The Walkman

The Walkman

As dusk was falling, the sun was seen sinking in the horizon and darkness was spreading it’s wings in the sky. The Chennai University playing ground was the most popular hangout with students at that time of the day. The place used to host all kinds of sports; cricket, tennis, football. As night progressed, it was becoming less crowded by the minute. The ground was getting deserted as students were returning to their hostel or home.

Arya took his tennis bat and left the ground. His face was drenched in sweat as he had been practicing for a long time. Excitedly murmuring his favorite song, he retreated towards his hostel.

He happened to cross the girl’s hostel on his way to his own. Butterflies fluttered in his stomach as he saw the two girls chatting, sitting on a bench in front of their hostel. His excitement was due to the fact that he was head over heels in love with one of the two girls seen, namely, Sneha.

Sneha was taking the same class as Arya. It was love at first sight for Arya when he set his eyes on Sneha, the very first day of their class. But he failed in all his advances to strike a conversation with her, as he remained at loss for words hypnotized by her beautiful eyes.

Arya took a seat in a bench opposite to them and devoured her beauty, not taking his eyes off her even for a minute. He did all this while remaining unseen from Sneha’s sight. He admired the way she spoke, the pretty eyes which were animated and the graceful movement of her hands while speaking.

He lost himself and time by just watching her. He couldn’t stop dreaming about how blissfully happy he would be if they were together. But all his hopes were in vain as she did not even show slightest interest in him. He made up his mind to speak his heart out to her next week at Valentine’s Day.

The other girl who was talking with Sneha noticed Arya looking their way. She whispered something in Sneha’s ears which made Sneha shoot an angry look at Arya. Hastily they got up on their feet and went inside their hostel.

Arya stood up dejectedly and found his way to his hostel. After a long and refreshing shower he started to work on the assignments given to him.

His friend Dhanush made an entry and both were engaged in a chit-chat while pursuing their assignment.

Arya started “Dude! Today I saw her!”

Dhanush knew whom he meant, but still asked “Who did you see?”

Arya went on “Sneha! Daily I used to see her. But today she looked more gorgeous than ever before!”

Dhanush brought him back to his senses “I think you are turning crazy thinking about her all the time! Did you talk to her at least today?”

Arya was desperate “No! What can I do? She scowls at me every time I see her.”

Dhanush continued his free advice “Girls don’t fall in love at once like us, guys. They have to talk, get to know a person, and then only they will think of having a relationship with a guy. You have not even embarked on your first chapter in love lessons. Then how do you expect her to fall for you?”

Arya told his problems “I make efforts to speak to her daily. But on seeing her mesmerizing eyes my pulse races, heart beat becomes erratic. Words stop flowing out of my lips.”

Dhanush concluded “Ok. So now you have starting trouble. There must be some friend of her who she is seen hanging with, what’s her name?”

Arya scratched his chin “Some girl named Anusha or Anushka. Who cares about her?”

Dhanush imbibed some wise words “You have to care for her, man! Your love will turn out to be half successful once you have created a soft corner in that friend’s heart.”

Arya thought for a while “Do you think it will work out?”

Dhanush chalked out a plan “What you are going to do tomorrow is, talk to that Anushka and befriend her. Once she becomes your friend, you can easily make Sneha attracted to you.”

Arya hugged him “What will I do without you and your brilliant idea, man?”

Dhanush remarked “Don’t thank me. All this knowledge I gained from watching Tamil films. If I had seen Hollywood films alone, I would have remained a fool like you.”

Arya started building castles in air.

Dhanush interrupted “Enough of your daydreaming. Now help me with this boring assignment work!”

Arya and Dhanush soon became engrossed in their assignments.

After an hour, Dhanush started to leave and reminded Arya of his plans tomorrow.

Arya said “Ok Dude! Tomorrow I will talk to Anushka. But how will I be able to tear her apart from Sneha? They are always seen together.”

Dhanush said “You go to ladies hostel tomorrow and call Anushka alone and talk to her.”

Arya feared “If I approach her suddenly, will she not get angry with me? Can you come with me tomorrow, please?”

Dhanush chided “Should I come for this too? How did you ever get into engineering college? You are fit for herding cattle only. Well! You do one thing tomorrow. While we are in class, tell her that you have some doubts and that you will come to her hostel to collect some papers. Then work your way in creating an impression on her, by being fun to hang out with. I am leaving now, it has become very late.”

Dhanush left the room.

Arya continued to study for another hour before he was exhausted. He prepared to sleep and rummaged through his things looking for his pajamas. Then he noticed the Walkman lying on his suitcase which was gifted to him by his school friend in his hometown. He had completely forgotten about it until now. He thought it would be good to listen to some romantic numbers in the Walkman.

He plugged in the earphones and settled in his bed, switching off the light.

Ilayaraja’s songs felt soothing on his ears.

Suddenly the song stopped and he heard a chanting “Om Namaha!” instead. He was bewildered as to how this came in between the songs.

But the mantra had a revolting change in his mind and body. He felt powerful as though electricity was charging through his veins. He closed his eyes and slept exhausted from his day’s activities.

Arya was jolted awake from his sleep late night and realized it was because his head felt heavily burdened. Hundreds of voices were screaming inside in his head.

Clutching his head tight, he jumped out of his bed and made an effort to stand on his feet. He came out of his room in an effort to stop the noise. Instead it grew worse.

Arya had by now had stepped out of his college campus. He was running at crazy speeds. Unknowingly he crossed the road and was hit by a speeding car which sent him flying.

He hit the ground with a thud and lay motionless in a corner.

He was losing consciousness too.

Then, he saw an amazing scene in front of his eyes.

Arya found himself standing on a beach shore. Monstrous waves as tall as palm trees were approaching him. But Arya stood in the same place unflinched. The waves crash against him, swallowing him in one huge gulp.

Arya became totally unconsciousness.

After some time, Arya noticed he was lying in a hospital when he came back to his senses. He tried to sit up and sensed excruciating pain in his right hand.

“You have been operated due to upper shoulder joint dislocation. It may take two months to be completely healed.”

He turned towards his right, wondering where this sweet voice was coming from. He was surprised to see the girl to which the voice belonged.

It was Anushka!

“Anushka! How did you come here?” Arya questioned her warily.

“On the night you were hit, I was finishing by night out in computer center and waiting for an auto. I noticed you cross the road hastily. I was shocked to see you hit by a car and then admitted you in this hospital. I informed your friend Dhanush. We take turns in looking after you from that night. I have the morning hours and he takes care of you in night.”

“How many days am I like this?” Arya was weak but wanted to know all about it.

“Five days have passed since you regained consciousness. Heavy blood loss caused such a slow recovery. But thank god, no harm was done to your head.”

“You were put into so much trouble looking after me” Arya’s voice trailed away.

“Its fine with me. All things happen with God’s intent.” Anushka consoled Arya.

“I have to ask you something. Why did you cross the road that night with such haste? Were you crazy not to notice the speeding car? Were you depressed or something? ” Anushka asked concerned.

“No Anushka. I was sleeping well that night. Suddenly I heard many voices screaming in my head. It felt as though my head was about to burst. I was not depressed or anything. In fact, just before I slept, I and Dhanush had a lot of fun talking about you.” Arya clarified.

“Why were you talking about me?” Anushka was amazed and angry at the same time.

“Sorry. That came out of my mouth unknowingly. Please don’t get me wrong.” Arya pleaded.

Luckily, Dhanush entered the room at that time and stopped Anushka from questioning Arya any further. He was excited to see Arya awake in his bed.

Dhanush spoke relieved “You must have seen how you were for five days. Now on seeing you awake, I have regained my confidence that you will be alright.”

Anushka interrupted “It’s time for you to eat Arya.”

With Dhanush’s help, she made Arya sit on his bed. She placed two idly on his plate. She went a step further and fed that herself when Arya found it difficult to eat on his own.

She then adjusted the pillows, made Arya comfortably lie down on his bed and covered him with a clean sheet.

Dhanush who was noticing all this happening spoke “Anushka, it is now very late in the evening. You go home; your parents will be worried.”

Anushka waved good bye and left the room.

As soon as she left Dhanush said to Arya “She is such a good girl, dude! You must know that she took care of you really well!”

Arya was anxious “Did Sneha visit me even once while I was here?”

“I informed her. But she did not take it seriously. She told she hated you and said she would never visit you.” Dhanush told the truth.

Arya was saddened to hear what Dhanush had said.

Dhanush went on “Arya, I have to tell you this, the way Anushka took care of you…. it was not only because of sympathy. I could see her genuine fondness, warmth and love; everything together.”

Arya confided “Even I felt the same.”

Dhanush said “Don’t mistake me, but I have to quote Superstar’s famous dialogue here. Life will be blissful only if we are with people who love us instead of people whom we love!”

Arya probed him further “Now what are you trying to say?”

“Erase memories of Sneha from your mind and fall in love with Anushka!” Dhanush spoke out his heart.

“Even I started liking Anushka, dude. But give me some time. I have to think about this matter.” Arya replied.

“Take as much time as you want. But come out with a clear and wise decision.” Dhanush boosted his friend.

Both of them spent few more time chatting and then prepared to sleep.

Next day dawned with a perfectly clear sky. Anushka was on time to visit Arya in the hospital.

Arya’s heart melted seeing her taking care of him so lovingly.

Both were seen talking for a long time.

Arya popped the question “Anushka, please don’t mistake me for asking this out of the blue. I am hoping of marrying you and lead rest of my life with you. I will be delighted to have you as my life partner.”

Anushka did not expect this and remained silent.

“I know you are in love with Sneha. What made you change your mind?” Anushka was skeptical.

“I felt infatuated by Sneha’s beauty. That was a mere attraction. But what I feel from you is pure love. In fact, I see my dead mother’s love, in your love for me.” Arya was feeling at ease now.

Anushka still had no words.

Arya prodded her “Come on Anushka. Don’t you agree?”

Anushka‘s eyes lit up as she said “Well! Let’s just say Sneha is not fortunate enough like me to have you!”

Arya felt like he was on cloud nine. He held hands with her and kissed her fingertips.

“Will your parents agree to this?” Arya asked Anushka curiously, after his initial excitement had settled down.

“My parents know I am taking care of you all this week. I think they would have guessed what is going on between us by now. They have raised me giving full freedom, so they won’t be posing much trouble to our love.” Anushka replied, much to Arya’s relief.

“Then when can we get married?” Arya asked mischievously.

“Hey mister! Slow down a bit! We can marry only after we finish our studies, get settled in a job. Till then be content in talking to me.” Anushka played along with him.

Next two days went as a breeze. Arya had become well enough to be discharged from the hospital.

He came to his hostel room and slowly began to clean up the mess he had left behind.

Then he noticed the Walkman lying on the floor.

His immediate instinct was to throw it away as far as he could. But as he picked it up he changed his mind.

If he had not listened to songs in this Walkman, would he have gotten a chance to meet Anushka?

Though he had good thoughts about it, he never bothered to listen to songs again.

He tossed the Walkman in his suitcase and closed it.

5 years later in Miami city, America

Arya was placing his last suitcase on a trolley in Miami airport. He faltered as this was a heavy one. Seeing this, Anushka offered to help him with the hefty baggage.

Arya was miffed at her actions “Don’t try to lift it Anushka. How many times should I tell you not to carry heavy objects?”

“Look, who is acting concerned about me?” Anushka was teasing him.

“I am not concerned about you, but about my little baby that grows inside you.” Arya said.

Anushka pinched his cheek naughtily.

“Call me as soon as you reach Shanghai. Try to get some sleep on your flight. Have a nice journey.” With this last bit of advice she hugged Arya.

Unexpectedly Arya went on his knees and kissed her now full belly.

“What are you doing in front of everybody? What will others think?” Anushka mocked anger.

“I am kissing my baby. I don’t care what others think.” Arya replied coolly.

Arya waved good bye half-heartedly and proceeded to the check-in counter. He then boarded his flight and took his assigned seat. There was a Chinese man sitting next to him.

The flight took off and was flying amidst the clouds. Arya’s mind was filled by Anushka’s memories which made him long for her. He opened his wallet and glanced at her sweet face in the photo he had, seeking some comfort.

“Your lover is looking pretty” smiled the Chinese guy next to him.

“This is my wife. It’s been one year since we got married.” Arya replied with a fond look.

“Glad to hear that. You both come across as a lovely couple. By the way, my name is Shan Lee.” The Chinese man extended his hands.

“I am Arya” Arya introduced himself and shook his hands.

“What is the purpose behind this trip to Shanghai?” Shan asked.

“I am visiting for a seminar. Are you visiting your family?” asked Arya.

“I have my own microchip manufacturing company in Shanghai. I had come to America to meet my clients.” Shan replied.

“So how is your business doing these days?” Arya asked.

“Very dull in fact. There is huge unemployment in America. As a result, lack of demand for goods, which in turn leads to less sales.” Shan showed his despair.

“You people have robbed Americans of their jobs. Is it not?” Arya questioned.

Shan laughed “Oh my friend! This is the just the beginning of America’s destruction. What you are witnessing now is the end of capitalism.”

“Yes, it’s been 20 years since communism died. Now it is the turn of capitalism to bite the dust.”

“Communism has not been destroyed. Now it is crouching. The day is not far when it will be ready to pounce.” The Chinese guy seemed confident.

“Your country China has adapted capitalism. Then how will I believe that communism is still alive? In fact, even you are into business right? Capitalism has got on to you too.” Arya pointed out.

“You know the how the saying goes ‘Fight poison with poison’, Be patient for a while, you will come to know everything.”

“Let’s steer out of politics. Suggest me some good hotel for my stay in Shanghai.” Arya changed the topic.

“Come and stay in the hotel where I am put up.” offered Shan.

“Then what about your family?”

“My family is in a village in China. I am staying in Shanghai for my business.” explained Shan.

“I feel relaxed now, knowing I have you for company in an unknown city.” Arya was relieved.

The plane touched down at Shanghai airport. They rode a taxi to reach the hotel where Shan was staying.

“Shower and get dressed Arya. There is a restaurant downstairs in this hotel. I will pick you up for dinner tonight.” Shan volunteered.

“Thanks for the offer Shan, but I am not hungry. Plus I am super exhausted and thinking of turning in for the night.” Arya replied.

Shan promised to see him tomorrow and both parted to their respective rooms.

Arya took a long shower that eased him out of his weariness. He called Anushka and let him know of his arrival at Shanghai. After speaking to her for some time, he turned off the light and prepared to sleep.

When he was about to enter a deep state of sleep, he was woken up by the ringing of phone.

“Hello?” Arya answered in a sleepy tone.

“Arya, this is Shan. I am in danger now. Please come to my room at once.” He sensed urgency and fear in his voice.

Arya got up and dressed immediately. He reached Shan’s room to find him panicky.

“Arya, you are the only one who can help me. Keep this flash drive with you. I have arranged for a ticket to fly you out to Moscow. Immediately start to the airport. Now.” Shan hastily told him.

“What are you kidding me? Me? Moscow? Are you crazy?” Arya shouted.

“If you go to Moscow and handover this flash drive to a particular person, then I will deposit 5 million dollars in your account. Please start soon.” Shan insisted.

“Why can’t you go to Moscow to do this?” Arya was puzzled.

“My time has come to an end. In the next 5 minutes people will be here to kill me. If you stay here one more second, your life will be in danger too. Get out of here and do as I say.” Shan was hysterical.

Even before he ended his words, there was a heavy knocking on the door.

“They have come to take me. Go and hide in the bathroom. Don’t forget what I said. A man named Trotsky will meet you in Moscow. Give this drive to him. Don’t lose the 5 million dollars.” Shan shoved Arya into the bathroom and locked the door.

Shan opened the front door. Four or five people would have come inside the room. Someone was yelling something in Chinese language. A little later there was a gunshot.

Another guy opened the bathroom door and checked that nobody was inside. They all left the room.

Arya remained hidden, huddled in a sunshade outside the room, climbing out of the bathroom window.

Making sure that all the people have left, he slowly climbed through the window and came inside the room. Shan’s body was fully covered in blood. He was shocked to see such thing. He made sure he had the flash drive with him and exited the room immediately.

He made up his mind to vacate the hotel. He gathered his baggage from his room and checked out of the hotel at once.

As he stepped out of the hotel, a taxi came to a halt in front of him. The taxi driver was pressurizing him to get inside. Arya boarded the taxi wondering why.

“Please take me to a good hotel far away from here.”

“I know where to take you. Please sit tight.” The driver responded.

The taxi came to a stop at the airport, after some time.

The driver handed him a cover and said “This is your ticket to Moscow. There are two hours remaining for your flight. You are left with little time. Go ahead soon.”

Arya was taken aback “Hey! I am not going anywhere. Who are you? Why did you bring me here?”

But the driver coaxed him “If you want to stay alive, do as I tell you. Knowingly or unknowingly you have fallen into this dangerous trap. This is your only chance of freeing yourself from it. If not, you are bound to face the same consequences as Shan.”

In the distant, the people who killed Shan were seen approaching them in a car.

Arya stepped out of the taxi. “The man who you have to meet is Trotsky. Now hurry up! Don’t waste even a second. Get inside the airport!” the taxi driver took off from the place as fast as he could.

Shan’s assassins were watching intently the people who were entering the airport.

But Arya raised no suspicions to their eyes as they were expecting another Chinese guy.

Arya’s heart was racing as he reached the terminal gates. He took his seat in the plane momentarily. It was in the business class. He fastened his seat belts prepared for his second flight on the same day. Exhaustion and fatigue swept over him and in a few minutes he fell asleep.

* * *

Next day, early morning Arya reached Moscow. He checked into a decent hotel. As soon as he reached his room, he tried to explore the contents of his flash drive. He plugged it in his laptop and clicked the program inside it. He was astonished beyond his wits on seeing his screen. It was a program that could hack into any computer server! As he explored it a bit he found it to be an extremely risky program.

It dawned on him that he was trapped in a huge net of conspiracy. He was playing pawn to a highly dangerous criminal group. What were they going to do with this program? Were they planning to rob a bank by hacking into its server? There were endless possibilities lying open.

His thoughts were interrupted by the phone which was ringing. Arya picked it up hastily.

“Moscow welcomes you, my friend” he heard a voice at the other end.

“Who are you? Trotsky right?” Arya asked.

“Yes. I will be expecting you to deliver my item under your possession to the place I tell you, tomorrow night.” Trotsky said.

“Sure. I will do it. What are you planning to do with it?” Arya asked with his heart in his mouth.

“From what I hear you asking, it seems you know the contents of the drive.” Replied Trotsky sternly.

“Yes” Arya stood firm in his reply.

“Don’t poke your nose in these matters. They are of no concern to you. Deliver it, get your share of 5 million dollars and mind your way out. We will not disturb you after that.” Arya could sense Trotsky was warning him.

“Yes” replied Arya meekly.

“Where should I meet you?” Arya asked.

He noted down the address Trotsky had given him.

Arya’s mind was brainstorming various ideas. He thought is there any program available to stop this dangerous program from functioning. He couldn’t find an answer with the technology he had at that time. Out of the blue, he remembered an algorithm which he learnt in his college. He researched more about it in Google. He found links to research papers published by his friend Dhanush. He had Dhanush’s phone number somewhere in his diary. When he was searching for his diary, he found the Walkman in his suitcase. Incidents that happened five years before flashed in his mind. This Walkman was the reason why I am with Anushka today, right?

He realized that night had fallen. His stomach was grumbling with hunger, as he had not eaten since morning. He made a sandwich and munched on it.

He lay down on his bed trying to catch some sleep. But he felt restless. He tossed in his bed and saw the Walkman beside him.

He put on the earphones and thought of listening to some songs to divert his mind into sleeping. But he had his own fears of what happened the last time he was listening to this Walkman. Then he chided himself for being so irrational and started listening to the songs. At last he found some peace, listening to the melodies.

Again he heard the mantra, like last time. “Om Namaha!”

He got goose bumps just on hearing that. So many weird thoughts came to his mind. With that he fell asleep.

It was 3 o’ clock in the night when Arya suddenly woke up and sat on his bed. He started hearing voices inside his head. As time passed, the voices grew louder and louder until he could no longer bear the screams.

He hung his head tightly pressed between his arms. He reached the refrigerator to drink some water.

The noises inside his head sounded like someone was hitting him with a hammer.

Arya fell unconscious unable to take in any further.

In the last minute that he was awake, he saw the beautiful scene again.

He is standing on a beach watching the waves. A huge wave is approaching, ready to engulf him. Arya remains motionless watching the waves intently. The wave breaks with a devilish fury and drowns him along with it.

Arya lost all his consciousness now.

After a while, Arya slowly comes back to his senses. He had been receiving phone calls since morning. All were from Anushka who was worried about him.

Arya called Anushka back.

Anushka spoke concerned “Arya, what happened to you? I must have made 100 calls to you. Why did you not pick up?”

“Sorry Anushka, I fell asleep feeling tired. Did not notice the phone ringing.” Arya lied.

“You are always alert even while sleeping. Any problem that I should know?” Anushka sounded doubtful.

“No honey. Nothing. There was a last minute change in my trip. I had to come to Moscow.” Arya told the truth.

“What! Are you in Moscow now? You did not even spend a single day in Shanghai. Why did you come to Moscow?” Anushka demanded answers.

“A VP in Moscow couldn’t make it to Shanghai, so he asked everybody to come to Moscow instead.” Arya again had to lie.

“Usually they will plan everything perfectly in your company. Why such a mess this time?” Anushka remained skeptical.

“Now stop worrying about me Anushka. Moscow is a wonderful place. I am having a nice time here. You take care of your health. Eat well. Drink lots of water.” Arya missed being with her, taking care of her.

“Ok sure. When will you call me again?”

“I will call you tomorrow.”

They spoke for a little longer. Anushka said while he was about to hang up “Today is my father’s memorial day. Can you pray for him at any Lord Vishnu’s temple, if you find there, in Moscow?”

Anushka’s father had died when Tsunami attacked. Arya thought it was impossible for him to visit a temple in the situation he was in. He thought of refusing her, but she was extremely sensitive when it came to matters related to her dad. He promised her that he would visit a temple.

He washed his face, after he hung up. What had happened last night was baffling him. He was surprised to note that, the things which happened five years before had happened to him exactly the same way, last night too.

He went to his bedroom and took the Walkman. He marched towards the balcony, thinking of throwing it away. But he changed his mind in the last instance and placed the Walkman on his bed.

He remembered what Anushka said about going to a temple. Praying for something better to happen was a good idea and he searched online for a Vishnu temple in Moscow. He found one nearby and left his hotel.

He reached the temple, which looked deserted. He thought maybe it is just 8 o’clock; people are nowhere to be seen this early in the morning.

He found an elderly man clad in monk’s attire sitting in a corner lost in meditation. He heard devotional songs being played in the background.

Arya sat in front of God’s shrine and closed his eyes. He focused his wandering mind to a single spot and prayed whole heartedly for a solution to all his problems.

At that moment, the devotional songs ended and he heard the mantra “Om Namaha!” He felt the same changes in his mind and body that he had experienced before.

Slowly he lost his consciousness.

When he opened his eyes again he was inside a small house. The old man he saw meditating in the temple was sitting before him.

“Son, what happened to you? Why did you faint?” The old man’s face registered genuine concern.

Arya hesitated. He was in a dilemma as to whether he can confide with the old man.

“You were perfectly fine until you heard ‘Om Namaha’ mantra. I noticed significant changes in you. ‘Om Namaha’ mantra is a universal chanting. It is Omni-present in this universe. It is an eternal chanting. You must be a fortunate enough to be deeply touched by it.” concluded the monk.

Arya opened up to him with the incidents of last night and those which happened five years before in his college.

“Son, you are getting a message from God, Himself. But your mind is not conditioned to receive it. You told me that you hear many voices in your head. That message from God gets drowned among those noises. The message remains unheard amidst the many confusions and stress that dwells in your mind.”

“What are you trying to say? I do not understand.” Arya’s mind was spinning.

“Son, you are a lucky fellow. God has chosen you to do a remarkable work. Please reform yourself to become worthy of it.” The monk continued.

“What should I do now?” Arya asked for guidance.

“As soon as you reach your place, chant the mantra ‘Om Namaha’ and meditate. Then listen to the mantra in your Walkman. Then you will be able to hear the message from God clearly.” The monk imparted some wise words.

Arya thanked him for his timely help and returned to his room.

He still remained confused mulling over what the sage said. He said the mantra ‘Om Namaha’ repeatedly. His confusions weaved out and his mind became clear.

Arya lied down and listened to songs in his Walkman. The songs ended and he heard ‘Om Namaha!’ But this time, he heard a soft voice inside him.

“My friend! Are you doing well?” the voice asked.

“Who are you?” Arya asked.

“I will reveal my identity later. I have been trying to make contact with you for the past five years. Finally I succeeded. Today has turned out to be my lucky day” the voice went on speaking.

“How are you able to talk with me? Are you using some ultra-modern equipment?” Arya asked.

“No. No such thing. Do you remember what you were doing, before you woke up now?”

Arya recalled what he was doing “I was listening to ‘Om Namaha’ mantra.”

“The same thing I too did. I listened to that mantra and slept. At the same time, you were also listening to it. As a result, our minds communicate with each other by exchanging our thoughts.”

“How is this possible?” Arya was finding it difficult to believe.

“That is the power of ‘Om Namaha’ mantra. It was created by God Himself, unexplainable by any scientific rule or unfathomable by any human being.”

“Why do you want to communicate with me? Why me?” asked Arya desperate to clear the growing confusion.

“Your world is facing grave danger right now. The responsibility of saving it lies on your shoulders. I am here as your friend, to steer you in the right direction.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You must be wondering what Trotsky and his group planned to do with the program in the flash drive, right?”

“Yes. I have a notion they are about to hack some server. But I don’t know which server.”

“The IP address of that server lies in your birthdate itself.”

“Is it? To which company does the server belong?” asked Arya with renewed interest.

“I leave it to you to find out that too. We will talk again soon.” The voice stopped.

Arya could now sense tranquility around him that night. His mind was devoid of any thoughts. For once, he felt that his mind was under his control. He had a foresight of things he had to perform. He slept peacefully on his bed, something which had not happened for the last few days.

* * *

As soon as he got up next day he ran the program in the flash drive. The software posed a question of what was the IP address of the server into which he tried to login. He remembered the voice say that it was something connected to his birthday. He typed in his birthdate 24.12.1974 slightly modified as 24.11.29.74 and was allowed to connect to that server. As soon as he logged in, a menu appeared.

Enter the Name of the Asset to Activate

1. Gladiator     2. Patriot     3. Bulhawk

Arya had no clue as to what these meant. He turned to his faithful companion Google for more answers. Bulhawk intrigued him very much and he typed that first in the search bar. Google returned with more information that it was the name of America’s nuclear weapon submarine. He checked all other names too.

Arya was in for a great shock. Trotsky and his people were planning to operate America’s nuclear weapons. He froze in his place as the consequences of such an event happening hit him hard. He knew only one person who could help him; his friend Dhanush who was now working in CIA, having become an American citizen.

Dhanush woke him up from his sleep, when Arya called his phone.

“Arya, why are you calling me at this time? Anything important?” Dhanush blabbered.

Arya narrated all the incidents happening so far.

“Can you find any information about Trotsky, Shan Lee in your CIA database?” Arya pressed him.

“Hang on, I will check immediately.” Dhanush quickly booted his laptop.

Few seconds later, he heard Dhanush saying “They were both spies for the Russian government when they were under communist rule. They both remained hidden away from the government when communism came to an end in Russia. I think they are involved in a conspiracy to bring back communist rule in Russia.”

“Do they have any ties with Russian government?” Arya wanted to know.

“No. Russian government would never do such a thing. These are people who are uncontrollable by law.” Dhanush provided insight.

“Did they plan to attack other nations which are friendly with America?”

“I feel their plans are far more dangerous than that. Give me a day’s time. I will check my database for records of Trotsky’s phone calls, emails or any kind of Internet activity.”

“That’s not possible. Tonight I am meeting Trotsky and giving him the flash drive. Can’t you do something before that?”

“Well, it’s tough then. I will try to the best of my ability.”

“I am thinking of leaving the flash drive in the hotel itself when meeting Trotsky.”

“Don’t do anything foolish like that. That may put you in danger. You hand over the flash drive to him. My organization will take care of things from that point.”

That night, at the said time, Arya went to a place and waited for Trotsky to arrive. A man came near him wearing a mask.

“Arya” the masked man called out.

“Yes” said Arya.

“Flash drive?”

Arya gave him the flash drive with a little hesitation. Trotsky quickly scanned its contents in his laptop and confirmed that it was indeed the program he wanted so badly.

“Thanks Comrade. Now you have become wealthier by 5 million dollars. Congrats!”

“But will I be alive to enjoy the money?” Arya raised his doubts.

“Surely. We won’t harm you in any manner. We know that you pose no threat to us.”

Trotsky fled the scene immediately.

Arya received a call from Dhanush at that time.

“Arya, the situation is worse than I thought. Have you given the flash drive to Trotsky?” Dhanush had lost his cool.

“As you advised, I gave it to him just now. You told me your organization will take care of everything, right?”

“Oh my god! Their plans are very destructive. They had not planned to attack nations friendly to America instead they planned to detonate the nuclear weapons in the ocean.”

“What will happen then?” Arya was tensed.

“Don’t you understand? You studied engineering! These are nuclear weapons way more powerful than the ones which were blasted in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Think about what are the ramifications if they are fired?”

“It may result in huge Tsunami waves as the ocean floor vibrates.” Arya’s mind clicked.

“Yes that is their plan. America’s Florida state, India’s Mumbai and Japan country as a whole are their targets.”

“What did you tell? Florida? Anushka is there. She will be in danger. I have to be with her. I can’t let anything happen to her” Arya couldn’t think of anything else.

“They have planned to execute their bombings tomorrow morning. So it will be impossible for you to be in America within that time. I will take steps to see that Anushka is safe. You just call her and fill her on the details.”

“Ok. What plans do you have to stop Trotsky’s cruel bombings?” Arya was still not sure how safe Anushka would be.

The only thing he heard from the other end of the call was silence.

“To be honest with you, we are blank on what our steps would be to stop this. CIA and our military are not prepared to handle such terrorist attacks. Moreover, all are angry with me for persuading you to handover the flash drive to Trotsky. Where is he now? Has he left?”

“He left long back in a car.”

“Did you notice the car license number?”

“I don’t know. It was pretty dark, but I know it is a red car.”

“We have asked Russian government’s co-operation in this issue. But they refuse to believe this is happening. Most probably, I and a few team members will be starting to Moscow in the next two hours. But the sad part is that, by the time we reach Moscow, the bomb would have gone off.”

“Do you know who killed Shan Lee?” Arya recalled his involvement in this conspiracy.

“There are two sections of terrorists among those people. They are not just fundamentalists. This conspiracy involves several millions of amount. Shan was killed in an issue raging between the two gangs, relating to money matters.”

Arya hung up, boarded a taxi and returned to his hotel. He called Anushka at once and told her everything.

“Dhanush’s people will be coming to take you out of Florida. Go with them and stay safe till I come.”

“No, I can’t, Arya.” Anushka replied.

“What are you blabbering Anushka?”

“Last time when Tsunami hit India, my father died. This time also there will be great loss in human life, if it strikes again. My father’s soul will not forgive me if I alone escape cowardly from its attack. You do something or the other and stop this from happening.” Anushka explained her stand on this issue.

“Why are you not getting what I say? We can do nothing to stop it. Even the greatest intellectuals in America are at loss of counteracting plans.”

“Please make some more effort sincerely. Definitely there must be a way out.” Anushka pushed him further.

“What are you talking Anushka? Are you willing to let our unborn child die, due to your adamant nature?”

“That baby is equivalent to God. She will remain by your side and guide you. You need not worry about me either.” Anushka assured him.

“Anushka, listen to me. I don’t know how I can make you understand the danger you are in right now. As of now there are no measures taken to prevent this bombings from happening.” Arya was frustrated.

“Listen to ‘Om Namaha’ mantra in your Walkman. I believe the voice will lead you to a right path.” Anushka offered one last bit of advice.

Arya hung up and was mulling about what Anushka had said. Even though he did not fully believe in what he was about to do, he was left with no other choice. So he decided to listen to ‘Om Namaha’ mantra in his Walkman.

 “You are intelligent Arya.” The familiar voice he knew spoke once more.

“Why do you say that?” Arya asked.

“You paid heed to your wife’s words even in this critical situation; does it not make you clever?”

“I have to protect my wife now. Time is ticking fast. Nobody knows what to do, to tackle and overcome this threat.”

“Don’t worry. I have a plan to sabotage this destructive plan.” Said the voice with confidence.

 “What? How?” Arya was piqued.

“What do you normally do to protect your computer from Virus attack?” enquired the voice.

“We install anti-virus software program in our computer.”

“The same concept applies here. You have to write an encryption program to prevent them from hacking into the server.”

“Don’t you think we have not thought along these lines? We cannot write such a complex encryption algorithm with the computer technology at present. The software in the possession of Trotsky is such a powerful one.”

“50 years from now, your descendants would have written an encryption software with the advanced computer technology available at that time. Am I right?”

“What are you arriving at?” Arya wanted an answer.

“I am going to tell that futuristic algorithm now and you will become a superman by saving the world, using this algorithm.”

“Are you going to give that algorithm? Tell me who are you? How do you know about this?” Arya couldn’t believe his ears.

“That is not relevant right now. The algorithm is of five lines.” The voice continued.

The voice stopped after stating the algorithm to Arya.

Arya wrote down the algorithm as fast as he could. With Dhanush and his team’s help he logged into the server and installed the encryption software.

Dhanush team members made some testing on the software to make sure it functions correctly. It took a few minutes.

Arya was pacing the room, tensed with apprehension.

As soon as the phone ringed, he picked it up. He could hear Dhanush’s voice bubbling with energy on the other end of the call.

“Arya, you have got Einstein’s brains, man! Your software turned out to be successful in preventing a hack into the server. Trotsky or his men can do nothing.” Dhanush was relieved.

Arya let out a sigh of relief.

“The scholars from Harvard, MIT are baffled by your software. How were you able to achieve this in just five lines? Please share the secret with me. How did you create this magic piece of software?” Dhanush wanted details.

“I don’t know. It struck me out of the blue and I wrote the software. Now what are your plans for capturing Trotsky and his men?” Arya asked.

“Tomorrow morning I and my team will be in Moscow. Russian government has decided to help us in this case. They have planned to attack Trotsky and his men in an encounter today. Their fate is sealed.” Saying this Dhanush hung up.

Arya made a call to Anushka and explained everything was now alright. He was delighted to know that Anushka was very happy with his efforts.

Arya then listened to songs in his Walkman. The well-known voice he was acquainted to said “Congrats buddy!”

“Thanks! All this would not have happened without your timely help” thanked Arya.

“I made this decision as a result of a previous bad experience. I couldn’t save my world like you did Arya.” The voice trailed away.

“What are you telling me? Who are you?” Arya wanted to know more.

“Before telling who I am, I have to tell you where I come from. I am talking to you from an alternate universe, which is similar to the world that you are in. Consider that to be a second world. It has also got earth. There are countries like India, America etc. in this second world too. I am communicating with you from this second world.”

“I have also read about alternate universe. In that case is it true that it exists?” Arya was confused.

“Surely, it exists. Once we were posed with the same danger that your world is facing now. Our world was completely destroyed by Tsunami waves which happened when terrorists attacked with nuclear weapons. I couldn’t save my Anushka from that massive calamity.” The voice became strained.

“Your Anushka? What are you saying” Arya became anxious.

“Go in front of the mirror and see your face.” Instructed the voice.

“Why are asking me to see?”

“Do as I say.” The voice told again.

Arya saw his reflection in the mirror nearby.

“Now imagine how your mirror image will be fifty years from now. That is me.” Confided the voice.

“That means?” Arya knew, but still wanted to hear.

“You are right. I am Arya from alternate universe. In fact, I am just like you. Whatever incidents had happened in your life also happened in mine. I married Anushka. But one event that took place in your life did not occur in my life. If only I had done that one intelligent thing you did, my world would not have been destroyed then.” The voice became sad.

“What was it?” Arya asked.

“I threw that Walkman away. That was such a foolish act, which resulted in our world getting destroyed. Besides, I lost my lovely Anushka. Oh! Dear friend, time has come for me to bid good bye. Here after I won’t disturb you. Good bye!” Arya from alternate universe signed off.

The voice terminated. Arya was not going to hear that voice ever again.

Arya was playing in his mind repeatedly his last conversation with Arya from alternate universe. Soon he entered a calm deep sleep, thoroughly exhausted after a long day.

The End

Reference

The Elegant Universe – Brian Greene

The Parallel Worlds – Michio Kaku