“The Last Conversation” – Episode 5: The end

(continued from the previous post, Episode 4: The onslaught of the inner most voice)

The story so far : Vikram H Saha was a successful business leader. A prodigy.He was one day visited by an old lecturer Mr.Raghavan who introduced to him the “The Society of the Wishing Deaths”.Where you simply joined a society and collectively with all its members, wished a person dead. And it was claimed to be a working thing. Simultaneously, the oddity of a conversation provoked him to confide in Raghavan his deeply-rooted frustration and fears about his married life and wife, Hema. And towards the end of the last episode, Vikram wanted to join the society to see Hema dead …

And then …

Episode 5

“So you want her dead ? ” asked Raghavan, never ceasing to rub his hands in anticipation.

“Yes sir ! Tell me what to do to join the society ! And I want the process of death-wishing to start right away” Vikram said, his mind seeming to be in chaos yet driven by an absolute, singular, scary, surety.And his mind started drifting …

She was there at the carnival, passing time with her friends. He called her, asking where she was.”I am at the carnival.But don’t you dare come here. Sit in your room.” It was murderous, the feeling then.Her friends and everyone else at the carnival knew about their affair anyway. But she just didn’t want people to see.

There was another time when she called him up before an important examination and said, “Not anymore Vicky I want to end it.I can’t take the emotional strain of a relationship.I know I started it but I can’t take it anymore.”

“But what did I do wrong ? I always looked after you, cared for you and what not.Tell me if there’s a problem. Don’t kill me”

“No! I have to kill you for my convenience”

It killed him that gamut of words she used.But he just kept quiet.And a few days later she was back with him because she supposedly was in a better mood.

It hurt him whenever he talked to her …a feeling that felt like Hulk Hogan was twisting his intestines from within. But he suppressed it.Why ? Because he loved her. All he wanted in return was her love, a love which she manipulated him into believing, existed”

And then Raghavan said , “Hmm … how much would you part with to have this done ?”

“Huh ? I will join your cult ..err.. I mean ..society! Will give you a annual donation from the company’s profits!”

“Okay” said the ghostly old man and stood up.He shook his old student’s hand and started walking away.

Vikram knew the deal was struck.That probably he would receive a call later on, informing him that the wishing-process had begun.He should get the kids away from her both physically and emotionally.He had six months for that.Haha …the Biz-lord wins again !!!

And then suddenly his mind struck back to senses.

An image flashed.An image he saw everytime his life had a challenge. It was not God! It was not uncle or aunt or mom or dad.It was her.The first and only girl he ever loved or dared to love, his wife.It was that same picture he saw every day every second every breath … his last snapped picture of her when they were in undergrad college.Obliviously he sketched it in his mind , the background , the trees , the buildings , nothing came to mind , only that of her amidst a world of Zilch.”

the last picture

“Perhaps she changed after so many years of my blind, selfless love.Why am I thinking of all these things now itself.I should give it more thought and not act on such stupid instincts.” He thought.And shouted …”Sir ! Raghavan Sir! Wait!”

At this, the walking, bald old man without eyebrows, with a pale deathly white complexion turned around and grinned, as if he was expecting it.

“My boy! I forgot to tell you.Your wife had already left your house after you left for office this morning, with your kids.Your wife being the joint custodian of the whole property, promised our society 50% stake in it to join our society and have you dead.”

And Raghavan, the raven, the harbinger of death, continued … “As per our policy of informing our targets, I should tell you that today is March 5th,2015.On exactly Sept 5th, 2015 you shall be dead by some accidental/ natural circumstances.Thank you and have a nice day.”

And he grabbed the coffee being brought in by the office boy and walked away.

—– THE END ——-

Finishing Verse

All these I do

Of which I am not too keen

But alas! It is placidly seen

Its always been you and me

But that Eternity in between !!

– An excerpt

“The Last Conversation”- Episode 4: The onslaught of the innermost voice

The author’s Notice: This Episode is easily the closest approximation to reality in the series.Please refrain if you are among those who are jelly-hearted.Amen!

(continue from Episode 3:The Grim Society)

…..

The scene flashed to the first backlash in his relationship. One evening at college, many years ago.She came across that same long road with that ramp-model like walk.She told him it cant be a committed relationship anymore.That she will chose to make it an open one. “Huh! After she being the person who got into the relationship ? After she being the one who literally influenced to make a commitment since the first day ? After she made all those emotional dialogues to make his otherwise practical spirit more and more emotionally attached to her? Are all those lines of her fake, just so that she could hurt him? “

Such were the thoughts coming up within him.But he forcefully suppressed them .Wouldn’t allow them to come up. Why ? Because he loved her and thats it! You might think of a ,million so-called pragmatic reasons to break things that are beautiful and joyous. But you just need a feeling, a strong human will to think that some things are just right and fight for what you believed in and not what the world thought was right.Ehsaas – the elders called it ! And one such thing the boy believed was this relationship. And her act of fidgeting around with that trust was breaking him, shrinking him, affecting his studies, but he held on because she was his world.”Impossible to exist without you” ,she said when they started seeing each other. She made him believe that the relationship was his path to happiness.Was all that show of mad love fake ?

“You okay son?” Raghavan said.By this time the ghostly old man moved around the table and landed behind the seated Vikram. His hand on Vicky’s shoulder.Vikram was speechless! He suddenly realized . He wasn’t happy !! He had been suffering everyday for the last several years thanks to his girlfriend-turned-wife, inspite of them ending up together, inspite of them making it through endless break-ups and patch-ups, insipte of …. shit !!! The fact is ….

“I am not happy …I was never happy … I hate this woman” his inner voice suddenly cleared up and is now yelling!

The realization finally dawned !!!

“Sir ! She never loved me” He started like a kid whose birthday present had just been snatched away.”She always made use of me, dominated me.She used to break up whenever she wanted to.And patched up whenever she wanted because in her eyes, I was a dog ..a frigging dog, who can be taken for granted. She was so unsure of the relationship that till the day we married, no one even knew that I was her boy friend.”

The Biz-lord, the master of all practicality was for once, talking like a helpless kid, driven by nothing but his apprehensions, his frustrations , his angst, His feelings felt as vain as dust now.

All the effort of the past, all the pains of working hard inspite of emotional havoc so that he could get into a good B-school, all the effort to get the highest job, all the effort into starting his own company so that he reached unprecedented heights, was all for her !?!?! To please her.To give her a sense of security.To make her proud of him THough in love, you are not supposed to wish such materialistic things out of someone you love. But he had been put through hell and back so that he could win her, so that he could convince her dad. And all that for which he wanted her love in return, her unconditional love …but it was always a trial-&-error for her and nothing else.

The thoughts clamored for priority. After so many years his mind finally opened up and his soul was crumbling.He went on , “Her dad! Her dad was a philanderer with extra-marital affairs and even illicit children. Her brother was a cursed womanist who used to use and throw girls like they were disposable syringes.The whole family was like that.Yet I thought that she is different, covered up all their histories in order to convince my parents. She had an ex boy friend. I am no bloody chiavunist and don’t have a problem with that. But no one knew why she ditched him, they , even the best of her friends say its for no reason .. .just like that, and the chap was destroyed! And since then, I lived with a fear that it was not love but selfish opportunity ,that drives her. Yet I never let that fear that she would do the same thing to me come out. Shucks! I should have realized that a snake is born out of a family of snakes.”

“Cool down son! Cool down” said Raghavan , “Not washing dirty linen in public are we? ”

“I am not Raghavan sir ,,its the truth … not my opinion but the bland truth which I have been scared to accept in the last 10 years 😦 .Even after marriage, she always poisoned my mind against my own parents, against my people for her own interests. And I only listened to her , out of blind attachment to her, out of my stupid faith that a bad person will someday turn good with my love!”

Raghavan knew his diabolical mission had been accomplised. “Then you want her dead ? ”

Vikram.H.Saha, the conqueror of the business world, saw the entire issue for the first time in a Machiavellian manner, “Yes ! Yes! Exacta mundo ..thats what I want.I want her dead. All our property has a joint custody.She doesn’t deserve that …she should be killed. I dont want my kids to be under her snake-like influence”

…

(to be concluded in the next episode … a cruel climax )

———————————————————————————

(Episode end) verse of the day:

Finding I’m more lost than found when she’s not around.
When she’s not around I feel it coming down.

– ‘Out of the Fire’ by Finger Eleven

original source for the day’s closing verse

“The Last Conversation” – Episode 3: The Grim Society

Continued from “The Last Conversation” Episode 2 – Answers and Justfications …

The story so far: Vikram.H.Saha was a self made millionaire and businessman. He was visited by a very queer lecturer from his younger days. The ghostly old man seemed to know intricate details about Vikram and his wife. And then he mentioned something else .. about a “society of the wishing deaths” . And so …

Episode 3

“Well! The Society of the Wishing Deaths ! We can kill a person just by wishing him dead.”

Mr.Raghavan went like this … “Hear me out, dear lad! Have you heard of the famous construction builder Mr.Prabhakaran ? He died last week! Thanks to our society !!”

Vikram stopped.Are these guys a killer gang or something ? The mafia perhaps ?

“No we are not the mafia as many might think we are …” he said as if he read Vikram’s mind. We dont resort to illegal activities. We rather do something that some of the lower intellectual level call supernatural. Well we just wish them dead.And if you want someone dead you join our society..We are a society which gets together at pre determined times every day and together just mentally, non-verbally, wish someone dead.The collective focus of our thoughts, of our will kills that person.”

Vikram almost laughed,”You expect me to believe that works ? ” But he thought inside …

Having such an oddity of a conversation perhaps triggered something else. Hema ! Somehow things seem to be coming to his head in a different perspective.A hidden animus towards the only woman Vikram ever loved. It occurred to him many times that she didnt love him, would not stand up for him like he would for her. But he never allowed those thoughts to materialize fully.

“Yes Vicky!” said Raghavan.”You have to. What we do is collectively wish for his death everyday for several months.And exactly in six months he/she is found dead by absolutely accidental or natural circumstances.
In fact, on the day the “collective wishing” begins, we make it a point to tell that target person too.”

“What ?” Vikram found it amusing.”Why would you tell a person you want to kill that you want him dead?”

“Because there’s a scientific argument to this too. A person knows that hundreds of people believing in one little thing, your death and are praying for it everyday. This is something that plays on his mind.Irrespective of whether the target believes it or not, it plays to his psyche and breaks his soul. So as the claimed death-date approaches, he becomes so weak internally that he dies … ”

“Sounds ridiculous!” Vikram said, “Then how do you explain the construction contractor, Prabhakar’s death by his ceiling fan falling on him.” (reference : death described in the Prologue)

“Well! We have an explanation for that.In case he is a weak person, he just gives up on life and becomes psychologically weaker.But if it is a mentally strong person, he would fight the thoughts. And because of that overwhelming premonition, he beocmes more and more aggressive to the point of 100% impulsive behaviour, like a child who fights hard for his chocolate or cake.So thats what happened in Prabhakar’s case …. he acted like a stupid kid by dangerously swinging around his rod which he used as a weapon. He recklessly swung it so much that he accidentally hit his own ceiling fan this causing it to fall on him.”

“But the ceiling fan was loosely hinged!” said vikram.

“My explanation … because he was too tensed up as Jan 27th approached.He was too occupied thinking about or rather fighting that thought, that premonition …. to think of basic things like geting a ceiling fan repaired”

Vikram snickered, “Aha! You are just using things that already happened and somehow linking them up to justify your reasoning !”

But as he spoke why are thoughts about Hema coming to his head …

( how is his wife related to this entire fiasco ? Find out in the next episode)

“The Last Conversation” Episode 2: Answers and Justifications

(continued from the last post ,i.e., “The Last Conversation”: Episode 1: Flawless)

Recap of last episode: Vikram.H.Saha was a prodigy of a business man, the charismatic boss of the *Diagnol Group Of Companies* .He was visited in his office by Mr.Raghavan, an old junior college lecturer of Vikram .Raghavan had changed into an inhumanly form since Vikram saw him last. Vikram vaguely remembered his teacher hating him.Anyway Mr.Raghavan seemed to know something about Vikram which the readers didn’t know yet.

Episode 2

And so he said, this mysterious and imposing Mr.Raghavan,

“So you think you are happy with her huh Vicky ?”

“What are you talking about, Raghavan sir !”

“Let me re phrase son! Are you personally happy ?”

“Yes I am. I am considered a wizard among business leaders.A son and an infant daughter who are wonderful kids.The boy studies even better than I used to.”

“You never did study that well.” intervened Raghavan with an overweeningly convincing tone.

“What do you mean?” It was coming out … the twelve year old antipathy!

“Mr.Raghavan.I was just going through a bad patch then in 12th.And thanks to your insensitive, irresponsible treatment & jeopardization of me, I was effected pretty bad.But then, I did recover.I literally, you see , ROCKED !”

Raghavan smiled.Vicky noticed that Raghavan had no eye brows! Vikram thought that perhaps along with his hair his eye brows too fell with age.But how to explain that pale white complexion of the man, almost like …like a dead rotting body. And also, that red lipstick.Or wait! Was that lipstick or his natural colour ???

“Who cares ?? ” He yelled at himself internally.

“And your wife! The beautiful Mrs.Hema! You didnt even mention her in your justification ?!” Thus saying the Raghavan character broke through Vikram’s thoughts.

“I love her.But how do you even know her ? I met her long after I got out of that college where you used to teach. Wonderful girl she was.I loved her. We had been through a lot of problems together and that made our bonding stronger. We are both like part of the same being if you know what that means. She is the primary source of all my happiness”

“Ha ha ha” laughed Mr.Raghavan. “For long you have hidden your fears, your insecurities, your frustrations my child!”

His laughter, the sudden alacrity of his body language and the abrupt diabolical tone with which he said these words caused the receptionist to touch the building’s security hot-line. With a wave of the hand, Vikram gestured to her through the glass wall of his chamber, not to call security.

“Look mister!” said the Biz-lord.”Lets get it straight! I am a grown up man now, in fact, someone who’s considered much better, more resilient and capable than most other men.You are not talking to a stupid scared boy anymore.If its financial help you want, ask! Don’t act too smart with me, old timer ! ”

” He he” ..the grin was satanic.It sent a chill down Vikram’s spine.The Biz lord was turning into that lil’ scared Vicky in this seemingly evil presence. “Well my child!” said Raghavan. “I know that you have been having problems with Hema, ever since you started seeing her many years ago. You used to suffer from anxieties since the day you met her.Something which only you knew. You were a shy introvert before. And initially, when this girl suddenly started showing interest in you, you innocently felt like she was your path to salvation,your panacea to happiness. ”

The old scary man continued, “But you both had problems.Or rather, you had problems while outside you pretend like everything’s fine.Both to the outside world and to yourself.Details, I wont specify. I would like you to own up rather than me say it. But you always had the fear since the last ten years that her apparent love towards you is not as big or emotionally involved or unconditional as your love for her, isn’t that true? ”

The last three words were said softly, yet with such intensity,such subtle authority,not to mention that metallic rasp !! It made Vicky feel like the sky is crashing down on him! Such things the old man was saying, things that Vikram would even kill himself to prevent such thoughts from coming up.

Vikram said, “Look ol’ timer! Enough!” He was sweating inspite of the Air conditioner being in the turbo-cooling mode! “You better get out of here before I call security”

“Listen child!” the old man sounded a little more excited now. “Do you want your real thoughts to come out of their forced prison? Well! I have an incentive for you! ”

Vikram impulsively, stupidly said “What ? ”

“Wel! The Society of the Wishing Deaths ! We can kill a person just by wishing him to be dead” the old man said as he rubbed his hands in glee.

x-x

(to be continued in the next post…)

————————————————————————————

Episode end comedy with Pic of the day

Michael Phelps: The making

“The Last Conversation” Episode 1: Flawless

He sat at his desk.His Chamber.It was the sleekest office any boss of any organization could possibly have asked for his money’s worth.The theme of the office was grey.There were mostly shades of gray, like Al Pacino’s office in The Devil’s Advocate. The office had a fire place too though a fire place is not really required in India !!!

He was the head of a business empire.That which he built on the base of his sweat and blood. He was the head of one of the world’s most powerful (purchasing power wise) and largest (market cap wise) commercial entity, the “Diagnol Group of Companies”

The year was 2015 AD.What started off in 2007 as a small scale intellectual idea, an experimental but passionate B-plan became an ideology of a glorious empire.Within a record time, he and his partners were making profits as if the Gods themselves were throwing away their endless wealths and treasures from the skies!

And to that, add India’s burgeoning economy and what do you have ?! Vikram.H.Saha, the world’s youngest ever Business magnate to have started from scratch and reach a personal wealth figure of US$1bn.He was a Business scion ..naah ..they actually called him the Biz-Lord !

He suddenly thought all in a split second as he sat in his office, pushing himself back against his mammoth cushioned chair. He remembered that his 12th standard lecturer used to kick him during mathematics coaching classes saying “You will never come up in life.You are totally worthless” Vikram or as he is called at familiar circles, Vicky closed his eyes. And correlated the lecturer with the following picture …

the image of the kicking 😛

” Naah that psycho of a lecturer, Mr.Raghavan had a paunch. From where did he get a sportsman’s physique” He chuckled to him self. He laughed in derision at his own dream. Discarding it because the dream wrongly showed the lecturer having a muscular fit physique rather than a fat, cellulite laden, jelly-base !!

“But why did Mr.Raghavan hate me so much when I was in the 12th standard. I bet right now after having seen my face in many a Business magazine he must be telling his current students that I was a gem of a pupil!! Haha ..the hyprocritic bastard”

And so as Vikram told himself, and was about to resume his checking of some real-estate based documents,the intercom rang.

“Hello Mr.Saha there is a weird man here to see you.He calls himself Mr.Raghavan!” buzzed in the receptionist’s voice.

Vikram asked to send him in.

“Why did he come at all ? What does he want with me ? Shit ! Why am I getting so worked up even after all these years ???”

As Vikram thought, a sharp voice with a metallic rasp whistled past his ears.A suited bald old man,with a paunchless perfect physique, with a deathly pale white complexion, and dracula-like red lips,entered … “So you think you are happy with her ,huh Vicky ?”

….

(to be continued)

“The Last Conversation”: Prologue

Foreword: This story is neither purely fiction nor is purely true. Any resemblance to real life characters or incidents is not regretted at all unless there is a negative NPV invovled 😉

The prologue

“Damn ! Theeeeerrre is nobody like youuuuu” went the song ….

“That stupid song from that stupid Mission Istanbul movie !!” Prabakar thought .He went over to the music system and turned it off.Calmness enveloped the room.The master bedroom in his 2-bedroom service apartment.He turned off the light too.There was darkness now.Any other person would feel the jitters in such an all-pervading, all-enveloping combination of darkness and silence.But he was not perturbed.His mind was strong.But it was more of an already given up mind than that which could face the world.

It was Jan 27th

He was frustrated. He was angry.He was helpless.He sat on his king size bed with the imported mattress.It was soft and sunk in under his weight as soon as he sat on it.

He was tired and wanted to sleep.But he forced himself to stay awake ..

“I am not going to get caught while sleeping. I have the courage to see IT!! ” He thought !!

He was a construction builder.He took contracts from prosperous investors to build huge mansions, office buildings and high-rises for them. Over the years, he’s made lots of money and lots of foes too.

Anyway He waited, having sat on his king size bed in the darkness.He was staring at the emptiness, into the darkness, wondering what will happen when IT finnally comes, if it actually is true that IT will come to him on Jan 27th.

A month he had, before he could see IT or rather, was scheduled to see IT.

And then he did.In the darkness he could make out a white figure, swooping, swooshing and swaying in the blackness!

“IT has come! IT has come to me now! Hahaha ” His calmness gave way to an infinitely provoked jingoistic feeling, the most brutal of animal instincts.He caught the iron rod at his side, the rod that was part of a set of 4 used to tie up the mosquito net.He tugged at it and it came off from the bed’s corner-hinge. He raised the rod and lunged into the darkness of his vast room, at the white figure!

He tore through the white apparition with the rod.He switched on the light.It was only his white shirt.

“Oh no! I forgot I hung it up over here” he told himself.

He switched off the light again and went to sit on his bed.The rod was in his hand.

He didnt even get married though he was 30 already.Somehow, he was petrified by the fact that marriage and family will give his foes openings to get back at him, to destroy him.

“No! I am not going to have any weakness!” Prabakar used to think.

So then, as he was running his fingers across the rod, the rod held straight up in his hand,aimlessly staring into the darkness of his room, there was a sound.The wind was getting stronger outside.It managed to push open the window.He didnt bother to get up and close it.The rod was now standing straight up in his hands, burnished like a sword.

So he was sitting cross-legged on his king size bed with an imported mattress, with a rod held up straight like a sword.Suddenly the window-pane’s glass started banging itself on the wall becasue of the force of the wind.He couldn’t tolerate it anymore, the sound.He wanted serenity, not such cursed noise.

Prabakar had this habit as a child to stand up on his bed before getting down from it when he was taking a course of action. Probably because of his habit as a child of fighting & wrestling imaginary opponents by jumping & shadow-boxing on his bed.So he suddenly had this mad urge to shut the window, to seal it up, to kick the wind out forever. He stood up on his bed with the rod still as it is ….

And then it happened…

He got up with such force that the iron rod’s upper tip hit the ceiling fan above.The fan whih was rotating at maximum speed,unhinged.And slashed his neck while falling down.

He lay there, his wind pipe cut across the cross-section, choking for breath, gurgling out blood.He remembered vaguely …

The fan ! The bloody old fan ! He’s forgotten to have its hinges tightened up ..shit !!!

“And so IT has come !!!” He thought .

“IT has come, IT has come ,DEATH has come …. and so all that was said and predicted was true ….! ” And so he thought his last thought ever.

(The gothic urban legend  titled “The Last Conversation” begins in the next post. Stay tuned for one hell of a psychological ride)