Jinxed

The room was filled with silence. Tom, a lean man was in a deep slumber. Suddenly, there was some sort of noise which disturbed the room's silence. It was Tom. He was awake. He cried,"I have become immortal." "Finally!" said he. Yes, his masterpiece was complete. "I just have to publish it". As he said this he chuckled to himself. He then put on his long overcoat and his hat. He was then ready to go out. In his exitement he forgot his breakfast. The housemaid had a puzzled face.

It was a cold chilly morning. Heavy gusts of wind flew. It had rained recently. The avenue was wet. The thoroughfare was almost deserted. This lean man went on gliding along the road with his piece in his hands. He took artful and intricate steps. When he reached his destination, he cried,"Oh my!" "The store is closed." "Nevermind." He continued. "There's always more opportunities." He started walking again and reached another store. But again to his ill fate, the store was closed. He went on a search for more stores but all of them were closed. After a long search, poor Tom looked worn and tired. He decided to head towards home. He kept inching down the road. He made his way through the darkness, with the help of the moon's dim light. In the ghostly darkness he stepped on a puddle. This made him look worse.

When he reached his haunt, the housemaid did not recognise him. She simply did not allow him to enter the house. After a long explanation, the housemaid threw some water right into his face. When she recognised him, she burst into tears and apologised. But her apology was ignored.

Poor Tom entered his room and muttered softly,"What a hectic day." Then it was just he and silence. He sat on his chair and gazed at his story in half langour. The pages were worn out. It had also gone through a terrible treatment. Soon after Tom fell asleep to wake up on a new day. The housemaid was afraid of Tom because of what she had done to him. It was all silence.

A new day, a new chance. Tom again set out on his expedition. He visited several publishing houses. Though they were open, all refused to offer any service. It was because of his pages. They were in a terrible condition. They paper looked yellowish, the letters looked dull and the edges were torn. It looked like a century old manuscript. Who would accept such a manuscript? What if the pages get completely torn? Also it was very difficult to recognise the letters.

Sad and dejected he returned home. "Why god! Why!" He cried a childish treble. "Well, I should try one more time." Said he. Tom had not given up, nor he was going to. His will power was too strong. His face had a fierce spirit.

Next day after a long adventure he said,"Whatever it takes" "I must do it today." He continued. Tom tried harder but in vain. "Another bad day."he murmured. This went on for several days. This man's will power finally broke. His body needed food, his throat needed water and he needed some rest. He quit his search. He preferred staying at home rather than having bad luck by his side. After a day's rest, he returned to his normal routine. He enjoyed the peace in his room and started writing other stories. The thought of the first one did not seem to bother Tom. The masterpiece lied in a dark corner. Soon he had a large collection of stories.

On a sunny afternoon, when Tom was in a reverie, a call broke into his reverie. It was from his chum Jacky. Jacky told Tom that he had recently opened a publishing house. Jacky asked Tom whether he wanted to get anything published. Tom found it a good opportunity and gave all his stories to Jacky except one. It was the very first one. Tom had forgotten all about it. When his stories reached the masses, They grew very imminent. The demand for the stories increased. Tom wrote more than ever. This made Jacky's business flourished. This new writer was also invited to a chat show. Hundreds of people had come to the chat show. In the chat show, he was asked that which story was his first one. Tom was taken aback. Those memories returned to him. In his answer, he stuttered so much that he left in between. He headed towards his home which was then a big mansion. When he reached his abode, he went into his room, put on the same weary overcoat and hat and wandered off to somewhere. He paid a visit to all those places where he had gone to publish a single book. Then, he came back home, leaving the housemaid astonished.

He sat on a chair and gazed at that old script for a very long time. Soon after he fell asleep. When he woke up, he tore the pages and thrust them into his bin. There was no expression of regret on his pale face.

During his evening walk, he met his friend Jacky. Jacky noticed an unusual smile on his mate's face. He asked the reason for his chirpy mood. Tom replied,"Nothing." Then Jacky said,"Okay, I will be on my way." "So long Jacky." Said Tom. Both went on their ways.

When Tom reached his home, the maid asked that why he tore the pages and disposed them. Tom simply said,"They were jinxed." Knowing nothing about those pages the housemaid nodded in understanding. "They have given me enough troubles."

"It was a good decision." Tom muttered to himself.

Later in the night, Tom began wondering whether he could have framed those pages. Then he said,"No, no!" "They were jinxed." When he prepared for sleep, the thought of his first piece came to his mind. Then the memories of his weary experience rang through his mind. Poor Tom gave a regretful cry,"Why! Why did I do this!" "I let it go like nothing!" His cry grew wild. It could be yards away. This man had realised his mistake. He felt troubled. He indeed had a very strong sense of regret. Sometime after, this writer made up his mind. He gave a sigh and said,"I should write about the struggle regarding my first piece." He sat on his desk and began writing. "I hope it will be good." He said while writing. He took a whole month to write it. When it was done, it was given for its publication. When it reached the masses, it grew very popular. The demand for Tom's books increased. Tom began writing more stories. His thoughts for his first piece did not bother him again. What for Jacky and the housemaid? Well Jacky's

business flourished more than ever and the housemaid got some helpers to help her out. They all lived a comfortable life.