1 The Jumper and Other Stories

The Jumper

Only .016 percent of the population acquire this rare mutation. Among those, only 40 percentage can make a Jump. A jump is an urban slang for teleportation and a Jumper is one who can teleport. I am a Jumper, but this isn't my story. This is the story of Madhav M a.k.a Mali. My idol and my best friend and how he became the best Jumper the world ever saw.

Though I thought of him as a close friend, He never considered me one. Ours was a chance encounter. We both were interns at a media library firm. I was far from home in a big city breathlessly crowded, surviving on meagre money in the times of recession. For me times were tough, but he never showed an emotion of remorse. He was the only vibrant color in the greasy black and white painting of the city.

Although we worked in the same firm, we never spoke until that night. It was Diwali and my craving for company ended me up in a lockup. The so called 'Friends' I spent my evening dragged me along to steal a scooter. We passed by a check point, four people adjusted in the pillion seat of a stolen scooter, two of them stoned and one throwing tantrums at the cops. It would be a miracle had they let us pass.

With all four of us caught, I was pulled separate from the group and was locked in a cell. I was never numb before. My hands were trembling, and my brain had turned to water and drained out of my ears. 'This would cost me my job, my savings, my life' I thought. My only option now was to jump this cell. I walked to the darkest corner of the cell and thought about my room.

'What are you doing?' My adjacent cell had a guy leaning against the bars, calm, his eyes hid behind his cap. I had a notion that I knew that guy. Ignoring him I re-established my focus but the banters from the inspector standing outside the cell made it impossible. He interrogated me, rather ragged me, my cries didn't shake him a bit. His words were intentioned to break me, he laughed every time I begged. He left leaving me more anxious than I was. This was indeed colonial way of treating aboriginals.

The guy in the adjacent cell offered me an escape only if I got him the jacket at the inspector's table. My friendliness and innocent cries made one of the constables melt. He gave me the jacket. I looked at the guy as he offered a hand through the bars which separated our cells. 'No one's watching, quick' he gestured to grab his hands. I was hesitant, didn't know what he was going to do. I grabbed his hand, Zoop.

The cell started to rotate counterclockwise, colors started to shift, I felt my body disintegrate into tiny particles of dust and then disappear, for a moment, I doubt I had a body. There was nothing beneath my feet, nor was I holding any hand or jacket. And after only a single rotation, it stopped, new colors had appeared around, I felt the grip holding my hand again and a sudden push of the floor beneath me. All had stopped. I collapsed on the floor. I was on a room not quite bigger than mine. It must have taken a 100th of a second. I knew this feeling as I felt it once in my childhood.

'Welcome to my room. B.T.W… I am Mali' He offered his hands adjusting the jacket on him. I know who he was from the beginning, but the cell was too much to process him. 'Hi…. Deb' I replied shaking his hand.

He suggested me to ask every question I had in my mind which I did rigorously. He told me my act of focusing in the dark corner gave away the fact that I was a Jumper. The one who hadn't jumped in years. 'It was class 8th when I first made a jump, I was…. Locked, in a broom cupboard' I told him everything, How I discovered my powers, How I feared it and how I wished to never do it again. Talking to him came easy. After years I was decluttering all the negative emotions I had.

'You are looking at the wrong side of the coin' he said 'It's not a curse, but rather a gift'. His words encouraged me. I intreated, to help me Jump again. Rather he showed me things which was far beyond my imagination.

That road lead us to the outskirts of the city, far beyond the city dam and into a forest. 'The land is a government property for fisheries, lucky for us fishes are least of their concern'

'Why are we here?' I asked

'To unleash our full potential' He replied 'let's start with the basics'

Lesson 1: The How

'To able to jump, you must first forget all about it. Superheroes in comics jump miles with ease, that's bullshit.' Mali began 'As all creatures in the universe, we have our limitations. An ordinary Jumper cannot jump more than five kilometers, a trained one on the other hand has a jump radius of 20-30 kilometers.'

'So, where do I begin?' I questioned

'From the very start. Let me ask you, how do you think this process works?'

'Hmm, you close your eyes, think of a place, imagine yourself there and you Jump' I replied

'Ok' he said dissatisfied 'So, lets imagine a small room, a bathroom, with yellow walls, having all items a bathroom has, taps, faucets, a bucket full of water and a small skylight. You were five when you last saw it, and over the years, it's been restructured to a storage room without your knowledge, all the taps, faucets removed, buckets replaced with heavy cartons, skylight shut closed with black mould taking over the yellow walls…'

'Now if I tell you to teleport to the bathroom, with your method, will you be able to?'

'No' I answered thoughtfully

(Mali) 'Because it's not...' 'The same place I imagined it to be' I interrupted

'Exactly' He smiled

'So, how would I…'I asked puzzled

'That's were Law come's in' He continued 'As the coordinates of a particular location remains unchanged and independent of time, our law for a location is same as it first was.'

'What's a law?' I asked

'Law is an energy of a place only a Jumper can feel. It's not positive or negative energy, it is just energy. Every location has its own law hence the name. And every Jumper can feel it. A normal one would have a range of 10 meters, meaning he would only be able to feel the law around 10 meters of his body and thus teleport within this range. Experienced Jumpers have up to 500 meters of range, they can feel the law up to 500 meters of open space around their body'

'what about advanced Jumpers who can jump 20-30 kilometers?'

'They too can sense up to 500 meters only, but if they have been in a place before and have sensed it law, they can Jump to that place if it is within their Jump radius'

'Remember a law radius is the distance till which you can sense a new location's open space law. A Jump radius is the farthest you can Jump with the knowledge of the law of a place'

He stood me beneath a tree facing forward. 'I want you to teleport beneath that tree' He pointed to the tree a couple of feet Infront of mine. 'Remember, feel the law and Jump'

'I closed my eyes, focused on the energy and…nothing'

For hours I stood there trying, but it was in vain. My efforts were pointless, neither did I move an inch, nor did I feel any energy. I doubt I ever jumped.

'I don't think it's going to work' I gasped

'Let's try a different approach' He came to me, bent down and held my ankle.

(Deb) 'what will this d….' Zoop

I found myself far off the ground, hanging. Mali was standing steady on the branch of the tree holding me upside down by the ankle. 'I'm going to lose you, focus on the law and you reach the floor, alive'

His words gave me a shock. I was definitely not going to survive a fall this high.

'NO! are you…' It was too late, I was already falling, my heart pumped thrice as fast and my mind computed every possible outcome within fractions of seconds, time has slowed down. With my inverted body falling at high speed, I saw the same tree where I was told to teleport. Only this time, I felt like I was already there, a feeling of Déjà vu. Which come and went in continuous waves, like a pulse. As the wave of Déjà vu hit me again I closed my eyes let focused. Zoop

As the floor pushed beneath my feet, I opened my eyes. I was there, at the target tree, my hand laying over its trunk. The sound of applause approached me. I turned around

'Congratulations, you have made you first Jump after years'

As mad I was at him, I was also delighted with joy for the deed I just did. I gave him a look which he acknowledged with a smile.

'I really did Jump' I sighed 'That was stupid by the way…really stupid'

'The law is a subconscious thing' He spoke examining the target tree 'Until you know how to control it. You stood for hours focusing on this tree, so when you were in real danger, your subconscious saw this tree's law as a safe haven and you made a jump'

His method was weird. Dangerous, I would say. But very effective. I stayed there sprawled, thinking what else did he has under his sleeves

'Stand up! We have got miles to jump' He commanded

Every week we went to the forest, and with each week, I grew stronger. He taught me different ways we can use a jump, not only for defense but offense. He told me to free my mind of any limitations and explore.

'Jumping is not just spatial travel as most of us think, Under the eyes of skilled tactician it can be used in many innovative manners.'

Lesson 2: Baggage Jump

'If you can Jump, you can make someone, or something Jump with you. I call it the baggage jump.'

'For a normal Jumper, it's not hard to Jump with a baggage 3.5 times his own weight. A trained one on the other hand can make a jump with 10 times their body weight. That's not the limit, I have heard about Jumpers jumping with 20 tonnes'

'you met such Jumpers?' I asked

'No, But I believe it's possible' He answered

'How do you know all this?'

'I... travel a lot' there was hesitation in his tone

'Where are you from?' I followed

'Maybe we should focus on the important part' He replied with an angst 'Start with this'

He pointed at a heavy log almost twice my height and commanded me to jump at the target tree with it. I took embrace to the log, tried lifting its one end but every time I jumped, it was me alonr who got to the tree. My inability to move the log along with Mali's constant reminders about focus irked me

'Focus, don't panic. Panic would take you nowhere, be calm and focu….'

'It's easier said than done' My voice was filled with rage

'I know it's tough Deb' He said calmly 'But if you not focus you will lose'

'This log weighs a hundred kilos; it is me who is trying to lift this not you. If you really want to teach, why don't you show me how to move this'

For seconds he stood there with a blank face, As I expected, he had nothing to say. He turned back, went to a nearby Sal tree, pressed against its trunk with his hands and looked at me. Zoop.

There was a loud crack, there was no Mali there, nor any sky touching Sal tree, just an empty pit with cracks, as if something inside the earth has collapsed.

I heard a sharp crack up in the sky, as if someone has lashed a fine stick in the air. I looked up, it was a falling tree, I know it was meters long, but it looked like a tiny pin in the sky, far above the reach of any other trees. It kept falling as my eyes stayed glued to it. Crash. A thunderous thud issued as the tree filled an empty ground in the forest. The whole tree was longer than I thought. Bigger than I thought.

I felt a wheeze behind me. It was Mali looking at the fallen unearthed tree. 'Anger will take you to abyss' He said in a deep voice. 'Focus my friend' He looked at me 'Remember, Focus'

After that day I never challenged him, nor did I ask about his past. His methods were dangerous but effective. He taught me flip jump, where you change your body position, gesture and orientation all at once while Jumping. Jump standing on the ground and emerge in air inverted in a back-flip position. Or jump with a vault towards someone and emerge behind him with a round house kick. Very useful for hand to hand combat.

Flash jump was another weapon in our arsenal. A series of multiple close-range jumps within the vicinity faster than an eye can catch. Useful for disarming an armed gang surrounding you.

Mix these two and you have flash-flips. Burst of jumps with kicks and punches to tackle multiple attackers at once. Affective in a street gang attack.

Lesson 3: Swap Jumping

'As the name suggests, two jumpers swap their position with each other. It's a symbiotic jump. It's not an easy technique to master, mind you. But once mastered you will be surprised by its versatility.' He explained

This was the toughest of all the techniques he taught me. By this technique a user can not only swap with someone but can jump to location where the other person is just by sensing a person's personal law. A personal law was the energy every jumper emitted. Unlike a Déjà vu sensation for a law of a place, it was a unique ring, a vibrating sound that you heard while sensing a jumper. Like a defining voice of person.

As unique it was, it was also rare and dangerous. Any jumper, had he sensed your personal law once, can jump right in front of you if you fall under his jump radius. Invasion of privacy and a danger to life. It took months for me just to recognize Mali's personal law.

This was the last lesson he gave, after this we continued to visit the forest every week for our practice and sharpening our skills. A guy who couldn't jump an inch was now an expert on flash flips. Mali on the other hand was better than me in every technique, flash-flips, baggage jumps, swaps. But his defining ability was long Jumps. He was able to Jump up to 150 kilometers with me as a baggage. What I saw as a grandeur move, he saw as a simple upgrade. He always wanted to Jump longer than he did. His hunger for excellence was insatiable.

'What is the longest Jump you have ever made?' I asked, we were sitting on a fallen eating.

'167 kilometers' He stopped but I kept looking at him intending him to tell more.

'It was decades ago. In a very distant land' He went silent

'What is that you intend to reach, how far?' my questions continued

'You see there are six levels of jump. Flash steps which we do in a vicinity of 10 -15 meters. Another is field skips where you jump or ''skip'' a field almost 1-3 kilometers in radius. Then comes City hops, where you jump an entire city, 100-200 kilometers. This is what I can do until now. What comes next is a cross-over jump, crossing state borders and travelling inter states, 500-1000 kilometers. '

'This is what you want to do?' I asked amazed

'there are two more demons in the list' He replied 'one is Geo-leaping, jumping across a country at one go, 5000-10000 kilometers of range. The other is intercontinental shift, a jump beyond 50,000 kilometers'

'What if you exceed this range? Is there anything beyond?'

'Our abilities progress exponentially' He answered, 'If you calculate accordingly than, maybe you can perform an inter dimensional jump, or maybe Jump to different planet, maybe to the future.'

(Deb) 'Is this even....' 'Possible?' he completed 'I have no idea, till now it is just a theory, but even the strangest theories sometimes come true'

'where do you read all this' I asked suspiciously

'As I said, I travel…a lot' He smiled

After a year of training, he left. Where? He never told and I never asked. I remained in the big city, switching jobs, working for hours, paying bills. The city never changed; it was still as stinky as its people. But my view of it changed, with its every flaw, I saw an opportunity. Mali wrote letters to me every two to three weeks, detailing a list of targets. These were the capitalist bourgeoisies of the colonial regime. Outlanders who captured our land by trickery and made us slaves.

My skills were vested upon small battles against this regime. Among the few people who fought for the cause, I stood resolute. These people didn't have psionic senses like me but had a bold heart and a will for change, only thing this country needed.

My work at the office was accounting and expense management. My real job was an amalgamation of minor illicit affairs. Contraband, theft, kidnapping of affluent, and illegal immigration. All this without them knowing what I did or how I did it. I promised Mali I would never reveal my powers intentionally and would use it only for the greater good. I had few small lapses though. Once I left an inspector locked at a subway repair room. I found him extort money out of a little labor boy. He was the same Inspector who interrogated me at the lockup years ago. He was found by authorities three days later, his pants leaking faeces.

A month passed, but I didn't get any letter from Mali. I wondered if he was alive. That night I couldn't sleep I wondered how he would had died. And if he is dead, what will be next for me. In the wee hours of a rainy morning, I heard a wheeze outside my door. It was not the wheeze of anyone I know. I saw the shadows in the lightning outside the door. With hesitation, I unlocked.

The face was full of studs. Metal piercings. It had no hair, no eyebrows, not even eye lashes. It seemed like a face of a women but some of its features said otherwise. On its side stood a man, Ink lines crossing his face in a symmetric pattern.

'Hi, I'm El, and this is my brother Em' He said

At first, I thought they came for a tattoo salon's promotion. But they were no salon artists, they were jumpers. They informed me about the upcoming war and how our peoples government, whatever was left of it, is calling all jumpers for his aid. This was the greater good. A fight against the colonials.

'Think all aspects only then come' El warned 'God forbid, this could be your last time alive' El grabbed Em 'BYE Bye' They left with the same wheeze as they came.

In three days, I reached the base camp at Urdthala, in the far north of the country. There I met Colonel Shankar, He introduced me to the troops and then took me to a small bunker. Inside the bunker stood Em and El with their distinct body arts and a familiar face, calm, his eyes hid in the dark. 'Hi Deb'

It was like meeting your elder brother after years. He hadn't changed a bit.

'No names!' Colonel exclaimed 'From this point till the mission's end, we will address each other with your force names' 'Deb you will be Tokyo, you have already met Em and El. And to your right is Mali and we have a fifth brother, Veazel. You will meet him soon'

'Can't we choose our own names?' I asked

'Note this in your mind, Tokyo. The government think you as weapons not humans. it's for your safety that AFC allocated you names. Do co-operate and never question AFC. Assertive?'

I was told this was aboriginal people forming a government. But this was something else 'Yes, sir!'

I came to know, only a fraction of government knew about Jumpers. This fraction took to our safety in exchange for our abilities. Armed Forces against Colonials or AFC was the military. AFC became my new family, a band of countless brothers who treated me as their own.

We were flying above the clouds, beneath us was Silent valley. In the cargo section were five jumpers, Em, El, Mali, me and Veazel. His attire was stranger than his name, Veazel, had a blank face mask without any eyes, mouth or holes. He was covered from head to toe, like a walking latex suit.

We left the plane, all five of us falling, wind pressure at this speed could make anyone unconscious. As we passed the blanket of clouds, a burning war zone appeared. Tiny clouds of fire burst all over the valley at random. We performed a HALO jump. High Altitude Low Opening. Deployed high above the enemies' radar and at low altitude Jumped into the ground.

At the ground, our first mission was to blow up the watch tower situated a kilometer away. Since it was a closed structure, nobody was able to sense its law. Em took out a rifle, sensed the bullet, loaded it and shot straight at the tower room. He then took out a grenade and Fizz. Within seconds, he came back and watched the tower. The tower blew up to pieces as the grenade inside detonated.

That day I experienced his powers, Em's Jump was beyond sensing laws. It was an Infused Jump. You bind your law with an object, here a bullet, and you can jump wherever the bullet goes. His Jump was also unique. Instead of a Zoop, it was a fiz leaving behind a wave of yellow smoke.

El, was a master of Baggage jumps, He would jump with tanks, smashing one over the other. Mali was expert in long open space jumps. He was fast, agile and a clever tactician. Like Mali, Veazel too had a sharp mind, their plans often clashed with one another. Apart from possessing a high spatial intelligence, he had a unique jump style. He would swirl and disappear.

As far as I know, there are three methods of Jump. Disintegration of particles and its integration somewhere else. What me, El and Mali used. Desolation and reformation, where a body along with its memories and conscious is destroyed to the level of nothingness and then a new body with same feature, memories and consciousness is formed out of thin air someplace else. This technique was used by Em. He died with every jump and was born with every emersion.

Veazel used a rare technique called Phase-shifting. He would swirl and enter a void dimension. This dimension had nothing but the laws of our world. He would move in this dimension to a point and emerge out of it in our dimension far away from the point he entered the void. This was his inbuilt Jump style. Thus, he was able to teleport/Jump only part of his body to a target. A punch standing far away, or a kick. His signature move was tearing throats. He would swirl, jump to the target, pinch his throat with metal claws and swirl, jump back. The target would collapse oozing rivers of blood out of a tear which once had a throat. And Veazel would come back with a bloody deplumed pipe like organ.

He was the most brutal among us. Although he was one of us, we feared him, In one way or another. Except Mali. He saw him as a competition. But as fierce their internal rivalry was, they always stood for one another.

Through the years we grew close, every fight we made new brothers and every other we lost families. We fought in burning deserts, survived poisonous forests and ambushed enemies on chilling winter nights. Sometimes we had food, sometimes only hope. We met Jumpers from around the country, some with us, some against. Some deemed invincible. Our brothers who survived were not the same anymore. Many lost their limbs, rendered useless, others lost state of mind, shell shocked they lost all their confidence. They even feared sleep. We five were the only constant force fighting.

I remember our last battle. Colonials outnumbered us, it was a never ending shrill of gunshots, bombs and screams when your body is blown apart. Blood and chemicals from bombs turned the river dark green and the ground muddy. Burning skin was all I could smell.

The valley was in chaos and our minds wandered for a way to stop the colonials from reaching the town beyond the valley. And on top of that a cargo plane carrying more than a hundred colonials was approaching the valley. I looked around, in the trench were injured soldiers, some reloading their rifles others praying. I looked up, Beyond the highest cloud, a small something approached us. 'It's here' I whispered in fear

'I have a plan' said Mali and Veazel in unison. For the first time, they were working together on a single plan. The plan, however, was not simple. That battle we used our creativity and potentials to the fullest. While Mali and Veazel fought on the ground, tricking the enemies to gather collectively. I, El and Em jumped up towards the cargo plane. Jumping up is much hard than jumping forward. Our strategy was complex, it would take a full lecture to explain. In simple words, as the colonials gathered together, El Jumped the cargo plane from far up above the clouds to just above their heads. The plane crushed them all and blew up with a deafening blast leaving behind a mush of blood bones and meat. Whoever was left, burned in the hellish fire that issued across the valley.

Till that day few states reclaimed their power back, forming aboriginal political parties. Many of the outlanders forming the colonial military, either left or were dead. For months we sat idle in our homes, without any battle or riot. Soon the aboriginals and colonials formed an alliance, promising equal powers. People of the country rejoiced but for us, it was bad news.

They captured El and Em, the new alliance ordered termination of all jumpers as they feared our rebellion. Mali topped their blacklist, next was Veazel. AFC was dissolved and a new military wing was formed with unexperienced outlanders and aboriginals. I remember the shots they fired at El and Em. Both nailed to the poles, straight side by side, drugged to avoid any Jump. I remember because I was there, watching the horror from behind a hill. I couldn't do anything, they were pinned, an attempt to Jump would kill them. Veazel stood beside me. I saw their heads moving, half-unconscious, I saw the soldier's formation, taking a stance, pointing rifles at them and shoot. Their heads were not moving now. El didn't had one to move.

I stayed on the hill, till the sunset. Unaware how to react, I didn't know where Mali was. Whether he was alive or dead. That evening we talked, me and Veazel. That evening, he took off his mask. He didn't have a face, just muscles and bone, like we see in a muscular system biology chart. His eyeballs were wide open, like in shock as he didn't have any eyelids.

'This is the penalty I get for achieving beyond limits.' He said

He explained how once he and his friend tried to perform a geo-leap, a Jump across 5000 kilometers.

'Did you do it?' still staring at his wide-open eyes.

'Yes, we did. Our destination was freezing Himalayas. But when I reached, the wind felt like prick. Like hundred thousand needles piercing my skin all over your body. I tried to close my eyes, I couldn't. That's when I realized what a jump so far had made me. I looked around for my friend hoping to save him, but there was nothing, just a body inside out. Like you invert a pant from inside. His organs, muscles, bones everything was visible, but his skin, nails and hair perched inside.'

He warned me, never to go beyond and left as the sun went down.

After a few months I received a letter. It was Mali, he was alive and wanted to meet me. After almost two years I met him, at the same forest where we once trained. He was changed, with a beard and grey hair he looked old.

We sat over an old fallen tree, when he told me about his new success. Apparently, he successfully Jumped 7000 kilometers, a Geo-leap. And was prepared for a continental shift.

I argued about his safety, the massacre of Jumpers by the alliance and their thirst for Mali. 'I know they want me. And one day they will find me and kill me. I want to be ready the day they cross my path, with everything done what I once wanted to do.' His eyes were full of hope. Something in me restrained from telling him about Veazel.

In the coming week we prepared for the jump. Established a start and end points. Planned for his survival, safety and endurance in another continent while still being at large. As the days passed, I noticed his madness, it was not excitement but obsession in his voice. He stared at his hands all night, jumped on to trees, deliberately hitting himself. But he spoke well, with a thought. He was not insane, yet.

On the last day we went to a cliff outside the forest.

'Still want to know how I know all this?' He said

'I thought you travelled' I replied vexed.

'I promise, when I reach the continent, I will write all about it to you.'

'I will wait for the letter' I replied without an expression.

As the sun touched the horizon, he ran towards the edge, leaped in the air and Zoop.

It all felt like a story, like I never met anyone named Mali, the war didn't happen, Like I never Jumped.

For months I waited for letter that didn't came. What came was a death warrant by the secret police on the name of Madhav M. a.k.a Mali. That was the first time I read his real name.

Seasons passed but nothing changed in the country. The new alliance granted rights to the very people, for whose freedom we fought, but both the alliance and people thought of us jumpers as pariah. We were never one of them, those who treated us as their own were already dead. After a year I fled the country.

Inside National Psych ward, common room

Doctor: 'Why come back after decades?'

Deb (in a wheelchair): 'Because thinks are normal now, they don't believe in Jumpers anymore'

Doctor: 'And what happened to Veazel?'

Deb: 'He took his life. He was a soldier, war was his life, with no war, he had nothing to look for'

Doctor: 'And Mali?'

Deb: 'I believe he is still alive, not in here, but somewhere'

Doctor: 'Why do you think that?'

Deb: 'Because I felt it, His jump was too powerful for a Continental shift'

Doctor: 'How did you get in a wheelchair?'

Deb: 'That is a very long story, longer than this one. Maybe I will tell you in our later meets'

Outside common room

Doctor: 'Do you believe him?'

Military officer: 'He is talking about teleportation. Do you think I do'?

Doctor: 'What about the war and AFC, whatever he told did existed once'

Military officer: 'Yes but it was long back, way before the great flood.'

Doctor: 'What about Veazel and Mali?'

Military officer: 'Maybe his imagination.'

Doctor: 'There must be some proof. I mean his story fits right if you see the history, Maybe Jumpers did exist somewhere in the past'

Military Officer: 'The only proof of his story which we could find was in the library of Synod. Which was burned to the ground in the soviet invasion decades ago.'

Doctor (Sighed): 'What should I do now?'

Military officer: 'He is yours, do what you do with your other patients'

--------------------------------------------------------------The End--------------------------------------

A long way home

While travelling amidst the beautiful farmlands, Sahil's mind was occupied with one thing and one thing only, the business conference that was about to happen in 20 hours. Rather at looking outside the window, he was looking straight towards the road on which he was travelling with his chauffer Cobb. Cobb was new to Sahil. Apart from driving a 75 Cadillac, Cobb was skilled in conversations especially funny ones. But he opted to be quite and avoid the tantrum that would come from Sahil if he cracked a bad joke. A job he was not very good at.

After travelling for hours in the countryside, Cobb stopped the car. 'What's happening? Why are we stopping' asked Sahil. His elegant cold voice demanded an explanation. 'The road is blocked sir, perhaps the land slide reached here before us' Cobb smiled looking back at Sahil who still was void of any emotions.

'Is this the only way to the city?' 1

'I guess there is another way, but we have to take a detour sir'

'How long will it take?'

'lets see, if we don't stop for refreshments and are lucky enough not to get such pleasant guests from the nature. Six hours at max'

There was a silence as Sahil looked outside to think.

'Do you want a detour sir?'

'Do you have any other options' Sahil commented.

'Haha..no I don't, but we'll be there on time, I guarantee that sir' Cobb told Sahil looking at him from the rear view mirror.

'One more advice sir, be sure to enjoy the ride, it will help you pass the time'

'Sure, it will' Sahil exclaimed under his breath.

After travelling for a couple of hours Cobb pulled the car by the side of the road. The reason was clear from the recent rattling of the engine. As he opened the hood to examine, a cloud of smoke busted out from the engine.

'What's wrong?'

'Oh, it's bad, its worst sir. Engines radiator is heated up, we have to repair it soon'

'How long?'

'The situations' really bad. I mean even if I took out half of the…' Cobb froze looking at the man who has just appeared from nowhere. Sahil turned back to see what had struck Cobb.

'Hello there, looking for a mechanic brother?'

'Are you one' Sahil asked

'Apparently I'm the only mechanic you will find within 30kms. hahaha' His laughter was as dusty as the rest of his appearance. One would have guessed a beggar if not a mechanic.

'Dum Dum diga diga mausam biga biga….' The mechanic sang while examining the car. Sahil and Cobb waited eagerly to know the problem.

'I smell something fishy sir' Cobb suggested Sahil who was consumed in his own thoughts. 'I don't trust him. Do you trust him'

'He is the only option we have got.' Sahil spoke looking upwards. On his mind was speech he has been preparing the whole week. Running a family business was tough, especially if there is feud among the brothers. This speech would change everything, for the business and for his family. Sahil was a perfect contender to his elder brother Sohail. Sohail who was 7 years elder wanted division of Singh industries. But their mother, Madam Singh, know division would only weaken the company.

Sahil understood the situation very well. But the scenario demanded sacrifices from Sahil. After their father's death, their mother wanted one of his sons to lead the whole company. An obvious choice was Sahil, but there was a problem. Sahil's vow of never getting married. For the company wanted a tie with Singhania industries and their daughter Neha was there end of the knot.

'Is there any place I can rest?'

'haaa…the nearest village is 100km brother. I suggest if you want to rest, go in the nature. This place only has one thing, beautiful sceneries'

The farther one looked, the farther the plans went. There was nothing there, nothing except valleys, trees and a wide blue sky. Sahil walked further to free his mind. The thought that his family business was hanging on his single decision stung him. He didn't want marriage. He didn't want any relationship besides his mother. He didn't dislike Neha; it was a different case altogether. Soon he reached a small tea stall.

'Have lights?'

'Which one you want, kings, goldflake'

'Malboro..mild' Sahil said looking around. It was odd for a tea stall to be in the middle of nowhere.

'Do you get customers here Bhaiya?' Sahil asked puzzled.

'yeah..a lot. The college students come here all the time'

'What college is it?'

'MGIT'

Sahil laughed in his head. The thought that a college with the same name as his college tickled his funny bone, or perhaps made him depressed.

'How far is the college?'

'Just walk straight towards the road and you will find it.'

'OK…How much for the lights?'

Sahil continued towards the road as different thoughts consumed him along with thoughts for the family business. He was stunned as he reached the road. The college MGIT resembled his college. Not only the structure, but even the colors and details were the same. The uncanny similarity made him more anxious.

'Am I going crazing? Why this college resembles my own, how can there be one in the middle of nowhere? Why did the Marlboro cigarette only cost Rs 10?'

'What do you want?' Asked the security guard as Sahil stood there, staring at the faraway building inside the giant metal gates.

'I am..I was a student here'

'Student?...Are you a teacher?'

'No….I m.., (Sir Are you a faculty member?)..yess…I am' Sahil was confused why he said what he said.

'Sir Can I see your ID'

'Actually I am here for���an Interview. I need to get inside on time. Could you please allow me?' He spoke without a stutter. Probably he was used to telling lies. Lies about his feelings, guilts and for putting up a happy façade all the time.

The college building was far inside the main gate. As he walked, with each step memories flooded his mind. Memories of old days, when he was truly what he wanted to be. His thoughts were disrupted by a student who ran into him.

'I'm sorry…sir'

'Its OK' Sahil replied confused 'hey..Is thi Mahatma Ga…?'

'Mahatma Gandhi institute of technology, Yes' replied the student

'And what is the date today?'

'its 12th November sir '

'Ok…..and…whats the year?'the student was taken aback as Sahil asked this question. '2013..'replied the boy puzzled.

'That's it' Sahil spoke excitedly 'The same college, the same name, cheap Marlboro. The year. This is the past…Im in the past!'His face reflected what he thought which made the student run.

Sahil was surprised what has just happened. But his happiness was short lived as he remembered the date.

'12th November?....does that mean' Sahil rushed towards the building. As he reached the third floor of the second building, he stopped outside a window to peep in. He was looking at a boy who was half asleep. He had the same eyes, the same nose without any suit or combed hair. It was indeed him.

The clocks ticked 5 and Sahil stood outside the building in a garden, waiting. His gestures suggested he was waiting for something rather important.

A trumpet of student broke the silence around the building. Sahil took a step closer to see someone or rather something. Among the crowd that rushed towards the entrance, a boy and a girl remained. Memories flooded in as he saw the boy talk to the girl. Sahil remembered the exact words he spoke as he confessed his feelings to the girl. It was like watching a memory from a third perspective.

While the boy talked and talked and finally there was a smile on his face. All this happened within minutes but for Sahil, it was like hours, He can feel each heartbeat that skipped, can see the vibrant face of the girl and even hear voices inside his head. This had happened before. It was Sahil's past witnessed by him again.

After the conversation the two went their separate ways. The ground reclaimed its silence and serenity. Sahil was now lying down in the same garden where few minutes ago, he stood watching his past repeat again. He hadn't felt that way since ages. It was like taking the first breath after being smothered for years. However, his feelings were short lived. If he was witnessing the start of his college relationship, He would witness the end too. The end that made him stone cold. He should have saved her; he would have had a different future.

The events went on to play in Sahil's mind like a movie. The start was great, they were happy at first, but things escalated quickly. A month later they started having trust issues, Sahil suspected that his girlfriend Maya was cheating on him. He had no proof, but their sentences would now start with 'Rishab' and end with 'get lost'. Maya tried to explain that although Rishab was her past, she never met him after high school. And the only guy she was close to was him. Days passed and a breakup-patch-up pattern began to emerge.

Not only Sahil had trust issues, but he felt insecure around her. He constantly thought why a beautiful girl like Maya would date a not so good-looking guy like him. Their relationship was a roller coaster ride which eventually ended abruptly with a phone call. It was raining heavily when Sahil was out with his friends and Maya called him. Her voice was trembling, with deep breath she tried to speak to Sahil. Sahil was still made due to recent discovery he had on her phone. She tried convincing Sahil, but her words fell on deaf ears.

'Whatever you do Sahil. I want you to know, That I love you. More than you think I do.' Her words projected deep emotions but Sahil's anger made him ignore all of them. These were the last words he ever heard. The next day it was all over media, a girl jumped from eleventh floor of an newly constructed building. It was declared a suicide.

Back at the garden, he woke up and saw a dense fog breached by the rays of warm sunlight. There were dew drops all over the grass he found himself in. 'Oh god did I slept all night?'

Walking round the vicinity in the early hours he saw something strange. Vyom Winter Fest 4 dec'13-8 dec'13.

'So I slept more than a day' Sahil whispered. It was December and the dry air made his cheeks red. He had skipped time, not in hours or days but weeks. As it read in the digital clock visible inside the building through the glass door. It was 5th of December 2013.

'No damn it! I wanted to experience all of us Maya' he whispered 'what's happening? Why have I skipped all those days, Why did I wake up on 5th….hang on, its today!' Sahil just realized today was his birthday.

He experienced all the emotions he once felt. As he witnessed all the events unfold on his birthday. The cake makeups, kiss at the library, a joy ride with friends, a surprise party at night and the sweetest gift he ever received from anyone yet. A video of Maya playing somebody's me on piano.

'Damn you, so beautiful I wish you were here to see this with me' But there was no one to listen. He laid back on the terrace floor thinking of good old days. Apparently, terrace was the only safe place he could look for to sleep. As he closed his eyes, he eagerly waited for the next day which would surprise him.

Unlike the cold morning that he found himself before, Sahil woke up in a scorching hot summer afternoon. A rather bad Idea for terrace sleepover. He was all wet in sweat and the sun made him feel the burn around his nape.

'God, what is today? ''Excuse me do you mind telling me todays date' Sahil asked a student as he came down the terrace. It was June 13th and he knew exactly why he came to this day.

'I'm not a fool Maya! Do you really think I will buy this shit coming from your mouth'?

'So, you are using this language with me. Are you seriously hearing yourself?'

It was half past 5 and the empty classroom was accompanied by echoes of tantrum young Maya and Sahil threw at each other.

'Please be quite you idiot' Present Sahil was talking to himself watching all this from a distance. 'Please don't escalate things' His gut feeling screamed to stop whatever was going on. 'This is last time you are seeing her alive please stop' Sahil's conscious spoke to him, 'Maybe I can make a difference, maybe I can save her' But it was too late. The argument was over. Maya stood there; head bowed as Sahil rushed out of the classroom banging the door on the way.

Present Sahil saw all this, he could feel the anger that his younger self felt. He remembered the way he left her alone once again to succumb to her problems. Sahil could do nothing, he stood there watching Maya.

Maya wiped his eyes and took her cell phone to call someone. 'We are screwed! That idiot won't listen'

'Of course, I cried a whole river, but that bastard, he won't buy.'

'You better stay out of this Rishab, this is my problem, I know how to handle that pig. And next time,before cursing at me, just think about what have I done for you and am doing to this day. You know what I can do to you'

Maya hung up, wiped her face, looked around went out. Her face was void of any guilt or pain. Sahil stood there frozen. He couldn't believe what had just happened. 'who was she? Was she the same Maya he loved so much that the guilt of her death made him aloof'?

Sahil pondered all night. The sequence played in his mind in a continuous loop. He was unable to think straight. 'Wait a minute, lets focus on what going on.' 'the first day was the day I proposed to Maya, the second day I was taken to my birthday, the third day was when we last saw each other…..If I am not wrong, each day signify an important day of my life. And each day I felt strong emotions. But what was up with Maya? Was she always like this? And why was the birthday a special day? He felt much stronger emotions on the day he kissed her lips '

After thinking straight for 10 minutes he came up with an explanation.

'Each day I saw what happened with me in the past, but I never stood long enough to know what happened to Maya in my absence.' 'So what happened on the first day and the second day after I got my way?'

'How can I know this…Oh god!..wait' Sahil just knew what he wanted.

It was easy for Sahil to break into his own house at night. Climb the sewer pipe from the back of the house until you reach the storage room window which is always open to let in cool breeze and people from the future. A pretty easy way in for a businessmen's house. He knew he was a fast sleeper and after whatever happened today, he was tired. He entered his own room counting each step knowing exactly where all things were lying. Grabbing the phone, he swiftly unlocked it with an inverted Z pattern. Whatsapp, Maya, media and video.

Sitting alone at the terrace of his own lavish house he watched the video of Maya playing piano. As soothing as it felt every time, he heard it in the past, it had lost its melody. Now he was looking for clues.

'I guess I can't go back to my birthday, but this is the only thing which is related to her.' The video showed Maya facing the camera, her hands moving smoothly below the screen making an impression of striking the keys on her electric keyboard. The video also captured a small wall mirror at the farthest end of the room which captured keyboard beneath the camera. This was the first time he was looking so closely, and he had a rather strange discovery. When zoomed on the mirror, he saw Mayas fingers danced in the air and never touched the keys.

'So, she never played the keyboard, she just acted like she did.' 'But he borrowed my money to learn Keyboard. Was all that fake? Why she needed that money' Sahil was more concerned about cause than the money. Why did she did so?

The next clue waited for him the next day.

He woke up on the park bench near his house exactly where he slept the night before. '3rd July 2013 the day she died' he spoke aloud reading the newspaper he just purchased. He was ready to do find all the answers today.

"Lavanya's Music classes" the place where she learned keyboard.

'Hello are you Lavanya?' he asked

'Yes, I am Lavanya, Do you need something' replied a middle age woman with a polite voice but a strict face.

'Hi I am Sahil. I am here to enroll my daughter for the music classes'

'I see no daughter' smiled the women

'Actually She is at home, I prefer asking all the details before enrolling her to..'

'You are quite a prudent dad' She said with a straight face 'I like your way, you show concern about her future, most parent just put them to classes' she laughed with a concern.

Sahil had only couple of hours in his hands, He couldn't afford losing any time.

'Oh, by the way, Maya recommended this place to me' he spoke after an awkward silence

'Maya?' women questioned 'Yeah the college girl with curly hairs, she joined last November? Right'

'I never taught anyone named Maya'

Sahil was convinced Maya was up to something. He was rushing towards her house thinking all the possible ways she would have used the money. She probably needed it for some house finances, or she must have donated it to charity. The longer he thought, the lamer the reasons appeared. As he reached Mayas house, He saw her leaving with a boy. He had no way but to chase them.

They reached a newly constructed building. One glance at it and Sahil realized what he was about to enter. The last memory. This was the building from which Maya Jumped to death. Was she forced by the guy to do so? Can I save her after all this? His mind was full of such questions

'So, you are here' said Maya in a mean voice

'I can't believe you are doing this, a girl to another girl' said another girl who waited for their arrival. Her eyes were red with all her mascara drooling down her cheek. 'I beg of you sister please don't do this'

'Just give the money and we will delete the MMS' replied Maya

'I can arrange only 25000 sisters please let it go' begged the other girl

'Whatever you did with that boy inside that room is worth more than lakhs if I sell it online' Said Maya in a piercing voice 'I am just offering you to pay 50,000'

'But I don't have 50,000. Believe me sister, I am from a poor family I beg you please. My parents will kill me I beg you please' Her tears fell to the ground as she used every way possible to persuade Maya.

'Let's just release the video, we will get more money' said the boy actively as if rehearsed.

Sahil knew exactly what was happening. Maya had somehow got an intimate video of the girl having intercourse. The boy and Maya were trying to extort money out of her.

'Let's upload it Rishab' Maya winked at Rishab smiling. Rain started to pour down as Maya and Rishab emotionally tortured the crying girl.

'It will not suffice, we need atleast 75000 to leave this city' roared Rishab

'let me try out something' Maya took her cell phone and dialed someone. As she put her phone to the ears, her face started to squinch. When someone answered she forced a fake sob and spoke 'Do you still remember me Sahil?'

Sahil was dumbfound. Is this Truly happened?

'Dumb luck. He won't listen to me. Have to use the girl now' Said Maya in an irritated pitch. The roar of rain suppressed the cries of the girl. But Sahil was counting every tear that fell. It was his tipping point.

'Stop it' screamed Sahil. His scream was enough to draw everyone's attention to him.

'Who the hell are you' choked Rishab.

Before Sahil could answer anything, the girl snatched the phone from Maya's hand and ran towards the terrace. Maya followed her while Rishab and Sahil stood there frozen.

'Stop you freak' screamed Maya. The girl ran and ran all the way up to the terrace. She was quick in pace and so was Maya. She was inches apart from grabbing her. They were at the edge of terrace and rain made the chase a lot worst. As they ran, Maya slipped, and her body went flying down until it stopped with a loud thud. Rishab and Sahil went to see what has happened. Sahil know exactly what did happen.

Fear filled Rishab's eyes, he ran all the way out of the building leaving all the money behind. Sahil looked at the girl who now seemed calm.

'Thank you, sir,' She said

'Take the money...and don't fool around with such losers' slammed Sahil

'I promise I won't' said the girl as she took the money and went away.

It was still raining and Sahil dragged himself out of the city. He passed a small tea stall (now closed) on his way out. As he walked further, his shirt dried up, dew on the grass disappeared and the fog started to clear. After few minutes he turned back to see it all go away with the fog. There was nothing there, there is nothing there.

He walked and walked until he reached his car, which was ready to take off.

'Enjoyed the nature sir' asked Cobb leaning against the hood of the car. 'I bet it was beautiful. You spent a lot of time out there sir' Cobb went on talking but Sahil was immersed in his own thoughts.

'Enjoy the ride brother. Hope I never see you again' smiled the mechanic from outside the car window.

Sahil fall asleep as soon as car took off. After so many years he slept like a baby, breeze rambled his hair as it passed through the windows which were now open.

After 2 hours, Sahil woke up. 'Good afternoon sir, we are almost there. On time. As I said' said Cobb

'Oh….Good'

'I bet you enjoyed the nature their sir, You slept very well, you should go outside often. It will relax you'

'yeah I…'He hesitated 'Cobb…what you think about the past?'

'What about it sir?' he asked surprised and confused.

'I mean… should you remember it?'

'Well in my opinion sir, you should always remember your past just to look at the lessons it gave us, either sweet or sour. We should always remember it. But not stick to it' Cobb smiled

The audience sitting there had their eyes on him. Ready to register each word would he spoke. Sahil walked past the audience and to the podium. His eyes looked different today. At the far corner of the room, He can see his beautiful mother eagerly waiting for his speech.

'Good evening to all'

'As you all know that todays meet is to determine the future scope of our business'

With each sentence the smiles on their faces drew larger. After years people in his business looked ready to confide in him.

'And at last the main announcement, for which honestly all of you were waiting. But before this I would like to quote a very wise man. He said we should always remember our past for lessons it gave us, either sweet or sour but should never stick to it as our past is beautiful, but our present has its own beauty'

'On that note I hereby announce that from here on I am open to the school of marriage. And soon this company will see a queen. Thank you. Thank you very much'

His speech was followed by an applause which never seemed to stop. Tears as bright as pearl came rolling down the cheeks from the far corner of the room. Among this noise of celebration stood a steady figure at the furthest balcony.

'Nice job brother. The seed is implanted perfectly. I hope the story is perfect'

'No flaws in the story. He is buying it'

'Oh, there is madam Singh on the line, she wants to congratulate you, for her success is your success'

'Hello Cobb'

'Hello Madam Singh. I hope you are enjoying the event'

'Yes of course. Good job boys.' (Cobb)'Thank you madam' 'now just one question, did you add the mms part we discussed'

'Of course, madam. That is how we implanted the concept within the dream'

'Don't worry madam, Cobb and I did a great job. He thinks he visited the past and witnessed Maya's true self'

'Congratulations boys, I am very happy with the outcome'

'Just one more question madam' (madam Singh) 'Yes Cobb'

'Did she really commit suicide?'

'I guess it doesn't matter now does it'

'Of course, not'

-------------------------------------------------------------The End-----------------------------------------------------------

The Shadow on the wall

It was 8 :15 in the morning and Jai knew exactly what would happen in the next 15 minutes. It had happened almost every morning since past six months. From the day he started working at the local grocery shop. His routine was fixed. Every day he would wake up at five, get ready and walk to unlock the store situated at the corner of old madras road and first lane. It was his only source of income and the only way he could support his family who lived in a faraway village.

Although he had many questions in life. How would he overcome poverty, what should he do to attract more customers, how will he fulfill his dream? But currently he had only one question in mind, who was Peter Vincent. If the stories were true was, he really that? At exactly 8:30 an old man in his 60s entered the shop. As Jai recited the items in his head, the old man changed aisles looking for the same items. 'Milk, bread, … and finally' The old man walked towards the counter.

'Lights, kings' said the old man

'Cigarettes' jai whispered in his mind. Peter Vincent was a mystery, no one knew why he lived in a house without windows or what was his source of income or why would he come out of the house only during daytime.

Jai didn't calculate the total amount, rather he knew what the total was, it was always the same.

'55'said Jai but what he wanted to say was if he could listen to the man's story of what happened. Of why he is as he is. It was too late to ask; Peter Vincent had already left the store.

Jai always thought, which version of the story he heard was true. Is he a man-eating Vampire? That might explain the blackened windows, but how would he come out in the morning? Or was he a mad man who lost his sanity after his family died? Or maybe he is hiding something in the Darkness. Jai was desperate to find out what it was so he did what he thought he would have done earlier.

It was 8: 30 the next day and the two of them were exactly at their positions, Jai's focus was on the old man at the dairy aisle where peter struggled to find a half litre milk packet. Jai would know this even standing far at his counter, after all he was the one who hid all the packets back in the storage refrigerator.

'No milk today?' questioned Peter with a grim face

'Oh, yes we are out of it sir. But the milk van is on its way, you can give me your address, I will deliver it there directly. What's your addre…'

'No need' choked Peter 'I will buy it tomorrow' and left. Jai's failed plan didn't let him lose hope.

The next day was the same as yesterday. Peter Vincent unable to fetch a packet of milk.

'I will deliver it to your hou..' 'No need'

With each passing day Peter became more and more agitated. After all it was the only store around this dusty corner of the ward.

'No milk today as well'

'I am so sorry sir. It all got over yesterday evening'

'So, I guess that woman (pointing outwards) was a lucky one, 'cause she was holding three of the packets. Just like the boy before her'

Jai became dumb. His ploy was blown. He was unable to think of a satisfying reason to answer the old man.

'And tell me one thing, what is it that fascinates you so much about my house'

'I…there is nothing…'

'Should I get a packet, or should I call the owner?' Peter asked

Jai rushed to the back and fetched three packets of milk. 'It is on me, sir. Please. Please don't tell the owner'

'That's better 'sighed the old man as he lifted the packets pinching each one from the corner and started to walk out.

'It's not my fault' said Jai loudly to get the man's attention. 'You don't know what people say about you behind your back'

'Do I look like I care' grunted the old man

'It's not the nasty things that people usually say' Jai took a deep breath 'It is these theories they come up with. About your house, about your family, of your origins'

'Whatever these theories are. They will never know the truth' Peter gave a grim look.

'Only if you tell, shall they know the truth' 'I don't have time for this nonsense' Peter replied

'Maybe you are afraid' Jai said boldly, He was unaware of the source of his newfound boldness.

'Afraid, haa. You think I am afraid. Of this puny little society, or the house… or you. You don't even know what afraid means'

'Then tell me. What is it that you think no one would ever understand?'

'What makes you think I going to answer your question?'

'At least I want to know the truth, not theories'

There was a silence in the air. Either this was the end of the conversation or the beginning of a new story.

Peter walked back to the counter took a stool and sat down. 'You sure you want this?' asked Peter adjusting himself on the stool.

Jai was delighted with joy; however, his joy didn't reflect on his young brooding face. A small nod and Jai confirmed Peter.

'I won't promise you entertainment, just pure truth' 'I except the same' replied Jai

Peter bow down and started narrating in a low voice

Long ago my house was not like the one I live in today. It was Vincent Villa, most opulent villa in whole city with wide gardens, artificial waterfalls and large bright rooms. Its windows welcomed sunrays to touch each object in the room and at night, it seemed like a carnival within the house. As rich and famous my family was, they were also greedy. And I was no exception. Our house, which me and my brother inherited was ruled with us and our wives. Although the servants always outnumbered my family of four, they never outsmarted us. For them it was high income pay which came with a price. They were mistreated and sometimes punished to extreme measures for naïve mistakes.

It was one of the same mistakes that took this family apart. It was the night the city roared with rain. Our senior house assistant Mariam collapsed cleaning the floor. She was unconscious, burning with fever when we found it out. We ordered the servants to treat her, but it was something beyond home remedies. As the hours passed, her temperature rose, and our options narrowed down to a hospital.

My wife Josephine refused this option. An owner taking care of a servant was too much of an idea for her. My brother Bernard ignored the servants, for him they were nothing. Servants were ordered to leave Mariam on her own in her room. "If she is strong enough, she might survive, good for us". These were her exact words. Servants begged us for the car, but our pride overshadowed their needs. I would blame the era. All servants were treated as such. We did no different.

Seeing all this was normal for me. Soon things started to heat up. One of the male house-help tried to steal the keys. He struggled when he was caught. We fired him immediately. Threw him out in the rain. The only thing we feared was a mutiny, so we ordered everyone back to their rooms and locked Mariam, still unconscious.

The next morning, I unlocked her room. She was there, in the same position in which I left her. Still sleeping. Her skin was as cold as the river water nearby. She was void of expression, void of movement, void of pulse.

Servants were ordered to diffuse her body in the river nearby as a part of a ritual we practiced. A person below our status would be wrapped in linen and diffused off in the river after he dies, where his faith would serve him to marine wildlife, or vultures. Her belongings were thrown away to make room for any new house help. Her room, now empty, looked exactly as a new room ready to take in its new resident.

But one thing was off about that room. Although the walls were empty, one of them had a shadow on it. At first, we dismissed it as a collective silhouette of empty items in the room, table, chair. What took our attention was the fact that shadow never disappeared or shifted shape. For an ordinary shadow, its source is an object with lights source hitting behind it, and as the light source shifts, the shadow shifts.

Soon we discovered that the silhouette depicts a sleeping lady. Days passed but the shadow remained. Neither was we able to find the source of the shadow nor did we were able to remove it. After all it was a shadow, not a painting.

Our opulent minds were too small to consider this a subject of discussion. Josephine, however, took keen interest over it. She would visit the room every day, displaced objects to examine any changes on the wall. Her every move seemed futile. The shadow never changed but she started to.

Soon she started spending hours in that room, trying out futile ideas, like painting the wall completely or changing the light bulbs or scrapping the silhouette. She was obsessed with the shadow on the wall. It was not a fascination but rather fear. Like the one you have when you know that someone is going to murder you, but you don't know who. Talking to her was a waste of time. All our topics would end on the shadow on the wall.

Bernard was concerned about our status, a rich family with a retarded wife would make our status crumble; He advised a mental checkup which was not something I believed in. His wife Sophia on the other hand enjoyed every bit of my plight. She would slip Josephine into conversations, talk about her in terms of an animal. A stray cat to be exact.

I couldn't bare it, but I had no option. Throwing your elder brothers' wife out of the house was considered absurd back then. Her comments only made me more anxious about my wife.

One day I locked Josephine in the bedroom. She screamed, threw tantrums but I was resolute. Her cries made me weak every passing second. Her cries were of that of fear, not curiosity. Days passed and she remained locked. We would pass the platter threw window and enter to fetch it back only when she fell asleep.

Doctors claimed she suffered from acute anxiety. It was like someone or something would harm her for something she did. My mind had flashes of her misbehaving with Mariam. Now I was able to see something new on the wall.

It was Mariam, the same way she lay on the bed struggling with death, while we focused on our prestigious lives. She was in the room, as a shadow. The idea of dead woman's shadow laying on the wall took over me. Was I descending towards madness like my wife? There was no answer to my question

The day came when the wall was empty. The shadow on the wall was gone. It was no where to be seen in the room. A sigh of relief. But it was too early.

I saw servants gathered at the main hall. They dispersed in silence to make way for me. What I was looking was a standing silhouette of an old lady on the wall, without a source, without a cause.

The coming weeks I witnessed stranger happenings. The shadow was not only moving from place to place, it was changing positions. Sometimes standing, sometimes walking, it was taking a step up when I saw it on the staircase wall. It was too much for the servants, they left the house promised to never come back. Me, my brother and our wives were the only residents left. We consulted a father of the church. Unfortunate for us the shadow wanted only us to witness it. It vanished out of existence every-time we called someone for help.

We went hopeless, our business was in abyss, family treasury became our life support. We had no options, our everything belonged in this house. First time I felt trapped in my wealth, that I was useless without this heritage I possessed. Our family of four went on to become single identities, each one wanting everything for oneself.

My wife was my primary concern, I focused all my strength in her treatment. I would make her sleep and then do my research on my own in my study. That night was the same, After Josephine slept, I took to my study pondering over the possibilities that science can offer for my case when I heard her scream. Never in my life did I heard a scream so painful.

I rushed to my bedroom, unlocked the door and ran to her. Her eyes were open, her skin was cold as the rain pouring outside, she was void of expression, void of movement, void of pulse. Ten thousand emotions played at once. Holding her dead is the only thing I remember. Bernard and Sophia stood there unable to process what has just happened. Bernard noticed Josephine looking at corner of the room. He treaded lightly towards it and drew the curtains hiding the wall.

A shadow of a women, I recognized it, it was it, it resembled it, the shadow in the house. But this was different. Although the head was the same, she stood far high, exceeding Bernard's height, her arms stretched down far too long, long pointy fingers clenched halfway. There was one thing more that no one was able to see, it looked like she was smiling.

I put whatever was left of me in her funeral. I buried her in our ancestral cemetery situated far back of the backyard. Bernard and Sophia were there too but only physically.

For weeks I brooded over her cause of death, a heart attack. What she saw that night which made her heart stop was a mystery to me. The answer to my mystery came soon as a death of another member of my broken family.

Three months passed. Bernard and his wife sold their part of the ancestral gold to continue living the lavish life. No compromise on food, nor attire neither on recreational delicacies. They refused to admit their falling status. I started to notice their wandering eyes over my part of the gold.

One night I saw Sophia standing alone in the dining room. Ignoring her was the only way I kept my sanity. After couple of hours I passed by the dining room and saw her again in the same position as I saw when I left. Something was odd. I tried opening the glass door through which I saw her. I explained Bernard and we both tried to open the door, but it was no luck.

As we tried opening the door, I saw her turn towards us, she was holding a knife in her right hand, slowing she raise her hands and sliced the knife on her left wrist. Blood came oozing out of her veins. She placed the knife on her left hand and did it again. Both her hand had fountains of blood pouring down the floor. Lastly, she raised her hand to her throat and did a smooth swift. Knife fell so did Bernard. The lamp on the table grafted a clear shadow of a Sophia. As she fell, her shadow revealed what it overshadowed. The shadow of an old women in the wall. Like it attached to Sophia's shadow and made her do this.

By the time the glass door opened, it was late. Sophia was buried next to Josephine. My condolences remain with her, but she did get what she deserved. Bernard was aware of what would happen next. It was either me or him.

Next few days we stayed in our rooms locked surviving on food stocked in out rooms. Days kept passing. I felt I was the only one living in the house. My mind kept thinking 'what if he is dead?'. 'What if my death has already begun?' This question took the better of me. I opened my door and walked to Bernard's bedroom door, tried listening placing my ear on the door. Quiet is not the word I would use here. Even though I couldn't hear anything, it was too silent to be a room with Bernard inside. He would always roam around fidgeting.

I took a breath and opened the door. I saw nothing there was no one in the room. There was no shadows on the wall either. I turned around and saw Bernard, thrusted on the wall next to the door. His skin was pulled behind so much his eyes went blind. I could see gums beneath the teeth and the veins on the neck.

It was something bizarre I couldn't understand what to do. My methods of pulling him out seemed useless. The harder I tried, the more he went in the wall. Breaking the wall would kill him. With every hour his skin kept stretching backwards to an extant it started to tear off. Drops of blood started to pour out of those tears. Tears rolled down of whatever was left of his face. And as the time came, he dissolved in the wall as if immersed inside it. And as his body was absorbed, I saw a shadow of an old women stretching out her arms and legs in the same pose Bernard was stick to the wall.

With Bernard gone I know what I wanted next. I tore each curtain in the house, and hammered planks with nails to seal the windows. I used all the material in the basement to seal every window, every opening which allowed the light outside. Next I broke all the lamps. With no light there will be no shadow.

I took whatever I can to my room and locked myself in darkness. It was disturbing to know something in the house would kill you if not darkness or loneliness. For weeks I stayed inside, managing on meagre food. The day I came out, it was already winter, I tried searching homes but with no money or business I was unable to attract any landlord.

I started living in the dark. It was hard at first but soon I embraced it. Light started to burn my eyes and fresh air made me sick. So, I stayed. Years passed by and I stayed inside using my heritage as a source of income.

'It's been 33 years since It all began and here I am. Narrating the true story to a kid I barely know' ended Peter

Jai's eyes were curious, whatever happened was beyond any theory he ever heard about this old man.

'So, here's your story, believe it or dismiss it as one of your theories, its your choice' Peter said lifting himself up.

'My sorry for your wife. For all your family members sir'

'No, you should not, no one should. They got what they deserved' replied Peter in a cold tone.

Jai stood there confused as Pater walked away.

INSIDE VINCENT VILLA

'You wouldn't believe what I did today Ma' Peters voice had changed as he lit a lamp on the table.

A shadow of an old women appeared sitting in front of the table

'I killed all three of the Vincents and made myself a fourth Vincent' Peter laughed 'Poor guy, he believed me to be one of blood-licking Vincent. Well they deserved it. They shouldn't have thrown me out the night I tried to help you, Ma'

----------------------------------------------------------The End-------------------------------------------