It’s Just A Prank

Frangipani · Apr 28, 2019

Excellent story , @GeetaKashyap .
It has style content and message also . well written , I liked it.

GeetaKashyap · Apr 28, 2019

Frangipani said: ↑

Excellent story , @GeetaKashyap .
It has style content and message also . well written , I liked it.
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Thanks, dear Frangipani.

Thyagarajan · Apr 28, 2019

GeetaKashyap said: ↑

It’s Just A Prank....Part 2

As Nikki and her mother reached the venue, Nikki requested her assistant to seat her mother comfortably and take a good care of her. Loud music was being played to keep up with the party spirit. Nikki went to meet Charlie and the other team members who had already gathered in an adjacent room. They were busy discussing the amazing public response and the introduction of a couple of more characters to play pranks in future. All the crew members were excited with the response their maiden show had received.

Later the producers of the show congratulated Nikki and took her around the party hall, introducing her to the other important professionals from the entertainment industry. Nikki thoroughly enjoyed all the adulation and the encouragement she received.

Just then Charlie came looking for Nikki and announced that the Press meet was about to begin. He asked her to get ready to pose for the Press photographers before that. Nikki asked, “Charlie, allow me to touch my makeup before that, where is the dressing room?”

Charlie pointed towards a room at the end of the long corridor. Nikki said, “Give me just ten minutes, I will be ready.”

Nikki was very happy. She had been looking forward to such a limelight moment all these days and finally, it was there for her. She had to live those moments fully. She was thrilled with the idea of a ‘Press meet’ and the publicity it would provide. Better publicity translated into better opportunities. Nikki felt proud of herself.

As everyone had gathered in the party hall, the corridor was nearly deserted and Nikki walked along the empty corridor towards the dressing room. Just as she opened the dressing room door, she saw a man in his thirties there with dishevelled hair and untidy clothes. She excused herself and stepped back thinking she had entered the wrong room. But suddenly that man shouted and rushed towards her with a knife in his hand. Nikki was amused! She was not scared at all; instead, she burst out laughing. Wasn’t she a part of so many such pranks in the past? She thought Charlie had tried to play a prank, yet again. She started laughing uncontrollably till that man reached her and grabbed her waist roughly. He roughly pulled her into the room and shut the door behind them with his leg. Shocked, Nikki tried to scream but she just couldn’t! She felt suffocated by the strong smell of his stale sweat. She tried hard to push him away, but he was way too strong for her.

Holding the knife to her throat, he asked her menacingly, “Are you enjoying now? Laugh...laugh as much as you like. You enjoy scaring people in the name of pranks, isn’t it? Do you know what it means to be shocked, scared or embarrassed?”

Nikki stared at him from the corner of her eyes. Due to fright, she was speechless and her limbs felt paralyzed. His hands were very rough on her delicate skin and she felt like vomiting as she found his stench unbearable.

He continued, “You will end up killing someone shortly. Before that let me kill you.”

Nikki tried hard to understand what he had just said. She wondered as to why he was accusing her? Had he mistaken her for someone else? Was he a hallucinating drug addict? This thought gave her some strength to talk. “You have mistaken me for someone else. Please let me go. I am an actor.”

“Hah…ha…ha, look at your reaction when you are scared! You make a living trying to scare daylights out of others!”

Nikki now knew that her attacker had some grouse against her show. She recovered a bit and she started negotiating, “I… I am just an actor. I do whatever the director tells. Talk to the director. Please let me go. Shall I phone and call the director?”

“No! Do you think I am a fool to let you use the phone or go? Give me the phone instead.” He shouted into her ear, nearly deafening her. Meekly Nikki handed over her iPhone to him. He immediately flung it at the wall dismantling it.

Seeing his aggression, Nikki was trembling now. She had to do something to escape from her attacker. She cried and pleaded, “Please don’t harm me. What have I done to you that you should punish me? I will not do such shows in future, I promise. Please let me go. My team members are waiting for me. Anytime they will be here in search of me.”

He tightened his grip further and retorted, “Are you trying to scare me? Don’t you remember what you have done to me? Recall your shoot outside the Bandra station…”

Now she recalled. Nikki and her team had shot a few scenes outside the Bandra station where Nikki had to catch an unsuspecting passerby’s hand and shout that she had been molested by him. Victim’s reactions of shock and denial were the subjects of laughter that day! She now recalled the very volatile and confused guy who had overreacted; the whole unit had pacified and promised him that they would not air the scene involving him. Yes, undoubtedly, it was the same guy!

Nikki said, “Brother, according to our promise we deleted that scene.” She thought she could now get out easily.

He shouted, “Do you know what it means to be falsely accused of molestation? Life will be ruined…”

“I am sorry. That was just… just for the show...” She tried to reason.

He thundered, “I have spent two years in prison. I have been brutally beaten up by the police. My career was destroyed. Nobody trusts me anymore. My life is in ruins. All this happened because my landlady wanted sexual favours from me and when I refused she made the false accusation of molestation against me. I was an easy target as I was poor. You played the so-called prank on me and brought back all those painful memories from which I have always run like a fugitive. You rich people have no idea what kind of situations a poor man has to go through in life.”

She sensed his grip getting tighter as he choked on his words with emotions. He was breathing very heavy and his eyes were bloodshot. Emotions had made his grip a little too tight now and Nikki was finding it very hard to breathe. Even as she struggled to catch a breath, she noticed tears forming in the corners of his eyes. There was silence for a few seconds. Nikki remembered some of the techniques used by Psychologists during their counselling sessions to calm their patients.

Nikki broke her silence and deliberately spoke in a low pitch, “I am… really sorry. I am an army man’s daughter. Early this year, my father died while protecting our country at Kashmir. I belong to a middle-class family and… not a rich family as you have assumed. I do understand how one has to… work hard to earn a living. This is the first time I am meeting… someone who is so deeply hurt. Please don’t kill me. I… I would like to make amends. Please give me a chance and tell me in what way can I undo my mistake? I am sure taking my life won’t help you get over your hurt and… humiliation or …gain anything at all for that matter.”

He held her tighter still but his knife was not steady anymore.

“Brother,” she continued, “… please tell me how I can help you?”

He replied in a gruff, “Nobody can help me. Killing you will get me into the jail but it will also reduce my agony. Outside I struggle to get two meals a day. In a jail, at least I will get food and shelter. Today nobody gives me a job. I am tainted for no fault of mine. I am suffering for something that I did not do. So let me kill you and give a message to everyone to never ever play with anyone’s emotions or life.”

Nikki pleaded emotionally, “I am the sole support for my old widowed mother. You would be killing two of us, not just one. I promise to deliver your message to the public. I am sure our unit would also understand our mistake and correct.”

He snapped, “I don’t trust you or anyone. You people think you can play with our lives and get away. I will not let it happen that way. My message should reach one and all. I don’t mind dying for that.”

Though he continued to rant, Nikki noticed his grip loosening and her confidence returned. She felt for sure that he would not harm her anymore. Without resisting him Nikki said caringly, “With my death, a lesson will also be dead… don’t you think so? People will then sympathize with me and not with you. Please allow me to live and prove you that your lesson is well learned. I will also help you get gainful employment, overcome your past and rebuild your life.”
...
...

Nikki could hear his loud laboured breath. She also realised that she was no longer in that man’s grip! He dropped his knife and started sobbing bitterly. Nikki had managed to touch his raw nerve.

Even as her attacker continued to sob, Nikki touched his shoulder gently and asked, “Can I assemble my phone? I promise no harm will be done to you. Please come with me. I shall arrange for some food and our unit manager shall take care of your other requirements for now.”

Seeing his meek and pitiable stance, Nikki was emboldened. She calmly reassembled her phone and waited for her assailant to regain composure. Leading him by hand, she walked out of the room with a changed paradigm.

*************************************END*************************************

*All the images have been taken from the internet for representation purposes only.
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I read and enjoyed the twist in the end. The reader in the beginning of story believes the happening real and later paras revel it is just but shooting and reader continue to believe now it is only shooting when in the end it turns out to be real somewhat. It is sound to have the pleadings of Nikki gone to the head of the man who feels life at the end of tether switches to a changed heart as Nikki walks off assembling the gadget.
Wow. Excellent choice of words and narration.
God bless you.

GeetaKashyap · Apr 28, 2019

Thyagarajan said: ↑

I read and enjoyed the twist in the end. The reader in the beginning of story believes the happening real and later paras revel it is just but shooting and reader continue to believe now it is only shooting when in the end it turns out to be real somewhat. It is sound to have the pleadings of Nikki gone to the head of the man who feels life at the end of tether switches to a changed heart as Nikki walks off assembling the gadget.
Wow. Excellent choice of words and narration.
God bless you.
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Your appreciation means a lot. Thank you so much for a favourable review, @Thyagarajan Sir.

This story was highly appreciated when I published it on another forum but here, somehow it didn't take off! Perhaps IL'tes didn't like it!

Thyagarajan · Apr 28, 2019

GeetaKashyap said: ↑

Your appreciation means a lot. Thank you so much for a favourable review, @Thyagarajan Sir.

This story was highly appreciated when I published it on another forum but here, somehow it didn't take off! Perhaps IL'tes didn't like it!
Click to expand...

It could be incorrect and or premature to conclude so. It is week end onthe other side of the globe. It is a pleasure to read for you and come with a gist. Due to paucity of time and the readers divide their time between work indoor and outdoor,your patrons would be slow to read and record their views.
Thanks and Regards.
God is watching from centre East & West as earth rotates and moves along.

GeetaKashyap · Apr 28, 2019

Thyagarajan said: ↑

It could be incorrect and or premature to conclude so. It is week end onthe other side of the globe. It is a pleasure to read for you and come with a gist. Due to paucity of time and the readers divide their time between work indoor and outdoor,your patrons would be slow to read and record their views.
Thanks and Regards.
God is watching from centre East & West as earth rotates and moves along.
Click to expand...

Sir, this is an old story published in December 2018!