A MILLION MALFUNCTIONS

Neighbouring skyscrapers were completely ignored in an awe of that magnificent view. Tiny light dots enhanced the spectacular five-sided building at night time. Three out of five perspectives were perimetered by beautifully groomed gardens, which appeared luminous from the streetlights.

The sole purpose of this structure was as intense inside, as breath-taking as it was outside. Its roots were still, but its abilities were a medium of curiosity in far earth. I entered through an ultramodern spot in a thick layer of security check. A special employee came to attend to me; he guided me to an unnoticed room. He was responsible for my safe reach to the Intelligence Officer.

As the chief assistant of the Intelligence Officer, I was not supposed to be stressed. But, he had summoned me at a much unexpected time. It gave me tension. The level of tension increased as I entered his office, the fair man in uniform was in his mid-forties. His nature was very friendly, and that acquired a naturally optimistic essence on his face.

He circled his chair towards me. This time, his optimism seemed to have faded. He cast a sharp look at me, a receptor to reflex guilt. Both of us acknowledged the deep silence until he pressed a button on his table. The right wall of the office turned inside out. Two of my closest friends, Vincent and Ben, were exposed to be in his custody.

“How could you do this to me?” His indications were clear as he slammed their fake IDs on his table.

“It might be a glitch, please try to understand Mr Jacobs…” I tried to defend ourselves.

But Mr Jacobs was cold and confident in what he saw. The flaws of this world seemed much flawless to blame. It was clear, we were suspected of spying. But why did this seem so real to him in this world full of faults?

A normal road trip is no less than any crystal ball shown by this universe. People walking on footpath glitch and swap positions with different epochs, and appear back after some time. At times, the hitches in this world glimpse our future happenings. This conserves history and guides people in future.

“All of you shall be punished to death”

“Mr Jacobs, please!” I frowned.

“You betrayed the nation, Chanda. The traitors won’t be spared.”

It was no use debating the powerful man; his one snap will assemble the entire security of headquarters here. Three of us were horrified. In the nick of time, another glitch appeared.

The colourful squares in the air brought a past incident to replay like a projector. Some months ago, I tackled a secret agent serving another nation. He aimed to steal confidential information from Mr Jacob’s office. An expression on his face displayed that he was reminded of my loyalty to this country.

“Prove your innocence.” He became neutral. Vincent and Ben were released and we were provided with an atmosphere to speak for ourselves.

Vincent was a dusky magician who possessed initiated knowledge of telekinesis. Ben was a wheatish hunk who companioned Vincent in his poor life. Both were involved in attempts to master glitches for many years. They decided to slideshow their innocence by making exemplary use of their potencies.

They created a great void inside the office, leading us to that fateful day.

̍Ж Ж Ж

The big yellow ball was lucent, glowing with its full potential. Butterflies danced and warm breezes nailed the springs. Vincent, Ben, Liz and I were settled inside the bus. Four of us were best friends and were taking a local tour of a village in Mexico.

Liz held on to her guitar and sang melodiously in English. Vincent exhibited his minor magic tricks. Ben cracked loud jokes. Lastly, I was busy with my pack of wafers. Although it was an ideal trip for youngsters, we behaved very rudely.

Ben sat beside a pregnant lady, because of which, her husband was emotionally tormented to sit three rows away. Other passengers of the bus looked at us as if they wanted to join the fun too. But, the songs we sang, and the jokes we cracked were pure English instead of their mother tongue Spanish. I was selfish with my wafers, and the passengers beside me were left to satisfy themselves with their aroma.

Suddenly, everything blacked out for a blink. The vision returned, and passengers inside the bus were switched. All four of us looked at each other, only to discover our faces were flickering. We were petrified and screamed.

“What’s wrong with you kids?” The conductor approached us.

“Sir, please call an ambulance! All of us are flickering!” Liz broke down crying.

The conductor stared at us for a moment and started to guffaw. The passengers shared their sentiments. It felt as if this was the norm here.

Vincent gained his senses and explained within whispers,

“This is not our world. Somehow, we have opened the portal to another universe.”

He instructed us to look outside the bus. We discovered automobiles running and people walking. One of the men flickered abruptly, and in his place appeared a Roman gladiator. He seemed too unnoticed about where he was. The people beside him also ignored his presence. But soon, he disappeared.This concluded:

‘These glitches were a part of the routine and mere illusions.’

“What are we supposed to do next?” I questioned.

“This is a foreign world; we may or may not exist here. Let’s make a strategy to return.” Ben commented.

“Ben has also started resembling his conscience. I agree with him.” Vincent opened up his opinion.

After a long discussion, we decided that the group will split into two pairs. One pair will be responsible for the bare necessities of the group; the other pair will dedicate themselves to finding an escape. Now the matter to adjudicate was, on what basis will the pairs be divided? At that very moment, the flickering of our faces cleared and it settled the matter.

The malfunctions caused Vincent’s and Ben’s facial features to be mismatched with their IDs. Therefore, they were responsible to search for a way to return. On the other hand, Liz and I were responsible to mingle in this world and earn.

“Therefore, you became my chief assistant, and Liz shined as a celebrity.” Mr Jacobs completed this story as the slideshow faded away.

“Yes sir.” I sighed in relief, expecting to have the freedom to return with my friends.

But none of us knew that the awesome friendly Intelligence Officer Mr Gustav Jacobs would betray his nature. He slightly nodded; his two bodyguards held me the very instant.

“What is this behaviour Gustav?” I was enraged this time.

“Dear naïve Chanda, what a big surprise you gifted me… Your gem friends will be my key to ruling this world.” Mr Jacobs cackled loudly.

“Dispose of this stupid girl, my work only requires these two morons.” He commanded further.

One of the bodyguards dug out his electric gun and pointed it at me. My hopes were lost, and dreams were scattered. I counted my last breath. A diamond fell from my eye, and I wished my farewell to myself. The trigger was just a second away to be pushed. My body felt loose as if it had already adapted to lose forever.

But before you could say knife, a voice called us from the back. Vincent and Ben were enlightened, and when I turned back to discover Liz, I had the same reaction.

She was accompanied by the Vice Chairman of the ‘Joint Chiefs of Staff. He walked beside me and signalled the bodyguards and they released me. He made his way straight to Mr Jacobs and stood there for a while.

“You are the real traitor to this world, Gustav.” His words were hard like stone.

“No sir, it’s not what you think.” Mr Jacobs panicked.

“Thank god, a bug exposed your reality to the entire world. I never expected you would turn out to be such a monster” The chairman said.

Liz came up,

“I was conducting a concert, all in a glitch, Gustav emerged on stage and this whole scenario took place with the public as witness.” She elaborated.

Four of us were escorted out of The Pentagon. Consolation conquered our emotions. We ate refreshments and soothed ourselves. Vincent meditated to calm himself, and this time, he discovered the escape. Revelation.

The big yellow ball was lucent, glowing with its full potential. Butterflies danced and warm breezes nailed the springs. Four of us were ready to repeat history, along with amendments to our selfishness.

Ben offered his seat, and the couple reunited. This time, we sang Spanish songs, and a chore on the bus was attracted to sing along with us. Vincent exhibited his magic tricks to everyone. Lastly, I distributed my wafer treat to each passenger. Each face had a beautiful smile.

Everything blacked out for a blink. The vision returned and our eyes sparkled…