Sunday, September 11, 2011

The Writer


Today’s headlines:
“A Mediocre writer’s wife, jumps into the list of most celebrated writers, with her first gripping fiction”



Before 5 years..
He was a fiction writer, one who writes for a living, most of his works were novels or collection of short stories and were just mediocre hits. But the royalty and his fixed deposit interest money that he received every month were more than enough to carry on with life. They were married for 5 years, and she still thanked her deceased father for the fixed deposit, what would have happened to her life if that dowry money was not converted to FD was still a nightmare.


However, she was a beloved wife in all the aspects. She never complained out loud, and was always by his side to soothe him whenever his books sank in the market. He on the other hand, was a loving husband, and thankful to her by heart for the support, but that made him disappointed with his life. He was a brilliant student and as he graduated with flying colours his sole aim was to become a great writer, nothing clicked and he ended up becoming a mediocre writer. He wanted to burst out the bubble, and prove to the world of his talent.


That was when the posthumous craze stuck him. He read somewhere that a writer reached peak, when his work was published after death. The dark side of him took control, and he sat awake on nights dreaming of his best novel gaining acclaim after death and how all his other works too becomes best seller. His mind assured him that his writings were good but needed the pep to become the best, and once that one work clicks, all the other books would be hit too.


The ambition for fame took full control of him and as luck permitted one such evening a beautiful plot entered his mind, he sat alone in front of his computer with excitement and a chuckle, as he wrote down the plot snapshot and rewrote and rewrote. Hours flew by, still he sat with blinking eyes and after long 15 hrs., he gave a small shriek, his wife who was so concerned about his health came running, to find him smiling devilishly at her. She even imagined red horns in his head.


Soon after, he was in a trance, he sat alone in his study after double locking the room, with gleaming eyes, as he wrote and printed out chapters after chapter. He then placed them carefully into an old chest locked it. He was in his room almost always and when he did show up outside, he took care to lock his room. He didn’t trust anyone. To his wife he promised that a new book was on its way, and that would change their life forever. But noting came out and his publishers also stopped calling him. To balance the loss, and to get out of this mental agony she faced, she found herself a small time, job and worked hard to carry on with her family.


Within 3 months the draft version was completed. He transferred that into his computer and burned the copies, then he would reedit in computer print them out and lock inside his wooden chest, and delete the copy in computer. Every day, every night like a bandit, he sat and polished his treasure, until each chapter shone like gold, until it was flawless. By the end of 4 years, he was too obsessed with his work, that he even forgot to eat. His wife with tears would feed him, and at times without his knowledge put in some sleeping pills to his food, so that he would sleep at least once in a while. But she was allowed near him, only after his study room was fastened.


On a Saturday evening, she heard a thud while cooking, she went running to the study, and hesitated a moment, nevertheless, she was determined to hear his bashing, rather than stand there and entered the room, there in the middle of the untidy room he lay unconscious, it was a stroke, and he was hospitalized, on his final day in the world, lying in the hospital bed, he seldom acknowledged any one, but gazed far away like in a daze, and whispered, “the chest.. the chest..”. His wife wiped her tears and affectionately rubbed his chest. After a final anxious look at her, he vomited some blood, and lay still. Thus he died.


During his burial, she came with his priced chest and placed it with love on his chest. After few days, she was told by the lawyer that she would get his ancestral house, only if she published his work inside the chest kept in his study. She looked calmly at the advocate and said, that special work of him lies with him. But still they could dig him up and take it.


She smiled and said, “That work.. killed him long ago, that work was the reason for all my sufferings.. I burned it..! That is my revenge.. The wife’s revenge”


The advocate, a middle aged grey haired man enquired, “Oh child, what will you do for your living? That would have given you a lot of money”


She said, “my revenge is not yet over…”




Today’s news headlines:
“This book of fiction is supposed to be her only novel, as she restores to her normal life, dedicating this to her beloved deceased husband”

25 comments:

  1. ah! reminds me of the hindi movie Shabd, starring Aishwarya, Sanjay Dutt and one guy I forgot his name. Aishwarya I think looked the best in this movie and it was the story of a writer who wanted his wife to cheat him...writers can go to any length. I can relate to this story as I too wish to be a writer once and I at one time was obsessed too but well I have realized life is too precious to be lost to a four letter shallow word :)

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  2. I like the plot, and especially the way you ended it. Unexpectedly fresh.
    It has more greys than white and black, that's what makes it real.

    aJ

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  3. that was something new to me. nice story..... :-) enjoyed it...as usual...:-D

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  4. A very gripping story. I was hooked on to it!
    It's sad at a point.. But you have written it really well !
    I agree with aj. The ending was great! :)

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  5. Oh lovely...! Started like Guru Dutt's Pyasa and ended like an Agatha Christie novel!! GREAT!!!!

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  6. Hmm.. an interesting plot... Could be a novel if you add the extras to it...

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  7. Well, i never saw her burn the works, how can I believe that she actually burned it and wrote her own. Nay, I won't. And if what I am conjuring is true, she took the chance to fame away from her deceased beloved husband too.

    Awesome plot, beautiful write up.


    Cheers,
    Blasphemous Aesthete

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  8. Its a beautiful plot... kudos to your imagination... nice read :)

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  9. Hey Chintan – thank you… I haven’t watched that movie yet.. :). Ya obsession doesn’t always pay.. so go ahead and enjoy life!

    @ Aakash – yep, unfortunately, world is not black and white, so how could we miss that in contemporary plots? he he.. thanks a lot!

    @ Sneha – thanks dear..

    @ Partha – thanks a lot sir.. it really means a lot!!! :)

    @ Phil – thank you for the visit and liking my blog, do come often..

    @ meera – thanks a lot! I loved ur stories too..

    @ Swetha – Thanks for the visit.. you might be correct.. but I am just a bit lazy..!

    @ Blasphemous – Indeed that was exactly in my mind too! Thanks a million..!!!

    @ Anand – glad you like it.. and thanks for the support!

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  10. As always, very well jotted down. Keep it up!

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  11. OMG..Do I see a O Henry and Roald Dahl in one..Amazing..

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  12. vow....thrilling plot....and beautifully written! Keep it up sweet:-)

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  13. Dear KP,

    That is a lovely plot...and you have narrated it well.

    Cheerio
    Arjun

    ps. One of my dreams is to end up like Stieg Larsson - you know, die when I am in the 50s, get 3 novels (like that with Lizbeth Salander) published posthumously and become a super-hit...:)))

    Of course, it is always a bad idea to leave that job to a spouse...as you have shown out here..HaHa

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  14. Very dark indeed...I adore the wife for what she did :) She is so real!

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  15. Interesting post. Liked it as usual :-) ..

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  16. Hi Aakash - thank you.. glad u liked it!

    @ Ashwini - aw! thanks dear..happy that it is fresh..

    @ Blue - come on.. u r making me shy.. thanks a lot for encouraging..

    @ Sush - thanks for the visit and comment..:)

    @ Nasnin - thanks a looot dear!

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  17. hey Arjun - thank u mashe..! yep take care to publish it..! he he

    @ Siddharth - thank you.. indeed she is! quite a nerve right?

    @ Lh- thank you dear..!

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  18. You are amazing KP!!!!!

    Your short stories are too good!!!!

    I always like the negative twist,loved this one very much :)

    Cheers

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  19. Thanks a lot Harry and Sujatha..

    @ Arjun MS - may be that is why I liked reading urs too! :)

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  20. Wonderful. It was a great read.

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