The Odd Couple

The Odd Couple

5 mins
17.3K


At IFFCO Chowk Metro Station in Gurgaon, Ghanshaam Jha, a 22 year-old skinny man dressed in a white shirt-pyjama with a gamchha, worn like a cape tugged into his shirt's collar, is shooting an aerial alien warship from the station’s elevated platform.

The alien warship suspended a few metres above ground is a cube-shaped, grey and black, compact tank with gun barrels protruding out from its every edge.

At the IFFCO Chowk crossing on the road, Deeksha Sharma, a 34 year old lady with face diagonally half-burnt, wearing T-shirt and jeans, is taking down Alien Foot Soldiers with deadly kicks and punches.

The Alien Soldiers are eight to ten feet high, anatomy wise human-like creatures, hidden beneath full-body black-metal armour. The soldiers are not stopping charging towards Deeksha nor is she stopping giving them hell.

There seems to be no one else except Ghanshaam, Deeksha and the Aliens in the area. Vehicles are stranded, light poles have fallen and fires have broken out at a number of places.

Ghanshaam fires his final shot at the warship. The warship fires a missile at Ghanshaam. He loses the gun and jumps from the platform. He contacts Deeksha through radio while he is mid-air.

Ghanshaam says, ‘Deeksha, I am landing.’

He breaks his fall by employing parkour techniques. Meanwhile, the missile strikes the platform and pours debris all over. Fortunately for Ghanshaam, nothing hits him.

Deeksha hits three Aliens with a helicopter kick and replies, ‘I am not talking to you!’

Ghanshaam lands on the roof of a parked white mini-van, ‘I knew you were angry still.’

As Ghanshaam jumps down from the van’s roof, he finds a myriad of Aliens waiting for him. They storm on Ghanshaam.

Deeksha punches a couple of Aliens and suddenly no one is charging towards her. She looks around and sees all the Aliens concentrated in the parking area. Deeksha says to herself, ‘It's gonna be a long day!’

The Aliens run-over Ghanshaam. He punches-kicks a couple, tries to escape but they pull him down. He asks for Deeksha’s help.

Deeksha runs towards the parking which is about two hundred metres away. She steers clears of obstacles like vehicles, trees, poles, hoardings and other debris. Deeksha reaches the roof of the white mini-van in the parking lot.

Ghanshaam meanwhile is defending himself using a car's axle as his weapon when Deeksha open fires heavily on the Aliens from the top of the van with two machine guns. She jumps down in the center, hands Ghanshaam one of the guns and they both empty two entire magazines in a matter of seconds.

After the machine guns have stopped whirring and Ghanshaam and Deeksha both have calmed their breaths, Ghanshaam remarks, ‘That's all.’

Deeksha nods. Then, Deeksha and Ghanshaam throw the guns to the ground.

Suddenly, there is a huge air thrust from above and they notice that the warship is directly above them. They run for their lives. The warship strikes the white mini-van and it explodes behind them.

---

Deeksha and Ghanshaam seek refuge behind a big, green garbage truck. Ghanshaam steals a glance of the scene behind. The war-ship is retreating.

Ghanshaam exclaims, ‘Fooled!’

Deeksha says, ‘Let’s dock here a couple of minutes.’

Ghanshaam nods. There is a pause, then, Ghanshaam speaks up, ‘So, it was our anniversary and I took you to a restaurant.’

Deeksha replies, ‘A Dhabha is not a restaurant especially the one which has a drain flowing in front of it.’

‘That's the concept! Cross the filthy drain and then feast on the sumptuous food. It elevates the experience.’

‘You are impossible!’

Deeksha stands up and gets out in the open. Ghanshaam follows. In front of them are about hundred Aliens.

Ghanshaam remarks, ‘No, this is impossible!’

Deeksha shouts, ‘Duck. ‘

Ghanshaam and Deeksha get beneath the garbage truck from the front side. They crawl till the middle. Ghanshaam notices the old, rust-ridden fuel pipe of the truck. Deeksha is lying ahead of Ghanshaam.

Suddenly, Ghanshaam and Deeksha hear a kid's crying and screaming. They still stay beneath the truck. The cries get worse.

Deeksha says, ‘Let’s get out.’

Ghanshaam doesn't move and says, ‘Ladies first. ‘

Deeksha doesn’t find it funny. She crawls out from beneath the truck.

The Aliens are there. The one in the front is pointing a gun at a kid, Drishya. Then comes the sound of a loud thud and a few moments later, Ghanshaam comes out from beneath the truck.

When Ghanshaam stands next to Deeksha, she murmurs, ‘Execute strategy thirteen.’

Ghanshaam sees the warship ascending towards them. The Alien is pushing the gun's barrel into Drishya's temple repeatedly.

Ghanshaam replies, ‘No. Let’s just sit down with our hands raised.’

Deeksha says, ‘What the hell are you talking about!’

Ghanshaam replies, ‘I know I always let you down but trust me on this one. I know what I'm doing.’

Ghanshaam bows down on his knees with his hands behind his neck. Deeksha repeats his action while warning him, ’You better do.’

Ghanshaam nods. The Alien points the gun at Deeksha.

The warship parks behind Deeksha and Ghanshaam and aims its weapon at them.

Just when the Alien is about to shoot Deeksha, Ghanshaam pulls a lighter out of his palm and lights up his oil-ridden gamchha. He unbuckles it from his collar and throws the burning gamchha beneath the truck under which there is oil spilled all over.

The oil catches fire. Within a matter of seconds the truck catches fire and it explodes vertically. All Aliens get distracted.

Ghanshaam screams, ‘The Kid!’

Deeksha charges towards the Alien holding Drishya hostage. The truck hits a portion of the warship. Its pilot loses control.

Deeksha punches the Alien and rescues Drishya. Ghanshaam is right behind her. Alien soldiers start their chase again. The warship meanwhile crashes to the ground.

Ghanshaam and Deeksha keep running.

Deeskha asks Ghanshaam, ‘You know what strategy thirteen is?’

Ghanshaam replies, ‘No.’

Deeksha says, ‘That the gun which the enemy is holding has no bullets.’

Ghanshaam asks, ‘How did you know?’

Deeksha says, ‘Because the gun was mine.’

After a pause Deeksha continues, ‘You could've saved your precious gamchha.’

Ghanshaam looks behind and tries to spot his burned-up gamchha.

Ghanshaam says to Deeksha, ‘Can you come with me to the market tomorrow?’

Deeksha doesn’t look convinced.

Ghanshaam pleads, ‘Please, I have got to buy a new gamchha. I need your take on it.’

The End


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