THE PROPHECY - PART 6
By Archana Vinod
Siddhant is dumbfounded to see the man right in front of him!
He reaches into his pocket, pulls out an I.D. card and flashes it before Siddhant's eyes. Siddhant's eyes go as wide as gooseberries as he reads the card:
MUMBAI POLICE DEPARTMENT
BALRAM SINGH
SR. POLICE INSPECTOR
BALRAM: Police.
Siddhant has an "oh shit" expression written all over his face.
Balram spots The Prophecy in Siddhant's hand. He gestures to hand it over to him, but Siddhant hesitates.
BALRAM: (firmly) The book.
Unwillingly, Siddhant hands it over. He secretly wishes that the book is blank.
Balram turns the pages and throws suspicious glances at Siddhant. All the while, he keeps chewing on that disgusting paan masala.
Siddhant winces as the man spits out a jet of red juice flat onto the ground. Eeeyuck! Siddhant has an irresistible urge to turn around and run away from this filthy bugger but he does a good job of controlling himself.
BALRAM: (goes through the book) What's your name?
SIDDHANT: Ji. Siddhant, sir.
BALRAM: Siddhant what?
SIDDHANT: Siddhant Bharadwaj.
BALRAM: (doesn't even look at him) From?
SIDDHANT: Delhi.
BALRAM: Then what are you doing here?
SIDDHANT: Working.
BALRAM: Where?
SIDDHANT: Infosys.
BALRAM: As?
Why is this fellow questioning me like a criminal, wonders Siddhant nervously. I hope he doesn't have any funny ideas.
SIDDHANT: Project Manager - J2EE
BALRAM: Keep it simple. No flashy titles.
SIDDHANT: Yes sir.
BALRAM: (shuts the book and looks up at Sid) Project Manager. Infosys. Good job. Good company. So why do you behave like a tramp?
SIDDHANT: (confused) Sir---
BALRAM: Why were you following that girl?
SIDDHANT: Sir---
BALRAM: I can arrest you and put you behind bars for stalking and compromising the modesty of a woman.
SIDDHANT: (panics) No sir, it's not like that ---
BALRAM: Then? What's the day today?
SIDDHANT: Tuesday.
BALRAM: Then why aren't you at work? Why are you roaming around?
SIDDHANT: Actually I'm on leave for a couple of days.
BALRAM: So this is your agenda. Taking leave and stalking females.
SIDDHANT: No sir. No---
BALRAM: Come and meet me at the station. You'll get your book there.
Balram begins to leave but Sid stops him.
SIDDHANT: (panics) But sir, it's just a book. And that's not even mine! I got it from the library. I'm supposed to return it.
BALRAM: (ignores him and gets on to his bike to leave) Meet me at the station. Chapter closed.
Balram leaves a frustrated Siddhant behind.
SIDDHANT'S APARTMENT - EVENING
The sun has set behind the horizon long back.
A dejected Siddhant walks into his apartment and slumps onto his couch.
What am I going to tell the librarian, he wonders as he kicks off his shoes, leans onto the couch and puts his legs onto the teapoy, maybe I can try and extend the return date. But he'd need the book for that. But what I can't figure out is what happened at the coffee shop today. Why's that I saw all that astrological stuff in that all these days and all of a sudden everything gets wiped out? I'm dead sure I read that. I did read it. Or did I?
Siddhant is super confused. He even begins to doubt his sanity. Maybe being in the I.T. field has finally taken its toll on my brain. It's a good thing that I signed off for a couple of days. Very much required.
A fluttering followed by a THUD comes from the other room.
What was that?
He gets up, quickly heads to the other bedroom and finds a thick book with a chocolate leather jacket face down on the floor. What the--- can't be---
Siddhant picks it up. The golden title of the book sends a chill down his spine - The Prophecy.
He picks it up and browses through. His eyes are stirring with disbelief. The contents of the book are no longer the novel he saw at the coffee shop, but the pin point accurate descriptions of his entire life.
He glances around. Where the hell did this come from? How? From where?
The windows are shut tight, then where did it come from? He opens the window and looks out. Nothing suspicious. No one in sight. He looks under the bed. What if someone is hiding? He checks out the wardrobes, the kitchen, the bathroom... no one in sight. Then where the hell did this come from? From thin air? Or is someone playing a dirty joke?
Siddhant is very confused. I clearly remember being confronted by that police guy Balram. I'm dead sure that he even seized this book. Then how the hell did it get here? I'm definitely not crazy. Or am I?
... TO BE CONTINUED