THE MISSING PIECE
Have you ever been anxious to
know any thing? Well I have. And it sure did land me into a big trouble. I am a
cartoonist and I always have a tendency to make myself know about the subject
that I am going to draw.
One day I was just roaming around
to get some idea of my next cartoon. I had got an opportunity to give a cartoon
for an article in the esteemed columns of ‘THE WASHINGTON POST’. I was told
that the article was based on some ancient mythology. I was curious to learn
more about it. So I had got the book along with me. I sat down on a chair and I
made myself comfortable before starting off.
It had no title or any thing except
for a statement written in very small letters. It said:
THOSE, WHO COMPLETE, WILL NOT BE HARMED,
OTHERS WILL BE HAUNTED
I could sense the blood running
through my veins. The next page seemed to have had a photograph of which only
the outline was left or, I thought, only the outline was drawn. Now I decided
to go through the whole book cause the book had arose my curious part of mind.
I completed 21 pages and then
went back home. It was 8. I had my supper and went to bed. Just then my
doorbell rang. I went out to open the door. To my surprise I found no one outside
except for an envelope on my doorstep. “Who could have delivered the letter at
this time?” I thought.
I went inside and opened the
envelope. Inside it was a paper saying: IT
HAS STARTED. I kept on staring at the paper. Was it in any way related to
the book? I shook my head and ignored it and went back to bed.
Suddenly, I heard someone call me
by my name,” Norman… Norman…” I got off my bed at tried to listen to the voice.
It was coming from the dining room. No one seemed to be there in the room. The
voice was growing louder and louder. It seemed to be coming from the bathroom.
I got hold of an iron rod and made for the bathroom. As I went inside I went
chilled by the scene. In front of my eyes stood a lady with eyes as red as
blood and fluid coming out of her mouth. I at once raised the rod and stabbed
in her stomach. She was about to head towards me when she went down like desert
sand and vanished. By the disgusting and horrifying scene, I vomited there
itself. IT REALLY HAD BEGUN.
I didn’t see any more of that,
that night. Next day early in the morning, I went to the park with the book in
my hand. I sat on the same chair and started from the 22nd page. I
was then interrupted by my dear friend Michelle.
“How are you doing, Norman?”
“ Just fine”
“What about you?”
“ Have I ever been fine?”
“Why what’s the matter?”
“Paula won’t talk to me from now
on. We had a fight.”
“A fight? About what?”
“Will you come to my house. I’ll
tell you everything about that.”
“I am sorry, Michelle. I have to
complete a sketch for the article.”
He turned back saying a thing
that pinched me ”fine, your articles are more important than your friends.”
Before I could go and regret, he
drove away in his car.
I read the book without stopping
for the next three hours. It was time to go to the office. I went back home,
had a bath and went to the office after having my breakfast.
At 10 past 9, I was at the
‘Washington Post’ office.
Mr.Slevinsky, the editor of the
esteemed newspaper, greeted me.
“Hello, Mr.Norman. I hope you
have started thinking about the cartoon for the story.”
“Yes, I’ll give it to you on
time.”
“Good, carry on with your work.”
I sat on the couch in my cabin
and continued with the book.
After an hour or so, my telephone
rang. It was Michelle.
“Hi! Michelle.”
“Look Norman. I am sorry. I
shouldn’t have been so rude.”
“It doesn’t matter. I should be
asking sorry not you. Any way what happened between you and Paula?”Asked I.
“Yesterday she had asked me pick
her for dinner. I was caught in a meeting and I couldn’t make it in time. That
was all it had to be to spark up a fight.”
“ Iam sorry about that, I’ll try
to talk to Paula.”
“ That will be very nice of you.”
“Thanks man”
“Heh! Don’t mention. That’s what
friends are for.”
I hewed with a sigh of relief.
At 6 in the evening, I decided to
go to Michelle’s place. Michelle was happy to see me. We had dinner and I slept
at his place.
In between I got up and went to
the kitchen to have water. I had water and came back. Michelle was sitting on
his bed. I went and held his shoulder. Michelle turned and had a furious look
in his eyes. He had a knife in his hand. He went for me. I quickly moved
towards my left. I kept on shouting for help but it seemed no one was able to
hear me. He gave me a severe blow on my right hand. I kept on smiling. All I
knew was that Michelle was out of his mind. Then he struck me on my shoulder. I
blocked him with a candlestick and pushed him behind. He lost his balance and
got poked in a hook. Blood oozed out of his mouth. He was dead. My best friend
was dead. I had killed him. I at once ran out of his house, got into my car
drove away. I went to my house and took a bath. I applied ointment on the
bruises, changed my clothes and drove away to find a bar. I stopped at the
‘WILD WEST BAR’. I ordered for a glass of rum.
While I was having it, it turned
red as blood. In fear, I dropped it. Costumers stared at me. I looked down to
find no blood on the floor. I drove away and did not sleep the whole night.
The next day I decided to do away
with the book. I decided to complete it. It took me four hours to complete it.
At last I had completed it. No
more of those fright nights. I went to the office. I found a chaotic situation
at the office. A new news was there.
A 25-YEAR-OLD MAN, MICHELLE, WAS
FOUND DEAD IN HIS APARTMENT.
Blood ran through my spine. I
tried to forget it. I rang up Paula. She sounded very sad on the phone. So I
told her that I would be there in a few minutes. I went to her place. She was
sobbing like any thing. I took her to a restaurant. I tried to console her. She
kept on blaming herself for Michelle’s murder. She had become pale crying all
day. Later in the evening at eight I drove her to her house.
“Thanks for taking out your time
for me” She said.
“Don’t mention.”
I started my car’s engine and made
for my house but it suddenly went out of control, it took a U-turn and was
heading straight towards Paula who was walking in the middle of the road. I
tried to apply breaks but the car wouldn’t stop. I started shouting. Paula
turned back and before she could react, my car hit her and then it stopped.
Paula fell down dead. Horrified by the sight before my eyes, I sped to home. I
sat down with the book and thought of the picture that would fit into the
outline drawn. Then it struck me, no wonder why those who don’t finish will be
haunted. The clue is in the last page. I sat all-night and found the exact
picture that would fit into it. ‘A HALF MOON STABBED WITH A KNIFE’. The half
moon symbolizing unfinished job and the knife symbolizing horror.
I at once got ready to leave for
the office. I handed over the book and showed them the picture telling them why
I drew that. They all liked it.
I drove back with a sigh of
relief. The editor told me that they would be giving it for print at two in the
noon.
I went back home and had a good
nap got up at 12. I made a tea for my self and sat down to read the newspaper.
While reading, I found a paper near my foot. I took it in my hands. It was a
page of he book. It had the name of the author. Still the book was unfinished
and only one and half-hours were left. I decided to call but to my surprise I
found the phone dead.
I at once made for the office. I
was stuck in traffic. I was late as I reached at 15 past 2. But fortunately,
the printing of the story had been delayed as they had got another news to
print. ‘A WOMAN, NAMED PAULA RUN OVER BY A CAR YESTERDAY NIGHT’. I gave the
name of the author to the editor.
I drove back home.
The next day, cops were at my
house. They said I had a relation with Michelle and Paula.
After a month they found out that
I had killed both of them and now I am behind bars and I have been sentenced to
death. MY HORRIFYING DAYS CONTINUE.