《Your Love In Page》


 PROLOGUE AND CHAPTER 1

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    Prologue :- The book and the calf.


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    Inside a large, spacious room of a quiet realm, a young buffalo calf, no larger than a book, wandered playfully, wiggling its tail around as it tried to bite it.


    Its glossy black skin shimmered faintly as it skipped around, trying to catch its tail. During its swirling, its small, shiny horns nudged a book.


    On a large wooden table, which was a little bigger than the calf, a peculiar book was placed right at the corner. With the calf''s playful push, the book shook, causing it to slide off.


    Just as the book was falling, the floor disappeared, and a black, mysterious, swirling hole appeared just beneath the falling book. But just before the book was about to fall into the hole, the playful calf snapped one of its pages, preventing it from falling.


    "Moof!" The calf had just taken a sigh of relief when it heard a _tear_. The page it bit on tore apart from the book and fell into that void hole, causing the calf to stumble into a backward roll.


    With the page still in its mouth, it shook its head. After a quick look around to make sure nobody had seen its blunder, the calf dived into the void hole, trying to catch the book.


    The book continued to fall, gaining speed into the dark void of space. Behind it followed the calf, still holding the torn page. It moved its small hooves, trying to stop the book from falling further, but the book remained beyond its reach.


    Soon, the book appeared in the expanse of space, glowing faintly as it hurtled toward a bright blue planet in the distance. The calf trailed after it, with a determined look on its face as it snorted, "Moo" `( ?? ? ?? )`.


    As the book descended toward the planet, it began to tear apart. Soon, it tore into two halves, and at that very moment, the blue planet below trembled and began to split into two identical planets, with a huge swirling black vortex forming between these two identical plates.


    The two halves of the book propelled themselves toward the two planets, with the calf, holding the torn page, still in pursuit.


    ¡ú---------------¡ú-----------------------¡ú-------------------¡ú--------------------¡ú----------------¡ú


    CHAPTER - 1 NEIL AND THE MYSTERIOUS BOOK


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    "Here''s your belongings. Sign here before taking them," a prison assistant said, handing a register to the man in shabby clothes sitting on the other side of the glass window.


    Neil signed on the pointed area.


    After the procedure, the assistant signaled to the prison guard standing beside him. The guard uncuffed Neil and escorted him out of the prison.


    <SCREECH> The metal door of the prison opened. "Don''t land here again," the prison guard said in his hoarse voice, peeping through the metal door.


    Neil didn''t reply, just gave a brief nod before stepping out. Soon, he realized it was actually warmer inside. Still dressed in his thin, shabby summer clothes, Neil truly felt the bite of the sharp winter wind.


    Outside the prison were just muddy paths. Nearby, some piles of screed and coarse sand were formed, with bulldozers standing idle.Stolen novel; please report.


    It was barren as far as the eye could see, with only a couple of dried trees standing alone in the winter wind.


    "God Himself writes our fate in His book, so everything that happens is for good. Isn''t that what you used to tell me, Maa?" Neil said, glancing at the cold sky, recalling what his mother used to say to him when he was little.


    "Did He forget to write mine, or did He have some feud with me in my past life?" With a quick sigh, he slung his backpack over his shoulders and began walking toward the highway.


    After spotting a cab coming, he flagged it down and climbed in. It was warm inside. His hardened skin finally loosened up in the cab''s warmth. He handed a small piece of paper to the driver, who glanced at it and started driving.


    "Kids these days. It''s freaking cold outside, and you still roam around in these light clothes," the elderly cab driver said sarcastically, glancing at Neil in the rearview mirror.


    Neil responded with a wry smile as he lowered his head. Seeing his reaction, the driver stopped asking further questions. Still, as Neil continued to shiver and sneeze throughout the ride, the driver kept throwing concerned glances at him.


    The cab pulled up near a medical store. The driver got out, and after some time, returned holding a brown paper bag in his hand. "Here, take this," he said, passing the bag to Neil. Inside were some medicines.


    "Take it," he added, his face holding a scolding expression.


    "But¡ª" Neil tried to refute.


    "Just take it. Seeing your situation, I doubt you even have enough money to pay for the ride," the elderly driver insisted.


    Hearing his reasoning, Neil couldn''t muster a single word. He silently took the bag. The cab continued its journey until it pulled up to a building complex.


    Neil took some money out of his pocket and handed it to the driver. "I still had some," he said in a soft voice.


    The elderly driver smiled at him, accepted the fare, and left.


    Neil now stood in front of an old building complex. Its paint had faded, barely visible anymore. His apartment was on the second floor¡ªa small unit with a dented metal door. He unlocked it with a key. The door groaned, <SCREECH> as he pushed it open.


    His apartment was a 1-BHK: a room straight from the entrance, a bathroom to the left of the straight corridor, and a kitchen that was part of the corridor. A small balcony lay behind the single room.


    As Neil entered, the first thing that greeted him was clothes brushing against his feet. Clothes were scattered all over the room. Drawers from the stools were pulled out, their contents spilling over. The furniture was scattered, with some pieces broken. The mattress on the bed looked like it had been thrown aside.


    All in all, his apartment was a mess. On top of everything, layers of dust had settled over the furniture and the clothes strewn around.


    "At least they shouldn''t make it obvious," Neil muttered under his breath. He placed his bag on a nearby stool and let out a soft sigh before gathering the scattered clothes and tossing them into a basket. He lifted the fallen furniture, grabbed a broom, and started sweeping away the dust.


    The state of his apartment didn''t shock him much¡ªit was almost as if he had anticipated it.


    After sweeping out the dust, he picked up a battered old radio from the floor. Carefully, he fixed its broken antenna, replaced the rusted batteries with some he found in a drawer, and twisted the dial to search for a signal.


    <CRACKLE> "November has finally started, and it seems like the cold this time will really break many records," a female voice announced as the radio signal stabilized.


    "At least something is here to keep me company," Neil thought, allowing a slight smile as he continued cleaning.


    "Phew, finally done." The house now felt a little more livable to him. The mattress was dusted off and placed back on the bed. The clothes were no longer scattered across the floor, and the dust was gone. The air felt a little lighter.


    "<Achoo>" He sneezed. Still, he was shivering in his thin clothes. Although the cleaning had warmed him up a bit, his clothes provided little relief.


    "According to the DMD, minor tremors of earthquakes might be felt in several areas across the country. This has been associated with the meteor shower. Astrologists suggest that¡ª"


    Neil switched off the radio, wanting to save the battery. He picked up his backpack from the stool. "Huh? Why does it feel heavy?" he wondered.


    It felt much heavier than before. He hadn''t purchased or added anything to it, and the bag of medicine the elderly driver gave him was too light to make a difference.


    Placing the backpack on the bed, he unzipped it. First, he pulled out the bag of medicine, but his expression changed as he retrieved the next item.


    "Huh?!"


    What he pulled out was a book.


    "Aye? What is this book?" He turned it around to inspect it. It looked old, with a hard, cardboard-like cover.


    "Neither did I put it in, nor do I remember anyone else doing so. Did someone from the prison put it in?" He thought


    Neil was bewildered. He never had an interest in books, nor the luxury of reading them in prison, so he was certain he hadn''t taken it.


    Curious, he flipped through some pages and stopped at one. Something was written on the left page. Although only a few lines were written, what was there blew Neil''s mind.

 CHAPTER 2 - NEIL AND THE BOOK (PRT-2)

    **


    CHAPTER 2


    Neil was shocked as he read the text written on the page of that book, even more so seeing how the book was writing the text further by itself. The only words he could utter after reading those texts were, "What the¡ª", "It''s writing me!"


    --"Neil got a reaction mixed with confusion, shock, and fear. He hadn''t seen such a thing ever in his life. His hands were shivering even more than in the cold, as trails of sweat came down his face. A thought suddenly struck his mind as he¡ª"--


    That''s what was being written in the book by itself. Seeing it, Neil immediately flipped back to the first page of the book and was shocked again as he read:


    --"Neil felt something. His backpack was heavy. The first thought that came to his mind was, did someone put something to trap me again? He had already tasted the bitterness of being caught in someone''s hunting trap, and he didn''t want to go through that again. Quickly, he put the backpack onto the bed. Slowly, he took out the bag of medicine. He was still praying for the worst to not come... but a beat of relief ran over him as he saw that the heavy thing was a book. But soon, he pondered where it came from."--


    "Thud."


    Neil shut the book. Reading it even by himself made him feel like he was being stripped naked from within. These emotions, these feelings, were things he didn''t even tell himself, and the book was writing them aloud, as if it was just inside him, listening to his heartbeat and the cogs in his mind turning around.


    "What in the heck of a world of an asteroiding earthquake..." Shivers ran down his spine as he started babbling nonsense after seeing¡ªor rather, reading¡ªwhat had just happened to him. He felt assaulted by a mere book.


    Neil hurriedly put the book back inside the backpack and lay down on the bed, tucking his hands between his legs. "Ahhh...what the hell was that? Am I dreaming or something?" Neil acted like a teenager who had found a live centipede in his socks after wearing them the whole day¡ªfar from his 25 years.


    "Huff. Okay, that was just a cringey book. Just a teeny, tiny cringe book... ooo." He stood up, trying to calm himself as goosebumps ran through his whole body.


    Still tightening his heart, Neil unzipped the bag again and took out the book. But first, he inspected it up close.


    The book had a hard cardboard-like cover on both sides. It had a metallic texture and the vibe of an old book, but it didn''t have a title¡ªor more like it wasn''t visible. The cover was a bit rusty.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    Neil opened up the book to its last written page, and it was still writing, nonstop. Still taken aback by this mysterious and magical thing¡ªwhich he thought, of course, wasn''t a book¡ªhe wondered, "It''s still writing even when in my hand. Although I don''t want to read all that cringe stuff, will it stop writing if I place it away from my hand?" putting the book down, he stepped back.But the book still continued to write.


    "It''s still writing!" Astonished, Neil stared at the strange book. "Ugh, what if I get even further away from it?" Slowly, he backed away from the book, observing its writing as he moved. About two meters away, the book stopped.


    Meanwhile, the tub of clothes had overflowed with water, as Neil had earlier left it under the running tap. The sound of the water soon attracted his attention. He ran to the bathroom and turned it off.


    "Phew, thank God. I really don''t have enough money to pay for extra bills." After turning it off, Neil washed the dirty clothes and hung them on the balcony. But as soon as he stepped outside, the November wind gave him a reality check¡ªhe really needed to buy winter clothes. Hurriedly, he closed the balcony door and went back into his room, rubbing his palms against his shoulders to get some warmth.


    "Ah!, please, please let them be." Recalling something, Neil jumped from the bed in a hurry, sliding his arm under it. Soon, a small hook pricked his finger. He pulled it down, and a metal box fell from the hidden space.


    "Thank God it''s still here." He hurriedly opened the metal box. Inside were some photos and other miscellaneous things, which Neil brushed aside. His eyes landed on a bundle of old rupee notes.


    Neil took out the bundle and counted it: 3,000 rupees¡ªSix notes of 500 rupees each. Relieved, he finally let out a sigh. Holding the bundle in front of him as he lay on the bed, he said, "These 3,000 rupees¡­ I have to survive on them till I find a job. But how?"


    Looking at the money, the weight that had just brushed off his shoulders soon returned, weighing his heart down. He realized that even a single piece of winter clothing cost around 1,000 rupees or more. But how could he spend all the money on clothes when he wouldn''t have enough left for basic groceries for the month?


    Darting his gaze around, it fell onto the book that was still writing by itself.  --Neil thought, "Even if I got enough money, how would I pay the bills for this month? And that''s assuming I find a job within a month."--


    "This¡ªthis damn book! Can''t you just write while being considerate of my inner privacy?" Neil growled, gritting his teeth as goosebumps prickled his skin.


    --"Overcome with cringe, he continued to take his frustration out on the book. He was reliving his pent-up anger on a non-living thing."-- The book wrote


    "What? Non-living? Are you?" He jumped over the book in response.


    --"Still, he wondered how he could manage all that, how he should make a budget for the month with these 3,000 rupees."-- The book continued..


    The book suddenly wrote a strange line: --"Follow the lady next door."--


    This strange line that the book wrote really astonished Neil. With a sour mouth, he said, "What? You could reply? I mean, like, you could write something else besides me?"


    Neil waited for the answer, but the book just continued its earlier behavior of writing about Neil. "What? Did it malfunction, and are you telling me to be a stalker?"


    That strange line really pinched Neil. He didn''t want to, but still, he took his bag, put the book into it, and headed out after locking the door. As he turned left, he saw an elderly grandma exiting the apartment next door.


    Startled, he rushed behind the support beam. "What, there is actually a woman? Can this book predict the future? And why would it tell me to follow some grandma?"


    **

 CHAPTER 3 NEILS SHOPPING IN PARADISE

    CHAPTER 3


    The elderly lady locked the door and slowly headed to the stairway.


    "Wait, why am I hiding? It''s not like I am stalking her. I mean, the book told me to follow her, but not currently." Neil, straightening his chest, got out from behind the pillar and started to go towards the stairway.


    They left the building. The lady continued to walk slowly as she crossed the road, Neil following her.


    "Should I continue? But how will my problem be solved by following her?" he thought. "Like, is it telling me to snatch that purse of hers?" he thought, looking at the grandma''s purse.


    Upfront, the grandma took a left turn. Neil, behind her, saw her enter an area with markets all around, all expensive stores.


    "WHAT! Even a small piece of cloth from here would cost me more than myself," he thought as he started to doubt the prediction of the book even more.


    He stopped, looking around at all the big shops with large advertising screens, women and men carrying large paper bags in their hands, mannequins showcasing clothes of different brands.


    "Wait, let me recheck it." Neil started to take off his bag and take out the book, but soon he noticed that the grandma was not around anywhere.


    He stopped, slung his backpack again, and scanned around quickly. Soon, he spotted the grandma walking further, crossing the road.


    Hurriedly, he ran to her. Following her, she entered a small street. After walking a little more, they entered an atmosphere completely different from before.


    "What the¡ª" Astonished again, Neil looked around, spinning like a timid princess.


    In contrast to the luxurious and calm market before, this here was completely different: small, packed-up shops lined one after another, filled with clothes and things up to the brim. Vendors shouted like poets, waving clothes in their hands, "2 for a hundred, 2 for a hundred, only here, not there," they sang. Many were even selling in the middle of the street, with their products over a small trolley.


    "Wow... paradise." These were the first words that came out from his mouth as he heard the price.


    This market was much larger than the branded one earlier, curved in small streets. It was almost like a maze, where if by any chance someone dived into it, they would never find their way back.


    Still gulping, he took the courage and dived in. After about 3 hours of shopping and 2 hours of being lost, Neil finally came out of the crowded maze.


    "Haah, finally. Let me check if I have all the items I bought or not." He took a deep breath and took a quick check onto his shopping list he had in his mind and the items he bought.


    "Inners, sweaters, warm shirts, jeans, gloves, socks¡ªsocks? Where are they? Did I leave them anywhere?" Checking through, the socks were missing. They were not in that cloth bag in which he had put all the other items.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    "Did someone steal them? But why would anyone steal socks?" He checked the bag from the bottom to make sure there wasn''t any cut, until, in a hurry, he slung off his backpack from one shoulder and saw the socks in the bottle pocket of that bag.


    "Phew... Shawl... check. Everything is checked." And in about 2,000 rupees, he bought two pairs of basic clothes, sweaters, and all the minimum clothes he needed to survive the winter, at least for this year.


    "Um, I should also buy some basic ingredients and utensils," he thought, looking at the bundle of notes in his hand, as he quickly put them in his pocket as if to protect them from being snatched.


    After buying some utensils, basic ingredients, and a 5kg pack of wheat flour, he was now left with around 250 rupees from the 1k he had left after buying the clothes.


    Filled with brightness and cheerfulness, he headed to his home (apartment). "I am really satisfied. I can''t believe I can buy this much even with only the little amount I had," he said, looking around at all the items he had bought, which he had placed onto the bed as if they were trophies.


    "Mmmua, you are my lifesaver. I can''t believe I can survive this winter under the roof." Neil said, kissing the book.


    "I really had no idea how I was going to survive without any money and a job. I was ready to sell this apartment."


    "Can''t believe the money I saved for her would help me this way. God really had forsaken me."


    "I really didn''t expect to chance upon such a miracle like you. Except for that writing part of yours, you are really a wonderful book. Maybe I should read a little," he thought, as he opened the book.


    --"Neil thought how wonderful it would have been if the book could reply back. Maybe I would have someone who wouldn''t leave me; at least then, this loneliness wouldn''t be so bearing,"-- the book wrote as he read it in his mind.


    "Ahh, can''t you just stop there? You were just this close to making a place in my heart had you not written all that bullshit. I¡ªI didn''t even think like that." His cheeks were red.


    "What? Are you omniscient? Huh? Don''t act like you know me when even I don''t," he said in a low voice as he sat beside the book, looking down.


    --"Neil didn''t know why he was treating the book like a living object, why he was treating it like a human, why he was acting like it had feelings, why he was talking to it¡­"--


    But before reading it any further, he closed the book and placed it inside the backpack again, which he carefully placed onto a stool near the bed.


    He then quickly picked up all the clothes and put them into the tub inside the bathroom for washing, picked up the utensils and put them inside the sink for washing also, and lined up the ingredients and ''masalas'' he had bought into the kitchen shelves.


    ????


    Night had fallen, and the winter soared. Till now, all the clothes he had washed and dried. Neil was in the balcony, gazing onto the city lights.


    At the back of the building complex was the highway and the ''rich sector,'' that''s what he heard others calling it. Basically, it was where the rich of the city lived, a society only for the rich.


    "The lights completely conceal the small stars in the sky; they are really bright," he thought.


    <Woosh>, "Ooo, maybe I should get back inside. The breeze out here is really cold. If I get sick, I don''t even have money for treatment."


    Getting back, he prepared some food for himself. It was a few chapatis made of wheat flour and a dish made of radish leaves¡ª''Bhuji.''


    This was what he could only survive off of: the flour was the only long-term solution. It would provide chapatis, which are healthy and the base of every diet. Also, the price of radish was low, so he could make dinner from radish leaves and breakfast and lunch from radish... all in all, a great choice to buy.


    "Hahaha, how good it would''ve been if I hadn''t run to here, at that time 4 years ago. Had I listened to Maa-Paa, maybe I wouldn''t have¡ª" Neil thought as he watched the scene outside through the balcony glass door while eating.


    ---


    DICTIONARY


    Radish - A white vegetable like a carrot.


    Bhuji - An indian dish, usually eaten in winter, made up of the leaves of Radish.


    Chapati - A flat bread made by dough, usually made of wheat flour.

 CHAPTER 4 - THE STRANGE ENCOUNTER AND THE CRASH

    CHAPTER 4


    The morning was colder than yesterday. It was just like what had been told in the radio broadcast. The fog hugged the streets, the dew on wires and railings had all been frozen, but there was no trace of that chilly wind. Maybe it was better for Neil.


    Because today, most of his time was going to be spent out of home, seeking a job.


    After having a light breakfast¡ª''chapati'' with a cup of ''chai''¡ªadjusting his newly bought sweater and cap, he tugged his backpack straps tighter and headed out.


    "Today is going to be a rough day. It could be good if I can find even a part-time job somewhere," he said, rubbing his palms covered with gloves.


    He took out a small piece of paper from his pocket. "Hmm, let''s see which one will work out." Last night, he had spent a lot of time convincing himself and making a list of places where he could try or had the possibility of getting a job.


    There were many grocery stores, restaurants, and motels near his apartment, so he hoped maybe his luck could work in any one of them.


    "Alright, boy, let''s go." He headed left from his apartment.


    The first stop was a motel. Seeing the poster of the advertisement, he headed inside.


    "Oh, a customer?" A lady stood up abruptly from the counter desk.


    "Hello, good morning, ma''am," Neil greeted. In response, the lady nodded.


    "Ma''am, I saw the job advertisement outside¡ª"


    "Uh, you are not a customer?"


    "No, ma''am, I am here for the job¡ª"


    Neil politely tried to tell her, but soon he understood as he saw her expression and her eyes scanning him.


    ''There goes this one¡ªcross,'' he thought in his mind, waiting for her reply. ''I know what you''re probably thinking: "He came for a job? Like this?"''


    "Umm, well, that advertisement was from last month, and we have no vacancies for now."


    "Yeah, I knew you''d say this. It''s not like I could buy a suit with the money I have," Neil thought as he greeted her again and left the motel.


    "Huff, cross. Let''s check the second one. Best of luck to me, I guess." He crossed the name of the motel off the list and headed to the second point¡ªa grocery shop.


    Most of the jobs he sought were related to cash register handling, delivery, or something similar but not below his level. His conscience still wouldn''t agree to any job below it. After all, he was once a top student in 12th grade.


    "We are sorry for the misunderstanding, but there are no positions available currently."


    Another cross. And just like this, it was noon by now. The fog had mostly dissipated as the little rays of sun became visible, accompanied by a small breeze of wind.


    And still, he got no job acceptance. All he heard were: "Sorry, sir, but the applications are closed," "No openings, kid," "Sorry, there isn''t one here. Maybe the shop in front has one." All he got were rejections. Some judged him by his clothes, while others demanded at least one year of experience.


    "Ugh, why do you paste advertisement posters if you don''t even want to see someone''s resume for a job and just judge them by their clothes?" He was fuming in frustration and anger up to the brim.


    Evening had come, and still, Neil didn''t have a job. What little warmth the sun rays could provide was now fading as the cold resurfaced.


    "Haa, today was a total waste. I haven''t even had lunch, just non-stop seeking a job. And what was the result? None." He was really tired now and didn''t have much strength left to go around to a few more places.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    Rummaging through his pockets, he took out a crumpled note of 20 rupees and decided to head home.


    Slowly, he walked up to the bus stop but saw that the bus was already there. He ran up to the stop and caught the bus.


    Sitting at the window seat, he slumped in comfortably, loosening up a bit. The people outside seemed to be heading home from work. Most were in suits and clothes that looked expensive to him.


    "It seems my destiny is hollow from the inside," he thought, looking at those people, some seemed happy as they talked onto the phone or some chatted with their companion with a smile.


    But as some couples walked by, holding hands, a bitter taste crept onto his tongue, prompting him to shift his gaze elsewhere.


    He took out the book from his bag,and glanced at the 20 rupees note placed between the first page of the book and its front cover. This twenty rupees note had his name written on it.


    "I didn''t even know that I had this, mom used to write my name on it, whenever she gave me some for pocket-money" He recalled, as a bittersweet smile surfaced on his face.


    "Hadn''t I seen it earlier, I probably would have given it to the bus conductor."


    The bus stopped at the intersection for the red light. The countdown for the light to turn green started ahead.


    Neil looked upfront, towards the driver, seeing some people in saffron. Their upper bodies were almost naked, except for a strip of clothing running from their bottoms¡ª''Dhoti''¡ªto their backs. Some had strange makeup on their faces and were dressed like dancers of ''Kathak.''


    The people in saffron together carried some sort of consort-like structure on their shoulders, while those with makeup danced around. It was a strange dance; every time they moved, their expressions seemed full of anger.


    Shivers ran down Neil''s spine as all the people suddenly looked towards the bus¡ªor more specifically, towards Neil. What was even stranger was that the people sitting on the bus didn''t seem to notice or even see these peculiar individuals.


    Soon, a loud bustle started. The bus suddenly jolted forward, startling everyone seated. Neil, with a jolt, shrank back into his seat, and when he looked again, those strange individuals were gone.


    And unbeknownst to him, a line appeared on the first page of the book, that was blank earlier. --"In the thin veil of life and death, the walls of fate falter."--


    Suddenly "HONK!" A loud honk came from the left.


    <BAM¡ªCRASH>


    And before he could even react, all he could see was something like a truck''s head running right into the middle of the bus.


    <Boom>


    The world revolved before Neil as the bus toppled. The screams that were so loud just now fell silent. Fragments of glass swam in the air around his eyes and face, and with a huge CRASH, everything went black.


    ????


    A little later, Neil opened his eyes. He could notice the blurry figures around him and faint sounds of sirens, screams, and shouting. He felt small vibrations in his back as he was seemingly moved into some van¡ªmaybe an ambulance.


    He blinked, but the scene changed. His surroundings now were white, different from the earlier darkened ones, filled with neon lights and bright blurry orange.


    He could hear some mumbles. The figures were still blurry, but when his focus shifted to his own body, he wasn''t feeling anything¡ªno sensation, no vibrations like earlier. Although he could see blurry figures passing by, he couldn''t feel any part of his body. It was as if his head was the only thing he was composed of.


    ''Ugh...'' He tried to lift his head, but something pressed it down again. A blurry figure moved its head in front of his eyes, mumbling something he couldn''t hear.


    Again, he tried to lift his arm, but he couldn''t feel it. Gathering every bit of strength, he focused on his left arm and somehow managed to lift it.


    He grabbed something. Just as he lifted his arm, his hand grabbed at anything it could touch.


    A blurry figure came in front of him again. This one was in blue, compared to most near him, who were in white.


    "Please don''t leave me," he said softly. These words automatically blurted out of his mouth, like a pre-recorded response. He muttered them with all the strength he had left before blacking out.


    The nurses and doctors, who seemed to be the blurry figures in white to Neil, dragged his stretcher away into the ICU.


    Meanwhile, the blurry figure in blue seemed to be a patient herself, with long black hair and a palm now covered in blood.


    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    VOCAB


    STRETCHER - A movable bed used in hospitals, used to move critically ill or injured patients around the hospitals, also be placed in an ambulance.


    CHAI - It''s a type of tea, usually consumed in south Asian countries, made up using dried teal leaves, milk, water and sugar


    DHOTI- A traditional dress worn in India.


    Kathak- A traditional and famous folk dance

 CHAPTER 5 - ANIKA AND THE STRANGER

    CHAPTER 5


    Inside a hospital ward.


    "Let me know if it hurts," the nurse asked, taking the blood sample of a young woman.


    With her almond-like eyes, she looked at the nurse, nodding her head with brunette hair. "Hmm."


    After adjusting the machine beside the woman''s bed a little, the nurse said, "So, miss," looking at the documents in hand. She continued, "Anika, press this button if you need anything," pointing towards a button on the side drawer.


    "Okay," Anika replied, loosening her shoulders a bit, as she slipped comfortably onto the bed, looking at the LED in front.


    "A police car noticed it over-speeding at first, but even after repeated warnings from the cop, it didn''t slow down," an anchor reported, as the LED was displaying a news channel.


    "Breaking news, we just got the live report that the concrete mixer truck had just bypassed the highway and turned towards sub-lane 1, entering right into the city premises." The anchor stood up abruptly, displaying the chase behind her.


    <''TUT''> Before any further, Anika turned it off. Letting out a sigh, she picked up a book from beside the drawer.


    She opened it to some page, where magically the text appeared on its own. She read it.


    ¨CControlling her apprehensive curiosity, Anika turned the TV off. Somewhere in her mind, she thought her messed-up life was already enough for her, and she didn''t want to add more to her mind. After that, she picked up the book¡ª"--


    Anika closed the book. "It really needs censorship, but well, looks like I am slowly adapting to it now, that I can read this much of this cringe," she said, exhaling. "It was really awkward to read all this raw earlier," she recalled when she first found the book.


    ****


    On the same evening she was admitted, she found it in the side drawer. It seemed like an old book, with a hard cardboard cover¡ªnothing special¡ªso she just ignored it earlier.


    But the next day, When, out of curiosity she opened it, seeing it writing itself and on-top writing about her very actions and emotions, she really got white.


    ****


    "Although at first I thought it was some sort of weapon or something like an advanced technology, but it was just a useless thought¡ªlike why would someone invent something like this?" she thought.


    "The nurse can''t even see what''s written, and it didn''t even function when in her hand, only to me...ugh, it''s creepy."


    Anika placed it back onto the drawer and picked up the water jar. It was empty. She pressed the button to call the nurse.


    "Nobody''s coming?" But no one came. She pressed it a couple more times, but still no one was coming.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    "What happened, why isn''t anyone coming, even to the VIP ward?" she thought as she could faintly hear lots of rustling outside the window of her room.


    Finally, she stood up, removing the finger clip and all other things attached to her, dragging her IV stand with her out of the room.


    Downstairs was a real mess¡ªeverything was chaos. Screaming, yelling, injured people covered in blood and injuries were coming one after another, dragged straight to the ICU at the front over stretchers.


    Some had really bad conditions, missing a body part or covered fully in blood and dust, while some had minor injuries, but some seemed lifeless already.


    The doctors and nurses were rushing to all emergency areas. Phones at the reception were ringing nonstop as more and more injured people were coming from the ambulances outside.


    "Please give way, please give way," the nurses shouted, telling the people standing in the corridor to move aside. Anika also stepped aside, moving her IV stand near the wall.


    A stretcher came. The nurse shouted, "Blood loss, significant, hold tightly." The doctor asked, "Take the blood sample, and get ready for blood transfusion immediately."


    Another stretcher came. "BP dropping," "A.B.C. done, no change." "Get the vaporizer ready and get the dose of Dobutamine from the pharmacy, quick."


    "What''s happening?" Startled by the situation, Anika''s body began to tremble. Never had she seen such a situation and this many injured up this close.


    "Ugh," it was really nauseating for her, as some really critically injured passed by her sight.


    Suddenly, she recalled the news she had just seen a little while earlier. "What? That¡ªahh, god¡ª" nothing fully came out of her mouth, as she gasped, putting her hands onto her mouth. "But why?"


    "Oh, god, my child...my child." Soon her attention was drawn upon a grandma crying over an injured person who had just been taken to the ICU.


    It was a small boy, probably about 10 years old. As shocking as it was to Anika, she moved to the grandma, comforting her. "Don''t worry, grandma, he is gonna be alright." Not saying much, Anika hugged her, rubbing her shoulders.


    She made the grandma take a seat and brought a bottle of water to her. "The doctors will save him. Calm down, okay?" she said softly to her.


    Soon after helping the grandma calm down a bit, Anika took her phone out of her pocket.


    "Mr. Bobby, I want every doctor who is free to come right into the emergency department," she said, right after it was picked up.


    "Yes, ma''am, we had already, even from the VIP ward," Mr. Bobby, the hospital director, replied.


    "Ask from other branches if you are short. I will handle all the aftermath," Anika said authoritatively.


    "Ah! Yes, ma''am, right away."


    "Phew" She had just taken a breath of relief when suddenly a voice came from behind, "Please step aside," a nurse called, pushing a stretcher.


    A man, covered in blood and dust, was lying on top, with the nurses pressing his head and abdomen. "Stay still, don''t move," the nurse said, pressing his head down, as he tried to move it.


    "What''s the ''Primary Assessment''?" a doctor asked.


    "Deep cut in the abdomen and a wound in the back of the skull," the nurses replied. "BP dropping," another said abruptly.


    "Take him to OT," the doctor instructed, and the nurses followed.


    But just as they were taking him to the OT, passing by Anika, the man grabbed her hand.


    "What!¡ª" Startled, as she felt a jolt, Anika instinctively tried to pull it.


    "Please don''t pull it, let me remove his grip," the nurse said to her, fearing there might be some issues with the patient''s body if force was applied.


    "AH¡ªyes," calming a little, Anika slowly tried to remove his grip.


    "Please, don''t leave me," the man said softly.


    These words rang deep inside her mind. She felt as if the world had just become too fast and she had frozen in one place, watching the stretcher move away from her. She looked down at her palm, which was just warm from the hold of some man she didn''t know. Opening her palm, she noticed it was covered in blood, along with a 20 rupee note.


    Still confused by what this feeling was, why this stranger seemed like he took a part of her along with him, or if it was due to some other reason she was feeling this way, she couldn''t tell.

 CHAPTER 6 - ANIKA AND THE NEW PROBLEM

    CHAPTER 6


    The hospital was really busy till late at night, due to the incident, even on the next day, some rustle-bustle could be heard periodically, inside the VIP ward.


    Anika had woken up early to ensure swift work and management of the hospital in the time of crisis, as the hospital was under her company, or more like its subsidiary. So she had to make sure there were no mistakes during this critical time.


    "Phew" She finally took some rest, after working continuously until the nurse advised her to get some rest or her condition would deteriorate.


    "It was tiring, lets hope there won''t be any mistake" Anika thought, slipping back into the hospital bed.


    Soon after a nurse came for her daily check-ups and vital check, "All good ma''am, but still I would advise you to not overexert yourself, or it will lead to a bad turn."


    "Hmm, I''ll keep that in mind" Anika nodded.


    "There is still a lot to do, the company must''ve been in havoc by now, I need to be discharged by today." She thought, As the victims were rushed to the company''s hospital, there must have been a real chaos in there, and she wasn''t there to make important decisions during this critical time, due to her chronic disease being resurfaced again.


    "Excuse me, miss," Anika called the nurse.


    "Yes ma''am"


    "Could you please prepare my discharge papers, and please hurry up the procedure"


    "But ma''am you haven''t recovered enough to-"


    "I know, I will remember to have enough rest-"


    "Uh, okay ma''am I will call the doctor and prepare the discharge papers."


    After some checkups by the doctor, Anika''s discharge was final, although the doctors tried to persuade her to recover a bit more, but she knew that she had to be present at the company during this time.


    As most of the staff were busy dealing with the patients that came last night, Anika thought that It would be better to just head to reception downstairs and complete the procedure there, instead of making them get it to her room.


    "Here''s your discharge documents ma''am, please sign here" The beautiful receptionist said, giving her a file of papers.


    "Here''s your belongings ma''am" A staff person came, putting Anika''s bag near the reception table and a book over some bag that was already lying there.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    "OH! thanks I forgot to get them" Anika said, after shining the documents, she picked up her bag, and just as she picked up the book, she felt a small electric shock.


    "Ouch!" She immediately pulled her hand back.


    "What happened ma''am?" they asked.


    "Nothing...Don''t mind."


    She took the book and her luggage, the driver was waiting for her at the entrance, seeing her carrying the luggage, and rushed to her, "Please ma''am" he said, taking her luggage.


    "Phew, please drive to the office." She said, sitting at the back.


    "Yes ma''am"


    Sitting at the back she opened the book, "It seems you won''t stop clinging to me" She thought while looking at the book.


    Opening to the current page, where the book was writing her, suddenly- "Stop-stop-stop" Anika said to the driver,  the driver applied the brake immediately as the car stopped with a loud <SCREECH>.


    She did so because the book suddenly wrote a strange line.--"Under Street -23- Lane 3"--


    ¡°Isn''t the turn that just passed¡±, she thought, recalling the name of the turn that was written on the sign board that had just passed by.


    "Move to Under street -23 - lane -3" She told the driver, "Yes ma''am" and without any questioning, he made a U-turn and turned left to the addressed road.


    The road was mostly crowded, it seemed like a fan meetup of some drama was going on, seeing the amount of crowd , it seemed like a popular one.


    "What is it indicating here?" She pondered, as the car drove through slowly.


    "There-there is nothing here, other than some cast and fans or these video displays of maybe a scene from the drama?"


    "Please, back to the office building" She told the driver, holding her forehead, pondering over what the book meant.


    They were now finally at the front of the company building, "The K.C Group", it was the group which her father built, painstakingly, which Anika always had a feeling of obligation and responsibility towards.


    Of-course there was her brother, whom she thinks is only after the ownership of the company nor did he feel any responsibility towards the company or any obligation to do so.


    "Haa, those old geezers will definitely try to cut down my promotion to board member, and I absolutely shouldn''t give them any reason to do so." Anika said, looking at the 20 story building.


    But what she had feared happened, The atmosphere on the floor where her office was very tense, her secretary rushed up to her, "Ma''am..." She said that the CFO (Chief Finance Officer) with the finance manager had just  visited, asking for her,  they even scolded all the employees present there at the moment.


    This really made her furious, "How dare they think that they could do anything they think with my team."


    "Ma''am, the board directors had called up a meeting," her secretary said.


    "What''s the reason?" Anika asked.


    "The dropping of stock price"


    "Ah, this is gonna be a headache, do we have anything at the moment that could be of use?"


    "Umm.. I''ll try to come up with something and bring them"


    "Hmm, okay, let''s face them" Anika, headed towards the meeting room.


    And just as she had anticipated, the atmosphere there was no joke, still she entered there and took her seat.


    Most of the board members, the vice president¡ªher uncle¡ªand also her brother were present. Their deep and thorny eyes were piercing through her heart. But still, she calmed herself down, cause she had already gone through such tense meetings a couple of times earlier.


    So, seeing them, Anika had already understood that they had cooked something up for her.


    "Miss Anika, The company is going through this delicate time, and why were you not present during such time, care to give some explanation" A chubby  man in his 50''s, with bold and connected eyebrows said, he was none other than the chief finance officer , MR. Rakesh Chobby.


    "I was not at leave, I was already at the hospital, throughout the incident, already handling the affairs on the site."


    Mr. Chobby went silent, after a bit he spoke again, as the Vice-President- Anika''s uncle signaled something to him, "The stock prices are falling down, due to the previous failed project regarding the manufacturing of ''P-Com'' tablet, as a test for your promotion of ¡®CHIEF EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR¡¯, we expect some answer from you."


    This sudden question left Anika speechless in confusion, "Seems like this is the spear head they''ve prepared for me", Anika stood up and headed onto the podium.

 CHAPTER 7 - THE BOOKS HELP AND ITS MYSTERY

    CHAPTER 7


    By now, her secretary had come with some preparation on the stocks as Anika secretly messaged her, which she plugged into the projector opening slides of ppt.


    After some time passed, one of the directors spoke, "Miss Anika, don''t beat around the bush. A to-be CED isn''t expected to waste the time of others, do you expect us to waste our precious time on your below the standard ppt."  This person was the second most senior member of the board, "Mr. Goosley".


    Mr. Goosley really seems daunting with his deep eyes and the dark circle under his eyes, complementing with his loosened skin around his long face.


    "Shit, what should I do? I really didn''t have any time to prepare. I must come up with something, or this will all be over," Anika now had begun to get nervous this time. Her spirit from earlier started to break as trails of sweat came down her face, and her trembling hands tightly grabbed the podium¡¯s edge.


    ¡°Ugh, this Mr. Goosley, they are really bent on not allowing me to the position of CED,¡± she thought, clenching her teeth hard. ¡°I am really fucked this time.¡±


    But suddenly a scene came through her mind, "AH! Right, that!" It was a scene from the earlier Street-23, maybe of the drama, in which a meetup was going on.


    "Money!" She blurted, shocking everyone, "We will use money to raise the stock value"


    "WHAT!, Are you hearing back what you are saying, do you even know, to raise the stock price through money how much it will cost" Mr. Chobby stood abruptly slamming the table.


    "Mr. Chobby calm down, let''s hear what Miss Anika have to say" One of the Director said, sitting right next to the vice president, he was Mr. Hudson, he was the senior most person present here, serving Anika''s father and later he got his position of Chief directing officer, CDO.


    With his bald head, brown tone, and except his white brows and beard, he didn''t seem like he was in 60''s.


    "Thankyou Sir Hudson" Anika said, continuing "What I am saying is that, you all must''ve heard about the incident recently, Right?" She said, continuing after waiting a bit for the approval.


    "My proposal is to use this incident to elevate our Image."


    "Please elaborate Miss Anika" Mr. Hudson said with a small smile of approval.


    "Yes sir, So we will compensate the victims of the incident with money-"


    "What-" MR. Chobby stood again abruptly stopping Anika in the middle , but sat down quietly as soon as he saw Mr. Hudson face.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    "Ahem, what I was saying is that do you even know how much it will cost?, and touching such delicate matter might cause backlash later."


    "Hmm, MR. Chobby I would suggest to maintain the decorum of the meeting" Mr Hudson said sternly.


    "Yes sir" He replied softly, it was clear what the hierarchy was about.


    "But still I think Mr. Chobby has a point." He continued.


    "I would like to answer this question in part sir, first about the amount needed to compensate the victims, I agree It''s a little big amount of money involved, but from my calculation we will at least see an increment of 2% of growth in stock price, and that is within this month." Anika calculated fast, she was the top scorer of MBA of course.


    "2%! That''s possible and in a month at that " All the directors were shocked, while some got a sour taste in their mouth.


    "According to the reports there were 35 people injured in this incident, among which 5 were unfortunately lost their life while 20 were gravely injured, and remaining have less critical injuries, these were all the on site reports that I got while working in the hospital, hence wasn''t able to provide a ppt on this but you could confirm from the hospital director." Anika continued.


    "Ahem, I think it''s a good idea, Miss Anika please provide us a clear report on this by tomorrow," The vice president- her uncle said, Which gave her a bit shock, cause he hardly took her side in any case, and whenever he did, there was always some hidden intention behind it, alway which always end up in favour of her brother.


    "Yes president" Anika said, It was an unspoken rule in the company that the vice president hated to be called ''Vice -president'' so usually people call him President, only a few still called him ''VP'', among which Anika also came, sometimes.


    But today she doesn''t want to poke the beehive and add up more unnecessary trouble for her.


    "With this the meeting ends here, Miss Anika please provide a copy of your ppt to the VP office and let''s schedule the meeting the day after tomorrow." Mr Hudson said, of course he was among some of the people who didn''t care and always called Her uncle VP.


    Anika nodded, and everyone except her and her brother left the meeting room.


    "Don''t expect you are safe yet, I will slip away that CED position right under your nose" Her brother, Rahul said.


    "Yeah, yeah.." She replied ignoring his taunts.


    Anika doesn''t have much towards her brother, instead she pity him, for being entangled, some-what forcefully, right into office politics by her mother and uncle.


    She could finally take some proper breaths of relief, as she sat on her office chair, sipping a cup of "Herbal-Chai".


    "Thank god, you really saved me today" She said looking at the book lying over her table.


    After a quick power nap of 15 minutes, she took out some important files from that bag. She had taken them with her at the hospital when she was admitted.


    As a workaholic, every second for her is really important, so she usually does so whenever she has to go somewhere away from the office.


    **


    Next day 9-o''clock at night, all of the lights in the building were off except Anika''s cabin.


    <Tap-tap> the voice of typing rang into the silent office, Anika was still working, preparing for her ppt.


    "Hoo, finally, It''s finished," she said looking at the ppt that she had just completed.


    Relaxing her neck a little on the chair, she picked up the book and placed it on her lap, recalling how that strange line helped her in the situation today and all other tiresome things that happened to her in the last few days.


    The sudden summon of directors, her being bombarded by questions by them, the strange line that the book wrote, that really helped her, as if the book knew the future. The news she saw on the TV and the injured she saw the next moment right before her eyes.


    Also that strange man, she recalled what he said before being taken into OT.


    "Will he be alright?" She said, looking at the 20 rupees notes in her hand.


    "Neil" she read the name written on the note.


    But soon put it away into her purse, opening the book but again it surprised her.


    The book Wrote.


    --"Probably, with just a bit of soreness, here and there."--


    "WHAT!!" Anika stood up abruptly, shocked with the sudden statement of the book, Or it¡¯s more of a reply?

 CHAPTER - 8 THE REACTION OF AFTERMATH

    CHAPTER - 8


    "It''s been almost 3 days since that accident of the ''SUBLANE-1'' happened, shocking the whole country. Family members of the victims are raising questions over the lack of¡ª" Inside one of the rooms of the K.C. hospital, the television was displaying the news reports in a low voice.


    Although Neil''s operation went well, he was still unconscious for 2 days. It was in the morning of the third day that he gained a moment of consciousness, only to fall asleep again.


    And now, in the evening, he had woken up, hearing the soft voice of the anchor from the television up front.


    "Ugh¡ª" A sharp pain ran through his abdomen and the back of his head as he tried to sit up. The machine beside his bed began to ''beep'' fast, and nurses came running into his room.


    "Please remain laid down and refrain from much movement for now," a blurry figure with a mix of white and brown said to Neil, pressing something beside him as the bed started to elevate.


    "Where¡ªwhere am I?" Neil said, looking at the blurry yet slowly becoming clear environment.


    "You are in a hospital," the nurse in the white dress replied. Now, Neil could clearly see her brown hair and tall figure.


    "A... hospital?" Neil said in a soft voice with a troubled expression, holding onto his head, recalling the accident from earlier.


    "Ahhh..." Suddenly, a sharp pain ran through his head, making him scream in pain.


    "Please relax, Mr. Neil. Don''t overexert yourself," a doctor said as he entered the room.


    Seeing Neil''s condition, the doctor signaled the nurse, telling her to increase the dosage in his IV drip.


    Soon, Neil felt relaxed. The pain slowly vanished, and a little while later, he fell asleep again.


    ¡ª¨C¡ª-¡ª¡ª¨C¡ª-¡ª¡ª¨C¡ª-¡ª¡ª¨C¡ª-¡ª¡ª¨C¡ª-¡ª¡ª¨C¡ª-¡ª¡ª¨C¡ª-¡ª¡ª¨C¡ª-¡ª¡ª¨C¡ª-¡ª¡ª¨C¡ª-¡ª¡ú


    "Just what¡¯s happening to me?" Neil thought to himself.


    Next day in the morning, the sun hadn¡¯t risen yet, and Neil had woken up again, this time a bit more calm and content.


    "But still, thank God I survived..." There was a lot currently going on in his mind. Nothing was clear about what he was thinking¡ªit was all mixed up.


    The more he pondered, the more his head began to hurt. "Grrrr," a rumbling sound came from his stomach.


    "What to do? There is nothing around I could eat. Should I call for the nurse? But won''t it be embarrassing?" Embarrassed, he still decided to call for the nurse.


    "Could you get me something to eat?" he asked.


    "Of course, but you have to eat porridge or food with more water content for a few days, as prescribed by the doctor."


    <"Grrr">Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    "Ha-ha, yes, just please, anything," he said, all flustered.


    "Pfft¡ªokay." The nurse smiled and got him some food.


    ¡ª¨C¡ª-¡ª¡ª¨C¡ª-¡ª¡ª¨C¡ª-¡ª¡ª¨C¡ª-¡ª¡ª¨C¡ª-¡ª¡ª¨C¡ª-¡ª¡ª¨C¡ª-¡ª¡ª¨C¡ª-¡ª¡ª¨C¡ª-¡ª¡ª¨C¡ª-¡ª¡ú


    <"BURP"> "Now it''s like I regained some life." "I hope it didn''t astonish her," he thought after finishing two servings of the food.


    It''s pretty much understandable¡ªNeil hadn''t eaten for 4 days, and his body really needed some nutrition to recover.


    "Anyway, who were those people?" he thought, recalling the individuals he saw when he took out the book from his bag inside the bus. "And they looked at me as if they knew something was going to happen."


    "Wait! The book! Where is the book? Where is my bag?" Suddenly, he remembered his belongings. Urgently, he pressed the call button.


    "Yes, sir?" the nurse asked anxiously. She was the same one from earlier.


    "My¡ªmy backpack, where is it? It was with me during that time."


    "Umm, let me get the doctor." Agitated, the nurse hurried back and called Neil''s attending doctor.


    "Hello, sir. Are you feeling anything bad?" The doctor came running, pulling out his stethoscope to check on Neil.


    "Wait, I am alright. I just need my belongings¡ªmy backpack. I had it with me during the accident. Could you please get me that?" Neil said calmly.


    "Sir, you didn¡¯t have any bag with you when you were transported here. Still, I¡¯ll check at the reception if the Emergency Rescue Department sent anything or not." Calmly, the doctor checked his blood pressure and gave him some tablets.


    "Check at the reception whether they received anything from the ERD," the doctor said to the nurse bitterly.


    "Yes, sir," she replied in a low voice. It was clear the doctor was angry with her.


    Seeing the sullen face of the nurse, Neil said, "Oh, it''s okay. Please don''t be harsh on her¡ª" But he was shut down by her vengeful stare, as if she was saying, "I will kill you if you speak another word."


    "Of course, I will first do Mr. Neil''s work. I¡¯ll later help in dressing the old grandma who got injured in this cold weather and the crying child. I¡¯ll later help him find his mom because I have to get Mr. Neil''s backpack," she muttered under her breath. Still, Neil heard it.


    "Looks like I messed up," he thought as the doctor and the nurse exited the room.


    "Phew, still it''s good to be alive." "What time is it, by the way?"


    "It''s 5:00¡ªmorning, by the way,"," the nurse said, mocking him as she handed him a torn and slightly burnt green backpack.


    "Ohh, and the day?" Shamelessly, he asked.


    "Ugh, you literally have no shame, right? I don''t know."


    "What? Shame? But what did I¡ª" he tried to refute, but the nurse continued.


    "Oh, please don''t feign ignorance now. Do you even know how busy the staff is, and you still called and pressed that bell continuously? And for what? Some backpack!"


    "Ahh¡ª" It hit him hard. He didn¡¯t know much about others¡¯ situations, yet he had agitated and caused disturbance, even though it wasn¡¯t his intention.


    "I¡ªI am sorry," he said with a sullen face, looking down.


    "...It''s okay. Just press the bell one time next time or call for me if you need anything," she said, seeing his sad and innocently bulged thin cheeks.


    "Thanks..." he said softly.


    "Hmm," and she left the room.


    "Ahh¡ªhow would I call for her? I didn¡¯t even ask her name."


    Still, soon he opened the backpack. "Please, please, please don''t let it be," he muttered. With trembling hands and a still-beating heart, he opened the backpack.


    "Ohh, thank God." He took out the book but still didn¡¯t stop. Seemingly, the book wasn¡¯t the thing he was worried about. Still, seeing the book without any burns or tears, he felt relieved.


    "Thank God. Thank you for being safe." He took out a small photo from the middle of the book and just hugged it near his chest. Tears of relief flowed from his eyes.


    "Thank you. Thank you, Maa, for being safe." The photo was of his mother.


    "Oh, the note¡ªthe 20 rupees note! Where is it?" He flipped to the first page, where the note was earlier, but it wasn¡¯t there. Sweeping his tears with one hand, he stroked the book and jerked it a little, yet nothing came out.


    Anxiously, he searched the mattress he was on to see if the note had fallen from the book. Not finding it, he searched inside the backpack, and still, it wasn¡¯t there.


    Agitated, he went to press the bell again but stopped. "No, it must have burnt during the accident." Thinking about it, his heart ached. But still, he controlled himself, not wanting to make a bigger mess than he already had and make it difficult for others.


    "Thank you for the good luck charm, Maa," he said, still hugging the photo.


    After carefully placing the photo between the pages of the book again, he pondered, "How does the book not have even a single scratch?"


    But still, after long thinking, he couldn¡¯t come up with anything for this doubt of his. "Maybe it¡¯s some of its magical abilities," he said, and with a sigh, he let it go, turning back to the latest page on which the book was writing.


    ¨C"Neil thought, ''How is the book in such a good condition and without any scratch?''" Neil pondered. But as nothing more came to his bean-sized brain, he stopped thinking. The book wrote, and with a little stop, it continued again.--


    ¨C"ARE YOU OKAY?"-- A strange line¡ªit wrote again. But this time, it was different.


    Never before had the book asked such a question, although sometimes it writes his actions in a mocking tone, but never had it asked a question.


    Hesitating a bit, Neil replied with an awkward face, "Yeah, I am mostly okay. Just a bit sore here and there and a little pain from the wounds."


    But he jolted, realizing more clearly what the book had just done.


    "Wait, what! You can talk?" he asked, with widened eyes as his jaw dropped open.


    **

 CHAPTER - 9 Neils Discharge And The Familiar Coincidence

    CHAPTER 9


    "Wait, what!?" Neil jolted at this strange surprise. Although the book had behaved in such a strange manner earlier as if it was foretelling the future, it never had done something like taking or asking him questions.


    ¡°You could talk?¡± He asked.


    Many times in the past the book wrote about Neil in mocking or sarcastic tone as if it had some sort of persona.


    And thinking of such a possibility Neil had many times tried to talk to the book, but it never  replied.


    Yet it did, Now.


    ¨C"How do you know?-- the book wrote again, startling Neil once more, as if answering to Neil¡¯s previous question.


    "What do you mean ''how do you know?'' Of course, I know! I could feel iit. Are you dumb? asking me such a question?" Neil replied in confusion.


    ¨C¡°Of Course I can talk, Why are you behaving strange? "-- It wrote again.


    ¡°I am behaving strangely?, it¡¯s you whose strange and creepy¡±


    ¨C"You are the one who''s dumbest, creepiest and strangest."--


    "What¡ª" But just as he was about to reply, a nurse came into the room. "Mr. Neil¡ª"


    "What?" she asked, hearing what Neil had just blurted out.


    "Ah¡ªnothing," Neil said, embarrassed, as he put his hands over the book.


    "What a weirdo," she said softly before continuing, "Anyway, here, please fill out the details in this."


    "Huh?" Neil asked, confused, as he looked at her.


    "Our hospital, part of the KC Group, has decided to give relief aid in the form of money to the victims of this accident. So, as one of the victims, you need to fill out this form to claim it." She said holding out a clipboard


    Neil blinked ¡°Huh?¡±


    "Our hospital, part of the KC Group, is offering relief aid to the victims of the Sub-lane 1 accident. As a victim, you qualify to claim it. This is the paperwork." She repeated again with annoyance and anger, she seems really frustrated by his behavior now.


    Neil frowned, narrowing his eyes. "Wait, hold on. The KC Group? That massive company? They¡¯re just giving away money to the victims? For free?" He said, with his usual skepticism. ¡°This isn¡¯t some scam, right?¡±


    Neil had really poked the balloon now, fuming with frustration the nurse said ¡°Scan?, You¡¯re lying in this hospital bed funded by them, this hospital is just a side branch of the KC-Group¡±


    ¡°Do you think they¡¯d need to run a scam here?, it¡¯s a part of their gentle gesture and sympathy towards the victims, a community relief initiative. Now, if you¡¯ll please-¡± She said, seething her teeth, forwarding the clipboard.


    Neil rubbed the back of his neck, still unconvinced. ¡°I mean, I guess¡­But why would they care? Big companies don¡¯t just throw money around unless there¡¯s something in it for them.


    ¡°Are they getting some tax benefits or what?¡± He asked again, unable to stop himself.


    <¡°Clench¡±> ¡°Phew¡± The nurse took a deep breath and continued ¡°I don¡¯t know, Mr.NEIL. I¡¯m not the CEO of the KC-Group, nor do I write their policies, I¡¯m just here to give you this form. Take it or leave it.


    Neil stared at the form in her hand. He still wasn¡¯t fully convinced, but then again, only someone stupid would refuse a chance of free money


    ¡°Okay, fine,¡± He said, finally giving up on further questions, Taking the clipboard.


    The nurse explained the paperwork to him and left as soon as she could, no longer wanting to stay any further.


    After the nurse left him alone with the form, he closed the book lying under his elbows and put it back into the book.


    He held the clipboard in his hands, staring at the papers as if they might suddenly explode. His pen hovered over the first blank space for his name, he was reading it as carefully as he could.


    Maybe cause of the bitter experience he had in his life, he had to go to prison over something similar.


    He shook his head, snapping himself out of his thoughts. ¡°No point overthinking it,¡±. ¡°At the end of the day, if it gets my hospital bills paid, who cares why they¡¯re doing it?¡±


    ¡°I should at least thank them for it I guess, hehe¡± He said, laughing softly.


    ** ¡ú >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>


    "The heir of the KC Group, Mr. Rahul KC, has promised a relief fund to the victims of the ''Sub-lane 1'' tragic accident. What are your thoughts on this, Mr. Mitrole?" the anchor asked the person sitting next to her.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    "Yes, you are absolutely right. And that''s what we expect from the young generation of ours. It clearly indicates how well Mr. Rahul has done this time¡ªa true heir befitting the CEO of the KC Group," the middle-aged professor, Mr. Mitrole, said.


    "Of course, you are right, Mr. Mitrole. It''s been a week, and not even the local government has come up with an answer to this incident. Compensating the victims seems like a far-off dream¡ª"


    ¡°Ethical values, my foot.,They¡¯re probably just trying to make themselves look good after some scandal." Neil said, snorting as he muted the TV.


    ¡°I would never believe that there could be anyone this kind to help others without expecting any gain from all this¡± He said, but soon the faces of the taxi driver came to his mind.


    ¡°Well he is an exception, Anyway, I think I should get discharged today, or all the relief money I''ve received will go toward medical expenses. I don''t even have a job right now. At least with this money, I can pay off the bills," Neil said to himself as he pressed a button on the side table.


    After a bit, the same nurse¡ªthe one with brown hair¡ªcame in. "Yes, Mr. Neil, how can I help you now?" she asked sarcastically.


    "Could you please prepare my discharge papers? I want to be discharged," he replied.


    "What? Mr. Neil, your wounds haven''t recovered yet, and it''s really risky to get discharged this early. The doctor has also prescribed you at least a month''s rest. It''s already a miracle that you could wake up and recover this much within a week."


    "I know, but I have my own circumstances, so please."


    Sigh "Let me call the doctor. I can''t do that for you until the doctor has finalized your discharge," she replied with a confused face.


    "It¡¯s not like I could tell them about my financial situation. I can only make this excuse," Neil thought as the nurse left to call the doctor.


    A bit later, the doctor came in with a file and some X-ray reports in hand. "Mr. Neil, you want to be discharged?" he asked.


    "Yes, sir. I can no longer delay and keep resisting in the hospital bed," Neil replied.


    "But, sir, you haven''t even recovered much. If your body is strained even a little, the wounds could reopen. As a doctor, I absolutely can''t allow that."


    Listening to the doctor''s advice, Neil thought about it and replied, "I am sorry, but please try to understand that I can''t stay here any longer. It''s very important for me to go."


    Sigh "Okay, but I have to do some tests. If their reports aren''t good, I won''t let you go," the doctor said, asking the nurse beside him to prepare for the tests.


    "Okay," Neil agreed. First, he didn''t want to make things any harder for the staff than he already had. Second, he didn''t seem to have much of a choice in this.


    ** ¡ú  >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>


    "Hmm, Mr. Neil, the X-ray reports are normal, and your MRI reports are also normal. Although, when you first arrived, seeing the wounds on your skull and abdomen, we thought there might be injuries to the brain and intestine. But except for the rupture of the skin, there wasn''t any."


    "I think you can be discharged now. But remember¡ªdon''t let any strain come to your body, or the wounds might reopen. And this time, there might be some internal bleeding," the doctor said with a smile as he advised him further about his condition.


    "Yes, doctor," Neil replied.


    ** ¡ú  >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>


    After Neil''s discharge papers were ready and the procedure was complete, a small hospital ambulance was arranged to drop him off at his address.


    "Hello , Could you please wait a bit here? I have to go to the temple. I¡¯ll be quick," Neil asked the ambulance driver and got out as the driver nodded with a smile in response.


    It was a small shrine-like temple made of white marble¡ªa single building with a small flower garden around it.


    Some small vendors had set up stands outside, selling garlands of flowers, vermillion, sandalwood, and other miscellaneous items used for praying.


    "Mom always said these four years would bring bad luck to me. Seems like she was right somewhere. I don''t have much faith in all these superstitions of hers, but she said I should pray to God Yama. Maybe my life will have a better chance if I do this."


    Neil''s mother usually believed in horoscopes and superstitions, while he didn''t have much faith in them. He believed that determination and hard work were all one needed to improve life.


    But now, he started having doubts about that belief. He was hardworking and determined, yet no good things had happened to him recently.


    Neil bought a garland, vermillion, a cotton wick, and a small mud diya. He removed his slippers outside the temple and entered barefoot.


    After praying in front of the idol of God Yama by lighting the diya and offering the garland at the idol of God Yama, he turned toward the Pandit and received  prasad in a paper bag he was given earlier. Exiting the temple, he walked backward slowly, still facing the idol.


    "Here," Neil said, offering some prasad to the driver. The driver took it with both hands and ate it after making a prayer gesture.


    The ambulance then drove to Neil''s apartment building and dropped him off. Neil thanked the driver and headed inside.


    "Phew, it feels nice to be home," he said, putting his bag on the drawer near the shoe rack. He lay down on the bed and covered himself with a warm mattress.


    As he lay there, he thought about everything that had happened, but his head began to hurt. He stopped thinking too much and, without noticing, fell asleep.


    In the evening, Neil woke up again, took a hot shower, changed his clothes, and made a cup of tea. While sipping it, he noticed the packet of prasad he had received from the temple.


    "Umm, let''s offer some to the neighbors too," Neil thought. After finishing his tea, he headed out to offer the prasad to the next-door neighbors.


    Knock-knock. He knocked on the door to the left of his apartment and waited, but no one came.


    "Does no one live here? Whatever. Let''s offer some to the grandma next door."


    With that, he knocked on the door of the apartment to the right. Knock-knock. But no one came.


    "Hmm? Is she not here?" he thought, knocking again. Knock-


    Suddenly, the door opened, and a familiar voice spoke.


    "Who is so impatient? Can''t you see I''m coming?" The voice sounded annoyed and angry.


    "Umm, I visited the Kalagram Temple. Here is some prasad¡ª" Neil took out a handful from the packet.


    But suddenly, the familiar voice stopped him.


    "You?" The young woman with brown hair looked surprised.


    She was the nurse who had been in charge of Neil at the hospital.


    ¡ª--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    DICTIONARY


    Vermillion - A red colour (powder) {calling it powder may seems rude as it¡¯s a very important component for praying in a temple }


    Mud-Diya - It''s a small container, made with mud, in it clarified butter is put on top of a cotton wick and then the wick is lighted up, it''s used in a praying ritual


    Cotton Wick - a small drop like shape made by cotton, it is putting in the Mud diya, also used in praying ritual


    Pandit - A priest, {but using the word priest seems  bit catholic cause Pandits are another term used to call the priest present in a Temple}


    Prasad - A food, mainly it¡¯s made of gram flour, and is used in offerings for the gods in temple, which is then distributed/offer among neighbours, or family people or stranger as a short of blessing to them and for oneself

 **CHAPTER 10: PLAGIARIZATION OF ANIKA’S IDEA**

    **CHAPTER 10**


    "What!" Anika stood abruptly in shock. She  never had a conversation with the book. The only time she had read the book was when she was in the hospital or when the book strangely helped her with an idea. Apart from that, she never had any opportunity to interact with it.


    "How do you know?" Anika asked. ''How could the book possibly know about the condition of someone, even when it''s with me all the time?'' she thought.


    ¡®Like, I understand that the book is a bit supernatural sort of, but doesn¡¯t it only write about me?¡¯


    After a bit, the book replied --"Of course I know. I could feel it. Are you dumb, asking me such a question?"--


    "What¡ª" Anika''s jaw dropped. Never in her life had somebody talked to her like that, not even her brother, and now, to top it off, the book was calling her ''dumb.''


    "How audacious¡ª" Anika replied, but the book wrote again, cutting her off.


    --"You can talk?"--


    It felt mocking, as if it were taunting Anika about how she had been left speechless earlier.


    "Of course I can talk. Why are you behaving strange?" she asked, annoyed.


    --"I am behaving strangely? It¡¯s you who¡¯s strange and creepy."--


    "What¡ªha, you are the dumbest, creepiest, and strangest one!" Speechlessly, Anika said, closing the book with a loud <"THUD">.


    This had really irritated and annoyed her. ''Like, who would just start mocking someone out of nowhere? I knew this book was strange.''


    Still, a little curious about its answer, Anika opened it again, and just as it opened, it wrote something out of the blue again.


    --"The KC group? That massive company? They''re just giving away money to victims? For free? This isn¡¯t some scam, right?"--


    "What?!" This single line had made her angrier than she had been when reading all the things the book had said to her. She had been working non-stop on preparing the PowerPoint for that, and she had just completed it.


    Had it been someone else who said all this, Anika wouldn¡¯t have believed it. But it was the book, which had helped her earlier¡ªalbeit a bit strangely, but surely.


    ''I had suspicions. Why would my uncle agree to my proposal? He never had before. Please just don¡¯t¡ª or even I don¡¯t know what I¡¯d do,'' she thought, fuming to the brim with anger.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    She had already been tired from making the presentation, then had to deal with the strange taunting of the book, and now this.


    She got up, switched on the television in her room, and while it was starting, she called her secretary. "Ms. Riya, has the board passed any proposal without my attendance?"


    "No, ma¡¯am. It was the last meeting of the board members, which you attended last time," the secretary, Ms. Riya, replied.


    "I think the right-wing board members have plagiarized my proposal. Do a quick recheck, fast."


    "Plagiarized? Ma¡¯am, that¡¯s a serious¡ªokay, I¡¯ll let you know in just a bit," the secretary said, but Anika interrupted her.


    "There¡¯s no need. They are doing the press conference now. How dare they?" Anika said, looking at the news channel, where her brother, Mr. Chobby, Mr. Goosley, and a few others were sitting in front of reporters, conducting a press conference.


    "How dare they steal my idea? Riya, get to the office as soon as possible. I will call for an urgent board meeting," Anika said, fuming with anger.


    Anika''s father had left some of the company¡¯s shares for her in his will, making her one of the major shareholders of the company. Therefore, she could call for an emergency board meeting.


    ''I didn¡¯t want to, but they forced me to do this,'' she thought, calling Mr. Hudson.


    "Hello?" Mr. Hudson replied in confusion, as it wasn¡¯t work time yet, so he was still at home.


    "Good morning, sir. Anika speaking."


    "Yes, Ms. Anika."


    "Sir, I have called for a board meeting as a major shareholder," she said authoritatively, yet with a bit of softness.


    For Anika, there was hardly anyone she could trust in the office, and there was none among the board members. Hence, she also suspected the chance of Mr. Hudson being involved in all this.


    "May I hear the reason?" Mr. Hudson replied in a serious tone.


    "Most of the right-wing board members, along with my brother, have stolen my proposal about compensating the victims and are now conducting a press conference without any board meeting and without informing me."


    "What¡ª" Mr. Hudson stood abruptly, a little shocked. "Okay, Ms. Anika, let¡¯s continue the rest at the office," he continued after a brief pause.


    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------


    **In the Meeting Room**


    Everyone had gathered in the meeting room, except for her brother and a few of the board members who were still at the press conference.


    The murmur in the room went silent when Mr. Hudson entered, until one of the right-wing board members broke the silence. "Why has Ms. Anika called such an abrupt board meeting? She is clearly misusing her advantage as a major shareholder."


    "Yes, we are all here, even Mr. Hudson has arrived, and she hasn¡¯t yet. Does she think of us as people who will always turn up whenever she calls?" said another.


    "This is clearly an insult to all of us," joined another.


    ------------** A Little While Earlier **------------


    One by one, the lights of the building turned on. Many cars one after another, arrived quickly at the entrance of the building.


    Most of the secretaries and assistants of the board members had arrived by now. Even Mr. Hudson¡¯s secretary, "Sam," had arrived and gone straight to Anika¡¯s floor.


    By now, Anika had already become a red tomato. She hadn¡¯t eaten since yesterday, which only fueled her anger further.


    "How dare they! Let me show that son of an uncle¡ªit¡¯s probably all his doing."


    "Please wait a bit, ma¡¯am. You can¡¯t¡ª" Riya tried to calm Anika down.


    "She¡¯s right, Anika," an elegant, manly voice came. It was Sam, Mr. Hudson¡¯s secretary and his son.


    Sam and Anika had been colleagues and friends since she first entered the company. He was one of the few people in the company she could trust, along with Riya, her secretary.


    "But¡ªthey will all try to use this chance to get Rahul to the same level as me, even using my own idea for that," Anika said, clenching her teeth and fists.


    "I know, but it would all come back to you, and they might even try to frame it as though you disrespected the vice president," Sam said, calming her down.


    "But¡ª"


    "Yes, ma¡¯am. Mr. Sam is right," Riya added, supporting Sam.


    "Anika, I know you, You aren¡¯t someone who would let such people pull you down. Just calm down a little and think rationally," he said, placing his hands on her shoulder, motivating her.


    Feeling Sam¡¯s hands on her shoulder, Anika¡¯s cheeks blushed pink, and her heart raced a little. This was the feeling she had every now and then, whenever Sam got this close to her.


    "Phew..." After a deep breath, Anika said, "You are right. I can¡¯t let them pull me down or even let them gain the upper hand over me. I will show them what I am made of," she said, her spirits uplifted again.


    "Riya, you have the KC Mall project presentation stored, right?" she asked.


    "Yes, ma¡¯am, but wasn¡¯t that project put off by a majority vote?"


    "I know. Just get it ready. It¡¯s time to give all of them a reply."


    -----------**Back in the Meeting Room**----------------


    The talk about Anika misusing her shareholder power and how it would have been better had her brother Rahul held that power was ongoing until the meeting room doors opened.


    Anika, her secretary Ms. Riya, and Sam entered.


    But Seeing them, everyone went silent, many with confusion on their faces. They had anticipated Anika storming into the meeting room angrily, slamming the door open, and making mistakes they could use against her.


    But, contrary to their expectations, Anika entered the room with a file in hand and, above all, with a face full of spirit and determination.


    **