Black Truth!
Prologue:
Inside the small, dimly lit air conditioned
chamber, a large square table was
surrounded by five chairs. Seated upon the
chairs were five people. All their attires
were black with long hoods pulled over
the heads. They concealed the five
faces perfectly, apart from the persons'
lips and chins nothing was visible to the
naked eyes. Long arms save the wrists
covered with black fabric rested upon
the smooth surface of the mahogany
table.
Leaning forward a little, they were
animatedly engaged in their conversation.
Their soft voices sounded a bit loud in the
calm atmosphere. Occassionally one or
two of them would tap the table,
approving a word or sometimes an entire
sentence spoken by the guy seated
in the centre. He was the leader of this
little group. Always alert to the slightest
change in the surroundings, his gang took
him very seriously. His very presence
inside the chamber was nothing less than
an assurance, a belief that their work
would not be spoiled. They came together
for discussing their further strategies
regarding progress of the stone stockist.
Suddenly the air in the room shifted and
everything became still. Underneath his
hood, the leader's hawk like eyes began
darting to and fro. Quickly getting up from
his chair the man lunged at the window,
drawing the blinds away. Squinting to get
a clear look, he banged his first on the
hard stone wall, cursing under his breath.
The rest of the group were utterly baffled.
They could not understand their chief's
behavior or his restlessness. But the frown
over his forehead and the lines of worry
covering his face were enough to clarify
their doubt. Something was bothering
their leader. He had certainly sensed some
terrible problem which was likely to prove
very destructive for them in the near
future.
Mustering a bit of courage, the man
at the front took slow and careful steps
towards his chief. Clearing his throat
softly, he asked the man in a small,
hesitant voice,
" Sir, what is bothering you?
If any of us has offended you in any way,
please let me know. I apologize for my
friends' mistake and we all will ensure it
never happens again. Please chief! Kindly
tell us as to who or what is the reason
behind your worried silence!"
The man finished doubtfully in the
same small and hesitant tone. But what
happened next was beyond his wildest
imagination. Because as soon as he was
done speaking, the leader quickly swung
around and before the gang members
could contemplate anything, landed a
hard slap upon the man's cheek. Everyone
was taken aback. This was the first time in
years when their chief actually lost his
temper on someone, specially one of their
gang members.
"All of you! Yes, all of you are dumb
idiots. No wonder you can't see anything.
Am I the only person who is supposed to
possess both eyes and a brain? I expected
you to atleast suspect something was up
when the corridor suddenly fell silent. We
were too wrapped up in our talks to notice
the presence of an outsider. Fools! Why
couldn't you understand?
WE WERE BEING WATCHED ALL THE
WHILE! SOMEONE WAS SPYING ON
US!"
Their leader finished angrily. All the men
stood shell shocked, too scared and disgus
-ted with themselves to say anything. Who
was the intruder? Where did he go? What
was the motive behind his eavesdropping?
How much had he heard? And if he was
around them all the time, how come no
one noticed him? Where did he hide? Most
importantly, how did chief know they were
being watched? How did he get to know
some outsider had gained access to their
secret meeting place? How could he sense
the man's presence?
There were too many questions and the
men were unable to guess the answers to
any of them just then. As of now, there
were 2 important issues which demanded
their urgent attention:
1) Reaching their work area and ensuring
the task was finished within time sans any
hindrance.
2) Dispatching their best spies for tracing
the outsider who visited their secret meet
-ing place uninvited. His entry was a sign
their privacy was breached.
Right from their tasks to fulfilment of
their desired goals from time to time,
these men worked like machines. Little
food and least rest were what kept them
up and about. But tonight was a different
case.
For the very first time in their slavish
lives, these men were actually worrying
about something. Until now they did the
bidding of their leader and apart from a
handsome amount of money every month,
all they wished for was to be in his good
books. The faith and trust received from
their master was the greatest reward for
them. Merely an indication, a single hint
was enough for these men to lay
themselves in the path of any calamity
they feared might befall their chief. And
presently, this master, this very chief of
theirs was extremely displeased with them
due to their casual and irresponsible
behavior.
Sighing deeply the gang members
passed each other serious looks. It was
daylight now as the morning sunrays were
slowly falling upon the earth, illuminating
the surroundings brightly. Slowly nodding
their heads at each other, they stretched
their arms. Resting their palms over one
another, the middle guy placed his other
palm over his outstretched first one. Then
giving his friends' hands a warm squeeze,
he silently assured them about success in
searching the previous night's trespasser.
Resolving to redouble their efforts at
safeguarding the identity and secrecy of
their group, all gang members exited the
building. Walking out of the tall glass
doors, they went in different directions,
each one treading their chosen paths.
Chapter One!
Early morning 7'o' clock:
People were moving around, arranging
things and cleaning up the bedrooms. The
housekeeping staff were going about their
usual chores, sanitizing the dining room,
big and small washrooms on every floor
and arranging the well dusted furniture in
the main conference room located in the
right side corner of the 1st floor.
Situated within the plush bylanes of
Bandra East is the state government
guest house. A beautiful and well kept
structure, it houses and caters to the
needs of Parliament Members, bureau-
crats and Ministers belonging to various
Union and State Departments. Bedrooms,
housekeeping and room services along
with clean, well maintained washrooms
are the regular amenities provided for
the visitors, occupants and their staffers.
This guest house also comprises of a large
canteen. A big kitchen right behind the
L shaped billing counter was run by 3 cooks
who prepared various delicacies. Food
served in this canteen consisted of every
item ranging from mutton chops to eggs,
chicken and varieties of locally known fish.
Almost every visitor paying a visit to this
place would have at least one meal in this
canteen. The aroma wafting from the
ever busy kitchen along with the clattering
of vessels whetted the visitors' appetites
teasing their taste buds.
Today was an ordinary day like any
other, save this morning aroused the deep
or shallow, real or fake, even eternal or
momentary political interests of every single
attendee be it even the humblest waiter in
the canteen or the usual housekeepers. As
the large pendulum clock on the outer wall
of the meeting room struck the hours with
a resounding 'Dong', faltering steps could
be clearly herd as people hurried for giving
final touches to their chores. Minutes went
by and about half an hour later, a thin man
with an average height and medium built
sprinted inside the building, skidding to a
halt right outside the meeting room's closed
door.
© Tilott90
Inside the small, dimly lit air conditioned
chamber, a large square table was
surrounded by five chairs. Seated upon the
chairs were five people. All their attires
were black with long hoods pulled over
the heads. They concealed the five
faces perfectly, apart from the persons'
lips and chins nothing was visible to the
naked eyes. Long arms save the wrists
covered with black fabric rested upon
the smooth surface of the mahogany
table.
Leaning forward a little, they were
animatedly engaged in their conversation.
Their soft voices sounded a bit loud in the
calm atmosphere. Occassionally one or
two of them would tap the table,
approving a word or sometimes an entire
sentence spoken by the guy seated
in the centre. He was the leader of this
little group. Always alert to the slightest
change in the surroundings, his gang took
him very seriously. His very presence
inside the chamber was nothing less than
an assurance, a belief that their work
would not be spoiled. They came together
for discussing their further strategies
regarding progress of the stone stockist.
Suddenly the air in the room shifted and
everything became still. Underneath his
hood, the leader's hawk like eyes began
darting to and fro. Quickly getting up from
his chair the man lunged at the window,
drawing the blinds away. Squinting to get
a clear look, he banged his first on the
hard stone wall, cursing under his breath.
The rest of the group were utterly baffled.
They could not understand their chief's
behavior or his restlessness. But the frown
over his forehead and the lines of worry
covering his face were enough to clarify
their doubt. Something was bothering
their leader. He had certainly sensed some
terrible problem which was likely to prove
very destructive for them in the near
future.
Mustering a bit of courage, the man
at the front took slow and careful steps
towards his chief. Clearing his throat
softly, he asked the man in a small,
hesitant voice,
" Sir, what is bothering you?
If any of us has offended you in any way,
please let me know. I apologize for my
friends' mistake and we all will ensure it
never happens again. Please chief! Kindly
tell us as to who or what is the reason
behind your worried silence!"
The man finished doubtfully in the
same small and hesitant tone. But what
happened next was beyond his wildest
imagination. Because as soon as he was
done speaking, the leader quickly swung
around and before the gang members
could contemplate anything, landed a
hard slap upon the man's cheek. Everyone
was taken aback. This was the first time in
years when their chief actually lost his
temper on someone, specially one of their
gang members.
"All of you! Yes, all of you are dumb
idiots. No wonder you can't see anything.
Am I the only person who is supposed to
possess both eyes and a brain? I expected
you to atleast suspect something was up
when the corridor suddenly fell silent. We
were too wrapped up in our talks to notice
the presence of an outsider. Fools! Why
couldn't you understand?
WE WERE BEING WATCHED ALL THE
WHILE! SOMEONE WAS SPYING ON
US!"
Their leader finished angrily. All the men
stood shell shocked, too scared and disgus
-ted with themselves to say anything. Who
was the intruder? Where did he go? What
was the motive behind his eavesdropping?
How much had he heard? And if he was
around them all the time, how come no
one noticed him? Where did he hide? Most
importantly, how did chief know they were
being watched? How did he get to know
some outsider had gained access to their
secret meeting place? How could he sense
the man's presence?
There were too many questions and the
men were unable to guess the answers to
any of them just then. As of now, there
were 2 important issues which demanded
their urgent attention:
1) Reaching their work area and ensuring
the task was finished within time sans any
hindrance.
2) Dispatching their best spies for tracing
the outsider who visited their secret meet
-ing place uninvited. His entry was a sign
their privacy was breached.
Right from their tasks to fulfilment of
their desired goals from time to time,
these men worked like machines. Little
food and least rest were what kept them
up and about. But tonight was a different
case.
For the very first time in their slavish
lives, these men were actually worrying
about something. Until now they did the
bidding of their leader and apart from a
handsome amount of money every month,
all they wished for was to be in his good
books. The faith and trust received from
their master was the greatest reward for
them. Merely an indication, a single hint
was enough for these men to lay
themselves in the path of any calamity
they feared might befall their chief. And
presently, this master, this very chief of
theirs was extremely displeased with them
due to their casual and irresponsible
behavior.
Sighing deeply the gang members
passed each other serious looks. It was
daylight now as the morning sunrays were
slowly falling upon the earth, illuminating
the surroundings brightly. Slowly nodding
their heads at each other, they stretched
their arms. Resting their palms over one
another, the middle guy placed his other
palm over his outstretched first one. Then
giving his friends' hands a warm squeeze,
he silently assured them about success in
searching the previous night's trespasser.
Resolving to redouble their efforts at
safeguarding the identity and secrecy of
their group, all gang members exited the
building. Walking out of the tall glass
doors, they went in different directions,
each one treading their chosen paths.
Chapter One!
Early morning 7'o' clock:
People were moving around, arranging
things and cleaning up the bedrooms. The
housekeeping staff were going about their
usual chores, sanitizing the dining room,
big and small washrooms on every floor
and arranging the well dusted furniture in
the main conference room located in the
right side corner of the 1st floor.
Situated within the plush bylanes of
Bandra East is the state government
guest house. A beautiful and well kept
structure, it houses and caters to the
needs of Parliament Members, bureau-
crats and Ministers belonging to various
Union and State Departments. Bedrooms,
housekeeping and room services along
with clean, well maintained washrooms
are the regular amenities provided for
the visitors, occupants and their staffers.
This guest house also comprises of a large
canteen. A big kitchen right behind the
L shaped billing counter was run by 3 cooks
who prepared various delicacies. Food
served in this canteen consisted of every
item ranging from mutton chops to eggs,
chicken and varieties of locally known fish.
Almost every visitor paying a visit to this
place would have at least one meal in this
canteen. The aroma wafting from the
ever busy kitchen along with the clattering
of vessels whetted the visitors' appetites
teasing their taste buds.
Today was an ordinary day like any
other, save this morning aroused the deep
or shallow, real or fake, even eternal or
momentary political interests of every single
attendee be it even the humblest waiter in
the canteen or the usual housekeepers. As
the large pendulum clock on the outer wall
of the meeting room struck the hours with
a resounding 'Dong', faltering steps could
be clearly herd as people hurried for giving
final touches to their chores. Minutes went
by and about half an hour later, a thin man
with an average height and medium built
sprinted inside the building, skidding to a
halt right outside the meeting room's closed
door.
© Tilott90
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