4th KRANTIKARI OF THE WEEK:Dewy - Page 13

"Sure, lets go." Said Wendy. "Oh Wendy, do not forget to sit in the X-formation", Dew told her. "And why is that?" "All in good time, my dear friend," smiled Dew.

They navigated their way out of the bylanes into the main road. "Where is it we are going?" Wendy asked. " That's about 30 mins frm here, it's Corporate Headquarters for the client we are meeting. But before we reach there, there is someone I have to pick up, who is to accompany me, my partner who is going to make the presentation with me. It should not take more than a minute."

"This is unacceptable Dew, you are pushing me far too much, I m not here to be tagged along at your whims and fancies. And I don't think this is the right definition of entertainment." Snarled Wendy.

"Oh yes, I know I m not being the perfect hospitable host, but this one person I would surely like you to meet. Somebody you know, you see," saying this, Dew skewed the vehicle into a bylane leading in to a souvenior shop.

She picked up her fone and gave a missed call.

Wendy continued to stare. Out of the shop stepped a familiar figure, accompanied by a coterie of fairies, elfs, pixies and butterflies. Dawn walked upto the vehicle. Dew stepped out of the vehicle and the two friends shared an affectionate hug.

"Heya Skep, out in your Wendy avatar today? So I see, you have decided to surprise our dear Dew today. How is it going?" smiled Dawn at Wendy. Wendy slowly alighted the vehicle and looked at the two. "Dawn, firstly get rid of your irritating coterie, before I put a spell on them. You know how they bug me," she warned.

"Sure thing dear", and Dawn waved a pretty hand. The coterie vanished.

"So I see that you two have schemed against me. Dew, there was no mention of meeting Dawn today." But both could see that this was not spoken in anger. In fact Skep looked amused.

"Oh, am so sorry, did I forget to mention? Dawn is my partner, we had to make this presentation together. And knowing that we are getting late, could we continue our discussion in the vehicle?" Dawn went and took the passenger seat next to Dew. She placed a small wand at the seat next to Skep, where she had placed her broom.

"So was this your idea of the X-formation, Dew?" asked Wendy. " That's right Wendy, moreover, I wanted to concentrate on my driving, and with you sitting next to me with your special concoctions and pets in your pocket would have been distracting. Also, sitting behind me, watching me in the rear view mirror, who knows, you would have out a spell on me? So forgive me, all in the name o efficiency" joked Dew.

Wendy snorted.

After 20 minutes, Dew neared an impressive looking blue building. The portico was manned by guards, and there was a rush of traffic there, with valets scrambling around to owners to park their cars.

"Wendy, we need to go inside. We would leave the vehicle at the front desk, and would proceed inside the building. Would you please accompany us?" asked Dew. Wendy observed, both she and Dawn were looking a little concerned and worried.

"You want to pull this to the end Dew? I wont be held responsible for the outcome of this meeting, I hope you realise this."

"I know that Wendy, and believe me, I think all of us here know what we are doing." Wendy could see Dew was as serious as a heart attack.

"Sure then, lead the way" said Wendy.

Dew parked the vehicle near the front desk, and both she and Dawn soon alighted the vehicle. Wendy slowly shuffled her way out. The guard opening the vehicle gate took a quick step backwards and stumbled. All he could see was a shrunken figure and old, knarled hands.

The trio progressed inside the building and inside the lift. Dew punched the button leading to the 9^th floor. Two more occupants continued to stare at Wendy openly, their mouths agape. She bared her hood, the occupants shrieked. One of them started to push the emergency call button, but was immediately restrained by Dawn. "Please, she is not dangerous to you. And she is not armed either."

The occupants were not pacified, in fact they were starting to get hysterical. The elevator beeped, indicating floor #9. The doors opened and Dawn and Dew just managed to pull Wendy out.

"Dawn, I think you should rush inside and start the presentation. We would join you in 5 minutes." Said Dew. Dawn nodded her head, gave a smile to Wendy and rushed inside.

"So, Dew, what next, you are going to take me inside? You actually have the courage to do that?" Wendy was staring hard at Dew. "You know, and I know too, that I will take you inside, if that's what you want. You have to take a call on this Wendy, before this I agree I was pushing you, but this you have to tell me." Dew was as serious.

"But there is no way you can take me, I m not part of your team, and I cannot be part of such a private presentation." Wendy cautioned. "Don't worry about that, with the kind of contact list I have, I could say you are an expert on written communication, and that's our presentation topic today. I could say I have closely worked on this with you, and they would happily welcome any guest of mine, so don't worry on that account." Said Dew.

Wendy stared long and hard at Dew. "Ok, lets go inside."

Dew took a deep breath, and Wendy could see her hands shaking just a little. But then she tilted her head up and squared her shoulders.

"You lead the way Dew, will follow you." Said Wendy.

Dew walked in trepidation towards the door. She knew there was no escape and she had to face the outcome, come what may. Still, she had tried, since the moment she had seen Skep, that she would not let go this opportunity to meet her. This was her friend, and Dew felt a rush of affection. She knew she had been put to test, but she was determined not to fail this test. And this was the last leg, how well she had fared, would be determined by the outcome of this meeting.

Heart hammering, she turned the door knob, hearing Wendy shuffle in behind her, the broom scraping on the floor. Inside she could see Dawn in the thick of the presentation, but she could not make anything of what was being said. Her heart was thudding, and it obliterated any other sound.

Heads turned, most nodded at Dew, and smiled, then turned back to the presentation. And the heads turned again. There was silence. Even Dawn stopped speaking.

"Dew'.what the hell?" People scrambled to their feet. Dew almost choked. The worst had happened. She had hoped, she had truly hoped.. she could feel the tears coming. She gulped them down. She took a shaky breath, and started, "Good morning friends, I have brought an old friend over, incidentally she in an expert on written communication, and she happened to be in town, so I thought this is the best opportunity to bring her over", Dew slowly turned, "meet our friend Skeptical, she goes by the pseudonym Wendy and she'"

Dew stopped short, She had seen people staring at Wendy behind her head, and this was her turn. She stared and stared. The cape was there, but there was a golden mass tumbling around it, skimming white shoulders. Porcelain blue eyes, framed by a delicate pink face, a small upturned nose and full red lips were looking around the room, assessing everybody. The dimpled chin was determined, and there was a confidence around the tall, lissome figure, draped in a black longcoat.

"Thanks for the introduction , Dew, and pleased to meet you ladies and gentlemen. Dew and Dawn have dragged me over, saying this is a presentation I should not miss. So here I am, hope you do not mind my barging in." Skep was poised and smiling.

The men just gaped, and the women stared and stared. Everybody started speaking at once, "Oh yes of course", "Glad you could make it here", "Good morning, Dew's friend is welcome". One handsome, debonair guy whispered to Dew, "What the hell? Where did you get HER from? She is a goddess"

Dawn was grinning from ear to ear, "lets settle down folks. Lets get over with the presentation, and then lets hear Skep's views on our campaign."

Skep winked at her and Dew. Dew heaved a sigh of relief.

The End.

Epoilogue-

The three friends were exchanged in a heated debate in the same coffee shop where Dawn and Wendy had first met. Skep was laughing uproariously.. "Dew, I almost had you there, you know I had."

"Ofcourse, I almost had a cardiac arrest today, thanks to you." Dew was not very amused, but she was smiling.

"Well, I knew what would happen, hence I was so confident. Skep loved to test limits, and today was your turn Dew, " laughed Dawn.

A toddler rushed over to Dew, she was surrounded by fairies, butterflies, elves and pixies, and she was laughing. "Mama, who is this sitting next to you? She looks like Cinderella."

All the three laughed, "Sure Ishrat, this is Cinderella, but she loves to transform herself in to the wicked witch once in a while. But believe me, she is one of the nicest persons I know."

All three smiled at each other, and at the smiling child. Skep bent over and kissed the child. She fished out a small silver star from her pocket and handed it to the child, who took it eagerly. The toddler scampered off, showing off her new gift to all the fairies.

2. Fill the 3-gallon container with oil and pour it into the 5-gallon container. Then fill the 3-gallon container again and use it to fill the 5-gallon container the rest of the way. One gallon will be left in the 3-gallon container.

3. Five. There are only four colors, so five socks guarantee that two will be the same color.

4. Silence.

6. Seven. The four daughters have only one brother, making five children, plus mom and dad.

7. Queue.

8. A lie. It can't be the truth without contradicting itself (and therefore being a lie), but some of my statements can be lies, and this is one of those statements.

9. Her autobiography.

10. She was a hurricane.

11. You can't use curlers to take photos! You need a camera.

12. You have just one - the one you took away.

13. A river.

14. There are eleven letters in "the alphabet."

15. A towel.

16. A stamp.

17. Fire.

18. The word "wholesome."

19. Bacon.

20. When you're a mouse.

21. Just one - after that it won't be empty.