Adieu.

"Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow."

- Albert Einstein

I was just getting used to this number 2014 Twenty-fourteen and here I am rehearsing the new number 2015 Twenty-fifteen even before it has begun. Well, I like to keep myself updated, a little too early perhaps this time. I have read quite a few blogs where people have poured out their feelings for the amazing year that is just biding us farewell, while at the same time being hopeful with new aspirations in the new year and new beginnings of happiness and joy. *Touches wood* #FingersCrossed. I am with you on this and come on, who doesn't like happiness and joy. A lot has happened in the year and I am awestruck that I don't remember any of it. I always thought I had a good memory at least when it came to remembering the things other than studies. But looks like I am losing my touch. Well anyway, let me just bore you with my drama for the year. And mind you, I am not a good actor nor a good writer(*gets smacked in the head*).

Getting kicked by a Girl

It was a day after my birthday. I did not mention about it to any of my friends because I know what they would do and in the fear of that I kept it to myself. But it wasn't that hard for them to figure out. I unintentionally gave a clue and in that mistake came out the truth. I wasn't wished by any of them on my birthday, but the following day I had it coming. I was still kind of hopeful that I wasn't made out and acted so making a total fool of myself. You know the feeling when you lie to a person and the person knows that you are lying - That kind of fool I became. But, in a way I kind of deserved it. This was no fun, believe me. That was one of the birthday gifts that I ever got and hope that it is the last of its kind.

Cousin got married

After a near half year of torture from me, she finally got relieved leaving me no one to else to tease. She was on regular call with me every other week just talking about stuff called life and I was there every single time to remind her of the upcoming marriage and that fact that she hated that but kind of excited (which wasn't shown) made my task a lot easier. But all that fun ended in January when she got engaged and in February when she got married. And oh yeah, I was like the photographer and gave the offcial photographer a very hard time. 

Jobless with a Job!

So, the journey began again. Six months to the date, I was in a project and that was the longest I had been and then as fate might have it, I was left to the wild to chase some other prey, I mean project. But I was rather too adamant and reluctant as there was no harm in working for a few days or months, the money would still get credited at the end of the month. Though I could have made some productive use of the time and actually did something that mattered, rather than staring at the wall all day long. 

Another cousin's marriage.

Yes, there were a lot of marriages. Well, this was last in the family for this year. Now for last marriage I was appreciated for the messy long hair that I had by almost everyone in the family. One old guy whom I don't even know came up to me and said that he didn't recognize me (of course, he really didn't know me nor did I but he knew my mom) while suggesting me to get a hair trimmed. Yes, everybody loved my hair that they wanted a piece of it. Anyway, this time to avoid any such special appreciations, I had my hair cut 3 weeks before the actual day. As luck may have it, that barber took more than I bargained for making me look more dumber than I already was. 3 weeks later, that "effing" hair never grew a mm, resulting me to hide in the whole marriage. And this time none of my photography skills were presented. 

A hasty move.

As I was battling with boredom and nothing to work at, I finally caved in and decided to get on the next opportunity that presented itself. And it did in May as the promises seemed to be beneficial and the work was minimal. Only to find out that there was a lot in bargain which they failed to mention and to top it all, the promises were dismissed. Now that we were already in it, getting out of that mess was totally a nightmare. I actually had a few sleepless nights, thinking about the day and telling myself that only if I had thought it through. For the next 2 months, I shuttled the two corners of the Bangalore city just to get out of that false promised mess. And I did, but that was a nightmare for sure. 

Feeling Trapped.

I was already stuck in the labyrinth with no way to escape and on top of that I was the only guy in the group of ten. I was totally on the wrong side of the balance placing me in the visible limelight. It doesn't seem like much of a deal but it actually was, atleast for me. Imagine one guy and eleven girls, one is bound to feel trapped. I had a few hiccups but then more people joined and I was slowly off the hook. Thank God.

End Game.

I had to play bold. That decision two months back was eating my head, my patience. I had to put an end and I was willing to take all force with me. I wasn't scared of anything. The worst that could have happened was they telling me to quit. I called my mom and asked her if it was okay if I quit the job to which she said that she had no problem at all. I didn't had any problem with the work. In the contrary there was no work and along with it was extra pay. But they had made certain promises which they are denying it and that hit a nerve I never thought I had. I was this close to take it all the way up the chain, but they knew that they made a mistake and were willing to make amends. I was eventually let go. 

A Midnight Caller.

My phone never actually rings even though I change the ringtone every other day, well because that song was awesome. Anyway, I was just trying to get over my writer block and in the process I was brainstorming as my phone buzzed in the new ringtone for that week. The excitement that it being a girl just went down the drain. The caller was a dude(a blogger) with whom I stopped talking a few months back because he was being himself and kind of reckless in his thoughts who wanted to know about a girl (also a blogger) whom I came across around the same time as him. What surprised me was when he asked me about the private intimate questions about her to which I politely declined having any such knowledge. He was confused and unstable in his thoughts and as I thought we might be on good terms, he had to make that bad move. He called me once again a few minuted later I disconnected his call. And that was the last I heard of him. Now they both are happily in love. Yeah, I had the same question - Why the hell was I a part of this? 

A Rainy Trek.

We, as in the friends group were getting bored as we never had been out together in a long long time. So when there was a trek organized by a certain group at work, we just grabbed that opportunity as it came. It was one hell of an experience. It was rainy. It was slippery. It was congested. It was cold. It was windy. It was a near test of my stamina, which I thought I had in abundance but it was worse than I had imagined - I have no stamina at all, like NIL, Zero. Ten minutes into the trek and I badly wanted to get back to home. I did not write about it because every time I think about it, it just pains me. No not because of the near traumatic experience but my camera which got soaked even though it was rarely taken out resulting in making it a junk piece, literally. From that day whenever I see a camera, I just go "Damn! why would it happen to me?"

So far I have been going month-wise and looks like the train end here. The last three months of the year have been a fuzzy since I don't recollect a single thing that happened to me or around me. Oh yeah, there was a colleagues' marriage just this month. Apart from that, nothing. 

Have I done anything that would stand out in this year ? 

No.

Any milestones? Achievements?

Bleh! None.

Anything to strike off from the To-Do list?

Umm, No?

Is there any chance in the next year?

Oh yeah, absolutely. Optimism is all I have, even though I might not feel it.

Anyway, ince I am here blabbering about almost significant (or not) that happened this year let me extend by just a little bit - Friends and Blogging. I haven't been the best of the writers but there have been people who were there to help me through all this ordeal.

A few people who made a difference this year -

Aditya : This great singer is not only a great friend but just admires me for no apparent reason. He has a great voice and is a fun guy to hang out with. 

Rani : She is notably the only friend who reads my blog (I hope she still does). And I am eventually making her addicted to TV series. She is a child at heart and speaks her mind which I totally admire and on top of that she has a great sense of humour. She is awesome in her own way.

Vamsi : He is my old classmate who has a wicked humor and is always the victim of being teased ( the good-no harm kind of) and I always do that.

Sabarish : He is my lunch buddy and my former team mate/ team lead kind of. He is another fun guy to hang out with.

Arjun : Though he is a little elder to me he never makes you realize that age gap.

And I belong to the so called group of friends who go by the names Siva, Laks, Deepak, Sushma and Ramesh have been a part of my year. But lately the chemistry seems off. May be the reason could be associated with Laks getting married, Deepak moving to a new project and having office far from us and the love pair Sushma - Ramesh. This couple have changed as a lot over the months totally have totally stood out to amaze me in every wake. 

A few bloggers who made a difference and continue to do so - 

Red Handed : The first person that came to my mind. She is an amazing writer and what I love about her apart from her writing is the way she motivates. Every single time I post a write up belittling my writing skills or likewise, she makes me realize I am going about it the whole wrong way and not to down grade myself whatsoever. But then again, I hit that writer's block and I feel like venting about my incapability to pen down thoughts and what a drag I am as a blogger. Then again she makes me realize - "That is so right. Why the hell did I even write? Undo. Undo. Delete the damn post!".

Dhara : I was just reading her latest post titled "Mandatory post at year end" which made me realize that I haven't done anything remotely significant in this year. As a matter of fact, I didn't do a thing. So, her post was kind of a booster to do something this coming year. And here is another amazing blogger.

Mrs. K (Keirthana) : Well, she got married this year. So congratulations and if you are reading this - You owe me a party :P . Though she might be irregular at reading my posts ( and I can't blame her for my lame posts) she understands me even though we haven't actually met. So, I really appreciate her thoughts and opinions. And not to specifically mention, she is also an amazing writer. 

Wanderer : Her mind is simply amazing. And the way she writes is quite unique. Though I envy her (a bit for that amazing mind of hers) she does sometimes helps me get out of the writers' block. Yes, she is that good. And I recently observed that she has a lovely voice.

IQ : From now on, I would be calling her Didi. Well she did related me as talking like an annoying brother. She had been MIA for a long time, but I am hoping to see her write again, soon. And hoping that she reads mine too.

Now, I would go on about each and every blogger I came across and that would take days to complete. So, let me just add the names here. Soumya, The Purple Assassin, Aathira, Akshitha, Thinker, Amrit Sinha, Bushra etc, etc, are a few amazing bloggers in their own unique way.

__________________________________

To summarize, I have outlived which I had never expected. Yeah, of course each year has its ups and downs, but at the end of the year I can just hope for better days to come with lessons learnt from the past. Anyway, my year end song or poem or rambling or whatever you may call it. It is kind of a ritual that I post the same thing every year, just like I use the same resolutions every year.

"

Past has taught Lessons.

Memories have brought Happiness.

  Time has taught Living.

Mistakes have brought Wisdom. 

Now, New is the Year.

New are the Aspirations and Dreams. 

Behold the Newness.

Step forward, Step Ahead.

Here it comes, yet another Glorious Year. 

Welcome it. 

With a Smile on your Face.

And Hope in the Heart. 

Cherish the Past.  

Replenish the Future. 

And Never Forget,

Live the Moment.  

"

_______________________________________

Anyway, Wishing you all a Happy and Prosperous New year. May this year bring you many good surprises, joy and happiness. 

Take Care and Have Fun.

_______________________________________

P.S. Are you alive or did I just your last day of the year?

The Apartment

Chapter III

The Apartment !

Chapter I : Prologue

Chapter II : "You have been served" 

______________________________

Mark kept his gaze on the envelop and gazed it for a moment to sink in the authenticity of the envelop and the inscription it had. The same kind of typewriter print. Is it from the suspect we are after?, Mark asked himself staring at the envelop. May be it could be something to get us off his back, mislead us into a goose chase. May be. Or he thinks himself to be an evil genius and probably showcasing his psychotic side by giving us clues or what he is upto. Is this a game to him? Is he trying to challenge us based on the way we might solve this game of his? The questions kept haunting Mark. But he wanted to be better sure than speculate. He wanted to judge the similarity in the print on the note and the envelop. He took the envelop and got into the elevator to the lawyer's apartment. When he reached the apartment, the police were just clearing out from the house as they have whatever they wanted. Mark asked for the evidence file in which the note was kept. It wasn't a big surprise, the print was same and could be concluded that it was the same typewriter print. It was their suspect's own envelop. 

So, what does this envelop have? As this was from the same suspect-killer, it should be legally turned into as evidence? But the suspect in question, he should rather be more interested in making an escape plan, may be leave the city, hide somewhere where no one could ever find him. But he is somewhere here, somewhere close and keeping an eye on what is happening. He has an ulterior motive and I have got to find it out, Mark spoke under his breath. Does his ulterior motive creating more crime scenes? The thought itself gave Mark a chill. This was a very sick game he was playing and he should be stopped before more dead bodies surface. The suspect has been a step ahead all this while and I have to catch up with him and take a step ahead of him and eventually catch him. But how? Mark felt the frustration building up and as a counter he hit the wall. He had a lot on his mind and the thoughts got jumbled. He hit the wall even harder to silence his rebellious mind. What he wasn't still certain of was how the killer did this and went away. He sat on the stairs that we beside the elevator and closed his eyes as he took three long deep breaths. The scenes started formulating in front of his, his version though.

The killer must have known this lawyer from somewhere. He has followed him for a week or so knowing what he did in his time and where he lived. But he chose the previous night to step up and execute his plan. Why? May be he thought it was time? He got into the apartment without tripping the security alarm. He knows his way around things. And this was a not a easy thing to crack either. So electronics, check. He probably entered the apartment from the front door itself. The balcony way is not out of the question but it is way too risky and not easy. But if he did, there would be definite clues and there were none. So, balcony, cross. He managed to dodge the security cameras in the floor and there was no log of anyone using the elevator beside the lawyer at that time, before and after. Was he inside the elevator? Impossible, the security camera in the elevator would have showed something. So the only left was the roof. How did he manage to get on the roof? Lets assume he did come from the roof. He entered the apartment from the front door and disabling the security before it went haywire, closed the door behind him. And then what? No footprints, no smudges, nothing! He was good at what he did and he clearly knew what he was getting into. He was careful not to touch anything and leave any evidence behind. Where did he hide? He had to hide somewhere not to get caught if the lawyer was to check his apartment. The bedroom? That would have made it quite difficult to make his way back into the living room. But how did he know that the lawyer would be in the living room? The safe place for him was the balcony. It was vast and lot of blind spots. And at that time even I wouldn't assume to be sitting there and waiting to kill me. The lawyer came to his apartment close to midnight. He was a little drunk, the aftermath of the party he had just attended. But he still had to take another glass of drink? Why? The photo of his wife misplaced on the table. He picked it up to mitigate the pain had to drink. He then sat on the chair facing the balcony and lit a cigar. He might has slipped into sleep as he was tired already. The intruder took that as a chance and entered the living room from the balcony. He woke him up. There was a slight struggle from the lawyer as a result of the shock and his reflex to save himself from that panic stood up to grab something. But the intruder was fast. A bullet pierced the lawyer and he fell down face down. The intruder left that note beside him and left the same way he came. From the roof? The roof ! 

Mark took the stairs and ran up to the roof. It was just any other ordinary roof. But it had gravel around the boundary of the building. He managed to find certain skid marks as if a hard landing which seemed to have been wiped down. He canvased the surroundings to find an adjacent apartment which could be used for a jump. May be the suspect used the adjacent building to enter this. Beside the skid marks he saw an adjacent apartment nearly ten feet apart. If he had come from that apartment, he had to had some help. It didn't much time to locate the hook which was used to hold the wire of sorts. There was traces of footprints. Mark took a picture of the partial footprint on his mobile. He did come from this way, but didn't leave from here. The security camera's from that apartment could give us more clues. And also, the mode of transportation after he left the apartment. There was a lot of possibilities. That is something to be looked into as well. I will have to inform Sam to canvas through the security footage of three blocks, anything that just could put someone in the time frame.

___________________________________

The rain was heavy that night. The nature must have been furious. Is was a simple apartment that any normal middle class guy would have, rented obviously. The city was expensive in itself and affording even a small apartment would mean that he was Rich. But he managed his expenses. The rain lashed through his helmet as he sped towards his apartment. He reached his apartment which was just at the verge of the city. He was completely drenched in rain. The cold water that bathed him calmed his thoughts. He had almost forgotten what he had done that night. He was at peace. He placed his overcoat to dry beside the window on the hanger. The apartment was small, had one bedroom, a small kitchen and a living room. It was sufficient for him and under his norms of payment. He stared across the living room onto a wall as he grabbed a beer from the mini fridge in the kitchen. He kept his eyes fixed at the wall as he walked towards it. The wall that he was staring at resembled what would be termed as a collage in layman terms but not the simple good looking collage. Oh, it was looking good alright, but only he could understand. It was the collage of photos, newspaper cuttings, files, reports, print outs, torn out pages, sticky notes, pins, different colored threads and whatnot. The whole office supply was improvised to create this roadmap. He stared at the picture of the lawyer at the bottom corner, took a red sketch and crossed it with two distinct lines across the edges of the photo and tied a red thread over the already existing yellow thread. The red thread had the origin just on the lawyer. He took a few steps back and looked at the wholeness of the collage and assured himself with a half smile that in time he will be able to reach the top of the pyramid. The smile faded on his face a moment later, finished his beer in a jiffy as he stared at the second picture. He went to his bedroom, sat on the bed with his laptop and started his research about the next guy in the list.

___________________________________

(To be Continued...)

P.S. : I am continuing the fictional story I started a while back. Hope this is not as awful as I fear it to be. Lets' see how this turns out to be. Gracias. 

"You have been served"

Disclaimer : This following piece of fiction is a continuation of the first part Prologue, which I wrote a long time back. I have have had this feeling to continue this somehow. So, here it is.

Chapter 1 : Prologue

__________________________________

I check the time on my watch. The time was 2210 hours. I still had over an hour to set everything in place. I got on my bike, drove to the destination parked it a few blocks away beyond the eye of suspicion. I took care of the security cameras. I have been canvasing this neighborhood for the past few weeks now. I have to be careful. I have got a long list to deal with. If I get caught, the injustice would win, yet again. I need to set things straight when I can before it's too late. The security camera on his apartment floor have been running in continuous loop and the guard couldn't figure it out. Of course, I have timed it well. But, today better safe than sorry, I am going to disable them. I need them to know that somebody was here and altered everything here. His apartment looks well, RICH. I have had the layout but he did a pretty good job decorating. But, it is going to be such a waste. He won't be able to stay long enough. I had to be cautious not to misplace anything. Anything out of the context could put my plan in jeopardy. Luckily, I was able to find his revolver, a 9mm and a great choice. May be it was gifted by someone. It has an engraving JM, his name. I scanned around the house, the AC was on. It was never off. I assumed it was the cold weather filled with the aftermath of the rain. Oh, he has a beautiful scenery. The city looks beautiful in the night and from this height. The car, his car was headed towards the apartment. It is almost time.

It was so easy getting. A small jump from the adjoining building landed me on this apartment's rooftop. And I just had to get into the penthouse. I knew the security codes. Two days of surveillance was enough to decode his security code.  It was his wife death date and his daughter's birth date, something he could never forget. I got in from the main entrance as if it was my own apartment. As I realized he had taken the elevator directly to his floor, I hid in the balcony behind the door. He entered the apartment and didn't suspect a thing misplaces or the presence of an intruder, the possible killer. He had no idea of what his future would be and how short his life would become. He opened the balcony to let the fresh cold wind replace the air conditioned room. At that moment, my heart skipped a beat that I would be discovered and that my purpose will be served but in a lot messier way. But he didn't come out. Instead he lit a cigar. Probably his last cigar. I watched carefully from the tainted window of the balcony door beyond his purview of sight. He left the glass of scotch on the handle of his chair and the cigar smoke danced around his fingers. He had slept. It might have been a tiring day perhaps. I cautioned myself and briskly made myself into the room from the balcony. The curtains flew under the cold wraps of the wind. He was fast asleep. I wanted to wait for the cigar to burn his finger and then he would wake up to see me, his death. The longer I wait, the more clues I leave behind. I must hurry up. I nudge the glass on the chair handle and it slowly fell down. The fur carpet absorbed most of the noise but that was enough to bring this man into senses. He saw me with a frightened look which suddenly disappeared as he jumped up to the cupboard on the side to grab his revolver. Oh the revolver, one nice little piece. 

"Looking for this", I scoffed as he stumbled to look back at me. "I am just borrowing it for a little while. I promise to return back", my voice still mocked at his innocence. 

"What do you want?", he asked me as if I was here to rob him. Oh, I was here to rob him, but not just his money, but his life. 

"There is nothing in this world you could pay me off with. It is time you accepted, 

accepted your fate". 

"What the hell are you talking about? Why are you doing this?".

"Don't act so surprised. You knew that this was coming. Why else would get a revolver?".

"I have no idea what you are talking about?". 

"Oh, don't worry about it. It is all going to end tonight. You will have nothing but peace in the end. I can promise you that". 

"Who the hell are you? Why are you doing this to me?"

I placed a page in front of him. I wanted him to realize why he won't be able to see another day. As he picked up the paper, I could see the life go out of body. He knew what it was and he had known the consequences at that time. But he never expected to see it again until today. I lost his balance and in the moment of panic he jumped for the alarm button just at the edge of the cupboard. But he fell down with two shots in his chest. There was silence afterwards. I went out of the apartment from the front door through the service elevator, the one place the camera was old and wasn't functioning. As I got onto my bike, I switched of the remote access to the security cameras which gave the guard in the apartment that something was wrong. One camera wasn't working. He called the cops. I was long gone. Everything according to plan.

_______________________________

Mark reached his office later the next day just to be welcomed by storming press which were as agitated as he was. They needed answers and so did he. They had questions, and well, so did he. It was getting a little out of hand, all this new business with the killer with no answers in hand. Mark made an mental note to drop by the crime scene once the melodrama at the office was over. All this pressure was taking a toll on him. He had just completed an half year being sober and he couldn't start that again. Never. Again. He told himself. Instead he grabbed a coffee from the pantry, filled it in a take away cup and took a sip. He knew that this drama was going to continue as long as the mystery is solved. Just as he was about to get out of the Office to find out more about the lawyer who died the other night, he was called in by his chief. He inquired about his progress and mocked about his skill which wasn't helping them in recent past. He also lay down a deadline failing which he would be handing over the case to the State and then there would be nothing they could do. 

"Are you capable of solving this?", asked his chief with a disgruntled look as Mark was still wearing the same clothes as yesterday and his swollen eyes due to lack of sleep. What was he up to, thought the chief. But whatever his inquisitions were, he had the faith in him despite all the odds. He was good at what he did and there was no doubt about it. But was be becoming reckless? Has the past caught up with him? No. He brushed aside all those thoughts which could jeopardize his skill in the investigation. 

"Yes, I am well above my senses regarding this case. As a matter of fact, I was just heading back to the crime scene to find some clues. May be I could grab something that I might have missed yesterday."

"Yeah you do that. Meanwhile I have this press to deal with. They just don't believe I will be telling. They just keep hitting back with more questions. We have had no progress yet. So, please get me something. Powerful people are dropping down like used shell casings which is raising a few more questions from the superiors. They are scared, sure but they will be up our asses until this is solved. We need to end this. But you keep up your best and hope to see some results at the earliest."

"I always do my best and you know it."

"Yeah, I do. But don't flatter yourself. Just get me some good news".

Mark left the office with a coffee in hand. He reared his car in reverse setting it straight to go ahead to the crime scene. He reached the scene only to find the Yellow Do Not Cross police tape outside of the apartment. It was a penthouse, a luxury one indeed. He scanned the surroundings but started with the entrance. The door doesn't seem have been fiddled with nor any signs of forced entry. The killer might have been inside the apartment before the lawyer had even come. Did he have a duplicate key? If he had, he also had to know the security lock code to disable the alarm. What about the cameras in the doorway? That should help a little. He picked up the report of the observations by the forensic and skimmed through the details. Nothing useful, he told himself. The cameras have been disabled. As a matter of fact they have been working in loop for a couple of days before they were disabled the other night. That means the killer had an elaborated plan to get him. But what was the need for a stakeout? If he wanted to kill him, he might as well do it. Looks like he had an ulterior motive. If that is the case, what was it? The balcony door seems to be undisturbed, but that is not true. It was the only possible access to the penthouse. If he had made his way, it could be either from the roof or from the floor below. Mark looked for clues to find any clues that the killer might have left behind. He was very careful not to leave any. He looks like a professional hitman of sorts. Not even one shred of clue is left behind. How can this be possible?, thought Mark. A strand of hair or sweat or something should be here somewhere. What about the note? He went to the scene of the crime to find a chalk etched outline of the lawyer who was killed last night. Beside the outline of the body was a note in white paper on which it was printed 'FOR A BETTER SOCIETY'. It was printed and nothing more could be done except the kind of printer and paper. That won't be of any help. If it was hand written, may be the hand writing analysis or the use of words could have indicated the state of mind of the killer. State of mind! chuckled Mark. State of mind, my ass. He is a god damn psychopath and he needs to be put down. After scanning through the stuff, fridge, balcony and everything that could possibly be linked to the killer which was around in the apartment as it was clear that the killer had been waiting for him for a long time, he tried to recreate the scene in his mind. 

James McGumry was the name of the lawyer whose embodied outline lie in his apartment while his corpse is being investigated by the Forensic department back in the office. He looks like a rich wealthy person judging by the interior of his house which was possible designed by the best interior designed in the town. And also the Mercedes that was in the parking lot, a limited edition. Though it is practically impossible for a lawyer like himself to be owning such a priced possession. He drove his own car which meant that he wanted to be in control. Of course, he is an lawyer and the control over things comes with the territory. So, after a busy day at the court he drops by for the dinner party at the Mayor's house. He has a little too of Champagne but he feels he is in control and drives himself home after the party. It wasn't a long drive from the Mayor's house to his penthouse. As soon as he reached his home, he entered his house just like everyday, casually. He didn't suspect anything weird or anything out of place. If he had noticed something out of place, he would have known that something was wrong. This means that the killer was careful not to disturb anything in Lawyer's apartment. May be the lawyer was too drunk to notice, which could be a possibility. But living in solitude does give the person a sense of caution towards his surroundings. So, he would have known. He looked at his wife's photo on the beside where he kept his keys safely. He looked at it and put it face down as he took the glass from the minibar beside and poured a hard scotch into it as took a sip. He might have walked back to his chair facing the balcony. He sat there as he lit up a cigar and took a sip of the scotch. He might have been thinking about his deceased wife as he looked at the bokeh of city lights that shimmered in front of him from his pent house balcony. He dozed off into blissful sleep only to woken up by the the glass that fell on the velvety furry carpet. He might have seen the intruder in front of him and stood up to take action. The killer didn't shoot then, but he waited as the lawyer searched for his revolver in the side cabinet only to find nothing there. The intruder looked deep into his eyes and might have said something before putting two bullets in his chest, the sound of which subsided by the silencer on the gun. The intruder made his way out from the front door itself and stay unnoticed. The door had an automatic lock which could lock itself once the door is closed. But how did the intruder get inside in the first place? The balcony is the only possible explanation.

Mark wanted to examine the body and find whatever he could that the forensic experts might have missed. He made a mental note to check back once examining the body and could indicate any clues about the state of mind of the killer. He reached his car and as he threw the cigarette stubbed between his lips, stamped on it and looked up to open the door of his car. He found an envelop on the windshield of his car which had an inscription "YOU HAVE BEEN SERVED", the same typewriter handwriting found beside the outlined body of the lawyer in his apartment. This sent a shiver down his spine as he looked at it even before he opened it.

_______________________________________

P.S. : I am writing fiction after a very long time. Hope this is not as awful as I fear it to be. Lets' see how this turns out to be. Gracias. 

The Mid-Night Caller.

Disclaimer : It's a long post ahead. One night I received a phone call from a stranger and wanted my advice. You might find some swearing. So, tread with caution and I totally understand if you don't wish to continue. 

12 : 08 AM - A phone call 

The clock struck twelve. I don't usually care about the time or the hour of the night. But then my phone rang. It was freaking mid-night and the question of who might be calling me at this hour was one question that was on my head. Earlier in the day, I got a call from some guy who is a student in some college in some part of the country and wanted me to donate  money to help save a child's life. I would really help, but is this a way to get some help? Calling someone out of the blue and asking for money to help. This doesn't even sound legit, does it? People usually don't donate even after knowing that it is a legit because of some or the other reasons. And this guy just calls and expects me to donate money. But first of all, how the hell did he even get my number?  This was too good to be true. Eventually I told him to call me after some time but my intention was to just get rid of this guy. So, when the phone rang at 10 minutes past 12, I was so sure to give him a good piece of me. But it wasn't him. It was another unknown number, but then again there was this caller id (courtesy of Truecaller app) which displayed a name.

Who was it?

The person on the other end of the line introduced himself and I knew that fellow, but the name on the caller id showed a different name. Anyway, that person has never ever talked to me before, like never ever. He was just some other guy whom I met over the internet and to filter-down, through blogger. Upon commenting and all, we had a little chat in which he felt that we were totally in sync with regards to the sarcastic comments and not to mention, even the vulgarity of the jokes. It is more like I understood what he wanted to convey which was either too out-of-line, or perverted or not appropriate to others or me too, but there is nothing wrong in understanding things. Of course they were inappropriate in all ways possible which I understood some of the times, while others discarded it on the grounds of way-too-inappropriate. But then again, when I understood, it didn't give him the right to say whatever he wanted to say. I don't exactly what happened but what he said was way too inappropriate and that it involved people I knew. We all have boundaries and a line which never should be crossed, which he did. It might have been a joke, a very bad joke perhaps, but everything is not for making fun of. And we should know when and where to draw the line. It was that moment, I realized that I have been tagging along with most of his bullshit which included some of the people I know. I always took that he was joking and I let it go. But it is not okay to make fun each every time one gets a chance. May be he is just like that - making fun and inappropriate comments on people. It is high time either he changed himself or I did. I took the step of un-tagging myself from his so called friend. But it was so long that I  even forgot what had happened and while he was talking about it, I just couldn't recollect what happened 4 months ago. 

01: 00 AM - What was it about? 

He started by apologizing for parting ways on some uncertain circumstances and mentioning that I was the one friend, or more of a stranger who understood what he told. He said that he felt bad for parting ways. I was like Okay, Its' okay. We are cool, you don't have to apologize for whatever happened in the past since I don't even remember what had happened. But I was really okay. I didn't had any hard feelings. And more over I wanted to know where this was going. No body calls you up at the middle of the night with out a reason. I had a feeling that I knew where this was going. There could be nothing much between two strangers unless there is something or someone common between them. This was about a girl of course, and I knew about whom. And since he called me up in the middle of the night, something has happened. And this girl we were talking about, yeah I guess I have to talk about her as well.

She is another blogger whom I came across just like this midnight-caller dude. See, the point is I am good at making virtual friends, right? And this midnight caller dude happened to believe that I know her better. I was like What? How could I? Yeah, I agree that we had a few casual conversations, but that didn't mean that I know her completely for good. How can anyone ever know anyone by the conversations that they have? So anyway, What was it about? It was about Trust. This midnight-caller had some serious trust issues. Please don't get me started. After conversing I felt like "Dude , you should give your mind a rest and not over think much". 

02 : 00 AM - ....still no solid ground.... 

Trust. Trusting is a complicated process. It takes time. It depends on the person and how comfortable they make us with the things that are shared mutually. It is a hard step in any kind of relationship, either friendship or love or marriage or anything as a matter of fact. So our midnight caller was battling with the same issue as anybody else. He is having a hard time believing and needed a second opinion, if we consider his opinion as his first. As far as  I know he had no opinion. So, that makes my opinion the first, I guess. Now, the question that we have in front of us is why me? I am a total stranger and we didn't part in any good terms either. So, why out of the blue me? Right? Well, that was my question as well. His idea was that I knew the person-in-question before hand and wanted my opinion on her. First of all, I knew nothing about her and secondly him asking about her was totally weird. But still, I wanted to help this dude in any way possible even though I knew the least about this fellow literally. Though there was some hardship a couple of months ago but I don't take everything to heart. I have this feeling that people change over a period of time, if not totally at least some part. And mind you, I mean the good part.

Now, this guy wanted my help but was too hesitant to ask or share his side of the story. Because it was kind of personal. I did tell him to make up his mind and then contact me if he needed my help or anything. He was telling but just finishing before he started telling and in the end I just get one word and it means nothing to me. Because in order for me to help him, I need to understand the situation that he is dealing with so that I might give my version of the solution or something like that. I even told him to leave it if it was too personal and can't be shared with me. It was his choice. And I realized that it was way too personal when it turned out to be something related to intimacy. He asked me not to tell anyone whatever he was going to share. He made me promise. I am totally cool with promises. But he wanted me to promise on God - God Promise. Well okay, it wasn't a big deal since I am not a person who breaks promises so when he told to swear on god, I did confront him by saying that I promise but this was a little too much, but fine God Promise. He got into the details of what happened and how all this has made him suspicious and started questing his morale. I had no idea what to respond to his side of the story. It was too personal to share with anyone, even with a best friend and he was doing that with me, a complete stranger who once hated him for the person he was and turning to be. And his trust issues started because it was happening too fast for him and he was having a feeling that it was too good to be true. But since everything happened in a matter of few days, it made him suspicious. So, the reason for him calling was to ask whether he can trust her or not, whether she was telling the truth or not and whether he should continue the relationship with her. WHAT THE FUCK? WHAT THE HELL AM I SUPPOSED TO TELL? I don't know the as much as he thinks I know about her. And per the question of trusting, again she wasn't someone who I was with for god's sake. I barely know her, literally. And lastly MY advice on RELATIONSHIPS? Yeah, right!! I  did a doctorate in it and hold god knows how many certificates. Seriously! I am the last person one should be asking for relationship advice. I have no knowledge in it whatsoever and believe me I kind of hate them. Yeah, I agree that I am weird and insane. Deal with it. 

But whatever my status on this topic of discussion, I kind of do some kind of research based on the people who are around me and taking bits and pieces from here and there, I guess I have a some-kind-of-a-picture on relationships. And hell, I am a god damn freaking philosopher who pretend to know the whole world. So, I was talking to this stranger and giving my piece of mind on whatever I felt was right. I know whatever I know or told was of not use, but i was hoping that it might be helpful for him in someway and he may come to his senses at some point and realize that he knows better than me. Yeah after  2 hours of talking he came to know I wasn't in any kind of relationship and I had no idea what it means to be in it. What he had anticipated that since I was 3 years older to him, I might know things, especially about these relationships and yeah, the shocking thing was he asking me about the female anatomy. Believe me, he thought I had this knowledge about it and it was the reason for this call at that hour of the night and him having trust issues. It was crazily f**ked up, believe me. I am a few years older to him which doesn't mean that I know every god damn thing and it sure as hell doesn't mean that I have done things which he is currently involved in doing. I still have my morale intact and god help me, I hope it stays that way. He was doing things beyond his age, or probably it is just common these days and asking me about these things questioning my morality. Thank you for not believing that there are still people who don't just do things when it comes their way.

Even without any knowledge or experience on the things he was involved with, I tried to help him out in any way, may be because I felt that this guy just needed a path and wanted an ear to which he could tell everything and probably feel relieved. I had no problem being the ear and no problem trying to give advices even when I had no idea what it was all about. Three hours had passed and no mater how much I told him, no matter what advice I gave him, he just wasn't convinced I guess. If he was, he would have ended the conversation in the first hour itself. 

03 : 00 AM - Who I was to him ? 

"I should definitely meet you", he said. After nearly 3 hours of talking literally nothing useful and not arriving on any solid ground, he changed the topic towards me. He wanted to know me and wanted to catch up on the 3-4 months of absence that we had. I asked him why he wanted to meet me after assuring him that I am not the kind of person who people meet and feel happy after meeting and that I am a totally different person in real life and nothing like he feels about me over the Internet or even a phone call. I guess, I am just too good at convincing people that I am the nicest person when they can't see me. But they have no idea that I am the least talkative person ever present on the face of the earth. If you don't believe me, ask my friends, family, relatives or anyone you can get hold of and who know me in a way or the other. Some of the things he feel are good about me are that I am a patient person who listens to everything and that I am an intuitive person who has knowledge on certain things or most things. But that wasn't all.

What he felt about me?  According to him and based upon the pictures on the social media this was his version of me. I am short and I have a dark complexion. My social quotient was nil. I had never been in any relationship. I didn't do any of the things that I should have already done. I don't earn much. I am pathetic. That was a bummer when he said that I had the most pathetic life ever. Though, he told me not to feel bad before giving his piece of mind about me, but I believe there is a limit. Still I didn't bother much about it. And as per the issue of money, he went ahead by telling that it was the pitiable sum of money and it wasn't worth living/working for. He didn't stop there as he was supposed to stop. He took the initiative to give me advice on how to live my life. He was telling me How to live MY freaking life!  I let it go, as he was in the moment and that everyone these are giving advices to others on how to live a life and all. He was just one among them. But he went on quoting his cousin mentioning his f**king salary and that after he completes his college he would be earning double of what I am earning and yeah, he will be earning more than me even before completing his college which he would be getting as stipend. Well good for him. I appreciate his life. But did he stop? No, he had to tell about everything, how my personal life should be, what I should be doing and should not be doing. He was a freaking nobody to me.

03 : 30 AM - Crossing the line. 

After his version of me, I was still okay with it as I am not a person who take other's opinion about me seriously. I have a pretty good picture about my life and some other's advice or opinion is not of my concern. I know what kind of a person I was and what I need to do. Its' not like I can't do. I can. I can kill and bury my morale and do things, but then what would be the difference between the shitty people all around and me? So, to get off that topic, I asked him the most basic question as of why he trusted me. I was a total stranger and I was also that someone who hated him once for saying something out of the context. So, how could he trust me. He was kind of terrified when I asked him this question. He was saying that I had made him a promise not to share what he told with anyone. I assured him that he could trust me and that I wouldn't tell a word to anyone or to the person-in-question. What I wanted to tell that he shouldn't tell all personal things to someone he barely knew and keep aside the personal things, at least keep the intimate things under wraps. But he was so terrified that I might tell this to someone, he started questioning my trust. I was kidding with him that I will write everything in a mail and send it to her. He was so terrified that I assured him that I was totally kidding and I don't break promises. But then again, he was terrified, terrified like bloody f**k. He then said something, which then wasted the four hour conversation and the new friendship that he was slowly building up. He told to swear on my Mom. He fucking said that. He was having trust issues which I can understand. But after 3 hours of talking about it, I felt he had not learnt anything. He was still having a hard time believing people and trusting them. I made a fucking promise to him. I don't make promises at all. But I did, and I swore on God. He still didn't trust me with that. I told him that he was reaching out and that it was not a good thing. I told him straight forward on his face that he was having some serious trust issues and that I can't promise him with anything, because believing takes two steps. I took the first step to not the share it with anyone and when it came on him regarding taking a step in trusting me, he didn't take that. So, I told him I don't make promises to people who are not sure of themselves. I disconnected the call saying that he needed to stand on a solid ground before asking someone for help and regarding his trust issues, F**k 'em. I don't have a problem. I even told him that he should know where to make a line, what a line is, and when not to step over it. He stepped over it, stabbed the shit out it. This the kind of person I don't hang out with. And it was the same reason why we stopped being friends 4 months ago. He has no fucking idea what to tell and when to tell. If he thinks, its the joke every time, may be he should think twice before saying his fucked up jokes because they aren't jokes and he was kidding no one here. All are grown up people here and it is high time that he realized that he knows his place before he starts his bullshit. 

_____________________________________

I apologize for writing such a lengthy post and not getting to any conclusion. I guess there was no conclusion to be made in this. It was something that happened with me a couple of days ago. It was one of a kind. I guess you will agree with me, I mean if you were with me all the way along this whole post. And my belief that people change has been broken so bad that I can't imagine. I always think twice or thrice before saying anything. And in the process of thinking, I don't even say what I wanted to say. Because I always think what they (others) would think for what I say. It might be nothing, but still I feel that thinking twice before saying anything hasn't harmed anyone. Believe me, I have drafted this post a couple of times, then I deleted everything and then wrote. I confess that I didn't think twice before writing this, because I am not able to pen anything that I wanted to pen down. I am thinking too much about what other's think. But I suppose I was in my limits. No? I apologize for that. I am not going to read this post again. It was hard to experience it once, and relive it twice is painful. And also regarding my promise, I believe I haven't shared what he didn't wanted me to share. Though, there are bits a pieces which might indicate what he meant to keep hidden, but who gives a fuck about him and my promise to him after how he ended things or rather I ended with him. Dude, f**king get over yourself.

The worst f**ked up thing about all this issue was that he told everything what he told me not to tell her (the person about whom he was having trust issues with). Every single f**king thing minus some things. This guy is I-told-have-a-word-for-him.

P.S. : Are you thinking what else I have left to tell that I am writing this P.S. I frankly don't know. I just felt the need, but it beats me what I wanted to write.

Prologue.

The cold wind ruffled through the curtains as the night dawned in silence of the night. It had been raining for an hour and now the air is clean and pure mixed with the moist smell of the aftermath rain. It would be an ideal time to take an evening stroll. But it wasn't evening either. The clock just chimed one. It was not an usual night. There was a stint of certain weirdness that surrounded the atmosphere. When he came it was raining heavily and he was covered in water. The carpeted floor stubbed with dampness. But everything has dried, even the carpet though the atmosphere outside was kind of chilly and cold. But the apartment wasn't. There had been a lot of tension and the room was, well, not as cold as outside. On the contrary, it was pretty hot. 

________________________

Mark got a call when he was returning home after a long day at the office. He was working on a case and it was a pretty complicated one because it was unusual for him to take this long to solve his case. He was actually good at solving when it came to finding bad guys. No, he was great. But this case, was turning out to be mysterious to him and he is no where near solving it. He has always worked by the book, almost. He didn't had many friends because there was some history which he prefers to leave it in the past. He wasn't in active duty for a year because of something that happened in the past that had something do with his family. There were different stories that people told. But he knew the real one and preferred not to think about it and not to be bothered with his past. An year of no duty might have rendered him incapable of working any longer but the urgency and the magnitude of the case asked for his expertise. He had dealt with similar cases before. And so was the reason for calling him on the force. Within a month, he solved the case which the detectives were trying to solve for the past year. He lost the interest of taking credit, which others believed it to be the trauma that was haunting him. And so the department was appreciated, obviously. 

The humbleness of him compelled to make the best use of him. Six months had passed and he did great. He was back. A year before he was locked in his home drinking and smoking and sometimes even drugs, just to forget. He moved places, but the thoughts always haunted him. For a long time, he turned a blind eye to the bad things that happened, even when they happened in front of him. He just walked away. He was incapable. He was tired. He was lost. He was smitten with vengeance. But then again he was mentally incapacitated. 

____________________________

He turned the car back around. The smoke of the cigarette stubbed between his fingers made a trail as he sped on the driveaway to meet up the folks at the crime scene. He arrived at the scene in time for all the detectives assigned to it arrived. He entered the flat. It was a big flat. The victim was a wealthy man. We could tell by the look of his appartment flat. It was a penthouse. And almost in it was antique. He also had a Merc which was parked in his parking spot as of he had just arrived. This case couldn't wait till the next morning because this was the second in the last two months. Whoever was doing this was very careful and it was evident that it was the same person because the pattern was almost similar to all of his victims. And this guy whoever he was was becoming a pain in the ass for the police department. As the pressure kept building from the higher up, the police was head over heels to solve this mystery of sorts.

The forensics gave a preliminary report to Mark based on the visual observations and the more could only be found out after the body was taken to the lab. Mark was a clever fellow. He didn't require any report from anyone. His visual perception was pretty good. He had a thing for these kinds of things and the killers' thoughts. He could jump into the mind of the killer and visualize the scenes that might have taken place. The victim was a Lawyer and was a renowned person as he had more number of cases solved than anyone in the city. And that itself rose the suspicion. No one could be that perfect when it comes to being a lawyer. A note was left behind beside the body which read "For a better society" He leaves them behind claiming himself to be doing good to the society and implicitly asking people not the judge on his morale. 

To be continued.... 

_______________

P.S. : Okay, I have to ask. Does anyone even come here and read any of my stuff? Well anyway, I am not here here to impress you or anyone. So, if you drop by, obviously by mistake, give a shout. Umm, shout, I probably could never hear it. Better leave a comment. Thanks.

P.S.S. Whats' up with this story? I have no idea. I just wanted to write and here I am writing.

Silence.

Image Source : 1 , 2 , 3 , 4

The Midnight Glory
Drone of the Silence
Message of Hope.

                            ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Lost in Contemplation

The muted world drones

Planning a better tomorrow.

                                                                                ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Message of the World

Concealed in the drone

The deaf man translates.

This Haiku is written for the Haiku Heigths : April A2Z Heights - Day 04 for the prompt 'Drone'. 

After 0001 hours.

- The After Mid Night Story -

Strictly Comic Strips. 

#DiaryEntry 04

I came late today. I have never been for this time in office like since forever. And on top of it, I have do this daily. From morning 8 am to night almost 11pm. Give me a break. Well, that's not gonna happen, they say. Yeah, Insane right! I got no choice either. Fate, they call it. Well, I watched the movie, "Terminal" on AXN. !@#$@#@ ! It contains more advertisements than the movie. The movie is just one hour and twenty minutes long, but these guys have to drag it since morning to even after midnight. Well, it was almost 2 when it got over. So, this is what I do ! 

Before-math. 

Aftermath.

Aur Picture abhi baki hai mere dost... lekin thoda sa problem. Damn it! 
Felt like having a coffee. Well, go figure! A coffee at 2 am ! 

The Coffee Problem.

P.S. :  I was lying about 'strictly-comic-strips' thing. Seems like I just can't help writing. Look who's kidding!