The Spellbinders: Chapter 17 - The Dungeon

We are a team called The Spellbinders. We are collaborating and writing a story for the Blogadda challenge "Game of Blogs". The team is diverse, and we are having fun interacting with each other creatively. To know about us, join us here.

The team members are Farida Rizwan, Sunita Rajwade, Bhavya, Ankita Singhal, Bushra M, Ryan Fernandes, Kunal Borah, Ritu Lalit, Deepa and me (Ankit Mahato)
 
The story so far:
Chapter1 – Room No 4
Chapter 2- Table No 4
Chapter 3- If Looks could Kill
Chapter 4- The Flower That Never Bloomed
Chapter 5 – The Elephant Parade
Chapter 6 – Chance Encounters and Changed Plans
Chapter 7 – Relationships
Chapter 8- When Dreams Come True
Chapter 9 – Runaway Brat
Chapter 10 – Where is Roohi ?
Chapter 11 -The Investigation
Chapter 12 -The Backstabber
Chapter 13- Breaking Bad
Chapter 14 - Mixed Feelings
Chapter 15 - Broken Dreams, Sleepless Nights
Chapter 16- Get Shekhar Out On Bail



“Where am I?” Aryan said, his voice groggy. His mouth had a metallic taste and he was thirsty. The voice echoed. Was he drugged?
“Where am I?” the echo said.
It was so dark that he could barely see his shadow. The darkness hid the dimensions of the hallway. It was definitely big as his voice echoed.

“Why is it so damp in here?” he wondered. That echoed too. He must have spoken aloud.
“What am I doing in this dungeon? Is anybody here?” he tried to look around.
There was a movement in the shadows. Something stirred the air.
He was sitting on his knees, holding something in his right hand. It was tightly gripped.
He tried moving his arm, but it was futile. His entire body was stiff as if it was not under his command. The horror petrified him.

He sniffed.
A circle painted in blood enclosed him. He could smell it.
He felt a strange turbulence in air from all directions.
The faint shadows started converging at the circle.
In a few seconds, he was surrounded by hooded creatures.
“You want to sacrifice me? Do it fast!” he said, with false bravado, his stomach fluttering with panic.

Whispers, a strange chant, he could barely make out the words.

“Hail Darkness,
Within you reside,
Cleanse yourself,
Shatter this bond,
And release your shadow.”

Crik.. Crik.. Crik .. There was a sudden jerk in his bones. Aryan’s right hand was now close to his throat. A knife firmly gripped. He was pale. His body was rejecting any impulse conveyed by his brain. He had no motor control. He slit his own throat in one clean stroke and fell forward. His eyes could faintly see the creature hiding under hood in front of him, those brilliant blue eyes.
“Cy…” his voice came in a gurgle as life ebbed away.
“The ritual is now over.”

***

“Wake up pal.”
“Cyrus!” Aryan said, surprised that he was able to speak.
“Are you alright dude? It doesn’t look you were dreaming of a girl.” Cyrus asked in a worried tone.
“Yeah Nothing. It was just ...” He stopped and looked at Cyrus. His face certainly bore a resemblance to the hooded figure.
“No, it can’t be him. He is my best buddy. I would have known,” he thought and smiled.
“Will you continue your story pal?”
“It was a dark place. A ritual was in progress. A blood sacrifice …. ”
“Where Count Dracula took over your body and killed you. Ha Ha ..” Cyrus interrupted.
“It isn’t funny!”
“It seems you lost too much blood. Hospitals are macabre places with blood in pouches, corpses in cold storage. Do they have zombies walking the hallways?” Cyrus pointed to the blood pouch attached to a drip.

“Sleep, dude. The Count is in Transylvania if he ever lived. Shall we parcel Malik to Transylvania to catch him?””
“Yeah, good idea,” Aryan said with a smile and closed his eyes.
Cyrus left the hospital ward.
“I hope you are not the one .. Cyrus .. I hope so.” Aryan muttered and went back to sleep.

***

Jennifer was worried. Something was bugging her. She opened her laptop and googled – Shekhar, Cyrus, Tara, Aryan … That was it! She made a note and called her Uncle who lived in Kochi.
“Hello!”
“Hello Uncle!”
“Jennifer Mole. How are you?”
“I am fine uncle. I have something important to tell you.”
“Yes Mole, tell me.”
“Not over phone uncle. I have sent you a message. The hash key is SCAT.”
“I will read it beta. Take care.”
Jennifer hung up the phone.
“Urgent .. going to Kochi .. c u soon” - She sent a sms to Cyrus.
As she was checking out of Hotel Tulip Star, she saw someone familiar waiting for her in the hallway.
“Going somewhere ..” Cyrus said.
“Yes. I am going back to Kochi.” – Jennifer picked up her luggage and starting darting out.
There was a sudden jerk in her arm. Something was holding her back.
“I won’t let you go!” – Jennifer looked in his blue eyes. A chill ran through her bones as Cyrus fixed his eyes onto hers.

***

Malik’s phone beeped.
He read the message, kick started his Bullet and within 15 minutes he was standing in front of Aryan’s apartment. He wondered how he had missed interviewing Aryan when he was investigating Roohi’s case.
He took a skeleton key and jimmied the lock. “Why would Cyrus search this place?” he asked himself.
The house was turned upside down. He entered the study room. There was no computer, TV or any medium of entertainment. Just an old clock with immobile hands hanging on the wall. A couple of chairs were scattered in the room near a table. Bookshelves with some books on them, others thrown on the floor near the shelves. He wore gloves and started picking up the books and reading the titles.

Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism: A Study of “Brainwashing” in China, The Psychology of Mind Control, An evolutionary psychology perspective on the origin of Dattatreya cult…

Not the usual kind of books that a young man reads, thought Malik. He drifted towards the study table. Aryan’s notes and research papers were scattered all over the place. Six copies of the best-seller Mind Freaks by Aryan …. was also kept on it. Malik called his driver. Together both of them gathered all the notes and the books into neat heaps. Malik’s phone beeped but he ignored it. Both the driver and Malik took Aryan’s studies to the car and left.

***

What happens next?

Read Chapter 18 - The Shadows Gather

Me and my team are participating in ‘Game Of Blogs’ at 

BlogAdda.com. #CelebrateBlogging with us

The Spellbinders: Chapter 7 – Relationships

Team: The Spellbinders

We are a team called The Spellbinders. We are collaborating and writing a story for the Blogadda challenge “Game of Blogs”.
Here are the links to the previous chapters:

Chapter 1 - Room number 4 by Ankita Singhal
Chapter 2 - Table number 4 by Bushra M
Chapter 3 - If Looks Could Kill! by Ryan Fernandes
Chapter 4 - The Flower that Never Bloomed by KunalBorah
Chapter 5 - The Elephant Parade by Sunita Rajwade
Chapter 6 - Chance Encounters and Changed Plans by Bhavya Nandakumar


We were strolling along the edge of the backwaters of the Kovalam beach, a mile long crescent shaped paradise. This white sandy beach offered an endless sight of coconut trees. The atmosphere was sensual and our souls were longing for freedom from conventional restraints.

An old Vizhinjam Lighthouse was eerily standing on a rocky promontory. Its intermittent beams was rendering the beach with an unearthly charm. With this high rock promontory and a calm bay of blue water, this beach paradise created a unique aquarelle on such a moonlit night.

Her long flowing sundress,
Hair floating with the breeze,
Shimmering light falling on her dusky skin,
She was glowing like an angel, or was it like Madam Dracula, considering her taste for black lipstick?

She was not like other women, soft and angelic.  This girl had a bite.  And Cyrus discovered he had a taste for the unconventional.  He wanted to experience the bite. 

Jennifer, his chance meeting with her had been brief and full of promise.  He wanted to explore more.  Would he ever meet her again. 

He stirred restlessly and went back into the dream …

And lingered on the butterfly tattoo on her right arm. He bent down to kiss the arm and she turned, those kohl smudged eyes naughty.  Will she kiss me, he thought.  She smiled and bent her face, her expression giddy, mischievous, and seductive all at the same time.

Oh my God, I am in love ...

“Uthiye!”
“Bhaiya, Uthiye!”
“Wake up Cyrus Bhaiya! Our plane has landed.”
Cyrus woke up with a start.  Little Roohi was standing on his lap.

“Roohi get down now. The plane is about to land in Mumbai, buckle your seat belt beta.” – Tara grabbed the little girl, gave her a hug, holding her close to her heart. She was still scared, protective, the momentary pang of nearly losing her daughter fresh on her mind. She would never let it happen again.

Roohi held Cyrus’ hand while they were checking out of the airport. She felt that finally she’d found an elder brother to look after her, to give her company.

“Cyrus, why don’t you come to our place? I’ll introduce you to my husband and we can have dinner together.” asked Tara.
 “Sorry Ma’am, but I have to attend a wedding tonight otherwise my dad would be furious.”
Tara shivered thinking about Darius.
She was tempted for a moment to tell Cyrus about the bond they shared.
She shook her head.  No. Not yet.  May be never.

“Here’s my card. I’ll come and meet you, li’l champ, someday.” Cyrus handed over his card to Roohi who tucked it safely in the little purse she carried.

He smiled as he saw the careful way she put the card away.  He ruffled her curls and said, “Okay. Now I have to leave. My driver is waiting. See ya. Bye.”

Tara gave him a tight hug. “Thank you for saving my daughter’s life. She is the most precious thing I have got.”
“Maam, you are lucky to have a loving family.”
Cyrus bid farewell and walked away, wearing his earplugs.
Tara smiled.  One day Roohi would be older and she would do the same.  She stood there watching him walk towards the exit until he got lost in the crowd.

Someone tapped her shoulder.
She turned.
“Shekhar!” Tara turned pale.  She was surprised to see him at the airport.  He normally forgot to pick her up.

Shekhar had a furious look in his eyes. Tara, completely unaware that she was the cause of his annoyance began to tell him about the entire event.  “You know in Jaipur this young man …”

“Just stop it Tara. Enough is enough.” He shouted at the top of his voice uncaring about the scene he was creating.  “At least you should have been careful not to carry on in Roohi’s presence.”

The fight lasted all the way home.  Once they reached the flat, Tara walked into the bedroom and locked the door.  Shekhar sat down at the desk and stared at the computer.
Roohi stared at the locked door and then at Shekhar’s face, grim in the light which the computer screen emitted. 

Roohi sadly went into her tiny room and curled up in bed.  She hated to be back home.  No one loved her.  Maybe she was the cause of all that fight. 
She loved her parents.  Maybe if she went away, they would be happy.
Maybe …

***

Cyrus went home unaware of the strife his presence had caused in Tara’s family.  They had a beachfront property, nothing but the best for his father.  The huge house was empty.  He was used to being alone, that did not bother him.  He went to his room where the card stood prominently on the table, with a short note from his father, “9 pm, in your best suit.  Don’t be late.  My secretary will send you the gift.”

Yes Boss, he thought with a wry smile.

The Bawa family seemed to be important to his dad, he briefly wondered why.  Then he dismissed the thought.   He did not want to know.  It was best not to know, that way he could live his life without getting involved in DD’s plans.

He got into bed and slept.

Consequently he reached the wedding around 10 pm.  The party was in full swing.  The hall was tastefully decorated.  The tables laden with food and waiters were circling around, with trays of alcohol.

He walked to the stage, handed over the gift and picked up a glass of white wine and found himself a chair at an empty table.  Normally he timed his presence well.  Two glasses of wine, a small snack, three photos for the wedding album and he could leave.

He took a sip and was pleasantly surprised.  The wine was excellent, just the right degree of coolness and it was dry.  The way he liked his wine.  May be he could stay for a third glass.  In a slightly better frame of mind he looked up and saw svelte figure drawing close to him.

“Hi” – she said softly.
He looked up. He could not recognize the woman but the eyes seemed familiar.
“Yes?” he said.
“We met at Kochi,” she said with a smile.
The smile was very familiar.
“Jenny!  Jenny with the black dry blood lips!  Jenny the vampire girl,” he said with a laugh.
“I don’t have fangs,” she said, with a chuckle.
“They would look good on you,” he said.  His evening had just gone from boring to excellent.

***

Read the remaining chapters:

Chapter 8 – When Dreams Came True by Deepa Dutta

Chapter 9 – The Runaway Brat by Farida Rizwan 
Chapter 10 – Where is Roohi? by Ritu Lalit 

To know more about all the authors of this story and for suggestions, Join us here

Me and my team are participating in ‘Game Of Blogs’ at BlogAdda.com. 
#CelebrateBlogging with us.  

TEAM MEMBERS – Ritu Lalit, Farida Rizwan, Ryan Fernandes, Bhavya Nandakumar, Ankita Singhal, Bushra M, Kunal Borah, Ankit Mahato, Deepa Dutta & Sunita Rajwade

Anecdotes of an Invigilator

TA 202 Mid Semester Examination

L17, IIT Kanpur

Mentioned below are some short humorous incidents that happened over a period of one and a half hour.

I was silently roaming at the back of the lecture hall like a ghost.
I noticed three dudes cheering and talking in the last row.
"Kyun laundo, kaafi kush dikh rahe ho tumlog. Aakhir baat kya hai? Settle ho gaye ho kya."
"Sir, seating arrangement ke hisaab se baithe hai. Aap cheating karne dijiyega na?"
"Mujhe toh yahan 'cheating' arrangement dikh raha hai. Mil jhul ke kaam karna. Taqdeer tumhare saath hai."


A guy used to give me a stare whenever he got stuck at some question.
Again.
And again.
And again.
It was high time I confronted him.
"Tum gay ho kya laundey. Kya main bahut sundar dikhta hoon?"
"Nahi sir, bas atak gaye the sawaal pe."
"Abey agar atakte ho toh bagal ke paper ko dekha karo. Humko dekhne se thodi na solution mil jayega."
"Thik hai sir." 
Aur achanak se uske shakal mein aayi is muskurahat ko dekh mera dil paseej gaya.


A cute girl raised her hand.
Like a vortex causing a whirlpool, 
withdrawing water all around,
Invigilators from all corners of the room,
Poured their heart and soul to save this damsel in distress.
A bakra was needed.

"Ankit come here!"
I was summoned and ordered to meet the instructor-in-charge in L-7. All this labour, just for one cute girl. But an order is an order, and I had to carry it out.
I went and got scolded instead.
And when I returned to her, she spoke the magical words - "Sir, doubt nahi tha. Samajh aa gaya."


"Sir, OARS mein mera section C-14 hai aur sir jo mail bheje usme C-9 likha hua tha. Toh paper mein kya likhe?"
"Tumhaare tutor kaun hai?"
"Nahi pata sir."
"Class jaate ho?"
"Nahi sir."
"Ek kaam karo .."
Eagerly, he lent me his ears, "Haan sir, boliye .."
"Dono likh do. Tumko benefit of doubt jaroor milega."


I picked another unique piece next.
"Launde tumko constipation hua hai kya?"
"Nahi Sir."
"Toh itna pareshaan kyun dikh rahe ho?"
"Sir rubber laana bhul gaye. Share karna allowed nahi hai."
"Toh pareshaan hone se thodi na rubber mil jayega."
I picked up an eraser, "Yeh lo. Jaldi mita ke wapas karo. Aur yeh loose motion wala shakal mat banana aage se kabhi."


Another chap raised his hand.
I undertook a voyage floating through a score of rows.
"Kya hua? Haath kyun uthaye ho? Koi doubt hai kya?"
"Nahi sir, hum kuch soch rahe the."


His partner was struggling with a CNC code.
A shock he got, I could very well understand.
"CNC nahi padh ke aaye na. Soche hoge important nahi hai. ECM, EDM, Lathe ke jagah CNC code kyun puchenge."
"Haan sir." He said in a muffled voice.
"Yehi hota hai. Main tumhaari peedha samajh sakta hoon. Jo theek se padhaya nahi jaata hai, exam mein wahi aata hai. Code nahi banega on spot. Na isme logic hota hai aur na hi proper syntax. Bas rat ke aana hota hai book ka example, jo tum karna bhool gaye."


And then there was one, who preferred to sleep peacefully as if he had found heaven on earth.
I stood beside him, watching the droplets of saliva falling from his mouth.
He woke up.
"Yaar room pe jaake so jao. Accha neend aayega."
"Sir ek ghante baad mera VIVA hai, agar room pe gaye toh phir uth nahi paayenge."


Then I saw something unusual.
Another cute girl whispering to her companion to show her the schematic of the Electrochemical Machining process. But, her companion didn't even buzz.
She betrayed her.
It was Treachery.
It was Blasphemy.
Paap hai yeh.

 
I approached her stealthily.
"Oye, cheating kar rahi hai?"
She turned and said in a mesmerizing voice - "Naaahiii siiir."
"Dekho yaar tumhaare saath dhoka ho chuka hai. Aise thodi na cheating hota hai. Woh kuch question kar rahi hai, tum kuch aur pooch rahi ho. Strategy banana padhta hai. Lekin yahan tumhaare saath gaddari ho chuki hai. Toh agle baar se be careful. Pick a guy he will always help you."
And her smile faded.


I glanced into the answer sheet of the traitor. There she was, documenting the CNC code. Who on earth does that. Her neat and tidy booklet reminded me of someone.
"Sir, yeh lijiye. Ho gaya mera."
I flipped the pages.
"Choti Jaipuria tumko toh pura number milega. Yeh toh mera bhagya hai ki mujhe shakshaat Mataji ke booklet ke darshan ho gaye."


Half an hour to go and only a lone warrior was left behind, fighting his battle.
"Launde, jung khatam ho chuka hai. Hathiyaar daal do."
"Haan sir, aap thik keh rahe hai. Yeh lijiye mera paper."
"Toh is jung mein haare ho ya jeete ho?"
"Sir, lag toh raha hai ki haar chuke hai."
"Koi baat nahi haar ke jeetne wale ko baazigar kehte hai. Endsem mein fir milenge."

2779 AD: Extinction

Adam Elevator Space Base | 62,137 miles above sea level | 2779 AD

Bruce sighed while waiting at the cargo bay for the elevator's arrival. He had been following the same schedule for last 10 years – collecting the cargo sent by his associates on Earth which usually included new test equipments and some belongings sent by his family and friends living below. A taut carbon nanotube composite ribbon was anchored to the platform. It continued a few thousand miles above into the space and finally hooked into a trapped asteroid which acted as a counterweight. He could sense the dampened vibrations of the approaching elevator. He was feeling a bit upset today as on this fateful day, five years back, his dear friend Luke had vanished mysteriously.

Tycho Crater | 100 miles from SpaceX Colony, Moon | 2774 AD

Luke drove his rover through the Lunar highlands covered with regolith, a mixture of fine dust and rocky debris, and reached the source of the strange signal he detected today. He slid down the gentle slope of the crater and started leaping towards its centre. After walking a few miles the dusty terrain started turning smooth and shiny like an ice-floor. He inserted his probe and started examining the floor closely. It turned out to be a super-cooled liquid glass.

“What is this glass lake doing in this crater?” He wondered.

He turned his head upwards and gazed at his home planet. It was looking serene and beautiful.

Suddenly a thought clicked in his mind.

He took his receiver and plugged it into his suit. He told Lina, the computer built into his spacesuit, to analyse the signal with respect to Vasin-Shcherbakov Equations.

After a few seconds.

“Luke. This signal encodes the current satellite image of Earth with an extraordinary resolution of one mile on Earth to one mile on the data transmitted.”

Luke was shocked- “How on Earth is this possible! This crater contains the most gigantic telescope, constantly keeping an eye on us and we never knew. How did we miss it? I must head to the colony and tell Bruce about this.”

As Luke started drifting swiftly towards the rover, he felt a strange presence, as if he was not alone. A dusty breeze blew through his airtight suit. He was shocked at the thought of something penetrating his suit.

The next moment his power-suit turned off.

He tripped.

Turned his head.

Saw a faint silver figure floating in air and never woke up.

The giant lunar telescope was not the first alien technology mankind ever came across. Something similar happened 800 years ago.

Groom Lake | Southern Nevada, U.S. | 1949 AD 

The lake was shrinking season after season. Old Timothy Adams was having a dip in the lake when suddenly he felt something big under his feet. He informed the sheriff and soon they pulled out that saucer shaped object. Rumours of this strange object spread and this area was cordoned off quickly. They named it Area 51, a secretive military air force base.

After a few years, disruptive technologies started pouring out in US- Fibre optics, LASERs, Kevlar, Titanium fighter planes, Transistors (the birth of computers)– and some of these totally changed our world. Some technologies took centuries to reverse engineer, like the hydroxyGEN– which could split water vapour in air and provide us both Hydrogen fuel and pure Oxygen.

It still remains a well kept secret that the technologies we boast off today, had their origin in that one saucer which landed on Earth maybe centuries ago.

SpaceX Moon Colony | Maria Levita, Moon | 2779 AD

It was a peaceful lunar settlement, flocked with twenty families as a part of the SpaceX lunar experiment. The colony was a closed ecological system where all nutrients were recycled. It was self-sustainable requiring no Earthly support.

Bruce entered his house. Sam was eagerly waiting for his dad. He was wearing a strange skimpy suit covering his entire body except his head.

“Hey son, look what grandpa sent you.”

It was a slimy fish with orange scales. Swimming to and fro in the container. It looked beautiful.

“Dad, it belongs to which species?”

“I have no clue Sam. Try asking Ela.”

Sam moved his hand and positioned his palm facing the fish.

“Ela, tell me all details you find on this fish.”- He said it on his microphone.

Green rays came out of his palm and started scanning the fish. The rays stopped and Ela, his personal supercomputer, soon arrived at an answer.

“It is an Oranghy also known as the "slimehead". It is slimy and has orange scales, having a typical life expectancy of 150 years. It is found along the North Atlantic coast. It became extinct 50 years back due to overfishing.”

Sam looked at this cute fish and started feeling sorry. Man's inherent nature to dominate the entire planet never changed. As centuries passed, species extinction had continued at an alarming rate due to human activities.

Amazon Desert | Brazil | 2779 AD

What was once 2.1 million sq miles rainforest was now reduced to a desert with just a small patch of land covered with trees. Millions of species residing in those forest were now extinct. An automatic lumberjack came and started logging the final patch.

The moment the last tree touched ground, 2000 orbs left the Gioni Crater on Mars.

Adam Elevator Earth Base | On a Pacific Isle | 2779 AD

“Stephan, today around two thousand silver orbs destroyed all major cities around the globe. A high energy plasma beam emitted from a single orb wiped out an entire city, leaving behind just a rocky terrain. With all major government centers gone, the entire planet and its people are thrown into chaos."- Andy told me.

A day later, everyone, including me, enlisted in the army, in order to protect the Adam Earth Base as that was our last resort to escape this doomsday. It was our last hope.

We took our positions and surrounded the base.

Five hours later, three elevated figures appeared far away. The humanoids looked identical, shaped like an ideal human. We started shooting at them with our laser guns. It was a futile effort.

Their silver suits were made up of technology never seen before-

Nanotech? Biotech?

No.

It was nowhere near as simple as that. Its material was inserted with an integral DNA of living organisms. Customized artificial neurons were working in conjunction with their nervous system. Those metallic suits responded to their thoughts. It was an amalgam of biotechnology and mechatronics. They were controlling it perfectly. Our laser beams were easily blocked by their techno-organic armour which altered itself automatically to create a shield in order to obstruct the trajectory.

They were close. We were scared.

None of my shots were even close. I was just another scientist holding a gun and wearing a power-pack, stupefied by their alien technology. One of them was now floating in air facing me. I shot at him insanely, to no result. He extended his hand fully towards me, keeping his arms straight and locked. His palm a few feet away facing my head. Suddenly he turned and shot a spherical ball towards Andy. The ball appeared out of nowhere on his palm. As if lots of molecules on his palm assembled to form that sphere. As it reached Andy, the sphere disintegrated into the air. Andy's power-pack failed and then a few moments later Andy dropped dead.

I could predict that this superior race had already harnessed Technovores- Synthetic alloys and unknown biological entities that invade the system compromising power source and life out of the cells of the host. The silver Technovore shield was made entirely of nanobots. It had the ability to disassemble itself into a stream of nanites which carries a copy of the entire viral personality, and implying that the whole entity can reconstruct itself from a single unit. It absorbed technology into itself, adding the abilities of consumed technology into its physical being. It was a bio-tech warfare, probably the first and the last mankind would ever see.

The alien turned his head and looked directly into my cold eyes.

SpaceX Moon Colony | Maria Levita, Moon | 2779 AD

Bruce and Sam started running towards the escape pods kept at the edge of the colony. But when they reached it was already too late. The five pods were already carrying eight families. Bruce was holding Sam's hand standing in despair. They could see the SilverMen on the other side of the colony shield.

The pods launched.

SilverMen positioned their palms shooting hundreds of globules into space which disintegrated on contact with the surface of the pods. Three hundred feet above the ground those pods annihilated.

Sam could not bear the sight. He hugged his dad and started crying. Right now he felt just like the Oranghy – alone, entrapped and helpless.

“Dad, are we going to become extinct?” 

This entry was written for IBL 2.0 Coup d'East Team. Do like the original entry - Link

3047 AD : Troy

3032 AD

"Whoa! Robert we did it, it’s amazing we made a profound discovery in our solar system. It truly does give a deep insight into science," said Kurt the administrator of Space-X.
Robert was the deputy administrator of this private firm which had advanced miles ahead in the field of space research compared to NASA and other government organisations. Just a few hundred years Space-X had made Mars habitable for Human settlement by inducing climatic conditions similar to that of Earth. 
"Yes we did it. It’s a combined effort of our team, without them we never would have found that wormhole." said Robert.
"Yes, and to think that there would be a wormhole between the planet Mars and the asteroid belt is truly astounding" said Kurt.
"Kurt you know how eager I am to discover new colonies of life outside earth and get to know their culture and existence and I truly believe this opportunity could be used to the fullest and explore the unexplored. We are lucky that this is a traversable wormhole and space travel could be done through it." Robert asked Kurt with extreme delight in his eyes.
"A wonderful opportunity indeed." Kurt replied. "Considering that and the fact that it is impossible for life travel to take place through that wormhole we must make a satellite which could send radio waves through the worm hole."

3035 AD

"Pandora 619 is is ready for the launch Robert," Kurt said cheerfully.
"Let's begin the countdown."

3045 AD

"Kurt, there is a serious problem at hand, the connection with Pandora 619 is cut and cannot be re-established."
"It’s alright, we covered most of the part of planet Redik through Pandora 619, we will find an alternate solution and even inform the situation to the Garganians who have their planet Gargan near the satellite. Maybe they could help us as they have been helping us by lending their technological marvels over the past few years since we made our first contact." said Kurt filled with hope.

3047 AD

"Kurt, sorry to disturb you at this moment but our watch-station 4 has just sent an emergency message, it says that an unidentified object is heading towards Earth. I’ve even contacted Gargans, but they denied it being theirs. It is approximately 5 days away from earth." said Robert confused.
"All right I will look into the matter." Kurt said calmly.

The following day Kurt seemed to be rejoicing.
"Cheers! I am very happy that Pandora 619 is returned. We could possibly use it to test Redik's soil samples. I even asked the watch-station to conduct an X-ray scan of Pandora 619 but it seems there is no danger."


That night Kurt returned back to his home overlooking the Martian Delta. Suri, his daughter, was eagerly waiting for her dad.
"Dad, look what I found while I was browsing the SMAI today. On Earth there was a lost city of Atlantis which was discovered 500 years ago. It was created by the survivors of Troy who wanted to live at peace after its destruction because of the Trojan Horse." Suri paused. "Dad what is a Trojan Horse?"

"My girl, the Trojan Horse was a way of deception used by the Greeks who wanted to win against Troy in a war. The Greeks hid in the wooden horse and the army of Troy thought of it to be the gift of victory and took it inside. When inside at night the Greeks crept out and called in reinforcements and slaughtered the army of Troy. This was the Trojan Horse," said Kurt thoughtfully.

"Dad, this is cheating." Suri was sad.
Kurt then began to contemplate.
He then stomped his foot and quickly headed towards the Space-X office and called Carter the man in-charge at watch-station 4.
"Carter, its me Kurt, sorry to disturb you at this time of the night, but could you tell me how far is Pandora 619?"
"3 days sir," replied Carter.
"Could you please take an electron beam scan of Pandora 619?"
"Right away sir."

The next day Kurt was holding the reports. He was puzzled.
Holding the reports in his hand Kurt called the Extra Terrestrial Space Force Captain Norman Scruze.
"Norman I want Pandora 619 to be exterminated immediately. And please make sure it is done as soon as possible" Kurt said.
"Sure sir" Norman replied.
After 13 hours the the whole sky is blinded by a white light.
Kurt arrived to the unit and smiled at his staff. Everyone including Robert were stupefied by this phenomenon.
"I am glad the report saved us Kurt." - Robert remarked.
"It didn't, Robert. The reports were negative. The Garganians sent back the satellite Pandora 619 with loads of anti-matter which if it would have made contact with any planet would have lead to total annihilation. These reports provide us the proof that our technology is still far inferior. We need to figure out their future plans. They are nothing less than demi-gods who are gearing up for a war. This was just their Trojan Horse."

Love, Strategy and Antaragni

An exotic white designer kurta; jeans; leather boots and tonnes of deodorant, still there was something I was giving amiss.  I glanced at my shadow in the mirror and it clicked me immediately.

"Bose darwaza khol! Urgent hai." - I started banging my wingey's door. 

Hurriedly he opened the door with dopey eyes. "Kya hua Mato?"

"Yaar tere paas hair gel hai."

"Bas gel ke liye darwaza inte jor se peet raha tha! Nahi hai mere paas. Mattu ke paas hoga dekh."

He banged his door shut and resumed his lazy afternoon siesta.

I entered Mattu's room. Located Set-Wet. And started applying it on my hair. 

"Itna sajh dhaj ke kahan chala Mato?"

"Yaar aaj MUN ka delegate dance hai."

"What's MUN?"

"Yaar ek topic hota hai, ek country allot hota hai aur bas funde dene hote hai." - I added.

"Hmm.. What's your country?"

"Turkey"

"What's the capital of Turkey?"

"Istanbul"

Sarcastically he started rolling-on-floor-laughing.

"What happened?"

"The delegate of Turkey doesn't even know that Ankara is the capital of his country. Doob maro."

"Abey competition ki kisko padi hai. Baat ko samjho .. Law School ki bandiya .. bandiya patane ki nayi strategy hai."

"Saala Thurkey Turkey!"

I reached LHC Foyer, the location of the delegate dance. Participants had already started pouring in. Hot chicks, cool guys - So this is how the law crowd appears.

A few moments later familiar dilapidated people joined me. "Hi Mato" -  Shubham, Gujjar and Bagadiya all three of them cried synchronously.

Neeraj plugged in the speakers and suddenly transformed from a coordinator into a DJ. We danced like hooligans. Waving our hands randomly. Resorting to Punjabi style when we had no moves in our mind. Who cares after all its Antaragni.

Suddenly my eyes fell on her.

She wore Blue Velvet,  

Bluer than velvet was the night.

Sparkling Brown Eyes,

And a mesmerising smile.

She was standing a few feets away from the dance floor.

"Oye Mato usko dance ke liye invite kar." - Shubham suggested.

"Nahi yaar. Kahin ched-chad ke maamle mein kantaap maar di toh."

"Bhai dekh yeh tera aakhiri Antaragni hai. Agle saal toh tum placement preparation karega. Yehi last chance hai. Dance pe chance maar de."

"Abey tension ho raha hai .. Mere se nahi hoga."

"Toh chullu bhar paani mein doob maro. Tum bond aadmi ho. Tum nahi himmat karoge toh kaun karega. Poore mech department ki dua tumhaare saath hai."

"Thik hai." I took a deep breathe, gathered the little courage I had inside me and moved outside the dance floor.

"Hi"

"Hello," she said softly.

I looked back at Shubham, who was beaming right now.

"You are the delegate of .. ," my voice faded out.

"Iraq."  

"Woh toh bagal mein hai!"

"What?"

"I mean I'm the delegate Turkey. We're neighbours."  

She smiled. It looked as if finally I had struck a chord.

"How are the foreign relations between Iraq and Turkey?" -she enquired.

I shrugged my shoulders slightly and then I asserted - "We'll have ample time in the next two days to discuss our countries foreign policy."

"Yeah, you are right." She agreed. 

Winter was coming, but I could feel a strange warmth in her company. Meanwhile, Neeraj changed the track to 'Jhoom Barabar Jhoom'.

"Nice song. Would you like to join me on the dance floor?" 

"Sure."

For a few seconds I stood still as if I was expecting some subterfuge to avoid the dance.

Then I escorted her to the dance floor.

She started moving her hands through the air in graceful patterns. The rhythmic fluid movements of her body in tune with the music. The colourful swirling of her blue velvet along with the beat. My PE101 exercise inspired dance steps were nothing compared to her intricate foot movements.

 

"Ankit can you come with me for a second." - Shilpa interrupted. It was the perfect excuse to take a break and rethink my dancing strategy. I moved away from the floor.

"Haan Shilpa bolo?"

"You haven't submitted your position paper yet."

"Oops. I forgot."

"Aap bas bandi ke saath dance karte raho and maje lo. MUN mein jeetna hai ki nahi?"

I grinned.

"What's her name?"

"Oops. I forgot to ask her."

"Aap bhi hadd ho."

"I’ll submit it, pakka. Chalo, I got to join her back on the dance floor. Bye."

By the time I returned, the girl in blue velvet had already disappeared. I cursed my fate, silently strolling down the street back to my abode. Two hours of googling and I was ready with my position paper.

It was a beautiful morning. I suited up and headed towards L16 the venue of General Assembly. Shilpa was standing at the entrance.

"Hi Shilpa, did you get my position paper."

"Haan mil gaya."

"Is she inside?"

"Arrey Ankit aapka kismat utna accha nahi hai. She is in ECOSOC."

"Shit! Anyways I'll go and take my seat."

Soon the proceedings of the Council began. The delegates where quite experienced, enthusiastic and stupid at times.

"My country has the cure to the illness but not the technology to produce it." - said the delegate of USA.

I think he had gone nuts as how he could have produced the cure without the presence of required technology. Similar "diplomatic" statements followed where people reframed the same thing again and again and again. I had the perfect excuse to refrain from uttering even a word - it was my first MUN and like other first timers I was there to just listen and acquire these tactics of diplomacy.

"Okay delegates, we will now disperse for lunch. Use that time wisely to continue your discussions."

SAC parking lot was overflowing with energy after Khalsa College's Nukkad. And in that crowd I caught a glimpse of her with an I-Card hanging on her chest written "IRAQ, ECOSOC". 

"Excuse me." 

She turned - "Oh hi!" and gave me a dazzling smile.

"Sorry my teammates were heading back so I had to leave the dance abruptly yesterday."

"Chill hai. So how's your Council?" I asked.

"Well the people in ECOSOC are very experienced and this is my First MUN so things are going above my head."

"Well this is my first MUN too. Had you done any research work on the issue?" I further inquired.

"Actually I had no idea that we need to do so much research. I was simply amazed at the amount of material people carried along with them. How was your day?"

"The delegates of my council are quite cool. Also I did some research on the issue, so things are turning out to be on the positive side."

Well my definition of research was simple - Wikipedia entries on Turkey and its foreign policies.

We began strolling towards the Informals stage. 

"Any plans for tomorrow?"

"I will bunk tomorrow's session and enjoy Antaragni." She laughed. "This is the first time I am attending any cultural festival. It is so lively outside our boring council."

I nodded in agreement, wondering, whether I should make the first move and ask her out. Then suddenly from thin air a cupid appeared. Kaithal, the Informals coordinator, had a form in his hand. He waved at me and then started telling her about the Blind Date Competition where she need to just fill the form, go on a date, compete and win loads of prizes. She was quite enthusiastic and eagerly filled in for the competition. 

Lunch time was over and we had to go back for the next session. She left, promising to meet me again. Me too, but in the other direction, towards the Informals desk.

"Oye Kaithal yaar mereko uske saath date pe bhej de."

"Yeh lo Blind Date boy's form, isko bharo." 

"Yaar sahi mein bharna padega kya? Isme toh questionnaire hai. Uske form mein toh nahi tha."

"Mahato bhai dekho, baat yeh hai ki kareeb 200 ladke form bharte hai aur mushkil se 20 ladkiyan. Toh shortlist karne ke liye kuch basis chahiye na."

"Hmmm.. Kab tak form jama karna hai?"

"4 baje tak."

"But abhi toh mera MUN ka session hai."

"Blind Date ka mauka baar baar nahi aata hai, soch lo."

"Chal thik hai form bhar ke laata hoon."

I started rolling my eyes on the questionnaire. The first question - "If you have X-ray vision, first three things you would like to see?" My first reaction - Front View. 

And then I heard a voice from inside - "Bhak Budbak! Roadies nahi dekhte kya. Form mein koi ashleelta nahi."

"Hmm..."

Then I scribbled - "Firstly, I'll check whether she has some brains. Secondly, I'll check out her eyes, how deep they are. Lastly, I'll see whether her heart skips a beat when I am close to her."

Sounds romantic. The trend continued for other questions and after spending an hour I had a decent form in my hands.

"Kaithal, yeh le mera form."

"Form acche se bhare ho. Chance hai tumhara."

"Thankx bhai. Bas us bandi ke saath setting karwa de kal date ka."

"Dekhte hai." - He winked.

"Chalo session ke liye kaafi late ho gaya hoon. Chalta hoon. Bye"

 

You're my pumpkin pumpkin, hello honey bunny

I'm your dumpling dumpling, hello honey bunny.. 

My mobile exploded with honey bunny the next day. "Hello"

"Hi Mato, Kaithal bol raha hoon. 12 baje aa jaana desk pe blind date ke liye."

"Sahi. partner kaun hai."

"Abey beti$@#%, aake khud dekh lena."

"Chal thik hai."

An hour later, at the Informals desk, I was well seated waiting for my date. She arrived once again dressed in blue. It sat on her body as if it had been made for her. The satin folds hugged her figure following her curves and the deep blue was gorgeous against her white skin. It was embroidered with miniature dark flowers and finished, as along all the visible seams, with jet black lace to match her stilettoes, and its light skirt flowed out above her knees showing of her toned legs. Her black hair hung perfectly, its choppy layers framed her face and she finished it in style with a deep blue satin bow the same shade as her eye shadow, and same style as her ribbon necklace which held a small beautiful black glass flower. She looked stunning. 

"Hi" - Kaithal greeted her.

He pointed in my direction and continued - "He is your blind date for this event. Also keep in mind that you both need to perform a 30 second dance piece on-stage."

She was amazed by the coincidence.

"When did you decide to take part in it?" - She asked.

"I was just passing by the desk in the evening, when a thought crossed my mind to try out my luck as I have never been on a date."

"Well, it's my first one too. Same pinch." - She beamed.

"So how do you want to spend it?" - I asked.

"Let's know a bit more about each other over a cup of coffee."

"Sure." 

We entered CCD and occupied a corner seat.

"Let's order something first," I insisted.

"Any suggestions?"

"How about Irish Coffee." I suggested.

"I haven't heard of it before."

"Don't worry. You'll like it."

I came back with the token number 42 and placed it.

"Hey, that's the answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything!"

"What answer?"

"Haven't you read The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy?"

"Nope." - Quick came my reply.

"In that novel there is a supercomputer called Deep Thought which after seven and a half million years of calculation, had announced that the Answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything was in fact 42."

"Oh, I haven't read the book, but I do have some idea about supercomputers. "

"Wow, you are a proper NERD. Are you from this college?"

"Oh we haven't formally introduced ourselves so far. Hi, I am Ankit and I am currently in my third year and yes I am a student of IIT K."

"Hi, I'm Aditi. I'm in second year pursuing a degree in Law from NLU, Raipur."

"How's life in law school?"

"Well we have loads of courses and strict attendance policy. Then we take part in MUNs and Moot Courts. What about life in IIT? You people study a lot na?"

"Nope. We just study a day before the exam as a lot of extra-curricular activities goes around in campus which enables people to pursue their passion. Like I am involved in Art, Programming and Creative Writing."

"You write?"

"Yup"

"What kind of stories?"

"Short Sci-Fi stories and love flicks."

"So NERDY. Typical IITian."

"Arrey what's NERDY in writing?"

"Kuch nahi." - She said with a polite smile.

Our order arrived.

"Hey it looks great. What are these layers in our coffee?" - She wondered.

"The bottom layer is of whiskey, a separate coffee layer in the middle, and a layer of cream on the top."

"What is your favourite TV series?"

"Friends"

"Same pinch. And what about cartoons?"

"I like Tom and Jerry. You?"

"Death Note"

"What is that?" - She inquired.

"It's one of the IMDb top rated anime series."

"Anime?"

"Equal to cartoons in Japanese."

"Accha"

"Where are you from originally?" I asked.

"My hometown is Bhopal. Yours?"

"Jamshedpur"

"Have you done anything reckless after entering IIT?"

"Yeah. Let me recall. Aha I remember."

"When I was a sophomore, once in a chemistry course tutorial I was fed up of the instructor, so I left the class in between."

"So what's reckless in it?" She interrupted.

"Let me complete. Soon I realised that the instructor was following me shouting 'Hey boy, where are you going'. Then I started running and the instructor chased me until I crossed the academic area gate. When I turned back he was instructing the gatekeeper not to let me enter."

"Ha Ha .." she burst into laughter, "You have a good sense of humour."

"Thank you and you are also looking lovely today," I flirted.

"Thank you for the compliment," - She blushed.

For a brief moment I made an eye contact with her, held it for a bit and then I saw something deep inside, like they say -"Eyes never lie."

We finished our coffee and decided to practise for the dance piece. I browsed through the internet and downloaded Enrique's Bailamos on my mobile. It was her suggestion as it had a tinge of Salsa in it. She loves Salsa. 

After reaching LHC Foyer, our practise venue, I played the tune.

"Okay now hold my hands." - She said.

I bore a mixed expression of diffidence and astonishment.

"What? Are you scared?"

"No. It's just that I am feeling a bit awkward. My juniors standing over there are looking at us" - I hesitated

"Cummon nerd, itna sharmaane se nahi chalega. We have to perform it on stage." 

"Yeah! You are right." - and I joined her after giving an evil look to Rudra and Rahul who were spying us all along, grinning mischievously, as if something was about to happen on Facebook tonight.

She taught me a step and two - a bit of salsa, a bit of ball. Half an hour of practice and we were all set.

"Hey don't leave my hand while I turn. Hold it tightly. Our chances will increase if they can see our chemistry." I nodded in approval.

"Chalo, now I got to go. At what time is the event?"

"4pm"

"Then I'll see you at four. Our college contingent will leave this place at 6 after MUN gets over, hopefully it'll get over by then."

"Oh, it will hardly take an hour." - I smiled.

It was already six. The event had been postponed to seven. I informed her. She was disappointed, and I disheartened.

You're my pumpkin pumpkin, hello honey bunny

I'm your dumpling dumpling, hello honey bunny ... 

I felt like smashing my mobile, but I picked it up.

"Hello"

"Hi. We were about to leave. So I was wondering if we can meet."

"Yeah, sure. Where exactly are you?"

"I don't exactly know the address. But there is a park with a fountain, up the road. Can you come there?"

"See you in a couple of minutes," - and I ran.

She was standing there, waiting for me. I waved my hand and together we started strolling down the road, silently. I was trying to prevent a flow of emotions from running all over me. I wish I could keep this memory alive inside of me. This silence meant a lot. Her melancholic brown eyes conveyed the expression buried deep inside her heart.

Her friends were waiting and she got into the cab. I didn't hesitate to hold her hand and told her that in some parallel universe we would have won the contest. She gave a gentle smile. It was a smile for which anyone could die. Promising to keep in touch, her cab raced across the dusty street. And all I was left with was a blanket of loneliness sweeping in.

A few moments later.

You're my pumpkin pumpkin, hello honey bunny ..

"Hello"

"Hi"

"Are you busy these days. You haven't called me for quite some time."

"Haan yaar thoda busy chal raha hai."

"Your cult fest is going on na? Wish I could come. You might be busy checking out hot DU chicks, shayad isi liye tumhe meri yaad nahi aati."

"Yaad toh unhe kiya jaata hai jinhe hum bhool jaate hai. Tum toh sada humaare dil mein ho."

She started giggling at the other end. Maybe blushing too, who knows? 

"Aaj badi pyaari pyaari baatein kar rahe ho."  

"Bas aise hi. Char din toh khatam ho gaye ab baaki ke din bhi toh gujaarna hai."

"I didn't get you. Khair, what did you do in Antaragni this year?"

"Peacefully wrote tonnes of codes. It’s the best time for it." - I smilingly replied.

"So NERDY!"