A change

Chapter – 1

Wish

I stood there on the terrace wondering how my life would change; a girl lived across the street opposite to our house. I was facing towards our door, their balcony door was open, I could hear her voice; I could hear her fighting on something with her mom. I battled my urge to look towards her. Then in a second I felt like I had missed a big chance. They closed their door, they were new; I had never seen the girl.

Even if it’s not important let me explain why I felt attracted towards an unseen girl? A month back when no one had moved to that newly built house, I wished if a girl who would be my future wife rather not to go far a girlfriend reside there. Well I had also sung this song then.

“Mere samne wali khidki me ek chand ka tukfa rehta hai,”(A moon literally lives in front of my house.)

Yeah that’s what it means, no need to go to accurate translation of that.

Their balcony and window faced towards our door. And I was desperate to find a girlfriend.

Two days back I was closing the door when she opened the door. I almost saw her, but I had already pushed the door and it closed. I thought I would open door again but that would be bad for my ego. “Huh!” My ego? “Ridiculous,” that’s what my friends would do. I couldn’t just tilt my face a little to look at the girl. Her image in my mind when I almost saw her was really good but blur.

I don’t know how I was controlling myself. Every time when I faced away I did fine, but when their window was closed I felt obligated to look towards it. I was addicted to something that doesn’t exist.

I saw the birds flying, wondering if aliens would come to this planet, and then that incident would change everything. I would live my life and would convince my parents to marry girl of my choice easily because then, they won’t care about what society says. And even her parents would agree easily. “Huh,” I sighed on my ludicrous thoughts. I didn’t quit understand how my thoughts flew from a bird to an alien.

I could hear far off roaring wind bringing noises of vehicles with it; I could see the moon all bright and busy shooing the clouds off that were trying to cover it. I could feel the air, could smell it; “No need to act smart,” I told to myself, it was just the smell of some food items being cooked in our neighbor’s.

I felt like I was flying and stood there tranquil hearing the horns of busses far away. The crackers were being burst in the far off places the reasons that I didn’t care to know. But the moment was awesome. I never wanted to let go, I wanted to write a poem, I wanted to just think and not do anything. I wanted to just dive from the fourth floor and never fall down. I wanted to fly.

The awesome songs I have had heard were all written in moments like these, the moments you never want to let go. All carved so well by the poets; they try to write and describe everything that they feel; but in vain.

I saw a far off thunder and wondered if it was raining there. The trees were all camouflaged with the night’s darkness, fearing of their nemesis that would find them and tear them off their roots.

The lights of the city had made the clouds look red. When I asked my grandma if the clouds were red in her days too, she replied “No,” she didn’t know the reason, but wondered if it was good sign or bad. A red sign signifies danger; may be the days when earth would end have come near, I don’t remember her exact words but that’s what she said.

I saw a dark and black cloud, intense it was. I wondered how many tons the cloud actually weighed. What if the black cloud falls on the land?

You are still waiting that I would go somewhere with this right? If I didn’t give something nice after such a boring preface to you, you would probably kill me.

Don’t worry I am going to narrate a very important event of my life. The event, end of which shocked me, surprised me, I nowhere thought of it but it happened. A change occurred.

By the way, the next day too I stood with same thoughts in my mind on the terrace. And suddenly, I felt something intense, pain? No! Couldn’t make out what was going on; Saw something “Plane!” was it? No, it was a helicopter;

 

Chapter 2

An adventure towards change

I saw the helicopter falling down from the black clouds. The tail of the helicopter was burning intensely leaving a trail of smoke in the skies, and as it fell down it approached more and more near, the size of it was growing big, I feared if it would fall over our building, I forgot what would happen if it fell on other houses at that moment, well I guess when it comes to life and family everyone gets selfish. And finally it fell, “BOOM,” though the boom wasn’t quiet loud enough. The trees had cushioned the chopper from creating “BOOM!” as we always expect would happen. It had fallen somewhere behind the quarters.

I got down from my terrace and ran towards the course where I had seen the chopper fall. I just couldn’t believe my eyes. I had seen it in dreams but today it was different, totally different. I concluded that it had fallen in the parks behind; a park spread over 10 acres of land surrounded by a wave of urbanization.

It was 11pm in the night, so only few people were seen around that place. Except unstoppable vehicles on the road, a dense smoke was raising from the park. People had begun to gather. I jumped over its compound, thinking the gate would be closed at this time, but while returning it was opened. I procured a short cut through the bushes towards the spot where I could see smoke rising.

I could hear the sirens of ambulances from far. I knew they would still take time to reach. I ran through the dark trees. “Oh sh*t!” my shirt was stuck in thorns of one of the scrubs. Now I regretted for taking the short cut. I had no patience for this, I tried to tear my shirt but that just slowed me down. “Nothing works when you are in a hurry,” yeah nothing. I halted there to undo myself from the thorns, when suddenly my eyes fell on small red light, lousily beaming from the denser bushes inside.

The smoke was even denser now and ambulances were near. The red light was beaming from a different direction more dense in the trees. I was confused of which place I needed to go. Instead of moving towards the spot where the helicopter had crashed I began moving towards red light. Though the brightness was very insignificant the red color was ample to catch ones eye. If not for the thorns I would never have noted that.

I moved through pushing aside the thorns that were slowing me down, but even after a lot of precaution I had to stand few times to untie myself from the bristles. The light was emanating from a source that was about two feet higher from the grounds and I was much certain that it was stuck somewhere in the bushes.

I went near to find a dark black, rectangle, “a laptop!” I was surprised. The battery of it had gone down due to which it was showing the red warning. It was still ON and working.

I took it, opened it and suddenly saw a dark picture of a person. “Oh my,” I sighed when I saw that the camcorder of the laptop was on. I saved the video and clicked on the play option on the screen. I saw a person, a very fair person, he was not Indian. I guessed that he might be a German. He was sitting in a car, auto, no it was helicopter. The shadow of the rotors was falling on the camera. That made light fall on the camera alternatively.

“Hello,” he said. And everything went dark. “Oh shoot!” The battery of the laptop had gone down.

Momentarily I hid the laptop by placing leafs on top of it so that no one else finds it before I return. The smoke had risen and I wasn’t even aware that whole park was lighted up. I came out of the bushes on the pathway of the park and saw people running to look at what had happened.

I saw two fire vehicles in the far off and ran towards them. An ambulance just left the place, and I could see the remains of the helicopter still burning. “It had burst after falling,” I guessed.

People were talking everywhere and I just couldn’t give a dam to what they were talking about. I had found something that might be related with the mishap and owned by the helicopter person. I had to return it to some official.

I ran to the place to take that. I ran through the bushes and was surprised to see dogs, trained dogs with police already searching. I thought they would find it and that I shouldn’t interfere.

A mobile phone of one of the police officers rang and he picked it up to talk; the conversation didn’t interest me until I heard, “Sir I confirm that the man is dead,” Dead? What’s this guy talking? “And even the poor pilot with him. You don’t have to worry about that at all.” What in the world was going on? I stood there like a stone. A hurricane of thoughts hit my mind.

A pre-planned murder it was. Yeah I was right. What am I supposed to do? I just thought about the laptop. If at all I had picked it up I would know what really had happened. But I had missed a chance.

I walked towards the gate and “Oh wait,” I was getting out from totally different gate than from the direction of one I had got in. That meant, “Yes!” I never had gotten so much happy in my life, even after my results. The laptop! It was hidden in a totally different direction.

I ran towards it and surprisingly found nobody there. I searched for the exact place, saw no one around and entered the bushes. The laptop was still hidden below leafs untouched after I left. I walked out with the laptop pushing the branches aside “Hey kid what are you doing there?” I was terrified; it was a familiar voice; a nightmare; it was the policeman.

I turned my back towards him, and just ran out towards the gate not even looking at him. I ran straight towards home not thinking anything, people were running towards the park to witness the crash spot. I just didn’t stop and ran.

I always thought the police officer was behind me “chasing.” I came to my building climbed the stairs and entered my house and shut the door behind. “Fahad what are you doing?” My parents had slept long back and they thought I was studying outside. “Nothing mom, it was the wind,” I shivered. Couldn’t breathe loudly but I controlled it so that my parents wouldn’t wake up.

I was panting; contemplated that there would be nock on the door anytime. The police would come anytime and arrest me. I placed the laptop aside and fell on my bed. I was soaking with sweat, I could not sleep. I turned upside down, tried to forget about the nightmare but never could.

I switched on my TV to see something that surprised me even more.

They were showing the place of mishap. The smoke was still rising.

“Two dead in the accident.” Reported the media person.

“An expert weather specialist from Germany died in the unfortunate crash of the N7122 chopper on his special task of making rain clouds to shower.”

“The government had appointed him for the task due to the drought and had spent millions for that but all was destroyed in the accident.”

They showed the picture of the person. I had seen him; it was the person who I had seen in the video. I remembered of the laptop, connected it to charge and continued watching the news.

But that was it. I hate news these days, they repeat the same thing over and over again and waste our time, I wish if the teachers these days could do it, at least then something would go in our brains.

I couldn’t sleep. I took the laptop and switched it on. It had no security code. I wondered why? Well I opened the previously saved video. There was a man speaking something. I couldn’t hear. I went out, and sat on the balcony to watch the video.

“These are rain clouds that would soon shower themselves on the mother earth.”

“Sir,” called the pilot sitting in front cabin of the helicopter. “Sir there’s something wrong with the tail of chopper.” “Noooooooooo,” the scientist in the helicopter shouted, “What I had heard off was right,” and suddenly there was much disturbance may be he had throne the laptop out as it was dark now. The screen went dark for a moment, the low voice of sirens of ambulances started. I saw myself.

“Oh no,” I almost lost it when I saw her standing right beside me.

Chapter 3

A matter of trust and belief

“What’s wrong?” She asked. I never had seen her, but still remembered seeing her. She was 20 years old, fair and perfect as a girl of her age should be, she wore glasses and the light of the laptop shone from the edge of her specks. I never realized she was there. “Who are you?”

“I am your neighbor.” I couldn’t believe myself. One day she was there far but near, now she was near, but didn’t make any difference I was in such a fear that my heart skipped few beats. What had she seen?

“What! What are you doing here?” I asked getting up from my chair trying to hide the laptop behind. “I saw it, I saw the helicopter falling, and I went there, saw you picking up the laptop and followed you. Why did you do that?” Her voice had a serious softness but the moment chilled my blood below absolute temperature this time.

I couldn’t answer her. What could I say? “Hey listen I heard the police officer speaking that the accident was not actually accident, it was a murder and even he was involved in that.” Yeah and she would believe in my stupid story. I thought of lying but at last ended up narrating what I thought would be foolish, but it happened to work out.

“What how can that happen?” What? I grasped hard. She actually believed. Yeah she had to after all I wasn’t faking.

“That’s the reason I took the laptop from there, I had seen the person in the chopper had recorded a video, maybe I could find something from that.” I explained the whole thing.

“What? Did you see that video?” I could see four intense lines on her forehead. “Yes.”

She suddenly gave a sheepish stare from which I realized that I was staring at her.

“Oh sorry!” I felt embarrassed.

She didn’t question anymore she snatched the laptop from my hand, “Hey,” before I even said something she started to operate the laptop and played the video. I closed the door of my house locking it from outside.

She watched the video like a detective trying to find some dam thing out. “There’s something in this laptop more precious than the video that the weather person wants us to see.” She said and I was dam surprised on how sharp she was, same like a detective. And without even thinking once she started doing dangerous things that would be a threat for anybody.

“Oh my,” she yelled with enthusiasm, “It’s the person’s dairy.” “What!” I took the laptop from her and saw what was written.”

”

Tomorrow is very important day of my life; either it will rain marking the success of one more of my projects or I will die.

Today I was on my way to hotel when a person stopped my car. I opened the windshield when he grabbed me suddenly by my collar and placed an audio tape in my mouth. Before I could do anything he ran away. I have copied that file in this laptop. I don’t believe in it because some random person cannot have proof for these things. And just voice recordings don’t prove much.

I hope the way I think is right and I live to write this dairy tomorrow too.

 

”

 

I closed the file and found a voice recorded clip on the desktop, I clicked on open. The fact that the girl was still standing there beside me was very indifferent to me for now.

“The rain could bring happiness to thousand farmers and houses,” Yeah this is going good, I told to myself, unknowing of what was going to come further. The same person continued, “But our business could end up with this rain.”

“Yes,” Said another with voice of a pigeon, “All our storages of black have no good market in other countries.” “Yeah that’s why drought in our nation has profited us so much.”

“What if it rains now?” Questioned one of the two, “Well it will not,” Said totally new voice with confidence.

The person who questioned didn’t seem to be settled, “The weather scientist from Germany,” he was interrupted “Don’t talk about him he would be dead soon.” And an evil laughter broke out in the whole place.

And so ended the file and both of us stood frozen there on the same terrace on which I stood wondering and dreaming a day before; this was different. This was serious. I couldn’t believe in things we had just heard. “What do we do now?” She questioned and now her voice sounded more intense. “We could give this to police but I know the police are involved in this havoc.”

“We could give this to media.” She was doubtful on that, like she wanted to hear what I had to say, “Yes,” I nodded.

“You go I will,” she placed her hand on my mouth, “Don’t even,” “I am coming with you.” Though in this intense situation, I felt a current that touched my toe in a second. I couldn’t say no to her. Though many new things had happened today this thing shook me to the core. She a women of whom I had thought of so much from so many days not even seeing her was actually on my terrace, with me, assisting me, and had her hand on my mouth. Amazing isn’t it? Yeah but you will soon know how amazing it actually was. Go on…

I took my wallet and laptop and we both ran to catch the Volvo public transport bus as we thought it would be better in travelling in them than Taxi’s. We found one bus that went straight to the destiny. I would rather not name it. We didn’t talk to each other for some time. It felt awkward.

“Oh my, god” She yelled all of a sudden, in all this I never realized that there was the police officer from the park sitting behind us. I couldn’t believe the mistake we had done. He took out the gun and pointed towards me, the neighbor girl sitting beside me yelled her throat out. Wonder why I didn’t ask her name until now. But no there was more important thing on hand, and now on my spine behind. I heard a sound? No didn’t hear, I felt pain, an intense pain on my neck. Everything was going dark, nothing was making sense, an intense pain shot my head, I couldn’t die “No.” And then an intense light followed the darkness.

Chapter 4

Real?

Is that it? Heaven or hell was it?

I heard some random voices which I couldn’t quite make out. May be angels were deciding over my destiny.

“He is conscious now.” Someone shouted. ‘Conscious?’ it was my sister. Yeah was I saved?

“Sorry.” I heard her, she was there sitting right beside me, the neighbor girl.

It was a hospital. A doctor, “No,” he was there “the police officer” I went unconscious from the shock. I came back to my senses in sometime, I found the doctor, and the neighbor girl standing along with my family members, TV was On, and “What the hell?”

“A helicopter crashed in Texas.” Reported one of the news reporters; “The weather scientist dead on spot.”

“What happened?” I looked towards my mom.

“An accident,” She looked towards the girl “The neighbor girl, Muskan accidentally struck an iron opener on your head while she was trying to remove something.” “The result wouldn’t have been this intense if it had hit you anywhere other than you spine near brain.” Said my dad. “You had gone in coma for three days.” My mom brushed out the tears from her eyes.

“Didn’t the helicopter crash in park?” “No,” said the doctor, but when he came near me I was dam freaked out, “Aren’t you the police officer?” “No I am your doctor.” He replied to me in a soothing voice.

“When a person goes in coma he dreams of things he had imagined to happen or wondered if it had happen, and those dreams seem similar to reality, but are obviously not.” He gave a friendly laugh, “Now you don’t worry you are ok.”

Chapter 5

A minds play

Once in my life I had heard that when you dream something you don’t see new things you perceive the things that you have already witnessed. I was told that I opened my eyes sometimes while I was in coma. And I guess I saw the doctor’s image that gave my dream, “inspector’s role.”

And the neighbor girl – with mistake of who I was here today, had come to see me many times due to which I saw her in my dream. It was like a movie directed by my mind and starred by me; the characters were chosen by my eyes and the story written by my mind.

TV, the helicopter incident and the weather scientist’s images were the same as in my dream.

I said to myself, “Don’t be ridiculous some things just suit in your dreams, everyone can’t be a hero.”

When I was hit by that iron thing on my head I felt intense pain for a moment couldn’t figure what was happening and went unconscious, to go conscious in the world of dreams. The pain too came to me when I woke up. Happens right? Sometimes you dream of something very short and it is morning and your mom starts yelling at you to wake up. You think if my mom had let me sleep I would have proposed my girlfriend.

Not to wander off; that’s the reason I didn’t even realize I was hit.

Wow still I got what I wanted!

I dreamt of such things because I wanted a change. And since I wanted have a girlfriend who believes in me I witnessed the neighbor girl in my dream believe my implausible story in the park. And since I wished that a girl should always stand by me in difficult situations she stood by me in the dream not caring about her own life.

They say when you wish something from your “heart” it will surely happen. I wanted the change and it did happen; though not in a cool way as I had dreamt off.

Today I stand there on my balcony looking at the clouds all over me, the neighbor’s door opens. I still have my back towards their door. “Samir,” She calls me, “What?” I turn towards her.

I cannot stop looking at her; she looks captivating though in her home attire.

She doesn’t give any sheepish looks now. Nor is she afraid of anybody. Her shining glasses reflect my image and her stunning eyes filled with a sea of emotions fix towards me. And she asks “How are you feeling now?”

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