The shades of Life

The different shades of life take us through a roller coaster ride. As Danny saw a roller coaster, he felt his life rewinding back to 40 minutes earlier. After all his life had been a roller coaster since then.

40 minutes earlier –

Danny parked the car in his garage. The car was totally serviced. He was feeling very happy today. It was their anniversary after all. He had brought flowers and chocolates for his wife. He had got a ring to put it on her. She would be so glad.

He knocked at the door. No response. He knocked again. Pressed the bell. No response.

He pushed the door. The door was open. Silence inside. Everything seemed normal. Except she was not there.

A white note was stuck at the refrigerator –

‘Oh, your lovely dear wife, is so beautiful. If you want to see her then come to the City fair in next 30 minutes. Your time starts now!’.

His eyes were frozen to the note. He clenched his teeth. He didn’t know who had done this. But he knew his wife was in trouble. A fear ran through his spine. The first time. He tore the note to pieces.
He realized he had no time. He rushed to the garage.

25 minutes earlier –

He was rushing through the city. Signals, cops did not matter today. He never thought he would see such a day. The cell phone beeped.
The message said – ‘ In the fair, a gift awaits you at the Russell Popcorn shop. Tell the boy - your name.’
He looked at the number. He called back. Beep beep! No response. He tried again. No response. He threw the cell out.
Damn it!
He accelerated. He was going mad. The game had begun. He was the mouse.

5 minutes earlier –

He had taken the gift. It was a box. Something oozed out of the box. Blood. His forehead was sweaty. He looked all around. He could see smiling faces. Faces smiling at him. Everyone seemed to be a culprit there.
He opened the box. His hands were shaking. A finger lay in the box. It was hers. It was hers. The pink nail paint was still there.
His eyes were bloodshot now. He would have torn apart the culprit. He searched for the person frantically. But no hope. He looked at the diamond ring again.

He was tired. But the flames of revenge kept on raging within. He carefully took out the note, kept under the finger.

‘Go to the roller coaster. There is an adjacent building. Climb to the roof top. A gun is hidden under the black septic tank. Take it. You know how to use it, don’t you? On the western side of the roof, your target is tied up. Take an aim and shoot it. Your wife will be back home if you complete your assignment. All the best’

He threw the paper away.

He didn’t have a chance. His wife was his life. He had to do it.

Now –

Danny looked at the roller coaster. He saw the building. He rushed to the top. It was empty and dilapidated. The stairs creaked as he ran to save his wife.
The roof was a big one. Broken furniture, sacks, stones was the order. He looked for the tank. There it was. The gun lay wrapped in a polythene bag. Two bullets. He loaded the gun.
It was not a time for remorse. He never had ever anyways.

He looked around now. No one seemed to be there. Where was the target?
Wait, something is moving there. What is it? It’s someone. It is alive. His target was right in front of him.

He hesitated for some moments. He never hesitated before. Was it her wife? No! This cannot be true. The message said his wife would be back home safe.
He looked around. He didn’t care who the target was. He wanted his wife. He will find out who is doing this to him and tear him with bare hands.

He took aim and shot. The figure moved for some time. Then it was silent.

He turned around and wanted to go back home. Wait. Who was it? He went back to the body.
The rope was untied. The body slumped to the floor.

He could not feel anything. The whole world seemed to have stopped. He was short of words. A slight gasp escaped his mouth. He wanted to scream but he could not. His head was bursting.

His wife lay on the floor.

There was a loud bang on the door. ‘Down with your gun’, the cops shouted from behind. He knew he had no chance.


‘ The police today captured Danny after a frantic lookout for more than two years. Danny, a psychopath, was wanted for over 23 murders in the city. He would murder people and cut their fingers to keep them as a memorabilia. The police got a tip from an unknown caller. Danny was caught on the roof of a building situated amidst the Company grounds. The City fair is being currently held there. Danny was trying to kill his wife. His wife was found unconscious and had a finger cut. The finger was retrieved from Danny’s possession. Danny might face a trial in few days and his hope of staying alive is very slim.’

***********************************************************************************

Danny was sitting in his cell. Staring at the wall. A policeman came in and handed him an envelope.

‘Hello Danny’ – the envelope said. Danny opened up the contents. The content had two pictures, the same diamond ring and a letter. He opened the envelope-

‘I know you might be thinking how did you get caught since you always thought yourself to be smart and clever. I was on your case for the past 2 years and I must admit that you certainly did not leave any clues or hints whatsoever for me to follow you. You could have been a free man even now if you had not entered that house 10 days ago. You found a girl, happily playing the piano and waiting for her husband. You slit her throat from behind, cut her finger and took off with the ring. The ring, which was given so fondly by her husband. You killed my beautiful wife , Danny. You made me your worst enemy. But you had no remorse, you had no conscience. For you it was just another murder. For me it was end of life. But I wanted you to catch you. I wanted to make you go through the pain, the feeling when our near or dear ones go missing. I wanted you to die but not before you understood what death actually meant.

You dropped your car servicing center card at my home. Maybe it was fate against you for the first time and how fatal did it prove for you. It did not take me more than a day to track you down. For the next few days, I kept a watch on you and your house. I was surprised to see that you had a wife. I thought of a plan for my revenge. It did not take me much time to abduct your wife and leave the note for you.
I was watching every expression, every action of yours. You felt helpless, pained and distraught just like your victims. You thought you controlled your life, their lives. You thought you were a GOD. This time, you had nothing but your misery. This time you lost.

Your wife is fine and recovering from the bleeding because of the finger injury. The gun had false shots equipped with tranquilizers. She would be fine and I will ensure she does not have to struggle in life. There has to be a difference between a human and an animal like you. There are a few gifts with this letter to remind you of your sins. Had to put in some effort to get them though.

Rot in Hell, Danny!

Your friend.’

Danny kept silent. He looked at the photos – one had he and his wife smiling at a beach, another had his wife sleeping in the hospital. The ring shone in the darkness.

He looked up and closed his eyes. The roller coaster had stopped.