The Elixir of Youth (A series of short story)

Part 1: Introduction

Once a humble lab technician, I stumbled upon an old formula that held the promise of an extraordinary effect on human life. The missing piece was a mysterious chemical “x”. After years of relentless work, I completed the formula and tested it on myself. The results were astonishing. I looked a decade younger, and my skin glowed with vitality.

I shared this miracle with a few students who assisted me in my research. They too experienced the same rejuvenating effects. However, one troublesome student revealed our secret to a group of smugglers. Fearing for my safety, I hid the formula in a secret box, accessible only to my sister living in America.

For eight years, I lived in hiding, moving from Himachal to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. But my past caught up with me. The smugglers found me, captured me, and imprisoned me until I would reveal the formula’s location.

In a surprising turn of events, my former students rescued me. They had been part of the formula’s creation and were good at heart. We escaped, leaving the smugglers behind.

The plot thickened when I discovered that my sister was the mastermind behind all this. She had been spying on me for 20 years, using her own child to reveal my formula. She sent people to extract the formula’s location from me. But I didn’t give in, and they left me to die.

In my old age, I shared the formula’s location with a confidante. As he searched for it, I drank the elixir and regained my youth. I made him look like me and left him to die in my place. The world believed I was dead, but I was alive and well, living under a new identity.

I watched my sister’s family grow over the years, but they never knew I was alive. I had gained the power of eternal youth and lived for another 150 years, witnessing the world change around me. The elixir of youth was my secret, a secret I would carry to my grave.

Part 2: The unseen Observer

Continuing from where we left off, I was living a peaceful life in a small village in Japan, working as a farmer. The villagers accepted me as one of their own, and I found companionship in a local girl named Emiko. Despite my actual age, the elixir made me appear young, and we married when she was around 18 years old. We were blessed with two sons, one who resembled me and the other who took after Emiko.

As our children grew, I decided to pass on my knowledge to them. I involved them in my experiments, particularly those related to agriculture. I began experimenting with the elixir on plants, but the initial results were disheartening. However, the addition of a chemical “Y” changed everything. The new composition had no impact on humans but made the plants super active. The harvest, which used to be once a year, increased to 4–5 times a year.

News of my extraordinary harvest spread like wildfire, but the onset of World War 1 overshadowed it. However, the news eventually reached my sister’s eldest daughter, who hypothesized that I was behind this miraculous output. She chose not to intervene due to the ongoing war.

Oblivious to her suspicions, I ramped up my production, aiding Japan by supplying the government with food. I expanded my operations by purchasing additional land for farming, but I kept my formula a secret. The government was pleased with the reduced dependency on farm produce as I was fulfilling their needs.

After the war ended, my niece began sending smugglers to learn about my farm produce. They posed as buyers, and among them was the son of my sister ‘Riva’ who had exposed me earlier. Although I had changed my appearance, he became suspicious.

The story continues as I navigate through these suspicions, maintaining my secret while living under the watchful eyes of those who seek to uncover the truth behind the miraculous harvest. The elixir of youth continues to protect my identity, but for how long can I keep my secret safe? The tale of my life in oblivion continues…

Part 3: The Mysterious Escape

My sister’s son ‘Riva’, who had previously betrayed me, began to grow suspicious of me. This filled me with concern for my family. My son, who bore a striking resemblance to me, was at the market selling our harvest, while my other son, who took after my wife, was with me. I knew that if I lingered for more than five minutes, I would be apprehended, a situation that would spell disaster for me, my family, and the secret of the elixir that only I possessed.

I had foreseen this predicament and had prepared accordingly. I had dug a lengthy tunnel leading to the sea, where I had concealed a highly advanced boat. I attempted to signal my son ‘Rami’, who looked like me, to meet me at the shore within the next half hour. I instructed my wife and our son ‘Laki’, who resembled her, to begin navigating the tunnel.

I engaged in an extended conversation with the supposed smuggler, negotiating the sale of my crops. I was aware that they could apprehend me at any moment. I bought some time from them and began my journey through the tunnel towards the shore. After a quarter of an hour, the smugglers grew restless and initiated a search for me. They scoured every corner but to no avail.

However, a family photo in my house revealed my absence, and my son who was at the market attempting to escape was captured by the smuggler. The next news I received was from a confidante, who informed me that my sister’s son ‘Riva’ had murdered him.

Horrified and shocked, I was consumed by a desire for revenge and made to confront them, but my wife urged me to exercise patience and retreat, as it would put the rest of us in danger. We boarded our advanced boat and sailed towards safety.

I knew of a place far from our home but still within Japan, a small island where I had established a rapport with one of the leaders. They provided us with refuge, and we embarked on the next chapter of our journey with them.

Years passed, and we were perpetually enraged over the death of our son ‘Rami’. I ceased all experiments from that day forward, but the aspiration to effect positive change in the world remained within me. I knew that I would be apprehended someday and had to prepare for that eventuality. The elixir’s formula had to remain solely with me; if it fell into the wrong hands, it could have disastrous consequences.

One of the drawbacks of the Elixir was that I needed to spend at least a day in the sun to maintain its effects. If I missed a day, I would age by 30 days. After living with this dilemma for 15 years, a massive storm hit the region, and to my surprise, the clouds and rain persisted for two months.

I began to age rapidly as the effects of the elixir diminished. My health took a severe hit, and no one on the island could comprehend my suffering. My family was taken aback but they knew the reason behind it, though they couldn’t disclose it to anyone.

The island’s leader somehow learned about a doctor in Tokyo who could potentially save me, but his services came at a steep price. I was devastated, but I had to survive, so I agreed to his terms and awaited the doctor’s arrival. I was slightly suspicious as to why a renowned doctor from Tokyo would be willing to visit me and assist with my health. Could he be associated with the smugglers?

The doctor arrived the following day, and his presence left my family in awe, surprise and thunderstruck

Part 4: (The unveiling of Deception)

In a shocking turn of events, our son Rami, who we believed had been lost to us, emerged as the doctor treating my deteriorating health. His appearance filled me with joy and disbelief. He too was taken aback by my frail condition. He had been searching for me for 15 years, and upon hearing of my condition, he was certain it was me. He fabricated a story about high payment to avoid arousing suspicion. Aware of the danger I was in, he brought a UV light room. After an hour in the chamber, I was transformed. I appeared to be a 30-year-old, despite being 70. Our family rejoiced at my recovery and Rami's return. I quickly checked the mark I had embedded in my sons and was reassured that Rami was indeed our child. My wife and our other son, Laki, were overjoyed, although Laki seemed a bit unsettled by the attention Rami was receiving.

Rami revealed that he had survived a near-death experience thanks to the elixir. He had been left for dead, but a friend rescued him and nursed him back to health over 15 days. He then moved to Tokyo, lived a humble life, and eventually became a doctor. He had been trying to find us all these years, but my careful concealment made it impossible. He was thrilled to see us and proposed visiting us every weekend or fortnight to avoid detection.

With my health restored and my son back, I resumed my experiments. Rami assisted me in setting up a laboratory and showed a keen interest in my work. When news of the second world war broke, memories of how I had aided the Japanese government with their agricultural output resurfaced. I decided to help again, but this time, I was cautious not to reveal my identity. I worked on an enhanced version of the formula to increase human resistance. Both my sons were interested, but Rami showed a special interest. I tested the formula on my cattle, and they became more resilient to diseases and produced more milk. I began helping the government on a small scale by increasing dairy production. The government, unaware of my previous assistance, was grateful.

Meanwhile, I grew suspicious of Rami as he was always writing down our activities and meeting someone in secret. I decided to verify his identity by checking the tattoo I had implanted on him at birth while he was asleep. To my surprise, it was almost perfect but lacked the secret formula of the Elixir, which only my children would know. I realized that he was not my son. At that moment, I drank the rejuvenated Elixir and gave some to my wife. It was a blessing that we did, as an atomic bomb exploded nearby. Thanks to the elixir, we survived, but the imposter posing as my son perished in the heat wave. All my cattle were saved due to the impact of the elixir. I searched his secret metal box and was shocked by what I found...

Part 5:The final chapter

The aftermath of an American attack on Japan left the community in ruins. My family, including my wife, Laki, and myself, were spared thanks to an elixir I had recently developed. We were devastated with the impostor who had infiltrated our family, extracting our secrets. However, he was unaware that the true secret resided within my real son. 

Upon opening a metal box the impostor always carried, I was shocked to discover that he was Riva's son, which explained his ability to impersonate my son. Meanwhile, my elderly sister, on her deathbed, had been desperately trying to obtain the Elixir to regain her youth for nefarious purposes. 

The realization that my son had been killed by Riva and his son was impersonating him to extract all my secrets was devastating. My son Laki was also disheartened to learn that there were people who wanted to kill us. 

To escape the inhospitable environment everytime, we relocated to an island near America and began searching for my sister's residence. After weeks of relentless effort, we discovered she was living in the countryside near New York. Her villa was well protected, and she had cleverly established a hospital and a laboratory to reverse engineer my work. 

We devised a strategy to infiltrate the villa by impersonating lab technicians. Once inside, we discovered a plant I had grown in Japan, which increased produce, and a sophisticated laboratory conducting various experiments. 

There were conducting a lot of experiment on different subjects like rats, mouse and lion. To our horror, we found a human being in a dilapidated condition. Laki was apalled and guided me to identify that it was his brother Rami. He had been subjected to experiments for over 20 years due to the power of the Elixir in his blood. His blood was reverse engineered. 

We communicated with Rami using a secret code and gave him some rejuvenating Elixir, which helped him regain his strength. Rami and Laki then broke the door and overpowered the security guards and made their way to the control room. 

In the meantime, I released an anti-Elixir into the villa's air conditioning system, causing everyone to age rapidly. This didn't affect us as we had the Elixir. I saw my sister and her family were dying.

We discovered that Riva was unaffected by the anti-Elixir, likely because he had sneaked some Elixir during my early experiment days. A fierce battle ensued between my sons and Riva, which ended with Riva being locked in a pitch-dark room with no sunlight, causing his power to diminish. 

After ensuring there were no more threats, we left the place, taking all the secrets and blueprints of the experiments they were conducting. We then left America and moved to an island in Sri Lanka. 

The story concludes with a victory over injustice, reminiscent of the mythological characters Ram and Lakshman defeating Ravan. Today, my sons are involved in politics, striving to save the nation from corruption, injustice, and unequal wealth distribution. 

While my son was at the office there was knock on the door. I opened the door and to my surprize, 'Riva' was standing right infront me accompanied by 3 accomplice. I shouted out loudly but….