“Explain the shoelace, then.” The bored guard strolled away, leaving Tanmay sobbing.
“Let it go, boy,” said the man in the corner. “No one’s going to believe you.”
Tanmay slowly sank to the floor. Life was pointless.
Eventually he became accustomed to life in jail. Wake up, eat, shower if possible, trace lines in dirt, rest, trace lines, eat, trace lines, sleep. He and Sallu became good friends. They shared stories and contraband cigarettes. In fact, they spent almost all their time together, except in the shower: Sallu was an intensely private man, and Tanmay had never seen him in anything less than a towel.
One day, while having a rare bath, Tanmay felt a pang of unease shoot through his stomach. He thought he needed the loo. But no. On the way there, he met Sallu. Sallu had been acting strange that day. For starters, he was in the nude. Too late, Tanmay saw SONJA’s lustful eyes in his friends'.
“Noooo!” he yelled.
“Yes!” yelled Sallu.
There was a thump, then an ominous silence.
***
The Banker had been so young then. A mere innocent, he had wandered through life, looking at advertisements, and believing them. For his fourth birthday, his parents had bought him a hawk. He called the hawk Neo. He loved it very much. When he got his first set of G.I. Joes, he thought that they would get along splendidly with Neo. He was wrong. That night—the night it had all begun—he had gone to sleep early. As the seventh stroke of midnight struck, he felt something metallic pressed against his head. He turned his head groggily, only to find his G.I. Joes alive and threatening him.
Things never were the same after he was forced to kill his precious Neo.
***
Gokul tried to run, but the Fantastic Four were too quick for him. He offered them cheap inebriation, but they spurned it. He offered them money and toys, but they sneered, following him easily as he dashed down the twisted corridors. As he took a sharp turn, the longest curl of his tresses got caught on a road sign. He felt a hook behind his navel, and suddenly, he was whirling through time and space. He crash landed among a heap of metal devices and several dark red objects. A whip cracked behind him. “Are you prepared for your test?” asked Lisa Ann Marie.
“Who are you?” asked the frightened Gokul.
“I am The Torturer”, she said.
***
“So what seems to be the problem?” said Nainsaaf. She was in TY Psychology, interning as Ruby’s assistant. Goliath was her first client. “I don’t know who I am anymore” sobbed Goliath. Nainsaaf grinned. This promised to be an interesting case. “Why don’t you tell me more about this, Mr... Himesh?”“Himesh? Who’s Himesh?”
Nainsaaf attempted to ease the moment. “Well, then, what is your name?”
“My name is... er... Beaver—no, I mean Badger.”
“Okay, Mr. Badger, when did this problem begin?”
“Who’s Badger? My name is Goliath.”
Nainsaaf became frustrated. She screamed. “Just tell me what the problem is!”
Goliath quivered and slowly began the story of his ordeal. It took five hours, six cups of coffee, four personality switches and more patience than Nainsaaf had.
Nainsaaf yawned when he finally stopped. “So, you clearly suffer from Dissociative Identity Disorder. I am going to put you under hypnosis so that all your selves can meet each other. Is that fine with you?”
In a nasal tone, Himesh replied, “Teri, teri, teri marzi. I mean whatever you think will work, ma’am. I just want Goliath and Beaver—no, Badger—out of my life....”
***
Sonikon and Rose eyed each other across the foyer. “I’m going to snap you like a flower” snarled Sonikon. “I’ll give you slip disc” countered Rose. Sonikon’s face lit up like a flash, but soon she realised that this time there could be no DJs. “Enough trash talk,” said the referee. “Pump up the beat” The crowd cheered.This dance off was going to be a carnival, with Sonikon and Rose as the lead pair.
***
What happens next?
Will Tanmay survive SONJA's latest attack?
Will the Banker find redemption?
Will Gokul pass his test?
What will transpire at the meeting of the identities?
Who will prevail in the battle of the foyer?
STAY TUNED.
What happens next?
Will Tanmay survive SONJA's latest attack?
Will the Banker find redemption?
Will Gokul pass his test?
What will transpire at the meeting of the identities?
Who will prevail in the battle of the foyer?
STAY TUNED.
