A Lost Mind

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A Lost Mind… Chapter-1 There was a full moon in the sky. Its gleaming light lapsed through the window and fell on Jimmy’s eyes, he was sleeping. It was one night when he heard a loud cracking noise. He was too drowsy to get up, but he heard the noise again. It seemed as if someone was breaking glasses in his house. He got up and opened his bedroom door. The whole house was dark and the entrance door was open. He called out for his parents but there was no response. As he stepped inside the hall, he heard the noise again. He couldn’t figure out where it came from. He called out for his family again but it seemed as if the whole house was empty. Jimmy grew frightened. "What could’ve possibly happened to my family?" he thought. He checked all the bedrooms but there was no one. He tried to switch on the lights but none of them were turning on. He searched for the main switch. Suddenly the entrance door closed, the cracking noise dissolved and he heard a voice. He turned and saw an old white lady with grey hair in a white gown standing with a candle. She lit the candle just as the entrance door closed. She resembled his mother exactly except for the grey hair and white skin color. To add to Jimmy’s fear, the wind was blowing her hair even though the windows and the doors were closed. The lady said in a low voice, “I am your grandmother Jimmy. Your parents and siblings are dead. God has taken them from this world and send me to inform you that today is your last day. So do everything that you can within this day”.

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Jimmy was shivering; his hands and feet were cold. Fear diffused all over his body. He pleaded in a desperate voice, “Please tell me that I’m dreaming, please tell me that this is just a nightmare”. The old woman laughed furtively and said, “You are not dreaming son, but the things that I told you were definitely lies”. She blew the candle off. The lights turned on. Jimmy froze. His entire family, along with most of his friends was standing behind him. All of them cried aloud, “Happy Birthday Jimmy!!” He turned around and saw his mother standing with a wig and a mask in her hand. Jimmy took a deep breath and let the horror drain away. It was the 18th of May, 2004, his 18th birthday. The one that he always wanted to remember. His family didn’t fail in fulfilling his wish, Jimmy thought. His mom brought the cake and Jimmy cut it with a huge grin and an imperceptible shadow of embarrassment on his face. Later, when his friends were gone, Jimmy checked out all his gifts but didn’t like any of them. He was patiently waiting for his girlfriend, Jessie’s gift. His family was too tired for any further celebration, so they went to sleep. Jimmy thought he’d get a little rest too. As he lay there on his bed, he thought about his family. It was a hodgepodge of strange people who had disputes among themselves but loved Jimmy more than anything except for Alicia. He had two sisters, Alicia and Lucy and a brother, Caesar. Jimmy was the youngest in the family. Caesar and Lucy were cool-headed people who never spoke a word without a reason and were known to be the best cheaters in their school life. Alicia was more honest, outspoken and arrogant. Mr. and Mrs. Anderson were generous, understanding and softhearted.

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Jimmy loved Alicia the most, despite her arrogance and rudeness with which she used to talk to him. He deeply admired her honesty and sincerity. His thoughts were interrupted by a call. It was Jessie. She gave him a soft kiss on the phone and wished him in a quixotic tone, “Hey sweetie, Happy Birthday”. She reminded Jimmy about the gift she promised him, her virginity. Jimmy was the happiest person in the world when he finished talking to Jessie. He kept on thinking about her gift. Jessie was ambitious, beautiful, attractive and an intelligent girl. She was very popular and was asked out by a dozen of guys in her college but she denied them all. She was never really "Into" guys. She never had a boyfriend until Jimmy came into her life. “How do you let these guys thrust that big rod-like thing of theirs inside your body and hurt you?” She used to lecture her friends. She had a distinctive taste that no one could match except Jimmy. On the first day of their 12th grade, she met Jimmy. At first she didn’t bother to even look at him but as she got to know him more, she started liking him. Jimmy was simple, modest and average in intelligence, but he was different. His unique style and cuteness appealed to Jessie more than she expected. It surprised her. Eventually Jimmy won himself a special place in Jessie’s heart. They started going out. It shocked her friends for Jimmy was nowhere near to the richness of Jessie's taste or class. Within months they were deeply in love and decided to marry each other. Jimmy’s parents gladly approved his choice. When they saw Jessie, Jimmy’s mom whispered in his dad’s ears, “How did Jimmy get something as startling as that? She is amazing!”

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“I wish I was Jimmy, I would have eaten that thing up right now”, Caesar mumbled in Lucy’s ears. Jessie’s parents had no objection either. They never interfered in her personal life and believed in being selfdependent. Jimmy and Jessie were totally different from one another. Their thoughts and opinion never matched and neither of them tried to change it. They accepted each other as the way they are and shared a wonderful understanding. Even though they were both accepting, they still used to have frequent fights but it never affected their love. For some reason, their love just kept on increasing. Jessie never liked physical interactions and hated sex. She was often called a lesbian in her school life but it never bothered her. She was more into career -building and was very sincere and sensitive about her studies. But Jimmy appealed to her even sexually. She promised him that on his birthday, she will lose her virginity to him. Jimmy has always been an impatient person. He was simple but never satisfied. He used to get upset at minor things. He loved nature and was fond of thinking. He used to spend hours at night thinking about life and death and rarely slept more than 4 hours a day. He never had a stable mind. But finally, tonight, on his 18th birthday, he was satisfied. He thanked God for giving him such a loving and caring family, good friends and obviously, Jessie. For the first time in his life, he went to sleep in peace. It was 2 in the morning.

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Chapter-2 It was a Sunday morning so Jimmy woke up late. He found his whole family waiting for him at the dining table for breakfast but Alicia wasn’t there. She was standing by the entrance door waiting to leave for her university. She used to avoid Jimmy as much as possible as if his presence bothered her in some ways. Jimmy could never figure out the reason. It bothered him. Jimmy finished his breakfast hurriedly as he had to go to his birthday party in Luther’s house. Jessie, Luther and Sophie were waiting for him in the balcony. Luther was Jimmy’s best friend and Sophie was Jessie’s. Sophie and Jessie knew each other since their childhood and have been friends since then. Luther met Jimmy when he was in the 4rth grade. He forced Jimmy to become his friend. Jimmy used to share everything with him. Jessie was looking extremely erotic. She wore black jeans and a light white shirt. They wished Jimmy again. The music was turned on. Jessie and Jimmy danced while Luther and Sophie were kissing each other robustly. Luther met Sophie in a function in Jessie's house. He fell in love with her at his first sight. At first Sophie showed no interest in him but Luther was determined. He used to buy her posh gifts every week and stand in front of her house for a glimpse of her face. Sophie liked it. It wasn’t long before they started going out with each other. Jimmy desperately asked Jessie as he held her by her waist “When do I get my gift?’ “Patience honey, good things come to those who wait”, She replied with a big smirk on her face. They bought KFC for their lunch and went out for a movie. Jimmy’s right hand was on Jessie’s shoulder,

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sliding ever so smoothly down her breast as they watched the movie. Luther and Sophie were busy talking to each other. When they came out of the theater, it was seven in the evening. They all thanked Luther for the pleasant time they had. Luther decided to drop Sophie to her house. Their relationship surprised Jimmy. Luther was never interested in girls. It seemed as if something forced him to love her. After they were done with their goodbyes, Jimmy stared at Jessie with an impish look. He was dying for his gift. He realized that this was the time he had been waiting for. Jessie smiled timidly and asked “Could you drop me to my house sweetheart?” Jimmy nodded before she completed the question. They were in front of Jessie’s house. She rang the bell to check if her parents were home but there was nobody. Jimmy’s smile broadened. Jessie unlocked the door and called him in. She told Jimmy to switch on the dim light. Jimmy was reluctant. He didn’t want any light. “It makes the atmosphere more romantic”, Jessie explained softly as she fiddled with his organ. Her sheer beauty and soft, sensuous voice made his organ stand erect and hard. He slowly held her close and untied her gorgeous long hair. Jessie kissed him softly on his lips. Eventually they started kissing vigorously, sliding each others tongue deep into their mouths. They gradually unbuttoned their shirts. Jimmy has never been so excited. He picked her up and laid her on her bed. He kissed her feet and continued up to her mid part. He slowly took off her pants and panties and put his mouth in between her legs. Jessie moaned. He climbed up licking and kissed her breasts.

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Jessie turned him over. Now it was her turn. She took his pants off and gently grabbed his testis and gave his big thing a taste of her tongue. It started raining when Jimmy moved inside her. They both cried aloud in pleasure. This was something they never experienced before. Their bodies were moving in a rhythmic motion and gained speed as the rain grew harder. The bed moved along with them as their motion grew faster and faster until Jimmy gave out a loud gasp. Jimmy was still inside her when Jessie whispered in Jimmy’s ears, “We’re one now, baby”. They got dressed after about an hour of excessive pleasure. Jessie bought Jimmy a cell phone as an additional birthday gift. He loved it and gave her a long tongue-twisting kiss. It was 9 when Jimmy came out of the house. He jumped around the streets like a small boy. Jessie exceeded his expectations. He roamed around for about half an hour, smiling and jumping and thinking about their experience until an old man bumped into him. He looked a little familiar. He seemed very apprehensive about something. “Are you Jimmy?” he asked in a tensed tone. “Yes” Jimmy replied, surprised as the man knew his name. “Your girlfriend, Jessie, was searching for you. She told me to let you know that she’s waiting for you in the park at the corner of the street” Despite of the fact that Jimmy had no idea who this man was and why Jessie would tell him anything at all, he walked past him towards the park. Just as he was about to take a turn, he saw the man, standing in that same place with a mystifying grin on his face. Jimmy was too excited to think about it. “She wants to do it again” he told himself and smiled like a kid. The street

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was empty and so was the next one. He finally reached the park. His smile faded. Jessie wasn’t there. He was very annoyed as he thought that the man played some kind of stupid joke on him. He was too tired to walk anymore so he decided to sit for a while. When he entered the park, he was a little creeped out. It was an old park with no benches. It was covered with thick grass and dense trees. When he walked to the other side of the park he saw a red building and a small pond. Jimmy looked around but there was no sign of a soul. The whole Manchester City seemed to have been evacuated. He lied down on the grass and thought about Jessie. He wanted to marry her and have kids with her and spend his entire life with her. The thought of her made him smile. "She’s an expert when it comes to making love", Jimmy thought. He also thought about his parents, his friend, Luther, and Jessie and how they fulfilled his wishes and loved him from the bottom their hearts. He kept thinking until he dozed off. He had a broad smile on his face

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Chapter-3 Jimmy still had the smile on his face when he woke up. It vanished in an instant. He found himself in a small room with nothing except for the bed that he was lying on. His hands and feet were tied with thick ropes to each corner of the bed. Jimmy thought that he had been kidnapped. The room was cold. Jimmy started trembling as his body was getting colder. He tired to figure out how he might have come here when his eyes fell on a small glass box in the corner of the room. Jimmy froze as he saw the hissing serpent in the box. The box was not sealed. He felt like as if his chest would rip off to free his heart which was pounding frantically. He desperately tried to free himself but the rope was too tight. He started to jump on his ass and tried to free himself but couldn’t. Just when Jimmy thought whether there could be anything worse than this, the snake came out of the box. "I don’t wanna die before marriage", Jimmy thought. The snake slowly moved towards him. It seemed as if it was pregnant. Jimmy couldn’t break free; he closed his eyes and screamed out for help. When he looked, the snake was on his bed, standing in between his legs, posed to bite off his precious organ. Jimmy lay there, motionless. He wanted to scream but he knew he couldn’t make any movements. He closed his eyes and called his prayers as the snake was about to bite his organ. He kept his eyes closed, waiting for the venom to spread all over his body but nothing happened. When he reluctantly opened his eyes, he was staggered. A man with a grey beard dressed in a black suit, with a brown hat on his head, was standing with the snake’s

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neck in his hands. He put the snake in the box and sealed it with metal bars. He untied Jimmy and said “Don’t worry, these type of snakes can never harm you unless you are paralyzed or your feet are tied. “Why?” Jimmy asked. “They have very slow movements because they get pregnant very frequently, so you can easily run away”. Jimmy laughed. The man looked funny and Jimmy thought he had a good sense of humor. “Where did you come from all of a sudden?” Jimmy asked. “I was just searching for food, thought I might find something in here”. They heard a loud clatter outside. The man told Jimmy to wait and went to see what happened. Jimmy waited but he never came back. It started to get dark outside. Jimmy kept thinking how he got to this place. He decided that he had to get out of here first and think about it later. He had to get back to his house. His parents must have been waiting for him for dinner. He went out of the room and found himself in the middle of a dense jungle. He didn’t know where to go so he started walking straight. He kept on walking for about an hour but there was no sign of civilization. He was terribly frightened. He knew that he could die anytime by a sudden attack from an animal. But he had to walk, he had to get back. He walked for more half an hour. His legs started throbbing and he was desperately in need of food. He did find a source, elephant’s meat, as one big elephant was standing about 20 meters away from him. Jimmy was horror-struck. He started running. After 10 minutes of a race of cat and mouse, Jimmy bumped into a tree and lied flat on the ground. He gave up hope of surviving. He waited for the elephant to thaw his body with its feet as it came close to him.

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The big creature had other plans. It stood ahead of Jimmy’s head and posed to melt his face with its ass. It was about a foot away from Jimmy’s face when a huge Hummer crashed into it with great speed. The elephant died. When Jimmy opened the door of the car, the driver also dropped dead. It was the same man who saved him from the snake. Jimmy couldn’t reason his death. He couldn’t possibly figure out what was happening in his life. He squealed out of frustration but soon stopped. He thought of Tarzan and how animals gathered around him when he screamed. He started to curse God for all these incidences. It was shining like a star in the dark as Jimmy’s eyes fell on it. The hummer was plain white in color. “I would have never had the pleasure of sitting in this great thing had I not been here”, Jimmy thought. The hummer dissolved some of his fury. He went in and turned on the ignition. It took off with great speed. “Damn, this thing runs like a mad cow” Jimmy said to himself. He drove through the forest with high spirit of finding a way out. He found an old cd of “The Beetles”. He turned it on. The words of the song were totally absurd - “We are gonna get smashed now and there aint nothing we can do”. Jimmy’s fun was over. He thought, if a giant hummer can smash a big elephant, a big hummer can also be shattered by a giant elephant. Just as he started to lose hope, the car broke down and stopped. He suddenly heard a hissing noise of a serpent. A fat Black Mamba was standing on top of the engine. Jimmy fainted. When he got he senses back, he was still in the hummer. The Mamba wasn’t there.

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He was terribly hungry. He saw a plastic plate, half of it was gone. “The man ate the plates too?!” Jimmy thought. He saw a huge room at a distant. He thought of the man, and realized that he might find some food there. He got out of the car and walked towards the room, praying that he doesn’t encounter any more attacks. For once, God listened to his prayers. He entered the house and hurriedly locked the door from inside. He breathed a sigh of relief. Finally he felt safe. He turned around in search of food. He saw what he thought was more terrifying than any of the animals he encountered, an old Lady in a white gown. Jimmy was bewildered. She had grey hair and milky white skin color. The thing that terrified him the most was that although her whole body was covered in white, she had a black face as if someone has just burnt it. She had a distressed, depressed look in her eyes as if she was beseeching Jimmy for something. Jimmy asked in a trembling voice, “Who are you?” “I am your mother, Jimmy” the woman replied as she rubbed her tearful eyes. Jimmy was numb. He looked up and cried out “What the crap is she talking about? What the hell is all this?” The lack of energy didn’t help his cause. He was terrified, livid, frustrated and dying for food at the same time. He couldn’t cope with his own emotions. Jimmy fainted again.

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Chapter-4 Jessie was sleeping alone at home. Her parents were out almost all the time. She spends most of her teenage life in solitude. Her unique taste never allowed her to have friendly relationship with anyone. Her parents never cared for her. The only thing that she liked other than Jimmy and Sophie was the gifts that she used to get from an unknown person. However her loneliness taught her to be self-dependent. She did everything in her life on her own. Jessie’s siesta was interrupted by a loud clang. When she opened her eyes, she jumped from the bed with a panicky look in her eyes. Four tall men dressed in black suits were standing in front of her. They all wore black sunglasses and cowboy hats. She found herself in a small cottage with straws all over the floor. She stood up and asked in a stern voice,” Who are you people and what do you want?” One of them replied, “We kidnapped you from your house. We are in desperate need of cash and we heard that your father has them in loads. Don’t worry we will treat you in the best way possible, although it’ll be very difficult because of that lovely figure you have. Would you like some food?” Jessie didn’t reply. One of them asked, “How about some white juice, baby?” They all laughed aloud. "All of them looked like pregnant pigs", Jessie thought. Two of them went to get her food and the other two remained to guard her. Jessie couldn’t figure out what to do. She told them she needed to use a bathroom urgently. One of them took her to the bathroom.

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“Do you want me to come in with you honey?” “Nah, you can go see your mummy” Jessie slammed the door on his face. When Jessie came out, she had a smile on her face. Her hands were behind her waist. She had a wooden stick with her that she found in the bathroom. When the man turned towards the cottage, Jessie banged the stick on his head. She then entered the cottage and found the other guy lying down on the bed. She couldn’t just hit him, so she thought of distracting him and tried to seduce him. She unbuttoned her shirt, spread her hair and called him close. He jumped out of his bed and ran towards her. He was about to grab her when Jessie murmured in his ears, “Won’t you lock the door baby?” The man turned towards the door and Jessie banged his head. She quickly buttoned up, tied her hair and ran out of the cottage. She wanted the food but she couldn’t think about that now. She had to get out of here first. She ran as fast as she could and reached a junction. There were narrow roads on three sides and a dense jungle on the other side. She knew she couldn’t walk on the streets because the other two men must have been on their way back. Jessie ran towards the jungle. She was a brave girl but for the first time in her life, she was terribly scared. She took her steps carefully, preparing herself for a sudden attack. She ran through the jungle for about an hour. Her legs started throbbing and her stomach started aching. She soon realized that she was having her periods. It was the last thing she wanted. In few minutes, her whole pants were covered with blood. She sat down on the ground and looked forward to see if anyone was coming. She kept looking forward until she

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realized that there was something, gazing at her from behind. She turned around and almost choked to death. It was a wild dog. It looked hungry and desperate for meat. "It must have smelled the blood", Jessie thought. She leaned backwards, trying to get away from it as calmly as possible. It didn’t move. Jessie started to breathe hard, her chest moving outwards and inwards rapidly. The dog leaped on her. Jessie tried to fight for her life but the sheer pace and strength of the beast was too much for her. Her fear prolonged. Up till now, the dog only stripped her shirt instead of tearing her flesh apart but she knew it was coming. She closed her eyes and called her prayers. She thought about Jimmy and their wonderful love life and the experience she had on his birthday. She screamed for help but there was no response. "If Jimmy was here, he would have got me out of this within seconds", she thought. She knew that there was no way out. Her death was standing right in front of her. She desperately cried out Jimmy’s name and waited for that unbearable pain of her death. Her eyes were shut as she kept on waiting but the pain never came. When she opened her eyes, the beast wasn’t there. She was as surprised as she was thankful. How could a thing like that just leave me? she thought. Her pants kept getting worse and her stomach kept hurting even more. She could barely think or walk, but she still kept on limping forward. She fell down a dozen times but didn’t stop. She expected another attack as she strolled on. The only thing that kept her going was Jimmy. She wanted to live for him. She wanted to feel him inside her

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again. She wanted to make him happy, see him smile and see him successful. She wanted to have his kids. She kept on telling herself, “I will get out of here, I will get to kiss Jimmy again, we will smile together and live happily as we did” until she bumped into a wall. She fell flat on her back. She thought it was another giant creature ready to eat her up alive. Her eyes were barely open. She noticed a big room standing tall ahead of her. It dissolved her fears and gave her some hope of surviving. Jessie quickly opened the door and got in. She finally saw what she thought she could deal with, human beings. A lady and a man were lying with their face turned towards the ground. It seemed as if they were sleeping. "They must have gone through all this too", Jessie thought. She tried to awaken them but was suddenly alarmed by the fact that she didn’t have a shirt on. She turned around the lady to awaken her. Jessie fainted. It was the same old lady who claimed to be Jimmy’s mother. Her burnt face petrified Jessie to oblivion. Jessie and Jimmy were both lying down beside each other, unconscious.

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Chapter-5 Their eyes opened almost at the same time. The glinting moon was staring down at them. Jimmy and Jessie realized that they were both lying down beside each other. Jessie leaped over Jimmy. She couldn’t believe that they were together. She was in tears. Jimmy’s mind was blank. He only remembered the old lady. When he looked around for her, she wasn’t there, neither was the room. The only thing he saw was a small pond and a red building. It was the same park where he lied down on his birthday. "It was all a nightmare", Jimmy thought. But he couldn’t figure out what Jessie was doing there. He looked at Jessie. She looked horrified and bemused. Jimmy asked,” What’s wrong sweetie?” Jessie replied in a wobbling voice, “I had a really bad nightmare". "So did I, but how did you get here?” Jessie told him that after about half an hour when he left her house, her parents called and said that they will be late. She called him but found his cell ringing on the coffee table in the sitting room. She thought that Jimmy might have gone to the café near her house so she went there to give him his cell but he wasn’t there. As she was coming back to her house, an old man bumped into her. “He told me that you were sitting in this park. The man was peculiar, he had a mysterious grin on his face”, Jessie said softly. Jimmy realized that it was the same man he met. When Jessie came into the park, she saw Jimmy sleeping with a smile on his face. She didn’t bother to wake him up. “You looked so cute, I just couldn’t stop staring at you let alone wake you up”, Jessie told him. She then sat down beside him and stared at his face. She herself didn’t know when she dozed off.

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They both looked appalled. They told each other about their nightmares. After sharing each incidence, they kissed. Finally they got up and went out of the park. They gaped at the whole scenery for a long time. It gave them an unusual feeling. They talked about the old man as they walked towards Jessie’s house. His face seemed familiar to both of them. It haunted them in some way. Jimmy dropped Jessie to her house and returned home. It was 2 in the morning. When he entered the house, his whole family except Alicia, was sitting in the hall deeply concerned about him. When he entered the hall, all of them stared at him as if he had committed a crime by not letting them know that he will be late. His dad came close to him. “Where were you Jimmy?” “I was going to come earlier but then I sat in a park and dozed off….. I’m sorry” “You slept in a park?!?! Are you feeling well son? Anyway, just don’t repeat it again. You got us all very worried. Now get fresh, take your dinner and go to bed” his father ordered politely. After a long day, Jimmy finally went to bed. His birthday was over. He didn’t know which part of it he should indulge his thoughts in, the nightmares he had in the park, the experience he had with Jessie or the old man. He decided to sleep and think about it later. Three months went by. Jimmy's and Jessie’s life were never the same. They were in university. There was a lot of pressure of studies but neither of them could concentrate properly. They kept on thinking about what happened on Jimmy’s birthday. It haunted them every now and then. Jimmy used to visit Jessie’s house frequently.

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He noticed a sudden change in his family. They all seemed very impatient about something. Their temper grew shorter. It seemed as if they were dying to do something but didn’t know how to do it. Alicia was the only one who seemed to be normal. She used to get scolded by her parents frequently and sometimes even get beaten up by them. Jimmy wasn’t able to find any reason for such harsh treatment and Alicia never uttered a word about anything. His family started to behave like strangers with him. He couldn’t see the same love in his mother’s eyes but her tone didn’t change. Jimmy’s parents were very educated and so were his siblings. His parents were doctors, Caesar was an architect and Lucy was an interior designer. Alicia was studying for engineering. They loved studies and took great pride in their degrees. "Maybe, it’s my study that’s making them behave like this. Alicia’s studies are also going down along with me, maybe that’s why they are being so harsh on her too" Jimmy thought. He saw immense frustration in Alicia’s eyes but never asked her the reason. It bothered him a lot because he loved her the most. His dreams kept on haunting him. It messed up his whole life. He couldn’t think or concentrate on anything properly. The only thing he had in mind was Jessie. Something in his heart told him that he had to go to her. He never needed anything in his life, like he needed Jessie at the moment. Jessie’s life was even worse. Her parents went for a vacation and left her alone in that house for 6 months. She used to see the park everyday on her way to university. It haunted her to her inner core.

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She was a very studious girl and had a habit of reading books. It was her favorite pass time in her childhood. But she could neither read nor concentrate on her studies properly. She desperately needed a company. She felt that the only solution to her problems was Jimmy. Jimmy and Jessie were now together almost the whole day. They never needed each other so badly. They couldn’t do anything without each other except for sleeping and shitting. Their relationship developed even further. They shared all their feelings and developed a wonderful understanding. Jessie used to cook for Jimmy and they both used to feed each other. One day, they were lying on Jessie’s bed and talking about each others life. There was one thing common in both of their lives which amazed them. They couldn’t recall their lives before the age of 6. “My mom said I matured very late, I used to pee in my pants till the age of 4”, Jimmy reasoned. Jessie never asked her parents about it. They lived like husband and wife. It seemed as if they knew each other since birth. However, even though they had immense love for each other, they did have fights and once it became a little too serious. Jimmy was a big time porn-watcher in his teen ages and used to masturbate twice a day. He didn’t really leave this habit completely. One day, Jessie surprisingly showed up at Jimmy’s place. When she entered Jimmy’s room, he was masturbating. His eyes were set on the naked girl in the porn movie that he played in his computer until Jessie stood in front of him. By the time he wore his pant, Jessie was gone. She didn’t talk to him for two days. These were the worst days of both of their lives.

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She kept on howling in her bedroom. What hurt her most was the thought that she couldn’t satisfy Jimmy physically and he never told her. Jimmy was terribly guilty. “Our problems were almost over but I messed it all”, Jimmy poked his thumb with a needle. On the morning of the third day, Jessie called Jimmy and asked him to meet her at the café near her house. Her tone gave Jimmy the impression that she wanted to breakup. “Its over. I lost her” Jimmy thought desperately. He had tears in his eyes when walked inside the café. Jessie was standing there, with a rose in her hand. Jimmy was extremely astonished. Eventually their love won. Jessie realized that there was nothing wrong with either of them but it was just human nature. They talked to each other for about 20 minutes. They rubbed each others tears and shared soft kisses. Jimmy had to go back home and go to a party with his family. Next morning, Jimmy woke up early and called Jessie. “Hey Jess”, “Oh, hi sweetheart, why are you up so early?” “Well I came back late and could barely sleep. I was dying to see you.” “Me too darling, I was missing you a lot. Hey, can I just call you back? I’m changing my clothes” Jessie asked softly. A rush of excitement flew through Jimmy’s nerves. He was aroused. They didn’t make love for a long time. “Are you naked right now?” Jimmy asked in a flirting tone. “Well, not exactly naked but enough to make you horny”, Jessie replied in a sensuous tone. Jimmy was desperate. He hurriedly said, “I’m coming right now” and hung up. When Jimmy arrived in Jessie’s house, she was sitting on her couch waiting for him.

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She looked erotic. She was wearing a blue short and a transparent red T-shirt. It’s gonna be easy to take them off, Jimmy thought. He went close to her and held her tight by her waist. “I have never seen you so desperate”, Jessie whispered. “I am not in a mood to talk right now”, Jimmy replied and kissed her mouth shut. They were tasting each others tongue and Jimmy’s hands were all over her body. It finally rested on her breasts as he squeezed them hard. Jessie slowly unbuttoned his shirt and put her hand inside his pants. In a moment, they were naked. Jimmy picked her up and gently laid her down on the bed. He started from her toes and licked her body all the way till her mouth. “I wanna feel the sweet pain, baby”, Jessie whispered desperately. Jimmy was inside her. Neither of them could express the pleasure as Jessie screamed aloud, “Oh Jimmy, I love you”. It was about an hour when they got dressed. All their problems seemed to have dissolved. Jessie decided to drop Jimmy to his house. They were walking on the street, happily, holding hands and had a big smile on their faces. It disappeared in a second. The old man appeared in front of them. He was standing in one corner of the street and staring down at them with that unusual grin on his face, as if he had been watching them ever since. Their horrors splashed in front of their eyes, once again. They were numb, breathing hard to cope up with their own fear. They stood motionless and watched the man grinning in the corner of the street.

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Chapter-6 He was a tall man dressed in a white suit. He looked funny, haunting and familiar to both of them. He had grey hair and a big black beard. The grin on his face bothered them more than anything. It seemed as if he knew everything about Jimmy and Jessie. Jimmy turned insipid as the man walked closer to them. Jessie decided not to react. They held each others hand tightly as the man stood 3 feet away from them. “Can you guess who I am?” his voice was intense “How are we supposed to do that?” Jessie asked boldly. The man smiled. Jimmy was almost shivering. “Well, you are not supposed to know me, but you are supposed to know yourself and I am your only hope”. “What do you want from us?” Jimmy stammered. “I don’t want anything from you, but you might want something from me”, he replied. “We don’t want anything. Now leave us alone and get the hell out of our lives”, Jessie screamed. The man grinned and said “I don’t think you two kids are being wise. Anyways, I will leave you alone for now but I will come back after three days. Don’t try to run away because I will find you no matter where you are.” He walked away from them. Jimmy and Jessie were speechless. They didn’t know what to think or what to say. “Is he from the underworld?” Jimmy asked nervously. He could hardly swallow the horror this man injected in him. Jessie wasn’t listening to him. She was as petrified by the man as Jimmy. Neither of them knew what the man wanted from them. After a long silence, they stared at each other and said “We will fight him together”. Jimmy insisted Jessie to live with him in his house. He couldn’t leave her alone in these three days but she was self-dependent and strong.

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“I will be fine sweetheart”, Jessie said. “It’s too dangerous. The man looked as if he didn’t have a girl in his life for 20 years. His eyes were focused on your body” Jimmy replied. They decided that they would leave the town for these three days. He informed his mother. She was reluctant but she never said no to Jimmy. They didn’t know where to escape. They were standing in front of Jessie’s house, thinking how they can get rid of this man from their lives. Suddenly her eyes fell on something. It was an old Chevrolet that her dad gifted her when she turned 15. Her father was rich and liked variety. He had 7 cars and this was his first one. The fact that he gave her such an old, used car on her birthday always reminded her of her parent’s carelessness towards her. She never drove this car but now she was helpless. “Jimmy. Why don’t we take this car and drive away somewhere?”. “That would be great”, Jimmy replied. He took a stiletto from Jessie’s house. Jessie gave him a surprised look. “Incase I need it to kill him when I find him or should I say when he finds us.” he was fuming as he spoke. For an instance, Jessie was scared of him. As Jessie was driving the car out of town, she saw a car coming towards them. “Jimmy, look, that old man is in that car” Jessie yelled. They took a u- turn and followed the car. Five hours went by. Jessie grew tired but she knew she couldn’t stop. Suddenly she saw a sign board, "Manira: 20km” They were heading towards Manira, an old town situated in a remote area surrounded by jungles. They looked at each other, “Jimmy, that’s a dangerous place, it’s surrounded by jungles, it would be difficult to

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follow the man”, Jessie said in a tensed voice. “I don’t care, I will do anything to find out what that sick bastard wants”, Jimmy replied sternly. When they looked ahead, the car wasn’t there. They were dismayed. They have been following the car for hours and lost its trace in seconds. When they drove a bit further, they saw a junction, the road branched into two directions, left and right with dense trees in between. They didn’t know which way to go. They couldn’t see the car in any direction. Jimmy was almost in tears when his cell rang up. It was a call from Alicia. It surprised Jimmy; she never called him. His frustration, disappointment and confusion about where to go overcame his curiosity to find out why Alicia called so he turned his cell off. Jessie nervously asked, “Jimmy, which way do I go? The road in the right side is blocked and other one is broader and straight and seems like a highway that might lead into a city”. They heard a car siren that seemed to have come from the left direction. “Take a left”, Jimmy replied. They drove on for an hour but couldn’t trace the car. Jessie was too tired to drive further so Jimmy took over. After 30 minutes of driving, the road took a long turn. When the road straightened, Jimmy hurriedly pressed the brakes. They were stunned. The road went through a dense jungle. “Jimmy lets go back, this looks too dangerous”, Jessie stammered. “No, I wanna find him. That old cock must be living in a place like this.” Jimmy heard the car siren again. This time it came from the jungle. Jimmy pressed the accelerator and drove on.

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He drove through the jungle for about 20 minutes. It grew denser as the drove further. “This road is like the mind of an old man with a young wife, deeply twisted”, Jimmy said in an angry tone. Jessie didn’t reply, she kept looking at the trees all along. The wave of repulsion swept through her mind as they drove deep into the jungle. Suddenly, she was stirred. The car wasn’t moving. When she looked up, she saw a broad river in front of her. They stepped out of the car. “How can the entrance to a city be something like this?” Jessie asked. “Well it’s not really a city, it’s a habitat of about a 1000 ailing and nauseating people of the jungles”, Jimmy replied in a fuming tone. Jessie gave him a hug. “Let’s go back honey, we can’t walk in the middle of a dense jungle and expect to survive and trace out that old man” Jessie’s voice was desperate but Jimmy was determined. There was a boat but it was on the other side of the river. “That dog must have crossed the river with it”, Jimmy said. They locked the car and dived into the river. The water was freezing and they weren’t really wearing clothes which would help them keep warm. They swam half way through the river. Jessie could swim faster and she went ahead until Jimmy wailed from behind. When Jessie turned he was almost underwater. Something was pulling him down. Jessie stood still and stared at Jimmy. The thought of a person drowning gave her an uncanny feeling. She started daydreaming until she realized that Jimmy was underwater. Jessie swam underwater and saw a crocodile with Jimmy’s pant in between its teeth. Jessie quickly took the stiletto from Jimmy’s pocket and pierced it through

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the crocodile’s stomach. The blood spread all over the water as they stood in dismay. They were inches close to death. Jessie gave Jimmy a big hug and they hurriedly crossed the river hoping not to encounter anything else. They walked for about 20 minutes on the other side of the river but there was nothing but dense trees. They were freezing. “I can’t walk like this anymore,” Jessie trembled. Jimmy took some large leaves from the trees and covered their bodies. Jessie was lying flat on the ground and Jimmy was on top of her. “Jimmy, there’s another way of heating up, you know? Jessie whispered in his ears. Jimmy smiled. He was aroused by her versatility. How quickly she could dissolve his horrors. Jessie slowly slid her hand inside his pants. His organ was hard and erect and Jessie grabbed it tightly. They kissed each other desperately. Their hands were all over each others body. They hurriedly took off their pants. For an instance, they were not frightened, they were not feeling cold, and all they could see was, each other. Everything seemed to have disappeared from their minds. Just as Jimmy was about to get inside her, they heard footsteps. They got up and wore their pants hastily and followed the sound. It was going away from them. They started running. They kept running until the sound dissolved. Jimmy and Jessie stood still in deep disappointment once again. They stared at each other sympathetically. They didn’t want to go through all this. “We could have just ignored that man and live our lives”, Jimmy was frustrated. Jessie gave him a hug. She as astonished by what she saw behind Jimmy. It looked like an old castle made up of red bricks. When they entered the castle, it turned out to be a museum.

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There were statues and paintings lying all over the floor. Surprisingly there was nothing else. “Someone must have robbed everything else from here and either didn’t have the energy to carry the statues or likings towards color”, Jimmy spoke sarcastically. When they got out of the museum from the door opposite to the entrance, they were frozen. They saw a small pond with a park beside it. It had no benches and was covered with thick grass and dense trees. It looked exactly like the one where Jimmy lied down on his birthday.

Chapter-7 They looked at each other, dumbfounded. Rather than being fearful, they were more amazed.

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“How could this possibly happen? How can two places look exactly similar and how is this all related to that old man?” Jessie asked Jimmy. He was lost in his own thoughts. They went inside the park, even the grasses were of the same thickness. They sat on the grass and stared at the sky. It was getting dark. They didn’t talk to each other. Both of them were lost in their own thoughts and horrors. After a long silence, Jimmy remembered that Alicia called. He turned his cell on. He had received a message from Lucy. “Jimmy, where are you bro? There’s a big problem in the house. We’ve been searching for you. Everyone’s miserable. We need you bro. Alicia committed suicide.” Jimmy couldn’t believe it. It was too hard to digest. He just laid there, motionless. He couldn’t even think. He just stared at the moon and asked God why all this is happening to them. Jessie was deep in her thoughts when she realized that neither of them spoke a word for a long time. She looked at Jimmy and the look on his face petrified her. “Jimmy, what’s wrong?” “Alicia committed suicide.” “What?!? But why?! I mean….” Jessie couldn’t say anything further. It was such a shock. “She always looked as if she was having loads of problems in her life” Jimmy told Jessie. He was weeping like a small kid. Jessie rubbed his eyes with her soft hands and kissed his forehead. “Don’t worry sweetheart, everything will be fine” Jessie tried to comfort him. Tears kept falling from his eyes. He kept reading the message again and again. He didn’t think of calling his parents. He just stared at the message and thought about Alicia. Although they never really had a good relationship, Jimmy loved her a lot. They never had any quarrels or misunderstanding between themselves. She just used to ignore him and stay out of his way. What hurt Jimmy

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even more was that his hope to find out the reason behind Alicia’s ignorance was now over. He couldn’t give the person he loved so much, any happiness. He kept weeping and Jessie couldn’t stop it. When she saw the cell in his hand, she remembered that she has turned her cell off ever since they started their journey. When she turned it on, she saw that she had received a message too. It was from Luther. “Jessie, this is Luther. There is a bad news. Sophie has died in a car accident”. Jessie was numb. She couldn’t figure out what was happening. “What the hell is going on here? Why did Alicia and Sophie die? Why did that old man tell us he will meet us after three days? Why did we come here, chasing an old man who looked like a dead peacock?” She asked Jimmy desperately. Jimmy didn’t have an answer. He was as depressed as Jessie. Alicia’s death was too hard on him. They hugged each other desperately and rubbed the tears in each others eyes. Neither of them could take it anymore. The whole situation was too disheartening and dangerous. They were in the middle of a jungle and could have been attacked by any animal which can tear their flesh apart. Fortunately, up till now they didn’t encounter anything of that sort except for the crocodile. They sat quietly in each others arms and tried to let their horrors and anguish sink. “Jimmy, I think you should call your parents. They must be worried about you. You will feel better if you talk to them”, Jessie suggested. Jimmy called his mom. “Hi mom, how are you all?” “Where in the hell are you Jimmy?” her tone was loud. “I am stuck in the jungles of Manira, me and Jessie are sitting in a park with a small pond and a building made up of red bricks beside it. How did Alicia die?”

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“What the hell are you doing there?” She was furious. “Don’t move an inch from there, we are coming” she ordered and hung up. Jimmy didn’t know how to digest all this. Everything seemed to have changed, even his mom's tone. He told Jessie who was trying to call Sophie’s parents. Neither of them knew what to think. Their whole lives were messed up and it was all because of that old man. “I’m gonna slice his body into pieces and feed pigs with them once I find him”, Jimmy was enraged. They hated him more than they ever hated anything in their lives. Jimmy thought about his mom, she has never been so rude to him. “Sweetheart, maybe she was stressed out. Your whole family’s mourning over Alicia’s death and you’re not there. Maybe she desperately needs you now” Jessie tried to make him feel better and it worked but only till his eyes fell on his cell. He saw the time, it was 11.30 at night. Then he checked the date. It has been two days since the old man appeared in front of them. He promised to reappear on the third day. Jimmy was surprised that two days passed so quickly. They started driving the night they met him. They drove for about 7 hours till they got to the river. They have been in the jungle for nearly one whole day. The wave of terror spread all over their bodies as they thought about what might happen when he shows up tomorrow. But Jimmy wasn’t going to let it bother them anymore. Now he waited for him because he realized that this man was their only way of finding the reason behind whatever was happening in their lives. Jimmy and Jessie lied down again. He held her by her arms. They were in no mood to make love but he did kiss her once.

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They thought about their experiences, Alicia and Sophie’s death, his mom’s boorish tone, the park and the dreams they had there and its similarity to the one in which they were lying down now, the museum, the crocodile in the river and that ever so mystifying grin on that old man’s face. Everything seemed familiar and it haunted them. They kept thinking and in a flash of time, they dozed off. The sun was timidly showing its face. Its soothing light sneaked through the trees and fell on their eyes. When they woke up, Jimmy saw his whole family; his mom was standing in front with a gun in her hand pointed towards Jimmy.

Chapter-8 Henry Christopher and Richard Thomas were the wealthiest men of Manira and were best friends. They

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grew up together and knew everything about each other. They even got married on the same day. Henry got married to Richard’s friend, Julia and Richard got married to Sheila, the daughter of a lawyer, Charles Benjamin. Henry’s marriage was arranged but Richard loved Sheila’s attractive figure. Despite of Sheila’s ordinary background, he married her. Both Henry and Richard were happy with their wives. After one year, both of them had a baby. Henry had a son, James and Richard had a daughter, Christie. Richard and Sheila used to be in Henry’s house almost all the time. Julia and Sheila became very close to each other. As days passed by, James and Christie also became close. They ate together, played together and even slept together. Five years went by. Henry and Julia were a happy couple. Although Julia couldn’t conceive another child, they had a wonderful life. They shared their rights and responsibilities equally and neither tried to dominate the other. Henry loved Julia more than anything and could never deny her but she never took advantage of it. Julia was perfect for him. She was pretty, understanding, and knew how to compliment a rich man’s life style. However she did have one weakness, Richard. Julia and Richard have been friends for five years. They met each other in their university. At her first sight, Julia was attracted to him. She tried several ways of telling him about her infatuation but failed to gain his attention. She even tried to seduce him once but Richard had a better and bigger taste. After one year of their university, they became friends. She then planned her way to get him.

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Richard was a short-tempered man and used to explode on people frequently. He never had friends and Julia decided to take advantage of it. She was his only friend and Richard used to share all his feelings with her. In 5 months, they became best friends. Richard grew dependent on her. She understood that Richard couldn’t do without her and would never deny her for anything. She tried to seduce him again. This time Richard took action and slapped her. He told her that he thought of her as purely a friend. He had a big taste and liked variety and could never think of spending his entire life with one girl. The whole university got to know about Julia’s tactics of trying to get Richard. She couldn’t live the embarrassment. She left the university. She came back after one year. She apologized to Richard and he gave her a second chance. Richard and Sheila matched each other perfectly. Richard was impatient but Sheila was very understanding and tolerant. She could cope with his anger and knew how to calm him down. She was an expert in making love too. When Richard first saw Sheila on the street, he went bizarre. Her extreme beauty drove him into her house where he proposed her for marriage. Sheila agreed with a condition that he will have to love only her all their lives and could not get involved with another girl either physically or metaphysically. Richard nodded with his fingers crossed. James and Christie were now five years old and were the best of friends. There was a sudden change in Richard. He and Christie were in Henry’s house almost all the time with Sheila locked at home.

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All of a sudden, Richard started talking to Julia with a different tone. He has never talked in such a soft and caring tone with anyone in his life, not even Sheila. It seemed as if he was trying to seduce her. He suffered a big loss in his business and shared his disappointments and hopelessness with her. Julia couldn’t figure out the reason behind this sudden change in Richard. It used to bother her. It reminded her of her past with him. He still had that charm in his face and it still attracted Julia. Henry heard about Julia and Richard but he didn’t bother to care. He thought of them as very good friends and he couldn’t even think of doubting them. Henry’s business took a big boom so he used to stay busy at office. However he didn’t have any idea about Richards plan. Henry was getting richer while Richard kept on suffering from losses. He was greedy and could not live an ordinary life. He decided to capture some of Henry’s part of good luck. His only source was, Julia. One day Richard and Julia were alone in the house as James and Christie were playing in the lawn. They were sitting in her bedroom. Richard took advantage of the situation. He shut the door and closed on her from behind and gently kissed her neck. Julia didn’t stop him. His hands were slowly sliding down her breasts down to her mid part. He laid her down on the bed softly. Julia’s mouth was shut. She liked what she was going through. They kissed each other vigorously. They smoothly undressed each other and within minutes Richard was inside her. His lips were on hers and his hands journeyed all over her body. Julia finally got what she desperately wanted in her life. They both screamed out of pleasure. Nothing was going to stop them for the moment until Julia noticed a figure by the door.

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It was Henry. He was frozen; he couldn’t believe what he witnessed. They quickly dressed and stood in front of him, quivering. Julia grew pale and she was too embarrassed to look up at Henry. Richard was frightened by the look on Henry's eyes. Henry finally gathered himself, he wanted to cry but knew he had to do something to these people first. He called his guards and told them to keep Richard locked in the garage. When Richard was gone, he grabbed Julia’s arms and took her to a small room in the lawn. He locked her inside and burned the room as James stood stunned and watched his mother being burned alive. Christie noticed Richard in the garage. As she ran towards him, Henry entered the garage with two German Shepherds. Christie stood there, worried, waiting for her father to come out. Richard finally did come out, his shirt was torn and he had two wild dogs chasing for his flesh. He kept running but the beasts were too fast and furious and leaped on him. They tore his flesh apart as Christie, stood staring at her father’s desperation, but she couldn’t do anything. James and Christie were only six years old. It was too hard for them to digest the incidences. Henry saw the fear in their faces and took them to the playing room. He noticed the hatred in their eyes for him. He tried to explain the reason why he did all this but neither of them was old enough to understand. He called Sheila but nobody picked up the phone. He then called his lawyer and asked him to set up some papers. When he went to drop Christie to her house the servants were weeping in the lawn.

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“What happened?” Henry asked impatiently. “Mrs. Thomas died”, one of the servants replied. “ What?! How?” “She didn’t know how to swim, yet she jumped into the river and drowned” the man cried out. A young man stepped forward, “Mrs. Thomas has been locked inside the house for several days and none of us had the courage to go against Mr. Thomas’ order. But today, she was screaming and weeping aloud so I unlocked her. She told me that she was going to Mr. Henry’s house”. Henry didn’t take long before realizing what might have happened. Sheila must have gone to Henry’s house and seen Richard and Julia making love and had decided to commit suicide. Henry reluctantly looked at Christie. She had a blank, innocent face. She was too young to understand anything that happened. All she knew was that her parents were dead. James rubbed the tears that fell from her eyes and gave her a hug. Henry decided to take the responsibility of Christie’s upbringing. Henry Christopher used to look very worried in those days. He started to drink heavily and used to stay home almost all the time and play with James and Christie. He always seemed to be in a real hurry. His house bothered him. He wanted to escape from that place as soon as possible. One day, he took James and Christie on his lap and kissed them. He was in tears. It seemed as if he was never gonna meet them again. He called his lawyer, “Are the papers ready?” “Yes Mr. Henry, I kept them in your office”, the lawyer replied. He took James and Christie to his office for the papers. He gave James the papers and told him not to lose them in any condition.

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He was drunk and was driving towards the jungle at great speed until he crashed into a tree. Mr. Henry Christopher died. James, with the papers clutched tightly in his hands, and Christie were lying beside each other on the ground. They were unconscious.

Chapter-9

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Jimmy and Jessie stood up and looked at each other. They had a broad smile on their faces. They both screamed at once “I got my memory back!!”. They hugged each other tightly and seemed to have decided not to let go. They whispered in each others ears, “I love you James, I love you too Christie”. They couldn’t believe the fact that they were with each other in their early childhood They understood that when James’ father crashed into the tree and knocked them unconscious, they lost their memories. Finally their eyes fell on Mrs. Anderson who was standing behind Jimmy with a gun in her hand. “Mom, what’re you doing?” Jimmy asked with a surprised look in his face. “Well, I knew that you were going to get your memory back once you came here, so I decided to give you a surprise”. What are you talking about? I don’t understand…..” he said, terribly confused. “I’ll make it easier for you to understand, James,” Mrs. Anderson smiled sarcastically. Jimmy was even more puzzled when Mrs. Anderson showed him the papers that his father gave him. “Do you remember these papers, James?” She asked. Jimmy could never forget these papers. “This is your father’s will. It states that, your father Henry Christopher owns 1 kilogram of diamonds worth 100 million dollars that will be yours once you turn 18 and only you know where they are hidden. So we decided to bring you up so that those diamonds becomes ours." Mrs. Anderson spoke stridently. Jimmy was shocked. A sudden wave of disgust swept through his mind. He couldn’t believe what was going on. Jessie stood still and didn’t speak a word. She stared at Jimmy then hugged him desperately.

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“Now just sign on these papers and show us where your father hid the diamonds”, Mrs. Anderson ordered. “What papers and why should I sign them?” Jimmy asked in a depressed tone. “These papers state that you are transferring the ownership of the diamonds in our name.” Jimmy was ready to sign the papers but unfortunately, he didn’t know where they were hid. Caesar and Mr. Anderson started to hit Jimmy and threatened to kill him. Jimmy screamed in pain. Jessie desperately tried to push them away but Mrs. Anderson and Lucy grabbed her arms. She screamed for help but there was no one. Caesar kept hitting Jimmy and he started bleeding. Jessie screamed even louder. Mr. Anderson took the gun from his wife and posed to shoot Jimmy. He knew he couldn’t kill him because he was the only one who could give them the diamonds. He turned the trigger towards Jessie. Now it was Jimmy’s turn to yelp. He has never been so desperate. This was too much for him. He kept screaming that he doesn’t know where the diamonds are, but they didn’t believe him. Even Jessie thought that he was lying. She stared at him in disbelief. That was something Jimmy could never bear. He finally said, “Wait, I will take you to the place”. He took them beside the pond and told them that the diamonds were engraved here in a box in the soil. Mr. and Mrs. Anderson started digging while Lucy and Caesar kept their eyes on Jimmy and Jessie. They kept digging but there was nothing. Lucy and Caesar joined in. All four of them were deeply engaged in the work.

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Jimmy tried signaling Jessie to run away but Jessie couldn’t understand. Jimmy grabbed her hand and started running until a metal bar struck his skull. Caesar successfully hit his target. Jimmy fell to the ground with blood pouring down his neck. “This boy thinks it’s all funny” Caesar was furious. He grabbed Jessie’s hair and stamped the gun on her forehead. Mr. Anderson held Jimmy while his wife and Lucy stood ahead of him. Just as Caesar was about to pull the trigger, four bullets pierced through the skull of each of them. Both Jimmy and Jessie couldn’t believe their fortune. When they turned to thank the shooter, they saw the old man standing with a rifle and that same grin on his face. They limped towards him. “What the hell was that?” Jimmy could hardly speak; his whole head was covered with blood. “Well son, we can talk later, first wash up and get changed. You two stink worse than the jungle.” he replied with a broad smile on his face. He took them to a small cottage. Jimmy and Jessie were still haunted, the man looked scary. He gave them some old shirts and trousers. They stood staring at him with the clothes in their hands. “Don’t worry, the bad times are over. You are safe now”, the man said encouragingly. Just as he turned to get their food, Jimmy asked “Who are you?” The man turned back and smiled. After a long silence he said “I am Charles Benjamin, Jessie’s Grandfather and Your father’s lawyer. I am the only person besides your father who truly knows where the diamonds are”. Their astonishment made him laugh. They were shuddering as he went to get their food.

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Jimmy and Jessie changed their clothes and were made to sit on a half broken bed beside a table. They noticed a trunk under the bed. They were still trembling. They have had many surprises and flabbergasts but this exceeded all of them. They could hardly believe what they heard. He served them food and watched them as they ate like wolves. Then he sat in front of them and started to explain everything that happened. “Jimmy, your father found those diamonds in a wooden box beside a lake. Richard heard about it and tried to steal it through your mother. Sheila left a letter for me before she committed suicide. She wrote that she knew everything about it but kept quiet until her patience finally broke. She went to your house to inform your father about Richard’s intention but when she saw him and your mother on the bed, she couldn't take it and decided to commit suicide. The news of the diamonds leaked to some local smugglers. Your father received threats from them. They demanded half of the diamonds or else they would kill him. He was going to keep you two with me and escape. Unfortunately, his car crashed just beside this cottage. This was our secret office. He died and you two lost your memories. I knew I wasn’t going to be able to protect you two for long. I noticed some families in the museum so I kept you two in the park so that they could take you away with them. I knew that if the family saw the papers, they would not do any harm to you till you turned 18. But I was worried about Jessie. I decided to keep track of her life personally. Luther was my friend’s grandson and I told him to become your friend so that he could inform me about you. I also told him to be friends with Sophie so that he could know more about Jessie’s life.

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I used to live in a small room opposite of Jessie’s house and I could see her house from the window. I was the one who gave her those gifts. It was a mere co-incidence that there was a similar park with a pond and a red building around it, beside Jessie’s house. It made my work easier. I intentionally bumped into you two and showed you the park, hoping that you might get some of your memories back. Then I made you follow me all the way to this place. However I didn’t know that there will be a crocodile in the river. Alicia and Sophie didn’t die. Alicia's honesty never allowed her to live with you in proper terms. Luther told me that Alicia told Sophie the truth and they both decided to inform you two. Mr. Anderson somehow got to know about it. He hit Sophie with a car and Caesar poisoned Alicia’s food. It was all because of the diamonds. I had to do all this because your father made me promise that I will look after you two until you became adults and the legal owner of the diamonds.” When the man was done, Jessie and Jimmy took the deepest breath of their lives. Everything seemed clearer to them. They both smiled harmoniously. Jessie gave her grandfather a tight hug and kissed him on the forehead. Jimmy smiled at the thought that he was going to slice this man into pieces. He asked politely, “So what happens now?” “Well you are the legal owner of the diamonds which is in the trunk under the bed that you were sitting on. Tomorrow you will have to sign some papers and then it will officially be yours. For the moment, you two can have some time of intimacy” The man replied. He showed them a room and told them to take a nap. Their eyes were on the floor as they shyly walked inside the room. They both lied down

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on the bed. Neither of them had the energy to talk or make love. Jessie’s head was on his chest and his hands were around her body. They were both happy. They thought about the good times that lied ahead. They were going to marry each other and have kids. With the 100 million dollars, they will not have any sort of problems. They kept thinking and smiling until they dozed off.

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The Final Chapter The sky was covered with dense clouds. The sun was hiding behind them. Its light smoothly crept through the clouds and shone on Jimmy’s eyes with a soothing touch. He had a wide smile on his face when he woke up. It grayed in a moment. Jessie wasn’t there. He was lying down on the bed in his bedroom. He was tired of getting astounded. He quickly looked at his watch. It was 8 o clock in the morning of the 18 th of May, 2004, his 18th birthday. "It was all a dream", Jimmy told himself. The thought of how his mind was lost in the world of dreams and made him experience so many incidences amazed him. Suddenly he noticed that his pants were wet. It reminded him of Jessie’s gift. He had to experience the pleasure in his real life. He had a broad smile on his face as he went into the bathroom to get fresh. He still had that smile when he stepped into the dining room. It grayed again. His whole family was waiting for him at the table for breakfast but Alicia wasn’t there. She was standing by the entrance door waiting to leave for her university…….

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2004

The story of Jimmy Anderson…

'

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This book is my minor attempt to try and express my ideas in the form of a book in front of people. This is my first book and it is most obvious that it might have flaws or my way of writing may be too ordinary. It has been written only for teenagers. The reaction of people on my book may decide my future as an author. So please be honest in your reaction and be kind enough to write your opinion after reading the book.

With Special thanks to …… KHAN MOHAMMAD ASHIK.

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