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Fantasy

Last year when I came to my grandparent's home it was there. But this time I was unable to find it. Just like a thief hides somewhere after committing some theft, so might have hidden Whizit after committing the crime of murdering my grandmother. 


I was much sure that my granny's death was not natural and yes, it was Whizit who had murdered her. Even grandpa, after all, confirmed this fact. But none would trust us.


Last year when I came to the village where there is this small sufficient home of my grandparents, I was flabbergasted to see a ludicrously unique and novel kind of creature whom grandpa would call Whizit. 


Whizit was probably the size of a tall human and growing at a rate of two inches per week. It was a dark green creature with a lizard-like shape, fish-like tail, dinosaur-like jaw when it would show its straight white teeth, and crocodile-like scales all over its back and it would probably be swimming through air all day, never coming to ground. It would spend the day with us: in fields, while bathing in the wells, basking in the sun, while playing and would have lunch with us too, only going back to its home at sunset, into the mirror in my grandpa's bathroom. 


Yes, the mirror was its abode and even its origin. Mirror was where it came from, as my grandpa told me, about ten years from now when he was just having a shower. At that time, it was the size of a small cute creature lovely enough to keep. 


But now as it had killed my granny, we could not sit quiet and wait for its arrival. I could never be kind to it.


From the last couple of days, Whizit had been into the mirror and not coming out, out of fear perhaps. 


I was overfilled with natural and evident contempt for that ridiculous ugly creature who thinks itself to be oversmart. 


But the most major matter of concern now was the MIRROR. The mirror was missing. We looked for it everywhere except the storeroom, where we had dumped a whole lot of unused and non- required stuff from the household and it would probably take a full day to explore it there. 


Watching the old grandfather-clock, striking two post meridian, grandpa served me the lunch, himself going to the storeroom for the great search.


I sat down on the mat in the veranda, eating up my afternoon meal while looking at the wall with expressive photographs of my dear grandpa. 


He was a retired scientist and had once been to the moon too - just once in his lifetime though. His inventions and discoveries had made him a member of our country's parliament even - as a reward. He was great but now-a-days was suffering deadly from insomnia. 


"Aye! I found it! He came!" - a massive sound and I rushed to the storeroom.


Grandpa had found the mirror and at once Whizit popped out of it. He tried to catch the creature but it just swam very fast, out of the gate, into the fields and towards the city.


I was much worried now but grandpa didn't show a single sign of apprehension or despair. I asked him very intuitively, 'what's gonna happen next?'


I was anxious. It would probably kill everyone causing much ruckus in the village and perhaps in the city as well. It could swim as swift as anything and would soon be beyond the reach of your sight. Animals never leave their masters like this, so probably Whizit might come back soon. But it would pose a lot of trouble while being out there. 


Grandpa was still calm. I questioned him again : What's gonna happen next? 


He replied in a low but genial voice that it would cause no trouble. It would doubtlessly not harm anyone.


How can grandpa say this? The creature looked so ferocious! Even its smile was so violent. 


After a pregnant silence, grandpa started explaining further. 


"It was a stormy night when Whizit was born. I and my colleagues were working on the genetic recombination to form some valuable species by getting effective utilisation of all the unique skills of various animals present. It was going to be a great invention if the plan would work out well. But see...luck is not always in your favour. I don't know what exactly happened but it was quite strange. Lightning struck with a heavy uproar and a loud bang. It became just as white as the daylight and then in front of my eyes was this great bizarre reptile, swimming in the thin air. And one thing, it can go invisible as well when he would travel… umm, to say… exactly at the speed of light perhaps."


'But it came out of a mirror, you had said that earlier, hadn't you…?' - I asked with a puzzled air.


-" Perhaps, out of a mirror when I met him the first time. I was bathing in my bathroom and it just came swimming out of the mirror. Just imagine…"


I didn't quite understand. He looked perplexed. He needed a sleep, but you know, he suffered from insomnia. So I asked him to just lie down on the bed; and the rest can work out well. 


Putting on my night attire, I jumped onto my bed while grandpa was resting in the next room. There was an eerie silence prevalent all over and then a creak of the door broke it up. I suddenly hopped into my blanket and even pulled my feet into it completely, out of fright. It felt like someone went sweeping towards the bathroom. And then, the knob of the bathroom door was rotated open. I could hear that sound. 


...Bathroom?...Whizit!


Not caring about anything, I instantly rushed towards the bathroom. It was dark and lights were not on nor were they being for the switches weren't working. There was no one and I can guarantee it. Soon then, I heard some footsteps- great tread on the floor; someone was coming, slowly… towards the bathroom… slowly... towards me.


The chilling sweat drops ran down my neck. My heart skipped a beat as the footsteps almost reached the door.


It was my grandpa. Oh! - A deep breath of relief. 


Grandpa said that Whizit would certainly come back soon and asked me not to worry or be tensed about it any more. 


And yes, it came. It came just the next morning, swimming all the way from the fields towards our home. It got invisible. So I couldn't but grandpa could see it in its invisible state even. 


He was bestowing endless love over that ugly Whizit. He was talking to it though it couldn't understand human language but Whizit would respond by means of absurd growls. 


Why wasn't grandpa punishing it? It had killed my granny and his wife. 


' Mothers love their children and Whizit was grandpa's pet. They had been into such a cordial bond since a decade when he first met it. Their affinity for one another was firm and humane. And so is grandpa so calm and lovely towards it' : one part of my brain narrated. 


The other part opposed: But granny is his love, his better half, and you know what he used to call her- 'my best half'. Their bond is more cordial and more deep due to the much longer duration of it. He must not be so calm! He must go and take his revenge from that reptile! He should fulfill his grudge. 


But what I saw was that grandpa couldn't help being kind towards Whizit. Perhaps he didn't want to lose it too just like my granny. An old man needs love. Since granny had died and I would too go back after my summer break to my mom and dad in the city, so grandpa was alone in the village. He rejected the proposal of leaving the village even. Whizit would be his only friend here and so he was being caring and tender towards it. 


"Please can you get me some berries from our farm. Whizit loves berries, you know." - Grandpa asked.


Sure -I replied. 


He gave me the basket and I was gone.


It was a bright sunny day and summer beams looked golden and happy. But I was in a flame and quite jealous -jealous? - no, not jealous perhaps...but... just leave it!


After collecting enough, I returned. Just on the threshold was I when I heard grandpa's cries!


-Aaahh! 


I rushed towards the bathroom. 


-Aaahh!!


He was in the bathroom, showering; I don't know why?


-Aaahh!!!


I opened the door with a slam and found him unconscious, fallen on the floor in a naked fit. I immediately carried him up in my strong arms to take him to the hospital. I recalled to myself: I am sixteen and I am responsible. But in that panic, I forgot to cover him up with even just a piece of cloth. All my goal was to carry him to the hospital at the earliest. 


Even the nearest hospital was a few kilometres away. 


He was admitted. I had called my mom and dad. They would be arriving soon. 


While I was waiting in the corridor, the doctor came and informed me that my grandpa was being shifted to the neurological department and asked me to come to his cabin as he wanted to talk to me. 


" What actually happened to him?" - Doctor demanded a detailed explanation of it.


Whizit… Whizit has killed grandpa! 


"Whizit, you said… sounds familiar; who is he?"


Whizit is an ugly creature created by genetic recombination by my grandpa who was a scientist. 


"Whizit hasn't killed him. Actually he isn't dead nor has he been killed or murdered. It seems as if he has suffered a nervous breakdown or some other great neurological damage by the way he acquitted himself inside. Can you tell about some ailment he was suffering or some treatment that he was going through?"


Yes, he had insomnia… severe insomnia.


"That would be helpful information, I think. I must go onto the neurologist for his report. Please remain seated here."


The doctor returned with the neurologist.


"Your grandpa had an internal bleeding and-"


 He took a sufficient pause and so I asked, - and?


"And... it was a brain haemorrhage. I am sorry…to say… that he's no more."


And my heart skipped a beat.


The doctor brought me up, to the shore, when I was being drowned by the melancholic waves.


"Whizit had done that. I won't spare it!" I spitted out tearful curses. 


"Whizit sounds familiar" said the doctor.


"There wasn't any Whizit;" the neurologist started explaining, "you said your grandpa had insomnia. He didn't sleep. But when you do sleep, you visualise dreams so did he too. Just the difference was that his dreams were not casted on that sleepy mind screen but actually on the real screen of life. He had just created an intricate paracosm." 


'I too had seen Whizit swimming around in the house. I don't have insomnia, and sleep well enough. What about that?' - I questioned.


"Whizit... I said, I had heard it" The doctor was racking his brain to revive who Whizit actually was. 


"Wait Mister!", the neurologist remarked and then turned to me: "You said you had seen Whizit, dear boy. Can you tell me some instances…?"


'For sure… I saw Whizit… ah… no ...Oh!... not perhaps… not then even… sorry, so sorry, my God!... I didn't actually see Whizit even once… grandpa just described it… '


I was taken aback. My face was in awe and the whole universe seemed to have bursted and it was much stronger than a superNova.


The Doctor: "Oh finally!!! Whizit! Can't you recall, ten years back, this lake… just nearby, some people saw a monster there… a sea monster perhaps; he was associated with the mystery of missing fishermen? Wasn't he the Whizit… the newspaper called him?"


May 14, 2020 08:35

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2 comments

A. Y. R
10:16 May 16, 2020

Something about the monotonous tone you've written this story in makes really ominous and griping!

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Harrehmat Singh
16:44 May 16, 2020

Thanks a lot

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