The gentle drip drip from the tap was rhythmic.. soothing even. She sat there next to the bucket that caught the drips from the tap, her vision slowly blurring. She wondered if the blood flowing from her hand could b e measured using one of the stupid differential equations that she was made to mug up the past year. Didn’t matter now. In a few moments, she would be out of this world, out of the grasp of he r pushy parents, or the overwhelming responsibility of living up to their expectations, out of the stare of nosy neighbours and relatives, who always seemed to have only one Question on their minds, “ When are your board results , dear?”. She would only miss her idiot little brother, that innocent 10 year old who was always stuck in the world of Ben 10 and Ninja Turtles, wearing his superhero T shirt hand giving her a hug whenever she was crying, secretly in her room.
She didn’t understand Maths,. Period. The numbers and equations and a + b just didn’t make sense to her. She loved English, and even History and Geography had Fascinated her till her Tenth, but then her Dad had filled out Physics Chemistry, Match and Biology in her 11th application form, and the torture had started. 2 years of being driven from one coaching centre to the next, always being asked the same question over and over again, “ Medical or Engineering?” Well, they cant send he r dead body to college, can they? She just hoped they would forgive her for failing, in Maths, and in life....
“Maths or Science?”.. She was startled, for she had closed her eyes knowing that the end would come anytime soon. The man who asked the question sat on the floor next to her, wearing a blazing red shirt, and a dark black coat hung on his shoulder. She wanted to scream out, but she had no strength. She must be hallucinating, she thought. “ Maths or Science Lady, I haven’t got much time.?” He seemed impatient, and , as her vision finally settled, she got a good look at the man who was sitting cross legged next to her next to the bucket. He was a tall man, evidently, and was not exactly comfortable sitting in her small bathroom. He had a long oval face, and a square jaw that gave him a handsome look, with a French beard that was fashionably cut. A very good looking guy, on any other day. And he was smiling straight at her, a little devilish smile. But he seemed impatient, and he was stealing glances at his Tissot watch as he spoke to her.
“ It’s usually Maths or Science, but sometimes English or Hindi are tough to clear too.” He spoke as though he had years of experience dealing with kids who had failed in their board exams, which he did. “ But I guess it doesn’t matter now, does it? Now that you have chosen an escape.. Would you like to see what things might have turned out to be like, if you hadn’t chosen t use that blade?” She nodded, curious to see what this hallucination would turn out to be like.. She could feel her drowsiness waning, and soon saw him more clearly than before. He held an Apple iPad in his hand., and was fiddling with it like a child with a newly obtained toy. “ It’s so cool, you know, good picture clarity and all. Much more handy than that Staff my dad used to carry. Life , young lady, Life is like this water that you see flowing around the bucket, mixed with your blood, of course. It has its twists and turns, but it must go on. Like this, he was pointing at the screen, and she turned to the iPad ..
It was a video of a churning and twisting river, all red in colour. She could hear gunfire and explosions, and the smell of death in the air. She saw a woman crouching behind a rock, next to a man holding a camera. She was pointing the microphone at a soldier who crouching on the ground, holding his Assault Rifle like a proud warrior. The reporter ( she must be a reporter) was firing away questions on this side of the rock, while the soldiers at the other end were firing away at the enemy. She was a very pretty woman, and something about the shape of the nose and those oval eyes reminded her of... “You , Of course, that s You”, the Magician (thats what she thought he was, with the coat and all) spoke , a calm and cheery voice. “ You choose to become a journalist, a reporter ,to be moré precise. Thumping good one too, if I am correct. Reporting from a war scene would have been your area of expertise, and there would be many more of these to come. This one is special coz you win the Best Young Reporters award from your TV network. Also you meet your future hubby here. He’s a reporter too, print media i suppose. Cute too.. Wanna see?”
She nodded, and the Magician gently swiped his finger across the screen to another video. This time she recognized the setting. There was no mistaking the old fashioned window or the ornamental framework on the door. She had lived in her house long enough to recognize her living room ,in a hallucination or not. But the wall was painted Red, and there was a picture of her granny hanging on the wall. On her favourite sofa set sat a man she did not recognize, but she felt some strange tugging sensation in the pit of your stomach. The Magician seemed to sense it too, and said” I heard that happens when you see your soul mate”. He was a tall guy, handsome in an unconventional way, with long flowing hair, black rimmed spectacles and a small beard. Like Gandalf from Lord of The ings, except younger. He was sipping a tea and smiling at her, his gaze seeming to penetrate her very soul. She wanted to smile back too, and was about reach out and touch him when the Magician sweeped the iPad away in a gentle swing... “Tch Tch.. I have a strict no Touching the HardWare Policy. You could have been with him, you know, before you started all this, “ He indicated the puddle of blood, which was spreading under her hands now on the bathroom floor. A gentle tear ran down her chin, an d she wished the Magician to go away and end it all soon. She turned to him to see a pained expression on his face, Guilt , was it? “ Hey Hey don’t cry. I can’t stand women crying. Here, I bet this cheers you up!!
He brought the iPAd closer again and swiped his finger to the next video.
This time she was walking hand in hand with her hubby, and she could feel butterflies fluttering in her stomach. They were walking in what seemed to be a childrens park, and soon, two more kids joined them, a small boy holding her hand, a small girl holding his. The boy had his father’s round face, but there was no mistaking those oval eyes. It was like looking at a picture of herself when she was a baby, which her mom had shown her. The girl had inherited most of the fathers looks, and , with braided hair and tiny spectacles, his intellect too. She wished she could go talk to her children, hold them, kiss them, and just walk with them to eternity. The boy pointed at the swing and tugged at her, and soon she was seating him, asking him to hold on tightly, as his dad and sister sat at a nearby bench , smiling. “ They are twins , you know. But you will never say that looking at them”, the magician interrupted her happy flow of thoughts. “ You always liked the boy better, if i may say so. Cute kids too.. Sigh” He said, feigning a voice of sadness. She turned her attention to the screen , and there, her future self, was swinging the child in her hands, a big happy smile on her face. But strangely,she noticed, the sky was all Red. Blood Red .
“ Time to go”, the Magician said. And was about to put the iPad back into his suit. Then he seemed to remember something, an d switched it back on. She saw that he had a water buffalo as his wallpaper, rather strange for a classy guy like him. “ I have a thing for Water Buffaloes”, he said sheepishly. He seemed to read her mind, right from the beginning. Here are You Board Results. They are due out tomorrow. But lets just say, I have certain, ummm, privileges. There was a loading screen on the iPad, and she was sure she heard him whisper” Stupid Airtel 2G connection”, and soon the page loaded, and she just made out her name followed by bright Red letters.. First Class. Not Fail. FIRST- BLOODY-CLASS!!. Then the screen went blank, and soon the magician was standing up, straightening his jacket and looking anxiously at his watch. “ I got to fly. So, you wanna come?”, he asked it as though he was asking her to join him for an icecream in a nearby parlour, not an invitation to the netherland. She wanted to say no, but her lips only moved, and with the last bit of energy she could muster, she pointed at the bolted door of her bathroom. “As you wish”, he said, smiling. He winked, and the door burst open. He walked into her room, looked around, and soon, she heard a flower vase burst on the floor. She was going now, and could see a lot of white light. But she could also see her dad’s and mom’s face above her, and a nurse who looked anxious.
A suicide attempt was common the day before the Board Exams, and the Doctor had seen more than his fair share of them. What he couldn’t explain were the girls hallucinations,. Something about a tall man in a dark suit, a French Beard, and a Wallpaper of a Water Buffalo on his iPad. Kids see the strangest things.....
Epilogue. This is the second story of my Collector Series. The Magician, lets call him Yash, is my take on the modern day .. well you get the idea. If you like this, please read my other Collector Story- First Flight. Suggestions and Harsh criticisms are welcome, as always. Also Death and Dying are the only things i am able to write about, sadly.
