the left roof - amazon s3 · the left roof 2 ‘have you gone deaf, alfred? i’ve been screaming...

THE LEFT ROOF

THE LEFT ROOF

A Way to the Inf inity World

Narendra Singh NathawatVishvendra Singh Nathawat

!

Copyright © 2017 by Narendra Singh Nathawat and Vishvendra Singh Nathawat.

ISBN: Hardcover 978-1-4828-8935-2 Softcover 978-1-4828-8934-5 eBook 978-1-4828-8933-8

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

www.partridgepublishing.com/india

DEDICATED TO

Our father, who left us for his heavenly abode on the day that our sister got married

For our mother and sister, who withstood the pain

Bindiya, who read this story first

Robin, for reading this story a day before his final test

All our friends who stood by us during our tough times

vii

||JAI JHUNJHAD JI MAHARAJ||

Whatever occurred in the past was for good. Whatever is happening in the present is for good. Whatever happens in the

future will be for good. Do not cry for the past, concentrate on your present life, and do not worry about the future.

Whatever you possess now once belonged to another, and it will belong to someone else in the future. Change is the essence of life.

—Lord Shri Krishna

ix

GRATITUDE

Circumstances do not always remain tantamount. Either they would be in your favour, or they would be exactly opposed to

your speculation. Strategies designed keeping the future in mind are never conclusively successful. The results can be cataclysmic or perhaps stupendous. Adverse conditions give you the strength to bear the agony and make you dauntless. In an unfavourable situation, if a person remains tenacious and moulds himself according to the happenstances, he most certainly becomes illustrious. Something likewise happened with us when our father passed away during our sister’s wedding.

Our fortunate times suddenly turned hapless. But we thank those luckless times that brought out the real identities behind familiar masks. We brothers both have learned the hard way the actual substance of the Bhagavad Gita, which throws light on that aspect of our society that we are oblivious to during our favourable times.

We thank the demeaning remarks of our relatives, which made us crave for prominence. We are grateful for the newspapers we got every day, which gave us inspiration and motivation to work even harder for our betterment. We thank the eminent author J. K. Rowling, whose biography inspired us to become writers. As children, we had read somewhere that the most formidable task in this world is to write, and our father believed that you should always choose work that demands toil.

CONTENTS

Prologue ................................................................................................................ xiii

Chapter 1: A Walk through the Mysterious World ................................ 1

Chapter 2: Welcome to the Infinity ............................................................40

Chapter 3: Past That Tells Truth .................................................................79

Chapter 4: An Old Friend in the Infinity ...............................................113

Chapter 5: Defeat the Enemy by Jack-o’-Lantern ................................143

Chapter 6: Court of the Listeners ..............................................................154

Chapter 7: Knock at the Door ....................................................................167

xiii

PROLOGUE

If fantasy is moulded with a half-truth and displayed, it appears to be a full truth, just similar to a milkman who adds some milk to water and claims that he sells milk.

The story seeks to uncover the mysteries of the creation of this universe in a fictional way. This story based on such a

world from where the entire universe can be controlled.

The rules of this story tries to explain the true aspects of life and death in a fictional manner. This is the story of a boy

who, in order to know the secret of his birth, lands on a world that can be imagined only through this story. There, the boy

comes to know a truth about his birth that will change the very fundamentals of that world. Just like on Earth, where people

conspire to get into higher positions, people of that world cross all limits in order to achieve the position of supreme. In this story, people of that world treat humans as their puppets for

their benefit. This story will jolt all the portions of your brain.

1

CHAPTER 1

A Walk through the Mysterious World

Last night’s heavy snowfall hindered many residents of Kansas City from going out. The temperature recorded a bone-chilling

four degrees; even as the clock strikes 8 a.m., there seems to be no hope of the sun casting its rays on this vibrant city located on the banks of the river Missouri. The roads wear an empty look while the ambiance seems pretty calm and still. In spite of the harsh weather, Kansas City’s buildings and its magnificent skylines still look alive and vibrant with the usual early morning’s hustle and bustle. A senior man busy reading the morning paper is sitting near a bakery at the end of the street as the city workers dot the roads, trying to clear the piled-up snow.

The house numbered HB10A8, which bears the name of Mr and Mrs Riston, is amongst the many beautiful residential houses situated around the precinct of the river Missouri. Shining out through one of the rooms of this residence is a bright light, which is clearly visible even through the winter mist.

A loud voice screams out, ‘Alfred! . . . Alfred! . . . Alfred!’

Then there is a loud noise of a door being slammed open. A tall and towering person wearing a plain white shirt, black trousers, and a black necktie stands at the door. The person sports an unshaven look over his brown receding hairline.

The Left Roof

2

‘Have you gone deaf, Alfred? I’ve been screaming out your name since the last few minutes!’ the man yells again.

‘I heard you loud and clear, Dad, and was about to come,’ the voice of a 22-year-old male replies from the bedroom. The young man appears slim and slender. He wears a red jacket and blue shorts. His eyes are red, and his hair is black and uncombed.

Father: ‘Alfred, are you not going to be late?’

Alfred: ‘I’m late for what, Dad?’

Father: ‘Do I have to remind you that you’re going to be late for class?’

Alfred: ‘Relax, Dad. I’m not going to be late for anything. It’s winter holidays at my college.’

Father: ‘It’s winter holidays at your college?’

Alfred: ‘Yes, Dad, it is.’

Father: ‘Fine. I’ll be off to work then. I’ve got some important things to take care of at my workplace. I want you to go down and finish having your breakfast, and don’t forget to take a bath before you eat.’ After saying this, the man walks out.

Alfred walks into the kitchen, reaches for the water bottle, and pours the water into a glass. Glancing at a woman’s portrait that hung on the kitchen wall, Alfred moans, ‘Why did you leave us, Mother? You have no idea how much I miss you. I hate you, Mom, for leaving us.’

Sobbing badly, he lifts the glass to his mouth to drink. He realises that bubbles are appearing mysteriously in the glass, but ignoring this, he quickly gulps the water down his throat. He feels that the water is a little warm and unsavoury, but he ignores everything and makes his way towards the bathroom.


3

At the office of an MNC

‘Good morning, Mr Uthen,’ greets one of the workers.

Mr Uthen is the CEO and owner of the (Die Chemistry Labs), which produces chemical products, and he is also the father of 22-year-old Alfred.

Kiwi (Uthen’s female secretary): ‘Sir, our products that were recently released in the market have failed instantly.’

Uthen: ‘But why?’

Jon (DCL’s directory’s member): ‘Sir, I think that the Fi(φ) Electro-Chemical Corp. has made extensive research on our old samples and has come up with something better than our existing product.’

Uthen: ‘What the hell does this Sijjael want?’

Sijjael is the former wife of Uthen and the mother of Alfred. She divorced Uthen eight years back and got married to Leebrian. Leebrian is one of the richest business tycoons in the USA and also the founder and CEO of Fi(φ) Electro-Chemical Corp. (FIECC). Both FIECC and DCL are archrivals, but DCL always came first in the race. However, after Sijjael joined FIECC, the company started a fierce competition with DCL.

Jon: ‘What are we going to do, sir? Our products are not doing well in the market.’

Uthen: ‘What can we do? Just let it go the way it is going for now. May God help us. She knows everything about our products, and that’s why we are facing these problems.’

Jon: ‘But she doesn’t have an idea of everything going on in here right now.’

The Left Roof

4

Uthen: ‘Who the hell knows what’s going on here?’

Morning at Alfred’s house

From his bedroom window, Alfred stares at an old house opposite his current residence. The house once belonged to Alfred’s family, and it was where he spent most of his childhood days. But Alfred was told by his father that Sijjael has got a stay order over the house with the help of the local court.

The swing on which Alfred used to play with his parents as a kid is being removed by some workers.

When he witnesses this, a teardrop rolls down slowly from Alfred’s eyes towards his cheeks. Suddenly, the teardrop f lows upward and sits over the tip of his nose. Alfred then makes it roll towards his eyelashes, and the teardrop suddenly f loats up in the air and vanishes.

Just then, Alfred receives a phone call.

Alfred: ‘Hello . . . Hello?’

Caller: . . .

Alfred: ‘Who’s it? I’m unable to hear any voice!’

Caller: . . .

And the line goes dead.

10 p.m.

‘Salvia? Open the door please,’ Uthen calls to his maid while standing outside the door of the house.


5

Salvia: ‘Yes, I’m coming, sir.’

‘Why don’t you travel and visit some new places during the holidays? You don’t seem to be feeling good the past few days,’ Uthen suggests to Alfred while having dinner.

‘I don’t wish to go anywhere.’

‘Why is that so? Is the college going to be reopened soon?’

Alfred cries out, saying, ‘Yes, I wish to go to my old house.’

Uthen gets up from his chair, embraces Alfred, and says, ‘Sure, son. We’ll both go very soon.’

Alfred: ‘Dad, why’s Mom doing this to us?’

Uthen: ‘I’ve no idea, son. I don’t know what she intends to do by giving us pain.’

Alfred then walks to his room to sleep. And then he hears a voice saying, ‘Alfred . . . dear Alfred, how are you, son?’

Alfred’s eyes look all around the room to find out from where this strange voice is coming. But he can’t see a thing. Ignoring the voice, Alfred goes to sleep.

7 a.m. the next day

Alfred receives a phone call.

Alfred: ‘Hello! What’s up, Khushahal?’

Khushahal: ‘What are you doing, bro?’

The Left Roof

6

Alfred: ‘It’s 7 a.m., and what would one do at such an early morning but sleep? You tell me. Why’d you call up so early?’

Khushahal: ‘Listen up! Get up and come to the college library now. I’ve got something important to share with you!’

Alfred: ‘Really? What is it? Why don’t you say it over the phone, man?’

Khushahal: ‘No, I’ll let you know once you’re here.’

Alfred: ‘Fine. I’ll be there.’

Alfred hops into his car and then begins to leave for the library. He looks at the snow-filled road. A few city workers are busy trying to remove the excess snow. All of a sudden, Alfred’s eyes catch a vision in very slow motion. He sees the snow-removing machine accidentally hitting the electric pole, and then the pole breaks and is about to fall on the worker standing beneath it. Sensing this, Alfred jumps out of his car, grabs the worker’s hand, and quickly pulls the worker towards him like a speedster. Alfred realises that the vision that seemed to be in slow motion has now turned to normal view. All the workers present at the location thank Alfred for saving their colleague from getting hurt and ask him how he managed to do it. Panicked and unable to explain, Alfred walks away from the place.

8:30 a.m. at FIECC

The Fi Electro-Chemical Corp. building is one of Kansas City’s tallest, and it doesn’t go unnoticed so easily amongst many of the city’s great skyline towers. Leebrian and Sijjael are conversing with each other in their office chambers. The head of FIECC, Leebrian, is unlike any ordinary CEO of a company. The man can forgive anything and anyone but cannot forgive a person that has bad intentions to degrade his business. On the other hand, Sijjael is a kind of woman equipped


7

with the deadly combination of both beauty and brains. The woman can never think of losing even a cent from her treasured savings.

Leebrian: ‘When are you going to start your research in that old house of yours?’

Sijjael: ‘Darling, you’re aware that we have put a stay order on that house. Even Uthen has filed a case with it. Once we win the case, which we are almost on the verge of winning, I’ll then resume my research.’

Leebrian: ‘You’ve been singing the same song for the last eight years. You even said that our company would attain the highest growth of profits once we have that chemical in our possession. Forget about the chemical. You haven’t even managed to win the case. Have you forgotten that with that chemical, we can break the barriers of the values of infinity and seek control over infinity that even the greatest scientists tried to decipher and have met death instead? You said that David Filip’s chemical could do that.’

Sijjael: ‘You’re barking at me unnecessarily. If there is one person on this Earth who is totally concerned all about that chemical, it is me. Even I wish to see the world’s end being immortal!’

Leebrian: ‘That’s all right, darling! I can’t wait anymore! I need that chemical as soon as possible and at any cost. And as per your latest update, David disappeared somewhere. Maybe he was successful in his experiment with that chemical, which might have made him enter the world of infinity.’

Sijjael (laughing): ‘Any mysterious thing can happen in this world, darling!’

The Left Roof

8

At DCL’s main office

Uthen ( furiously over the phone): ‘How long will it take for you to prepare that chemical? When are you going to deliver it to me? You’ve taken enough time, and how much longer do you want me to wait for it?’

At Alfred’s college

Alfred manages to reach college by 8 a.m. and walks into the library. He sits at the nearby table and starts reading a book. A mild breeze of chilly air f lows towards him from the nearby window, which makes him feel cold and uneasy to concentrate on reading the book. He sees a fat and large-bodied young man sleeping near the open window. Alfred calls out to him to close the window, but the guy hardly pays any attention to his request. As Alfred gets up from his chair to close the window, the window slams shut by itself.

Witnessing this unnatural act, Alfred questions himself, What the hell is happening around me?

Just then, a slim and short-looking young person called out to Alfred.

‘Hey, Alfred, the assignment that you gave me to finish, I haven’t completed it yet. Forget yours. I haven’t even started mine! I’m worried as to how Mr Dodge would react. I’m a sorry man! I took off to India for my cousin’s wedding. What do we do now? We do not have enough time left as college reopens five days from now.’

Alfred: ‘We got to do something.’

Khushahal (laughing): ‘Yeah, of course we got to do something!’

Alfred: ‘What do you mean?’


9

Khushahal: ‘What I intended to say is that we collect old students’ assignment files and stick our names over theirs, and we claim that our assignments have already been checked and duly signed.’

Alfred: ‘Wow! What a fantastic idea! I don’t know how you Indians come up with such strange and stupid ideas. I appreciate your great thinking. But Mr Dodge hasn’t checked any of our assignments yet. I feel worse that we have to work on our assignments from scratch. I want you to come down to my house, and we will start working on it tonight.’

7 p.m. at Leebrian’s house

Sijjael (speaking with someone over the phone): ‘I haven’t told Leebrian that the chemical is almost prepared. . . Yeah, though I know that it has reached its final stage. . . Yes, he’ll be writing the power of attorney on my name. And once I have the control of the POA, you just go ahead and take over everything under your control. All right, Leebrian is approaching. I’ll speak to you later then.’

5 p.m. at Alfred’s house (HB10A8)

Alfred (talking with Khushahal over the phone): Hey, buddy, how long will it take for you to get here? I’ve got hold of the main object based on our assignment’s research. Please come soon. We have a lot of work to do.’

As the call ends, Alfred hears a similar voice from the phone. ‘Hey, Alfred, dear Alfred. How are you doing, son?’ Alfred realises that the call hasn’t ended yet, so he tries with all his might to stop the call, but some unseen force prevents him from doing so. And just then, he receives a call from Khushahal.

The Left Roof

10

‘Hey, Alfred, I just can’t come right now. It’ll take one more hour for me. Because my dad’s company is going to launch a new tire today, and it is important for me to be in the inauguration. So I’m going there!’ The call ends, and Alfred listens to the strange voice once again. Alfred throws the phone away, but it f loats in the air mysteriously for a few seconds and then drops down to his bed.

There is some unseen force trying to make contact with Alfred, but he doesn’t seem to understand that.

He telephones Uthen and says, ‘Dad, you got to come here fast. I’m scared. There is something weird going on here.’

7 p.m.

The doctor examines Alfred as Uthen watches. Salvia is standing nearby, holding a glass of water.

Just then, Uthen receives a phone call.

Uthen (answering): ‘What did you tell him? . . . You’re aware that the chemical is in its final stage, right? . . . Oh, okay, all right.’

After completing the call, Uthen asks the doctor, ‘What happened to my son? Why’s he feeling depressed a lot nowadays?’

Doctor: ‘What happened to you, Alfred? Are your worried about your studies?’

Alfred: ‘Yeah, maybe? The thing is that I haven’t finished my college assignment yet.’

Doctor (laughing): Oh, now I understand. There’s nothing to worry about, Mr Uthen. I’ve kept the pills here. Alfred needs to take them promptly.’


11

After saying this, the doctor and Uthen, who is holding the doctor’s suitcase, rise from their seats and walk out.

At that very moment, Alfred receives a phone call from Khushahal. ‘Buddy, I’m standing outside your house.’

Alfred: ‘Okay, just wait. I’ll be right there in a minute!’

Khushahal (interrupting Alfred): ‘So you’re going to kick me away from outside?’

‘No, buddy. Just wait outside. I’m coming now!’ says Alfred.

As Alfred steps out of his house to meet his friend, Khushahal asks him why Alfred wanted him to wait outside. Alfred tells him that he wasn’t feeling better inside his house and hence asked him to wait outside his house.

Just then, Alfred notices a large truck departing from the driveway of his old house, and upon watching more closely, he realises that the truck driver is wearing the DCL uniform. Surprised, he clutches Khushahal’s wrist and runs towards the old house. As both friends try to enter the old house, the security guard stationed at the door stops them.

Another guard at the house tells them, ‘You’re not supposed to trespass this facility, mister.’

‘Then how the hell did that truck just pass by?’ Alfred questions the guard.

The guard roars in anger, saying, ‘Are you crazy? What truck are you talking about? When did a truck leave from here?’

‘The big truck that just left a few minutes ago,’ replies Alfred.

The Left Roof

12

Another guard standing nearby becomes furious and grabs Khushahal’s bag, groans at him, and asks, ‘Did you see any truck leaving these premises?’

Terrified and scared, Khushahal replies in a trembling tone, ‘No, I haven’t seen any truck pass by. Alfred, we must leave now!’

Alfred looks at Khushahal surprisingly and asks him, ‘What the hell are you saying, Khushahal? Didn’t we see the truck just leave from here?’

‘Remove these fellows from here!’ the chief orders the two security guards standing there.

‘That’s not needed. We are leaving on our own,’ Khushahal says.

As they moved far away from the old house, Khushahal asks Alfred what he intended to do by entering that house. Alfred replies that the old house belonged to their family. ‘If the house was your property, then why the hell did those guards not allow us inside?’ Khushahal enquires.

‘Because my mother put a stay order on that house, and nobody is supposed to enter the premises. But I just happened to see a truck leave from the driveway of the house, and the occupant in the truck was wearing our company’s uniform. I was curious as to why the truck was here in the first place.’

Khushahal: ‘But why did your mother put a stay order on your house?’

Alfred: ‘I don’t know, buddy. Whenever I ask my dad about this, he just tries to divert the topic.’

Khushahal: ‘Listen, buddy, I think I can help you with this problem. One of my uncles is a member of the Kansas City Developer


13

Community, and I believe that he can shed some light on this issue. I’ll introduce you to him.’

‘That’s great. But I need to enter that house right now. It’s been almost eight years since I’ve entered that old house.’

‘And what do you think? The guards standing over there would just let you in?’ Khushahal asks Alfred in a teasing tone.

‘I know a route that will lead us into the house without the security guards seeing us,’ replies Alfred.

Both of them go to the garden behind the old house. Alfred removes the cover of the tunnel, and both of them enter the tunnel. The odour emanating from the tunnel makes Khushahal uncomfortable, and he says to Alfred, ‘So this is the route? I’m sure that this smell won’t leave our bodies for a week.’

Alfred laughs heartily at his friend’s joke. After a few steps into the tunnel, they see a bright light shining from one of the ventilating grilles below. Both of them peep down and witness a few men inside one of the rooms. They are wearing DCL uniforms and are working on some chemical experiments. They also notice that the people present are surrounded by DCL-related chemicals.

Looking at this, both of them remain speechless.

‘I think we should leave . There’s something creepy going on here,’ Khushahal says to Alfred.

Taking a few more steps forward, they climb their way into the house with the help of a ladder. Khushahal looks around the house and comments, ‘Woooow. This is one big house. Is this really your house?’

‘Yes indeed, it is ours,’ replies Alfred. After scanning the house with wide eyes, Khushahal asks Alfred as to how and why the tunnel is

The Left Roof

14

connected to the hall, but not to any other room in the house. Alfred explains that the tunnel was built as an escape route during any unseen emergency, and it connects to this tunnel that opens out to the nearby road.

Alfred gives Khushahal a sneak peek of every nook and cranny of his house. And then they enter a large room that stored numerous study books all over. In wonder at the large volume of the books, Khushahal gasps and says, ‘Oh my god! These are indeed a lot of books, man! Why didn’t you take these books back with you?’

‘Unfortunately, there’s a stay order on this house. And as per the court’s order, all the belongings should remain as is,’ replies Alfred.

As Khushahal surveys the entire house, he enters one of the rooms and notices that a security guard is sitting while reading a book outside the door at the other side of the room. Khushahal signals Alfred to inform him about the security guard, and silently, they decide to leave the room without making any noise. Suddenly, the bookshelf above their heads falls on them. The sudden noise disturbs the guard. He immediately rushes inside and alarms the other guards, saying, ‘Over here! Something is going on here.’

The guards look stunned as they see Khushahal and Alfred amongst the piled-up books. One of the guards roars in a loud voice, ‘What the hell are you guys doing here? How did you enter these premises? Both of you were already warned once. Come on, speak up fast.’

Another guard screams at them, ‘Why don’t you guys answer? Don’t you understand what he’s asking?’

Khushahal answers in a trembling voice, ‘No, nothing. We weren’t doing anything.’

‘Are you here for something?’ the guard asks Khushahal.


15

The guard then turns to his colleagues and yells at them, ‘Which one of you has let them in? Aren’t you aware that there are strict orders over trespassing this place? Were you all sleeping or what? Today these guys broke in. Tomorrow somebody else will.’

One of the guards again pressures Khushahal into telling them their reason for trespassing house. Khushahal looks helplessly over the fallen books around them and replies instantly, ‘Nothing. We came inside for a book that we needed for our college assignment.’ Then he reaches for one of the books nearby titled The Infinity Theorem and shows it to the guard.

‘How do you know that there are books in this room?’

One of the guards then interrupts, saying in a casual tone, ‘Hey, man, this house actually belongs to that red-eyed youngster. His mother has put a stay order on this house because of her new-found boyfriend.’ All the guards grin over his comment. ‘There’s no use discussing this issue in detail. Just get them out of here.’

The guards then order them to leave the house and warn them that they will be handed over to the police if they are seen there again. Khushahal helplessly collects the book and keeps it in his bag. As both of them descend the stairs, Khushahal trips, making Alfred fumble. Then both of them begin to roll down the stairs. All of a sudden, they realise that they are f loating in thin air and start to land on the f loor at a very slow pace. The guards look at one another in amazement over this strange occurrence. Even Khushahal looks terrified. The guards order them to stop, but Alfred and Khushahal manage to get up and escape out of the house.

After reaching some distance away from the old house, Khushahal asks Alfred, ‘What’s happening, buddy? I don’t understand a thing.’

Alfred: ‘I can’t explain, man! Even I’ve been experiencing such strange things happening around me for the past few days.’

The Left Roof

16

Khushahal: ‘Whatever it was, I feel that I’ve no control over my body now. It seems like my blood will come out of my nose and ears. I . . . I might throw up this moment. I’m off to my house, man. I suggest that you leave too. We’ll talk tomorrow. And yes, I’ve to take care of this stink over my body.’ After saying this, Khushahal leaves.

10:30 a.m. the next day

Defence communities and health ministries belonging to different nations from all over the world have gathered today in the city of New Jersey as many important documents are going to be exchanged between them. Two of the top competitors who will be introducing their chemical products to the guests assembled are DCL’s Uthen and his archrival Leebrian of the company FIECC.

Greeting everyone in the meeting room, Uthen starts to describe his new product. ‘I proudly introduce to you my latest invention, Kulapus Neo. This is one-of-a-kind electrochemical chip that can be easily inserted into your cerebrum, cerebellum, and brain stem, which are the three most important parts of a human brain. We are already aware of the fact that the cerebral cortex present in our cerebrum plays a vital role in our daily lives in being cautious, making decisions, having an opinion, staying focused, general awareness, languages that we use, etc. Usage this chip increases the capacity of the cerebral cortex by 25% more in an average human.

‘This chip is manufactured on the basis of a new formula called Y2Y, hence making this chip into the size of a yoctoparticle, and its absorbing capacity to store a wealth of information is equal to that of one yottabyte. We are also aware of the fact that it is the neurons in our brains that help the nervous system to communicate and transmit information to other nerve cells, muscle, or gland cells. There are almost 100 billion neurons in our brain, and our single package of this


17

chip contains close to 150 billion chips, which increase the performance of the cerebral cortex by an additional 15% .

‘Kulapus Neo helps you in remembering every tiny thing that you performed yesterday or even thought of doing. This electrochemical chip, when inserted in the brain, will try to keep you away from all kind of illnesses in your brain.’

One of the ministers of the health department interrupts Uthen. ‘Could you please elaborate in a clearer and simpler way?’

Uthen answers, ‘Now imagine this. If any part of your body is hurt, we inject this chip into your brain as well as into the damaged part of the body. This chip is absorbed into your body, and then it closes your bruises and acts as a replacement for that part. Eventually, the damaged part of your body works better when compared to that of an average healthy adult.

‘For example, Mr Leebrian, if you happen to lose your eyesight for any reason, then this chip will act as the retina, cornea, pupil, or iris of your damaged eye. Moreover, you’ll have better vision compared to others.’

‘Okay. Please tell us what happens when you inject this chip into an average human body,’ one of the officers in the room asks Uthen.

To this, Uthen very patiently answers, ‘Sir, first of all, this chip isn’t made for a normal person. We have yet to decide if this chip can be used for the cause of the army or medical science or our educational sector so that we may be able to nurture more intellectual students in the near future.

‘I now seek your permission to take this chip into its final stage as it is near completion. I let you gentlemen decide as to which sector this chip can be used best. Lastly, after knowing the most important factor of this chip, you’ll rise from your seats in amazement.’

The Left Roof

18

Just then, Uthen receives a phone call from Alfred.

Alfred: ‘Hello. Dad, I got to share something vital regarding our old house.’

Uthen: ‘Son, I’m in here in New Jersey on important business. I’ll be back within six to seven days. I’ll talk to you later.’

Alfred: ‘I’ll be leaving for Maryland for my baseball game after a couple of days.’

Uthen: ‘Alfred, try to understand. I’m in the middle of an important meeting here.’

Alfred: ‘Dad, why don’t you understand what I’m trying to say? I need to tell you something about our old house.’

Uthen (in an angry tone): ‘Shut up. I’ve said a thousand times that I’ll explain everything once we win the case.’

Saying this, Uthen ends the call. Turning towards all the officers, he says, ‘I apologise . . . and yes! As I was saying, the most important factor of this chip is that if it will be injected into a person and if that person dies for any reason, then this chip can be taken out of his brain. And we will be able to read all the past, present, and future activities that were stored in his mind.

‘In the same way, this chip can be injected into a scientist. And after his death, we can remove it and insert the same chip into a different scientist’s brain. Then their research-based calculations will be doubled. Henceforth, we will be making advance progress in the field of science.’

All the government officials rise and give a standing ovation to Uthen except for Leebrian. Then the chief of the International Weapons


19

Control Committee asks Leebrian, ‘Do you have a similar or better electrochemical chip that can compete with this?’

‘Well, sir, I’m glad you asked. Even I’ve come up with a similar electrochemical that, if injected into your body, will allow you to listen to the conversations happening in a house or an office thirty-five miles away from where you’re standing. If I was able to finish my demonstration earlier than Mr Uthen, then Kulapus Neo today would’ve been my invention. My chemical is called frequency listener, and it will increase your hearing capability. I’ve developed it as a weapon that could be useful for the army. The chemical is a groundbreaking product.’

Uthen asks Leebrian, ‘So if your electrochemical was injected into a person’s body, will he be listening to all conversations nonstop every day?’

Leebrian answers, ‘The antidote for this is in the process of completion.’

Just then, the chief of the International Weapons Control Committee says, ‘I appreciate your efforts. But as you’ve said, the chemical antidote is not ready yet. I’m sorry to say this, but we can’t permit you to develop this compound any further.’

After listening to this, Leebrian leaves the room, knocking away his chair in a furious manner. He says to someone over the phone, ‘Why didn’t you tell me that DCL made Kulapus Neo?’

A female voice responds, ‘Sweetheart! Sorry, but Uthen never talked anything about developing such a product, and there is no research being done here on Kulapus. We’re still working on our existing products.’

Leebrian (in an angry tone): ‘Should I pay you for spying? This is my first loss in eight years. Just gather all the info that you can about that chip for me.’

The Left Roof

20

10 a.m. the next day

In the college grounds, Alfred is all set for his next hit. He’s playing for his college’s baseball team in the Intercollege Baseball Games. So far, his performance with the bat has been incredible, and he’s almost on the verge of being selected as captain of the state baseball team. His team is in high spirits as they have come this far. The match reaches its peak, where Alfred’s team is just short of one home run to win. Alfred’s ready at the batter’s box He listens to the cheer from the crowd. ‘Alfred, you can do it!’

Suddenly, amongst the loud cheers, Alfred hears to that same faint voice again, saying, ‘Dear Alfred, you can do it.’ He fumbles for a moment, and his vision is blurred. Just then, the pitcher throws the ball. Alfred feels that everything around him has slowed down. He sees a bright light rushing towards him, and then he sees the ball in the midst of that bright light. Even the noise of the crowd now seems to be in a slow motion for him. He then sees that the ball has paused in the air for a second or so. He hits it with all his might, and the ball goes for a home run. Two seconds later, Alfred’s vision is back to normal again.

All the players and crowd are stunned at Alfred’s hit, and his teammates rush to the ground and hoist him into the air in celebration. Leaving them behind, Alfred rushes into the dressing room and sobs uncontrollably, thinking about why these strange things are happening to him. Meanwhile, he receives a phone call from Khushahal.

‘Congratulations, bro! You’ve been inducted into the state team. I told you about my uncle from the Kansas City Developer Community, and yes, we’ll be meeting him today.’


21

12:30 p.m. at Kansas City Developer Community building

Alfred and Khushahal enter a cabin with the name Madhyam hung outside its door. Officer Madhyam says, ‘Welcome, my dear Khush lala.’ And glancing at Alfred, the officer says, ‘You must be Alfred. Khushahal has told me about you.’

Khushahal grins and says, ‘Yes, Uncle. It’s his house that we need some information about.’

Alfred says, ‘Uncle, that house is located in HB10 sector, and the house number is HB1023KS. I live opposite the same house in HB10A8. The old house is our ancestral property, and my mother has put a stay order on it. I wish to know the reason behind the stay order.’

Officer Madhyam: ‘In whose name is the property listed?’

Alfred: ‘Well, it’s listed under the name of Mr Uthen Riston.’

Officer Madhyam: ‘Oh, okay. I’ll check the details.’

The officer starts to check for detailed information on his computer. ‘Hmm . . . Alfred. There’s only one house listed under the name of Mr Uthen Riston, and that house number is HB10A8.’

Unable to understand, Alfred scratches his head and replies, ‘Yes, that’s the house that we are living in currently. But the old house that I’m talking about is HB1023KS, which is located right across the river from our current residence.’

Officer Madhyam replies, ‘The house that you mentioned is listed under the name of David Filip. And one more thing! There’s no stay order on this house at all.’

Alfred’s eyes bulge out in surprise, and he says, ‘What?’

The Left Roof

22

‘Yes, this house is registered under the name of Alfred as he is listed as the next of kin.’ Just then, the officer receives a phone call. Officer Madhyam says to Khushahal, ‘I have an important meeting. So I’ll be leaving now.’ Then the officer walks out from the cabin.

Khushahal picks up a pen from the desk, puts it in his ear, and twists it slowly; he says, ‘Buddy, you call your dad and tell him that there’s no stay order over your old house. Maybe your mother has forged some papers, and your father might be unaware of it.’

Alfred screams in anger. ‘But who the hell is this David Filip, and how is his name listed as the owner? If my mother has forged a duplicate stay order document, then how is the case still going on in court? Moreover, Dad’s out of town, and his phone is also not reachable.’

Throwing his arm over Alfred, Khushahal says, ‘We’ll talk about this once your father returns. The first thing to do is to complete our assignment.’

Looking at Khushahal, Alfred asks, ‘You’re coming to my house tonight, aren’t you?’

‘Sorry, buddy! I can’t come today. I’ve to accompany my mother to her friend’s party. The reality is she’s forcefully taking me to her friend’s party,’ Khushahal says to Alfred as he makes an awkward face.

4 p.m. the next day

Leebrian is at one of the grandest restaurants in Kansas City, eagerly waiting for someone. A taxi halts in front of the restaurant, and Leebrian glances at it in a sceptical mood. A beautiful young lady disembarks from the cab. She’s dressed in a pink T-shirt over blue shorts. She’s seen holding a f lower in one hand and a purse in the other. Her lips are juicy and bright red in colour. She walks directly


23

towards Leebrian and joins him at the table. The young woman is none other than Kiwi—Uthen’s personal secretary working in DCL!

Leebrian asks in a sweet tone, ‘What took you so long?’

Gifting him the f lower, she says, ‘Darling, you know the traffic conditions in the city. But I still managed to come.’

Leebrian spreads his hand forward and asks, ‘The information that I’ve asked you for, did you get them?’

Passing over some documents to Leebrian, Kiwi says, ‘I couldn’t find any information regarding Kulapus Neo. But I’ve got all those documents which contain vital information for the ongoing research work happening at the DCL company. I wish to inform you that our company is not working on any such chip. Moreover, I’ve gone through all the transactions, and there’s no mention of this chip anywhere.’

Leebrian pounds his fist on the table and says, ‘If the DCL company isn’t making this chip in its factory, then where the hell is it making it?’

And then he orders Kiwi to leave. Kiwi, in a depressed mood, enquires, ‘Why?’

‘That’s because Sijjael might arrive here anytime soon.’ Kiwi kisses Leebrian, caresses his cheeks, and then departs from the restaurant.

After a few minutes, a red car halts in front of the restaurant, and Sijjael disembarks from it and speaks to the person inside the car. ‘You got to seize that company at all costs. I’m going to get hold of the power of attorney very soon!’ Then she walks into the restaurant.

The red car drives away from the restaurant but stops again after a few metres ahead, and Kiwi hops in.

The Left Roof

24

‘Thank God Sijjael hasn’t spotted me!’ she says to the man inside the car.

‘So what? We’d have killed her as well,’ says the man sitting inside the car. Then he then starts to kiss Kiwi very passionately. The man inside the red car is none other than Jon from DCL.

Leebrian passes the same f lower Kiwi offered him over to Sijjael. Then he says, ‘Your ex-lover has invented a chip, and you’d be glad to know that his product has been accepted by the International Chemical Products Organisation, and my groundbreaking chemical was rejected.’

Crushing the f lower under her foot, Sijjael says in a rude manner, ‘Your chemical is worthless. What can I do about it?’

Leebrian breaks the glass on the table and says in a furious tone, ‘Shut up, you! This is entirely your fault. If you had completed your research on the infinity formula, then he wouldn’t have made Kulapus. One more thing, that chip is not being manufactured in that company, and there are no transactions recorded for that chip. Then how did he acquire that kind of funding for that project, and what’s he up to now? He outsmarted us. All I want from you is that you find out everything that you can.’

Holding Sijjael’s hand, Leebrian adds, ‘It’s all about the company’s future.’ He kisses her hand. Sijjael takes back her hand and leaves.

After a few minutes, Officer Madhyam from Kansas City Developer Community arrives there. Leebrian welcomes him with a warm hug and enquires, ‘So what’s the news about that house? I want that house in my name.’


25

5 p.m. at Alfred’s house (HB10A8)

Khushahal arrives at Alfred’s house and rings the bell. Salvia opens the door for him, and Khushahal walks directly into Alfred’s room. Watching Alfred work on their assignment, Khushahal jokes, ‘Great. You started working on it without me. Here is the book that we retrieved from your old house that day.’

Alfred takes the book and keeps it on the table. Both of them resume their assignment and manage to finish their assignment by midnight, after which Khushahal leaves for his house.

As Alfred prepares to go to bed, he sees that the window near the bed is ajar, and the cold breeze coming from outside is causing the papers of the book to turn over. He closes the window, and as he reaches for the book, he discovers an old photo inside. He carefully examines the picture, which shows his mother, father, and an unknown person holding a baby in his arms. The image also conveys that it was taken at a party and that the people in the picture were celebrating a special occasion.

Upon a closer look at the picture, Alfred realises that there’s a man passing amongst the crowd; half of his face is covered by a tattoo. Alfred also sees that the man is carrying something that looks like metal scissors in his hands. And as he places the picture back in the book, he sees ‘The Left Roof ’ written on the first page, and under the title is the author’s name: David Filip. Alfred thinks that the person is somehow related to him.

Alfred arrives at the conclusion that he’s being deprived of some information concerning all these. He quickly googles ‘David Filip’ and learns that he is a renowned scientist who suddenly disappeared one day. The police couldn’t figure out the reason behind his disappearance, and they couldn’t find him either. Finally, government authorities reported him as dead.

The Left Roof

26

Many scientists believe the reason for David Filip’s departure is that he has gone into infinity. Alfred tries to google information about his family but finds nothing. He becomes curious and thinks about what such a book by David Filip is doing in his house. Alfred tries to read it but doesn’t understand anything. He comes across a thin test tube inside. He tries to remove it, but it doesn’t budge.

Alfred decides that he’ll discuss his entire quest with his father when he returns. He puts the book in his bag, goes to bed, and closes his eyes to sleep. But suddenly, he realises that there’s a lot of smoke around his room, and he finds it hard to breathe. He gets up from the bed and sees that the smoke is coming from the book in the bag. As he reaches for the bag, he realises that the environment around him quickly transforms, and he is gradually surrounded by the white smoke.

After a few seconds, the smoke clears, and Alfred realise that he’s standing in the middle of an old tunnel, and his knees are submerged in water. The still and silent atmosphere of the tunnel freaks him out. The noise of droplets from the tunnel’s roof worries him more. Suddenly, he hears some scratching, and he starts to walk towards the sound. He comes across a lot of iron grille bars resembling a prisoner’s cell. He notices that there are different kinds of creatures held captive behind the bars.

He’s never heard or seen these types of creatures in his entire life. He comes closer to where the scratching noise originates and sees a man with long grey hair whose face is covered in dust standing behind the locked cell. The sound of scratching is coming from the man as he’s trying to scribble something on the walls with white chalk.

‘The whole world is crazy, and I have made it more insane,’ exclaims the man, laughing hysterically.


27

All of a sudden, a thick cloud of white smoke surrounds Alfred. After a few seconds, the smoke clears, and Alfred realise that he’s lying on his bed. He thinks that it could have been one of his nightmares, and then he glances at his bag, which remains unmoved from its place.

8 a.m. at Alfred’s college

The atmosphere in Alfred’s classroom seems bleak as many students haven’t completed their assignments yet. The real reason for their worry is how Mr Dodge will react as he is known for his anger and rage. On the other hand, it is a joyous moment for Alfred and Khushahal, and their happiness is clearly evident in their eyes. But when Alfred looks at a girl who looks unhappy and worried, it bothers him. She almost seems to be on the verge of sobbing, yet she tries her best to put on a fake smile now and then.

The girl’s name is Romiya, and she is the only daughter of Leebrian from his first marriage. Alfred is well aware that she’s the daughter of his father’s business archrival, yet he still has a secret crush on her. However, Romiya is unaware of the facts that Alfred is the only son of Uthen and that her current stepmother, Sijjael, is Alfred’s biological mother.

Watching Romiya in distress, Khushahal jokes to Alfred, ‘Today this girl is going to be taken for a ride. It looks like she hasn’t completed her assignment.’

‘Shut up!’ Alfred retorts.

Khushahal jokes again, ‘Whoever hasn’t finished their assignment will be taken for a ride today. Why are you fuming at me?’

Just then, a man enters the classroom. His eyes appear tiny, and his nose is long and sharp like a bird’s beak. A tooth stands out long from

The Left Roof

28

his mouth. All the students greet him. He’s none other than Alfred’s teacher Mr Dodge Rodriguez.

‘Nobody will sit down unless all of you greet me at the same time.’

Khushahal laughs at the comment.

‘What’s funny, Khushahal?’ Mr Dodge questions him in anger.

Khushahal whispers, ‘I had another rough day with my wife today.’

Mr Dodge laughs out loud at this comment and replies, ‘I could hear very clearly whatever you just said, Khushahal. And yes, I’ve had a rough day with my wife, and I’m going to take all that out on you guys. Whoever has finished their assignment, please submit them here.’

Alfred starts to collect everyone’s homework. As he approaches Romiya and asks for her assignment, she replies in a very husky and lovely voice, ‘I didn’t finish.’

Savouring the sight of Romiya, Alfred smiles, walks to one side of the classroom, takes Khushahal’s assignment, and, without anyone noticing, carefully replaces Khushahal’s sticker name with Romiya’s.

‘I can see so many papers here today. It looks like all of you have done your homework out of respect for me. Good!’

Khushahal whispers to Alfred, ‘Everybody’s acting smarter. They’re making faces as though they didn’t finish the assignment.’

‘Romiya didn’t finish,’ Alfred whispers back to Khushahal.

Mr Dodge: ‘Whose unfinished assignment is this?’


29

As Romiya tries to stand up from her place, Mr Dodge shouts furiously, ‘Khushahal! You haven’t finished your homework, and yet you keep mocking me?’

Khushahal looks at Alfred in surprise. He also sees that everyone else in the classroom is seated except for him. Mr Dodge holds Khushahal by his hair and pulls him back and forth. He orders Khushahal to circle the college grounds ten times. Khushahal tries very hard to explain to Mr Dodge, but he doesn’t heed any of his words. Frustrated, Khushahal walks out of the classroom.

After class, Alfred walks up to Romiya and asks, ‘Why did you lie to me when you’ve finished your assignment?’

‘I didn’t. It looks like Mr Dodge didn’t pay attention to the submitted homework,’ Romiya replies and leaves.

Khushahal, on the other hand, sweats it out in the college grounds. Tired and frustrated, he sits under the shade of a tree and scratches his head, looking at the sky above. Alfred goes there and apologises to him. Khushahal barks in anger, ‘Why did you do this to me? I’ve gone through hell to complete this assignment. First, I’ve entered that stinky tunnel and argued with the security guards over there. And worst of all, there was no one to share the punishment with me. You did all this for that attitude-laden girl. Why did you make me the scapegoat?’

With a sad face, Alfred explains to Khushahal, ‘Please forgive me, buddy. I just couldn’t see her in such a sad mood. Well, just cut it out, man. I’m leaving for Maryland tomorrow for my match. Just forgive me for today, Khushahal.’

The Left Roof

30

9:30 a.m. the next day

Alfred texts Uthen the following message: ‘Dad, today’s a big day for me as I’ll be playing baseball at the state level. I’d be glad if you were here with me. I tried very hard to contact you over the phone, but your phone is unreachable.’

At Maryland Baseball Stadium

Today’s game seems to be pretty eccentric. The crowd gathered in good numbers for each team. Both the teams appear to be vigorous and confident. But it looks like the Kansas City team has the edge over their opponents as their captain, Alfred, is the player who’s scored the most home runs in the competition so far. He is the first choice of all the spectators. Whichever team wins today, the best-performing players from that team will be inducted into the national baseball team.

For Alfred, this is a big-time opportunity to showcase his talent. The game has started, and he is at the strike point. He’s totally psyched up, and it’s clearly evident from his face. Alfred quickly glances at the crowd. The entire crowd is cheering for him. The pitcher throws the ball at him, and Alfred hits it for a home run. The crowd chants, ‘Alfred, Alfred, Alfred!’

Alfred inhales and is all set for hitting one more home run at the batter’s box. The pitcher throws the ball. As Alfred swings his bat, the ball suddenly changes its direction away from him. All the players in the ground look stunned. The pitcher throws the ball again. As Alfred tries to take a hit, he hears the same whispering again. ‘Forgive me, Alfred, but this will hurt you!’ The ball changes its direction again and lands hard on his nose. Alfred’s face and T-shirt are covered in blood, and he collapses on the ground.


31

After the stint at the baseball ground, Alfred wakes up to find himself resting on the bed of some hospital ward. There’s a patch over his nose. Just then, a nurse walks into the ward and says, ‘There’s some good news for you! You’ve been inducted into the national baseball team, and your team has won today’s game.’

Alfred asks the nurse, ‘When will I be discharged from here?’

‘You’ve to stay here for the rest of the day, but you’ll be discharged tomorrow.’

Alfred reaches for his nose and feels excruciating pain. ‘Ouch!’ He then rises from the bed and sits up straight. He walks to the nearest window for the water bottle. After quenching his thirst, he breathes out hot steam on the closed windowpane.

As he tries to scribble something on the steamed part of the windowpane, a word appears by itself: ‘Sorry’. Seeing this, Alfred panics. His hand accidentally hits the water bottle, and it falls on the carpeted f loor. As Alfred bends down to pick up the bottle, the water spreads on the f loor quickly. His feet are submerged in the water, and then the entire room becomes f looded. He suddenly finds himself in the midst of the same dark tunnel. He again hears the same scratching noise coming from distant and the squealing of creatures held captive behind bars.

Alfred then runs away from the noise and reaches the larger cell room, where he watches a man scribbling something on the wall with white chalk. A dark face appears abruptly from behind the bars. Seeing the face makes Alfred panic, and he collapses instantly.

After a few seconds, Alfred wakes up again to find himself resting on the same bed in the hospital ward. He asks himself why the same dream appears in his mind constantly. What’s happening to me?

The Left Roof

32

Just then, a tall man appears by his bedside. His hair looks curly, and one of his hands seems burnt. A black tattoo is engraved under his left eye. The name tag on his shirt reads ‘Mr Hudd’. By his appearance and behaviour, it seems that he is the chief doctor of this hospital.

Alfred giggles to himself, thinking about how a doctor can have a tattoo on his face, and this is probably the first time in his life that he’s come across one with a tattoo on his face. He looks at the man again. But he quickly realises that he has seen him somewhere; he tries hard to remember but just can’t. The doctor examines Alfred’s red eyes and asks him, ‘What is your father’s name?’

Alfred replies, ‘Hmm . . . My dad’s name is Mr Uthen Riston, sir.’

The doctor turns to the nurse and says, ‘Give him these pills and discharge him tomorrow.’ After, the doctor leaves the ward. Alfred then quickly recalls that the doctor is the same person with scissors in his hands in the photo from David Filip’s book. Alfred screams his lungs out. ‘David Filip, The Left Roof !’

Hearing this, the doctor stops for a minute and says, ‘What did you just say?’

‘I remember seeing you in a picture found in a book written by David Filip. It was taken at a party. You were standing behind, holding scissors in your hand . . . You’re David Filip, aren’t you?’

The doctor turns to the nurse and orders, ‘Discharge him now! I’m going to take him along with me to my house!’

Alfred leaves with Mr Hudd to learn more about David Filip.


33

At Mr Hudd’s residence

Alfred is seated in front of a glass table at Mr Hudd’s home, and a coffee mug is placed near him. He then asks Mr Hudd, ‘Why did you bring me here?’

Mr Hudd says, ‘First of all, you tell me this. Where did you discover this book? Nobody knows about that book except for Mr David and me. And who placed the photo in that book as you mentioned previously?’

Alfred thoughtfully answers, ‘Doctor, I don’t know any of this. But I found that book in my old house, and if you’re not David Filip, then who is this David? And how come you know about David Filip and his book?’

Mr Hudd replies, ‘David Filip was a great scientist, and I was his assistant. My name was Tancy before, but after that great mishap, I changed my name and place.’

Alfred asks, ‘What mishap are you talking about, Doctor, and when did it happen?’

‘I was born on 20 April 1962 in a small Russian city. I had an extraordinary passion for science right from my childhood days. My father was a school teacher, and he died when I turned eight years old. At the age of 12, I designed an artificial plant that had the capability of turning polluted air into fresh oxygen, which would help in saving the environment from getting polluted. When I turned 15, I received a cover which carried a letter and some money. The letter mentioned, “I appreciate your skills. I need an assistant like you to help me with my future experiment. If you’re interested, please arrive at the address mentioned below.” The letter was from none other than Mr Filip.

‘I couldn’t tell you how glad I was when I received that letter, but at the same time, I lost my mother to cancer. After a few months, I met

The Left Roof

34

Mr Filip, and he straight away took me to his laboratory, which was constructed in the basement of his house. The route to the lab itself was intriguing. He took me through a secret tunnel and didn’t intend to tell anybody about his lab. The lab was fascinating, and I wondered how a man had managed to turn into a great scientist at such a young age of 25.

‘Mr Filip was such a genius that he started to experiment with some unusual things at the age of 10 that even the great scientists 1960s couldn’t have even imagined of! One of his first successful discoveries was that he was able to change the colour of pupils without any surgery, and he changed the colour of his pupils into the hue red and engineered it genetically so that his kids would also carry the same red-coloured eyes—just like yours. He married a woman named Suchi when he turned 25, and a son was born to them in the year 1977. They named him Broken. A few years later, they sent him to a school in California, and I never had the opportunity to meet him in person.

‘Mr Filip was an avid writer, and he listed all his discoveries and experiments in a book. He used to write the book sitting in the left attic of his house, and hence, he titled it The Left Roof. One of the interesting inventions of Mr Filip was called No Cell Die. Our body is made up of countless cells that are new but age with our body and then die. This process keeps on running all our life. Mr Filip’s chemical was capable of keeping the body young and not tired. It manages the human body to age only one month per year. The chemical contained infinite oxygen atoms which will help our body and mixes with particular cells and provides them with oxygen continuously. Most of the celebrities nowadays use such oxygen therapy to look young. Mr Filip invented such a product years ago.

‘One of his biggest dreams was to prepare a chemical called the infinity chemical, and he hardly took the time to sleep as he was always busy working on it. Just like Earth was part of the vast Milky Way galaxy, he believed in the theory that there are billions of such


35

galaxies contained in a blackout, or an orb, and that such blackout, or orb, are communicating with each other through infinity. Our birth, growth, and death all are connected by this infinity. And an unseen force controls all these things.

‘It could either be infinity, God, or something else. Mr Filip wanted to know the secret behind all this, and he wanted to travel to infinity and know who controls this universe. Is it this force that formed this universe? Are we alone in this universe controlled by someone, or is this all just our imagination? Is there science in the infinity, and does it carry out experiments just like we do here? He had various questions like are there people living in infinity who control our lives? Do they live like us—go to offices, play games, experiment on futuristic living, etc.? Or are we just some players like in a computer game, controlled by some unknown force?

‘He always wanted to visit that unseen infinity world and come back and tell everyone that a different world like infinity, which is controlling our universe, exists in reality. And finally, after years of research and experiments, Mr Filip prepared three different prototypes of infinity chemicals.

‘But the biggest invention of his life has turned out to be the most significant loss in his personal life. I still can’t forget that day. It was May 1980, and I assisted him at the nearest market for some groceries. The weather was inclement, and there were signs of a massive cyclone. The climate was dark and cloudy. We reached home earlier than expected, and Mr Filip ordered me to go to the lab as he went inside his house to put away the groceries. To my surprise, I saw that the furniture, important papers, and all the other things in the lab were thrown all over the f loor. He came running into the lab and looked terrified. He said, “I can’t find Suchi anywhere in the house.” He looked at the condition of the lab and was shocked. He hurried towards his chemical prototypes and found that there were only two of them remaining on his table. He came to the conclusion

The Left Roof

36

that Suchi had drunk the chemical and that she was no more in this world. Suchi was the love of his life, and he took the blame for her death, saying that they had a quarrel yesterday, and she might have drunk that liquid to end her life. Without Suchi, he felt no purpose in living anymore.

‘But looking at the infinity chemical, he asserted, “No! I can’t die. I’ve got to see the infinity of this universe.” He took a test tube, filled it with his invention the No Cell Die chemical, kept it in his book, and hid it somewhere. He didn’t even tell me where he hid it, and he started to work on the antidote of the chemical, free infinity, which might bring us back from the infinity.

‘And in the year 1994, you were born. After two years, he called me into his room and told me, “Tancy, I failed at inventing the chemical which brings us back from infinity. It’s time for me to enter infinity. But I’ll give you the formula to prepare the free infinity chemical. In my lab, there’s still one sample of infinity chemical left.

‘“And remember to prepare the No Cell Die chemical before you ingest the infinity chemical. Mix both of them equally and inject it into your body. The entire formulas are kept in the files in my lab, and I haven’t touched them ever since Suchi died. Promise me that you will come sooner to get me out of infinity, and we both will tell the world of our experience of visiting the infinity and also what happens to our living source or our body’s energy after our death.” After saying this, he mixed both the chemicals and injected it into his body. After a few minutes, his body slowly, slowly turned into a bright light and disappeared.

‘After a few days, I came to your house to collect the remaining chemical sample and the file that contained the formula of No Cell Die in the lab. There was a party going on at your house. And as I entered the lab, I saw that Mr Filip’s old archenemy, Machab Riston,


37

was going through all the necessary documents of Mr Filip. “What the hell are you doing here?” I asked him.

‘Machab said, “Oh, you. David’s assistant! I’m here to collect a major chemical called the infinity chemical.”

‘I replied, “I know nothing of such a chemical.”

‘He said, “Here, it is the infinity chemical.”

‘I asked him, “What are you planning to do with it?”

‘Machab answered, “Oh, you smart boy! I wish to develop a weapon with the help of this chemical and sell it to an arms manufacturer!”

I threw scissors at his hands, which held the tube containing the compound, and he dropped it on the ground. We started fighting. I picked up the scissors, which was on the f loor in between the broken pieces of the tube, and pierced it into his chest. I was horrified and scared, and I collected the file and removed the scissors from his chest. To my misfortune, I saw that the tube containing the last remaining sample of the infinity chemical was broken. I needed new ways now to make the infinity chemical and the chemical that will bring us back from infinity. Worried and confused, I entered your house. And that was, I believe, when that this photo was taken.

‘Later, I opened my own lab and started reading the formula. But I realised that a few relevant pages were missing from the file. And I could never make the No Cell Die chemical. However, I managed to invent the infinity chemical and its antidote, free infinity, which can bring us back to this world. But I cannot experiment on it without the No Cell Die chemical.

‘I came here to Maryland and started to live here by the name of Mr Hudd. Your grandfather is still alive in the infinity, and he is 44 years

The Left Roof

38

old now! He’s ten years younger than me. In reality, I am ten years younger than him! All this is the wonder work of No Cell Die.

‘As you’ve mentioned that the book is in your possession, I now presume that the No Cell Die chemical’s test tube is in that book. I’ll inject that chemical into your body, and you can go to infinity and bring back your grandfather.’

Alfred: ‘Machab Riston is my grandfather, and you’re the murderer of my grandpa!’

Tancy: ‘Look at this picture! I found this inside the chemical file that your grandpa gave me. And in this photo, you can see yourself, your father Broken, and your grandpa—all of them together. All three of your eyes are red!

Surprised, Alfred points to Broken and says, ‘This man was seen in that picture as well, and he was carrying a baby in his arms.’

Tancy laughs and replies, ‘That man is none other than your father! But I don’t understand as to how this picture ended up in that book as Mr Filip has kept it hidden from everyone and didn’t say a word about it to anyone. Who might have placed this picture in this book? There is a possibility of a fourth person who is aware of this book. Maybe it’s God will that you enter infinity and bring back your grandpa.’

Alfred nods his head and says, ‘No offense! But I can’t believe the words of a stranger.’

Tancy laughs and replies, ‘It’s okay, Alfred. Do as you wish. If you’re not willing to go into infinity, then I must do something by myself. But I can’t proceed further without that chemical, which is in that book. Can you deliver the book at Fredo Medicine House located in Kansas City?


39

After listening to this, Alfred collects his medicine and the picture from Tancy and leaves.

5 p.m. at Alfred’s house the next day

Alfred compares the picture from Tancy with the picture from his book. He sees in both pictures that Broken is holding him in his arms and that both their eyes are red in colour. He then takes the book and goes to the address mentioned by Tancy. Alfred asks for Tancy at the reception desk of Fredo Medicine House.

Just then, a voice calls out, ‘So you’ve finally arrived here, Alfred! Come on, let me show you my laboratory.’

Both of them are seated in the lab, and Alfred places his book on the nearby table. He receives a call from Khushahal. ‘I’ve arrived at your house, buddy. Where are you?’

Alfred whispers, ‘Just wait in my lawn. I’ll be with you soon.’ Then he hangs up and places the phone on the table.

Laughing hysterically, Tancy takes out the No Cell Die chemical from the book and mixes it with the infinity chemical.

He draws the combination into a syringe. Continuing his laugh more loudly this time, he rises from his chair and says to Alfred, ‘It’s now my time to travel into infinity, and I want to hug you for one last time.’ He steps forward towards Alfred and hugs him, and with the other hand, he drops a tube into Alfred’s pocket on which is labelled ‘Free Infinity’. ‘Goodbye, Alfred!’ Saying this, he injects the chemical into his neck through the syringe. After a few seconds, Alfred’s body starts to turn yellow, and his vision is blurred. He could still hear Tancy’s wacky laugh, and then a bright light begins to emit from his body. His body starts to divide and dissolves into tiny atoms. The entire lab shines brighter, and everything in the lab turns white.

the left roof - amazon s3 · the left roof 2 ‘have you gone deaf, alfred? i’ve been screaming...

Documents