’t say thank you.

Didn’t need to.

🌊 Arrival at Laxmanpur

The beach opened slowly before us.

Long shoreline.
Wide sky.

Far fewer crowds than Radhanagar.

People walked slowly here.

Nobody rushed sunsets.

The sea stretched endlessly—
silver-blue beneath falling sunlight.

“Wow…” I muttered automatically.

Even Arindam Da stopped walking for a moment.

And that says a lot.

📸 Ishani Di in Her Element

This—
this was her space.

Not cities.
Not hotels.

Moments.

She moved ahead slowly with her camera.

Not photographing people.

Not selfies.

Textures.
Shadows.
Broken shells.
Wet reflections.

Stories nobody else notices.

A small girl nearby asked her mother—

“Maa, ora ki movie shoot korche?”

I almost answered—
“Emotionally yes.”

😄 Tourist Interaction

A Bengali couple from Siliguri asked me—

“Bhai, ekta photo tule deben?”

“Professional quality chai,” the husband added seriously.

“Sir, amar moddhe hidden talent ache,” I replied.

Subho Kaku immediately joined—

“Hidden-i thakuk.”

Traitor.

🌅 The Light Begins

As sunset deepened—
the colors changed rapidly.

Orange.
Gold.
Burning amber.

Long shadows stretched across the beach.

And that’s when—
Ishani Di stopped.

Again.

That pause.

That instinct.

“Arindam…”

Not loud.
But immediate.

We walked toward her.

She pointed near a dark rock formation—
half buried in wet sand.

“At first I thought it was natural…”

She crouched lower.

“But now look.”

🔍 The Hidden Engraving

At first—
I saw nothing.

Just rock.

Then sunlight shifted.

One thin beam—
cut across the surface sideways.

And suddenly—
lines appeared.

Not scratches.

Engraving.

Precise.
Intentional.

I froze.

“Dada…”

Arindam Da knelt immediately.

Focused.
Silent.

Then—
his expression changed.

Again.

Not fear.
Not shock.

Recognition.

⚡ The Message in Light

The engraving wasn’t fully visible.

Only under that angle of sunset.

And slowly—
words emerged.

Incomplete.
Broken.

But readable.

“…when the seventh tide returns…”

Wind moved sharply across the beach.

My throat went dry.

Because we knew that line.

Almost.

“The truth lies beyond the seventh tide…”
I whispered.

Same phrase.

Same trail.

🧠 Arindam Da Realizes Something

“This isn’t just a phrase,” he said quietly.

“It’s instruction.”

“Timing-based.”

I frowned.

“You mean… actual tide?”

“Yes.”

He looked toward the sea.

“These clues activate through nature.”

Sunlight.
Reflection.
Water level.
Shadow.

Not random.

Designed.

👁️ Someone Watching Again

And then—
I felt it.

That same instinct.

I turned immediately.

Far behind us—
near the upper edge of the beach—

A silhouette.

Standing still.

Watching.

Again.

This time—
closer.

❤️ The Protective Shift

Ishani Di noticed my expression.

“What happened?”

I didn’t answer immediately.

Because Arindam Da already understood.

He stood up slowly.

Positioned himself slightly ahead of her.

Subtle.

Protective.

Always silent.

Always visible—
if you know where to look.

⚡ The Final Reveal

The sunlight weakened quickly.

And as the light shifted away—
the engraving began disappearing again.

Vanishing back into stone.

Like it had never existed.

But just before the last visible ray faded—

Another line appeared beneath it.

Fainter.
Smaller.

I moved closer.

Heart pounding.

And read slowly—

“…the page was torn before the crossing…”

Silence.

“What page?” I whispered.

No one answered.

Because we all knew.

The missing page.

🌌 Darkness Falls

Within minutes—
the engraving vanished completely.

Only stone remained.

Waves moved closer.

Sky darker now.

And suddenly—
Neil Island didn’t feel peaceful anymore.

It felt like something waiting patiently in the dark.

🔚 End Hook

Back near the pathway—
I looked behind one last time.

The silhouette was gone.

But the feeling remained.

Because now—
we knew something terrifying.

The diary was incomplete by design.

A page had been removed.

Deliberately.

And somewhere—
someone else—
might already have it.

❄️ To Be Continued…