My Inspiration

So, the question is, ‘Name one person who truly inspires you.’ And I think… At first, I feel nobody really inspires me but then I think again and the answer flashes back at me like a bolt of lightning. 

Now, I see images playing in front of me. The first image is that of a man, in his forties rocking on a chair and simultaneously reading a newspaper. His mind is enigmatic; nobody has ever gotten into the interiors of his brain. What he thinks, only he knows. He never lets you enter his mind, never lets you manipulate him. He’s not only smart but he’s more than smart. He thinks, he observes, he calculates and it never goes out of his system.

The second image that now plays is that of the same man. He’s now walking through a corridor, a long dingy one that leads to absolutely nowhere, but he walks and he walks endlessly. He trudges on not looking at his left or right and with a posture upright and again his mind is focused on what he wants. He wants it bad, but he’s patient. He has the ability to move on and move forward. He knows that the road he has taken is difficult, almost impossible but he moves on. Patience is a virtue known to only a few but he is one of them. Courage is a virtue which stays with only a few but I can proudly proclaim that he is one of them. The ability of getting things done the right way rests with only a selected and he is one of them.

As he moves on in the grimy, dingy, dimly lit corridor, he sees a door at the far end. He is curious but he doesn’t double up his pace. He keeps his cool. He walks forward. The door approaches but his mind is stable, unyielding and his excitement, shrouded. But then he opens the door and infinite rays hit his face and warm his skin. His face has a glow almost heavenly and I continue ogling at him as he attains his goal- his dream.

I see the spirit of human endeavour etched into his very soul. I see patience. I see courage. I see perseverance. I see all these traits bound together strongly and intrinsically in none other than my father, my inspiration.

The Unpleasant Surprise

Enter. Smile. Try to like the place now. It’s a little small as compared to your old apartment. At the same time, it’s away from the hideous slums. The stench that they raised would kill a dead rat all over again. But this is good. Sigh. It’s awesome. All this, with your own hard earned money. Good job Judith. You finally found your tiny little pretty house.’

Judith kept her thoughts buzzing as she looked at the studio apartment for the second time. At first she had thought it was too tiny as compared to the previous one but then it was also closer to her office and in a much better locality. The landlady, an old hag with a broken smile and limbs as huge as elephant legs showed her and her boyfriend Jason around the place.

There was a golden yellow lamp that hung just above the bed. It made the apartment look extremely welcoming and cozy. The bed was warm and soft, almost like it was built with a thousand feathers. She sank into the bed and looked at the 18.5 inch TV on the wall opposite it. The beige walls had bright yellow flowers embossed on them that made it look like an astonishingly radiant summer morning in open green fields. Her eyes then fell upon the chocolate brown wardrobe adjacent to her bed that stretched from the ceiling to the floor. It had finely carved wooden handles and an evenly polished surface. Happiness surged through her veins as she admired her new abode. On the extreme left was the baby pink refrigerator. It sat snugly in one corner of the room, without drawing too much attention towards itself. She looked at everything lovingly and instantly felt at home. This had to be better than perfect.

Jason had liked the apartment as well. It was in a better locality and the landlady didn’t mind visitors at odd hours. They had both been relieved when she expressed that. He had been her boyfriend for a good long seven years, which explained the relief.

Her only advice was to keep the little window above the bed tightly shut at all times. No questions were answered, they were only asked. So Judith decided to keep her verbal diarrhea to herself and made a mental note of being the ideal tenant for the lady with the elephant legs.

***

The featherbed cuddled her as she slept in it and before she knew it, the annoyingly loud alarm clock screamed into her left ear.  She scurried to do her everyday chores and ran to catch the office bus. As she got into the ride, she remembered that she had left the little window above the bed, wide open.

At first, she thought of going back, but then she shrugged off the thought.

***

‘Jason. I just got back home from work.  I think I just got robbed. Only, the funny part is nothing is missing. Everything is in such a mess. It’s stinking. There’s food all over. Can you come over please? I’m scared. Elephant legs isn’t opening the door nor answering my calls.’

The phone clicked and Judith ran to the bathroom and locked herself in it. That morning, she had woken up to rush through preparing a simple dinner to reach office on time. She loathed cooking at night. When she got back, the jars of jam were empty. The dinner had been gobbled up and there were remnants splattered everywhere. The crimson carpet had orange juice spilled over it, giving it a deeper shade. Whoever had broken into the house had made sure to devour all the food.

Her body turned cold as she waited for Jason. She could hear the clock ticking and the sweat of fear ran down her thighs, making way right down to her ankles. She strained her ears to hear any sounds but none came. Suddenly, she heard a piercing bawl. There was a dog, howling into the night. His howls were strong and near. The hair at the back of her neck stood up and her skin was turning pale yellow.

The doorbell rang and she ran to get it. She opened the door, hoping to see Jason’s affable face when she stood there facing her landlady.

‘How dare you be so careless? Didn’t I tell you not to keep the window open? I had warned you, you stupid stupid girl.’ She pushed her aside gruffly with her walking stick as she made way to enter the house. Judy gasped and opened her mouth when she cut her off sharply, ‘And no, don’t you go around asking me any questions. You live in my house. You have to follow my rules. The last time this lad left this house open, he faced the same problem. He told me he had made the evil go away. All I had to do was keep the damned window shut. This insolence will not be...’

Just then, the doorbell rang once again and Judy ran to find her love this time. She opened the door and fell into his strong arms.

‘Jason, look at this place. I don’t know why this happened or what caused it. I’m just so scared. Elepha.....I mean, landlady here says it’s the window...because I left the window open. I don’t want to live here. This is a bad place. It just looks pretty.’ She said all this in just one breath. Jason was gaping at her trying to decode everything she said as she gasped for air.

Then finally, he composed himself and spoke after what seemed like a century. ‘Listen to me Judy. I know it is unnerving to come home to this but trust me it’s all fine. Look at this place. It must have been an animal, a cat or something. Just calm down, ok? Be grateful that nothing is stolen or lost. Drink some water. Here. And I’ll stay here with you. It’ll be fine. I’m with you.’

As he started cleaning up the mess, Judy saw him casting sharp glances at her to make sure she was fine. Maybe she was over reacting. Maybe this was just an animal. But the landlady had spoken of some evil. What was she talking about? Why was she so stupid? Why did she hurry into this? She cursed herself loudly.

And then, suddenly before she knew it, the featherbed absorbed her lightly and she slept like a baby.

***

She woke up groggily the next morning, with Jason on one side. She didn’t remember elephant legs leaving the previous night but she had a long day ahead, so she shrugged off the memories of last night and got ready for office.

Jason left with her and they both made sure that the window was tightly shut.

***

It had been one month since she had moved into her new house. The first few days, she had been petrified but then it almost became a way of life.

She would come home, to find her food to be eaten or splattered on the walls and carpets. Who was this animal who was wolfing down everything? She had never tried searching for it though. On the other hand, her house was small. Nothing would go unnoticed. There was nothing in the house when she was there. It just magically appeared from thin air whenever she left for long hours. Sometimes, she decided to leave the house for 15-20 minutes and loudly exclaimed that she would be back in about 4-5 hours. It would always be the same scene. There would be no one there and the food would have been ravaged.

***

‘You have a soaring temperature Judy. Please listen to me this time. Just stay at home for a while. Rest a little. You seem stressed. I’ll come to meet you every day after work. But I don’t want you breaking your back over anything. You get me? Now, give me a hug,’ said Jason tenderly.

They spent a little more time, whispering sweet nothings to each other when Judy slipped into a dreamless nap.

Jason left her there, snoring slightly on her beautiful featherbed.

***

It had now been four days since she got out of her house. Her sunken cheeks and pale complexion showed that she had been suffering from a bout of flu but since her temperature refused to drop, Jason decided to take her to a doctor.

She had been lying down watching a movie and seeing some old pictures on her digicam when Jason entered the house.

‘We have to go to the doctor, Judy. Come on, get dressed fast. We have an appointment for 6 o’ clock today. You have half an hour. Hurry,’ he exclaimed.

‘But Jason, it’s just flu. I’ll be fine in a few days,’ she called out.

But there was no convincing him when he decided on something. So they got ready to leave. She made sure the window was shut tight and casually threw her digicam on the featherbed.

***

‘Not again,’ she thought. But didn’t express anything aloud. She had no time to worry about the same thing over and over again and was too sick to stress about it too.

Then something caught her eye. She remembered flinging the camera onto the bed. It wasn’t there anymore. It had vanished.

With a burst of sudden energy, she started searching for it. This had to be it. If someone was stealing her things, it was the end of it. She was going to find out.

‘Will you just stop being so paranoid? You’re sick God dammit, Judy. This is just pissing off now. You sit right there. Don’t move. You must’ve kept it somewhere else. I’ll look for it,’ cried Jason.

Before he could have completed the sentence, she found it lying in one corner of her studio apartment. It lay there amidst the few grains of brown rice that were carelessly dropped on the marble floor.

There was ketchup smeared on it. And embedded in it was an unmistakable finger print.

Her heart raced as she went to pick it up. She didn’t speak a word.

‘Give me that camera right now.’ Jason pulled it from her and out of her reach.

He took it and switched it on to see if it was working. She snatched it back from him and went to the last recorded section.

The earth beneath her feet slid as she looked upon an unknown, old man. His naked head and thick white mustache were both bestrewed with the ketchup. Her hands shivered as she clicked on the play button.

There was a deep moan and the man burst into horrid cries. He licked the ketchup off his hands and belched loudly. It was the worst sight ever. His eyes were a pale grey and his fingernails had black filth stuffed into them. He pressed a grubby finger on the camera screen and spoke, ‘Why did you torture me? Why? What have I done to you? You didn’t let me eat for four days. I was hungry. I needed food. Why didn’t you go out of the house? I hate you and I curse you. You don’t know me but I know you. I live here; I’ve been here for a month.’ Suddenly, his moans turned into loud, screeching laughter.

‘You don’t know this. You would’ve never known. But, I live under your bed.’

They both froze there. Nobody spoke or moved for the longest time. Nobody even tried to. They were both cold to the bone, the chills spreading steadily and swiftly through them. Instantly, everything made more sense. The open window, the evil that her predecessor had swept away, the food...everything fell into place. What sort of psycho was this?

Legs shivering, Judy moved towards her bed. She had never looked hard enough to find something or someone. Every time she came home from a long day, she would just be too scared to go back and look hard for the cause. She was just always too scared. She now knelt near her favourite part of the house, her featherbed and lifted the bed sheet to peak underneath.

As she ducked, she prayed there was no one and then in a heartbeat, a strong grubby hand came pelting out to grab her wrist.

She screamed.

The Xanadu

He looked at his reflection in the mirror; the whites of his eyes were interspersed with ruddy blotches. His expression was grim and his forehead creased. All he could feel was pain cutting through every nerve of his body. Helplessness surged through him and he wanted to shout out to the heavens but he knew that there was no one there to listen to him, no one to pay heed to his pleas, no one to comfort him. His eyeballs then slid down to his breast pocket. There were chips flowing out of it. He was standing in the villa of The Xanadu, a noted casino in Las Vegas. He looked back at his face in the mirror and then it all happened in a second. He now lay on the floor in the midst of his own blood and bone chips, the revolver next to his right hand. Pieces of his brain splattered on the velvety walls of the villa but he lay there motionless. His eyes were still moist, still aggrieved...very still.

 James Scott walked through the sweltering heat. His brow furrowed and his lips dry. The sun was right at its zenith and pouring its heat onto his body. Every step that he took was a struggle to survive. His suit was worn to shreds and his head stooped. He wanted water. Water was all he needed. He looked around. At first his vision was a complete blur but then it started becoming clear. In bold letters he saw the words sprawled across a colourful board. He was at the steps of the biggest casino in the world. He was outside ‘The Xanadu’, a place that people visited from all the parts of the world. He was in Las Vegas. He peeked into his pocket and saw his last two bundles of hundred dollar bills and he strode in.

Curious faces met his eyes. They ogled at him and his condition. He now looked at them all, his posture suddenly upright and his glare fierce. He stood there, towering above the others. His perfectly chiseled features contorted as he walked towards the elevator. His persona emanated a sense of fear amongst those around him. He ignored their curious glances and stepped onto the polished wooden floors of the casino. The gamblers were at their tables. They had finished making their weary business deals, binged on the sumptuous seven course meals in the gourmet rooms, taken their wives to the shows or struck them with dollar chips at the roulette wheel. They were all out of traffic.

Money in hand, he stood in the primary line of the table with the three cards. He glanced at a few people around, discerning their capabilities. He saw two men, rather boys jesting at the table. They seemed queer but James discovered his sudden liking for them. His impulsive nerves took over him as he called out,  ‘How about you two guys coming in with me?’, motioning towards Tim and his friend, Sean. ‘I’ll put the top limit and bet my cash in each chair. 90 units mine, 10 units yours.’

This meant that with the two thousand limit, James would be betting six thousand on each hand.

‘Are you crazy?’ Tim said. ‘You can go to hell.’

‘Just sit there’, I’ll give you ten percent of everything your chair wins.’, Smirked James

At that moment Sean came forward and said, ‘I’ll sit in the chair.’

‘You get ten percent,’ James scowled. And it began.

Tim stayed to watch. He neither had Sean’s courage nor James’ money. So he preferred to be out of harm’s way. Nonetheless, he felt slightly proud for being chosen by James from this huge herd. Keeping all these thoughts aside he concentrated on the game.

James’ cards kissed the green felt of the table as his eyes gazed at their backsides. It was almost like he had this unexplained, alien, x-ray vision. He now scanned the four ergonomic slot chairs placed around the lush green felt table. A voluptuous girl with auburn hair made her way onto the vacant chair. As she picked up her cards, he searched for some hints but didn’t get any. For a split second, he saw the twinkle in her eye brighten a little. If only he wasn’t looking at her so intently, he would never have noticed. There were no creases on her forehead and no trace of panic. She bet a good 2500 dollars on this first hand. That was impressive, he thought. Everyone had now made a bet.

His eyes darted towards the chair to her right, there was Sean sitting there. He looked extremely happy with his cards, the fool. He struggled to keep his poker face, but the smirk kept creeping in.

He picked up his cards. He had three natural invincible aces. “Woah, that’s one hot hand,” he chuckled. With a confident stroke, he threw the cards, face-up for everyone to envy. He had won the first hand, and HOW! He noticed Sean looking at his own three cards, they made such a pitiful sight in front of James’. He had a King, a Queen and Jack. He threw his cards too on the green felt, trying to emulate James’ style but with a touch of frustration.

But something was happening here. James felt his vision starting to blur now. He went into some sort of a trance. His heart beat increased and drops of perspiration meandered down his temples and down to his cheeks and neck. He was running. He had escaped them. Had to get away from them. They would kill him. The street was dingy and his spotless suit was in place. His revolver was tucked behind his back but right now wasn’t the time to fight. It was time to run. He remembered clearly, the face of the man he killed. The squat old fool thought he had changed him into one of his men. The look of angst on his victim struck him like a whip. The adrenaline rushed through his veins once again and he ran.

With a jerk he got back to senses. He noticed confused eyes staring at him. Some, looked like they were about to mock him. Wiping the sweat from his brows, he concentrated on his game.

The second hand lay there next to his pile of black and gold chips. They made a magnificent sight. Picking it up, he felt his jaw drop a little. Was this some joke? How was he getting these cards. There was something utterly wrong with the permutations and combinations. He stared down at his second set of invincible aces.

He threw them down face-up for the second time. Calmly and without any emotion James hit eighteen rounds of hands. By the ninth round, word had spread about his absolutely brilliant and unbelievable  fortune. The excitement was building as the crowd started pressing together to get a better view.

The air seemed stiff with tension and suddenly he felt a pair of hands close against his neck. Yet there was no one around. The trance took him once again. His body muscles flexed and his heart throbbed.

One minute he was welcoming the old squat fool into his chambers and then suddenly he took the pistol and shot him right in the forehead.

He was concentrating on escaping but his mind kept racing back to his victim.

The man had once called him his child and beaten him at the same time. His sadistic smile used to give him the chills. He was wicked deep within. He had slain so many people with that satanic smirk. He had butchered his only friends and given him their fingers, liver and kidneys to keep as friends. The insensitive, cruel old Son-of-a-bitch that he was. They had snatched him away from his father. Where was his father now? He wanted to reach him desperately.

He had no memory of his father except that of a man immaculately dressed, with green eyes and a wry smile. He had been taken hostage so that his father would pledge his alliance to these beasts.

He hated them. They tried to get him to their side, muddled his mind. But he was smart, at least smarter than they thought him to be and he had taken his revenge.

He was back in the streets of New York. He was running and he was running hard. Where should he go? Which way? His pulse grew by the second. Then, his sides started hurting with the effort but... he ran.

This time, Sean did not stop himself.

‘What’s the problem mate? I heard you mumble something about them not getting you here in Vegas. What’s up?’ asked Sean.

People were now blatantly staring at him.

James ignored his question and picked up his newly dealt hand. Sean had stacks of gold hundred dollar chips in front of him. The croupier counted out chips against each of their chair numbers. It was over fifty thousand dollars. James had made a record in The Xanadu that night.

His mind raced. He looked around and saw people glaring in his direction. He had had enough. He got up from the elegant oval table and walked back. Every step he took seemed very heavy. He weight was wearing him down. Suddenly, he felt there was someone following him and he turned back with a start. It was Sean. He let out a sigh and looked at him in a questioning way.

‘I think you should go up for a nap. You look like you’re gonna black out right here.’ said Sean.

‘Yeah. Thanks! I think I’ll do just that.’

He turned back and tried to make his way towards his room. Sean was concerned. He wondered whether he should go help him get to his room, but he resisted the temptation. It was better to stay out. James was a strange man. It wouldn’t be wise to go looking for trouble.

James walked towards the elevator. He waited there but it took too long. As he made his way towards the stairways, he heard muffled footsteps right behind him. He turned with the revolver in his sweaty hand. ‘Who is there?’, he called out. There was no one. His heart beat increased and his pupils dilated. From the corner of his eye he saw a shadow creep in right behind him and his muscles flexed and he bounded up.

His legs shivered with the effort as he sprinted. He could feel them right behind him. They were right there. He knew it. He took four steps at a time and his hands gathered to fists. He reached the fifteenth floor and darted towards his room. He would be safe there. His heart came in his mouth as he accidentally dropped the key to his room. Oh great GODS! Why is this happening!!? Those few minutes almost felt like a good long hour before he finally swiped the door open. He entered hurriedly and slammed the door shut. He sighed heavily and locked it. They couldn’t enter the room. He was safe. Whew! That was close.

He then looked at his reflection in the mirror; the whites of his eyes were interspersed with ruddy blotches. His expression was grim and his forehead creased. All he could feel was pain cutting through every nerve of his body. Helplessness surged through him and he wanted to shout out to the heavens but he knew that there was no one there to listen to him, no one to pay heed to his pleas, no one to comfort him. His eyeballs then slid down to his breast pocket. There were chips flowing out of it. He was standing in the villa of The Xanadu, a noted casino in Las Vegas.

On his right was a man in a perfectly fitting Armani suit sitting on the soft, fluffy, Victorian couch. The had green eyes and a wry smile. They looked at each other and James froze. There was no more running. This was the end.

‘I really like playing hide and seek with ya, James. I would really do, y’know. But, I don’t like dancing to ya tunes, buddy.’ he said without a hint of aggression.

‘But ya know the rules James.’ he screamed his lungs out.

‘Did ya think this game would never end?’ he sighed, softly.

‘I’m sorry.’ Cried James, searching for words. This man seemed so familiar but why couldn’t he place him?

The man with the revolver gave a funny laugh. It was almost like a giggle. If he didn’t have the gun in his hand, you would misunderstand him to be a rather foolish baboon.

‘Never ever mess with the Guilianos. Never James. Do ya hear me? Betrayal is the seed for contempt. Why do ya think I let ya go with them. These Guilianos are dangerous people, James. And when they hate ya, its the end..that’s the reason why I’ve come for ya after so many years, my boy.’ He whispered.

‘All die those who betray Guiliano.’ He spat with a sudden fury.

James felt the earth below him shifting as he recognized the man in the immaculate suit, green eyes and wry smile. They were the same green eyes. The same wry smile.

‘FATHER!’, gasped James his voice chirping with relief.

‘I just wanted to see if ya recognized me James. I’ve come to take you away. Don’t ya worry.’ He said, as his voice drowned in emotion.

He had missed his son. He wanted to hug him close to his heart. It was going to be nearly thirteen years since he gave him a bear hug. He took a step towards him and then it all happened in the tenth part of a second.

Before he knew it, he was tripping over the royal blue carpets and hit his head on the bedpost. His fingers tightened on the trigger as he tried to regain his balance and it fired loudly.

He was sprawled there, motionless, overlooking the scene – aghast.

James now lay on the floor in the midst of his own blood and bone chips, the revolver next to his right hand. Pieces of his brain splattered on the velvety walls of the villa but he lay there motionless. His eyes were still moist, still aggrieved...very still.