Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
The First Encounter
24th November
10:45 IST
Vipul Mahajani's residence,
NAVI MUMBAI
[During a phone call]
Caller: Voice Recog Successful, Secure line is on. {Vipul narrowing eyebrows listening this}
Caller: Good Morning Vipul (An Elderly Voice)
Vipul: Ugh Uhh, Sorry who is it?
C: Don't have much time, Today some one closer to you is going to leave this world. Just wanted you to know, If you don't follow my instructions, I will have to give you more bad news.
V: Wait who the hell are you? How dare you talk about my family? What do you know?
C: I am just a story teller, you are the character and I know the plot, I want to guide you, so just trust me and no one else.
V: Who the hell are you? Don't ever call me again.
Vipul hangs up.. As drops of sweat accumulate his forehead and drip down besides his eyebrows.
.
.
FEW MOMENTS AGO
.
On the table, Phone rings,
Samidha picks up the call,
Samidha: Hello!
Caller: Am I speaking to Vipul Mahajani?
S: Ya, Just a minute, Who's this?
C: I am Deepak from Indian Bank, We have an Credit Card offer for .-.-.-.-(Samidha hangs up angrily)
S: Useless calls, Wasting my time.
Vipul: Who was it?
S: Your extra-marital affair
V: Arrey, Why did you hang up then?
S: Shut up! It was credit card offer, Look your face in the mirror.
V: Am I blushing or something, by the way that was the only extra-marital affair I can have. Isn't it?
Phone rings again...
S: Receive it, might be your affair, Receive.
V: Hello, Who's it?
Caller: Am I speaking to Vipul Mahajani?
V: Yaa, who's this?
C: I am Deepak from Indian Bank, We have an Credit Card offer for you, Are you interested sir?
V: Yaa, go ahead. {While eating apple}
C: Sir, I have your CIBIL Score on my screen, It's favourable and you can get a credit card for your expenses. are you interested?
V: Umm, Ya man, Yaa. Go ahead.
C: Just a second sir.
V: Ok.. {pointing towards stomach to indicate Samidha for breakfast}
Samidha enters kitchen to serve breakfast, meanwhile Vipul is having conversation with bank employee(as she thinks)
She feeds Timothy (pet dog) with snacks
And she returns back with breakfast as hears Vipul hung up the phone angrily.
Samidha: What happened?
Vipul finds it unnecessary to tell what happened.
Vipul: Nothing, Why didn't you tell it was a boy from bank? I thought some sweet voice will fall on my ears. Shit. Disappointed.
S: Oh ho ho, Crossed 30 still behaves like a teenager.
V: Haha, Eat this apple, Let me eat Poha (Indian Breakfast dish).
Now Vipul starts recalling in mind what just happened. Voice recog, Secure line, He finds this familiar to what he used to do at Signals Intelligence 10 years ago, to connect calls that are classified.
He thinks about the warning by storyteller.
Vipul: Let's call the kids and Maa (Vipul's mother) home today to stay.
Samidha: But we had planned to go for movie today, together. Did you forget?
V: No, I was just saying after the movie, we stay together.
S: Yaa sure.
Later that afternoon:
They both get ready and move to pickup Maa and kids.
All the time, Vipul looked worried and tensed. He tried to hide his tension. But to the movie and after it, Vipul looked too much caring and didn't leave anyone alone. He has taken the call very seriously. But throughout the time, nothing happens.
24th November
18:45 IST
Vipul Mahajani's residence,
NAVI MUMBAI
Vipul, as per decided, brings kids and Maa home. Parks the car. Get inside his home
Vipul just rests on the sofa, looking at the phone. Thinking whether it can be a fake call till He hears his name called out by Samidha from back yard of his house.
He runs madly, as fast as he can, crashing table and chair on the way to see what happened. He looks at Samidha with eyes filled with tears. Asks her, What happened?
S: Our Timothy (hugs Vipul and cries)
V: Its okay. Calm yourself, go and look after the kids. Stop crying
Vipul looks at his 6 years old pet dog lying on floor, with no movement and numbed. Terrified with the truth that struck from a phone call to the backyard of his home.
First thing he does is report this incidence to Police. While Timothy was taken for autopsy, he felt very guilty, Timothy was so close to him, how could he forget that it can be him.
25th November
09:20 IST
Vipul Mahajani's residence,
NAVI MUMBAI
Phone rings.
Vipul sitting in the hall, thinking that he hasn't yet told the truth to anyone at home, this might be yesterday's storyteller. He rushes to the phone to pick up. He picks up the phone scared but couldn't utter a word.
Caller: Hello, Vipul Mahajani. Right?
Vipul: Yes.
Caller; Yes this is Sub-Inspector Bhosale, I have some information about your yesterday's FIR.
V: Thank God, Did you find him?
SI: No, I think there is some misunderstanding sir, it cannot be bank because yesterday was 4th Saturday of the month, a bank holiday. I have also enquired the Pet hospital, the autopsy report doesn't give any traces of poisoning or unnatural death. I think you are panicking.
V: Did you trace the number?
SI: Sir, I have your phone records on table. There is no call record as you are saying. Not even one till 12:17 pm which you made to your mother.
V: But this is not ... possible. So, what do we do now?
SI: Any such phone calls if you receive again, notify us. We will look into it. Ok?
V: Ok. Thank you. (Hangs up the phone)
Vipul knows that he used to do things at Signals Intelligence that were assumed impossible technically so this phone call is absolutely possible for someone that intelligent.
Vipul thinking in mind
"Who is this storyteller? Why is he behind me? What does he want?"
Unable to understand. He awaits the call from the Storyteller.
©wordburst