THE COUNTDOWN

Genre: [Romance, Mystery, Thriller]

Sneak Peak:

[A man wakes up in a world where he cannot remember his own identity. But his destiny carries him towards a prospect, a dark secret that he bears testimony to. Shall he be able to decrypt the secret to his identity & in the process unravel a sinister plot brewing all around him? But the Countdown has already begun & time is ticking away fast. PS: Its a long story….so b patient!!!]

#1:

A dim light flickered in the distance….a faint sound somewhere….unbearable stench filled the air. He looked around trying to make out where he was!! Gosh!!! His head hurt, arms were in cramp…God, why of all places was he here!!It was definitely not a place for him….oh wait!!!! Him ??? Who was he??? Who was he?? Huh??

He could not remember. Neither could he figure out where he was or how he got there. He got up slowly & looked around. He could make out the faint outline of a urinal, a basin- all lying in shambles….so he was in some kind of decrepit washroom!!There was a broken mirror at one corner.. judging from his reflection…his disheveled hair, uncut stubble of a few days, a gash under the right eye, shabby sweat shirt & tattered trouser---- he was a tramp, probably a cheap drunkard who had fallen unconscious in the decrepit washroom, following a drunken brawl!!

The thought itself filled him with disgust- a sort of despise for his lifestyle!! He a cheap drunkard! Somehow it did not match up to his expectations!!He was much more, much exalted….such a great…..He could not think anymore. His head hurt. God!! he had to clear his head…he washed his face with all the water he could squeeze out of the basin tap & slowly walked out.

Out in the streets, he could make out he was in some A-grade city, a metropolis where people were too busy with their lives to notice a cheap tramp in the sideway. But where?? Damn, he could not even remember this much!!How much did he drink last night? Was he then some drug addict?? He was feeling more & more dejected now. As he was walking down the sidewalk, past some shops, he heard somebody say "Guten Tag"(Good Day). And instantly he knew he was in Germany, or its neighbors Poland or Austria, where they speak German. But where? He was looking around when he noticed the overhead sign boards, one of which was proudly proclaiming "Berlin willkommen Sie"(Berlin Welcomes you). Ahh! Berlin. Of all cities!! But it was odd, he was not white as the Germans around him. Also, he was reasoning with himself in English, not German. But he could read signs around him with ease, & could understand the German language spoken all around him, but was facing problems with the accent.

Now he set out to deduce, based on what little he knew: since he was not white like the Germans, reasoned with himself in English & had problems with the accent, he was definitely not a German, or a long term German citizen. But he knew German pretty well. So he could not be a tramp!!The thought immediately raised his spirits, & he went on. He must be a foreigner who was yet to get used to the local accent. So he could not be staying here for long. Also, judging from his attire, he could not be much of a well to do person. So in short: he was a foreigner, a poor one at that, on a short trip to Germany!!

Cool! He thought, that's not bad for a start. But the questions still remained: Where was he from? Why was he visiting Germany? Were there people here who would know him, people he worked with? And if he was a foreigner, it meant he could get into trouble with the visa issues!! Damn! He searched his pockets. No sign of important papers. Nothing at all!! Shit! This was turning messy. Where could he have left his important belongings? He was biting his lips, looking down & thinking hard, when his attention was drawn to his shoes!!! His shoes-they looked expensive & did not match the rest of his despicable attire. How odd, thought he. He was looking at his shoes, when an impulsive action caused him to bend over & untie his right shoe & turn it upside down. Its very important…it will be safe here…

He went inside a nearby alley & turned the sole of the shoe….&….. behold!!! A few scathes of papers popped out of their secret hiding place!!!He was stunned!!What was happening? How did the papers get here? He could not make head or tail out of it, so he started skimming through them. They were mostly letters & were marked with bold 'Confidential'. As he was looking through….he was snatched away by images…… so vivid…so alluring…& yet so evanescent!!

""A beautiful girl…..blue dress….a face so loving….eyes so deep…..a girl so adorable ……..her lustrous hair mingling in the breeze…….her soft hands like feather……..in a word………….TANTALIZING!!!"

Armaan was stunned by the vividness of this scene!!!! Its as if the girl was part of his life……..infact….it was HIS LIFE!!!!...but there was no way he could remember beyond that…………….!!!!