Protagonist
Sharon turned off his alarm as he woke from sleep. He unlocked his phone and scrolled through the daily news feed.
More and more people falling into coma.
Some say it is caused by a new virus. Experts remain silent.
He looked at his wife lying beside him, turned toward the other side, still sound asleep. He shifted closer and hugged her from behind.
“It’s seven o’clock. Wake up. We have office today,” he whispered into her ear with a smile.
She waved her hand to push him away and curled in tighter, pulling the blanket over herself. “Let me sleep for a few more minutes,” she murmured in a feeble voice.
“Okay. Fifteen minutes,” he said, smiling. He kissed her cheek and sat up before heading to the bathroom to freshen up.
Sharon flipped the omelette in the pan as Nikitha entered the kitchen from the living room.
“Goooood morning!” she said in a childlike tone. “What’s for breakfast?”
She kissed him on the lips and picked up the coffee mug he had prepared earlier.
“Toasted bread and omelette,” Sharon replied, smiling.
“When do you have to leave?” she asked, leaning against the kitchen counter and taking a sip.
“Fu—” She burned her lips slightly and spilled a few drops of coffee onto the floor.
“In forty minutes. You have an hour, right?” he asked, tearing a piece of kitchen towel from the roll and handing it to her.
“Yeah… actually, I was thinking of taking work from home today,” she said, embarrassed.
“Come on, Niki. You said they’ve implemented the three-day rule at the office,” he replied seriously.
“Yeah. Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday… or Friday,” she said, wiping the spilled coffee.
“No, you’ll just watch shorts or Netflix and sit around all week like last time. I’m worried about your job,” he said, placing the food on two plates.
“Nobody is coming to office. I don’t think they’re strict about this ‘new rule’,” she said, drawing air quotes.
“You need to take this seriously, Niki. It’s very difficult to get a job these days,” he said, carrying his plate to the table. “Anyway, I’m going to Mumbai next week. Need to meet a client.”
“Oh. When will you return?” she asked, sitting down and taking a bite.
“Maybe after two days. He’s a hard one. But if I land this, they might raise my role to Regional Manager,” he said, smiling.
“Oh, nice!” she said playfully.
“Then maybe we can start planning for—” He stopped, a grin slowly spreading.
“Really? Finally!” Nikitha raised her hand excitedly, wobbling the chair.
“With the promotion, we can save more and afford hospital expenses and everything,” he said.
“That’s good to hear, Sharu. I’ll quit my job and look after the baby,” she added playfully.
“Uh-uh. Don’t push your agendas,” Sharon replied. “We can’t afford everything on just my salary. We’ll get a sitter when the time comes.”
Her face fell, like a child whose candy had been taken away.
“We’ll think about it later. First, I need to land this Mumbai deal,” he said, standing up.
He washed his plate, left it to dry, and walked into the bedroom to get dressed.
Ali sat at his usual table in the coffee shop he visited whenever he came to Bangalore. He took a sip of his coffee and placed the cup down.
In front of him lay a notepad, blank except for a handwritten heading:
Protagonist
He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes, trying to remember Sharon’s face.
Chubby cheeks with a dimple.
A hooked nose.
Large, expressive eyes.
A cleft chin.
A broad forehead.
Light wheatish skin.
A skinny-fat body.
Five feet six inches tall.
He opened his eyes and quickly jotted everything down. Taking a deep breath, he set the pen aside, sipped his coffee again, and leaned back—ready to think about the character traits.
“Hey, get yourself together, man.”
Madhav, Sharon’s colleague and close friend, supported him by the shoulders. Sharon rubbed his forehead.
“I’m sorry… I felt—” He closed his eyes briefly, wobbling.
“Are you okay?” Madhav asked.
“Yeah. Just felt dizzy all of a sudden,” Sharon said, forcing a smile. He took a sip from his water bottle.
“So, did you prepare the PPT?” Sharon asked.
“Yeah. All done. I sent it to Santhosh for review. He said he got the video from Elena too. You’ll receive both by evening.”
“Good. You’re leaving tonight, right?”
“Yeah. I’ll work from the Mumbai office tomorrow. Spending the night with family.”
“That’s good. It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”
“Eight months.”
“Okay. We’ll meet at Mr. Milind’s office the day after. Set up a meeting tomorrow afternoon to rehearse.”
“Rehearse?” Madhav asked with a sarcastic smile.
“Yes. I don’t want anything to go wrong.”
“Sure. Five PM?”
“Five to six-thirty.”
“Done.”
Sharon waved goodbye and walked toward his cabin. The dizziness returned. He grabbed a nearby desk, steadying himself.
What is this feeling? he wondered.
That evening, Sharon parked his car in the basement of his apartment building. He grabbed the grocery bag from the back seat and locked the car.
Inside the lift, he pressed 5.
As the elevator rose, the dizziness returned—stronger than before. The walls seemed to shake like an earthquake. His breathing quickened. He pressed the floor button repeatedly, the grocery bag slipping from his hand.
The doors opened.
He staggered out, clinging to the wall. Sweat dripped onto the floor. His vision narrowed, darkness closing in from the edges.
He couldn’t think anymore.
He let go and collapsed.
Niki… please. Save me.
His eyes closed.
(To be continued)
Karun G Nath 
Leave a comment