ASTRA

CH-5 Something Broke

10:00 p.m., 14th March

I won't even try to conceal the fact that I am certainly in a scourge now. I wanted a break from all the adventure that I had been having in my life, but now I can feel this is not the future.

After I suddenly felt a slumber in the afternoon I was awaken by someone calling me out, it was no other than my new tenant.
"Hey Sirish I didn't know you were a fan of sleeping in the afternoon, well, I have cooked food, it's already two o' clock, you must be hungry, come on. Wake up!"
Yes, I was hungry and followed Naman downstairs with a sumptuous meal waiting for us. The food had an aroma that could lure even a dead person to it.

While we ate food, Naman told that he was just a food lover and cook anything that comes his way, "I am telling you, even if you give me this coal to cook and eat, I won't disappoint you" he said, pointing at the fireplace and we laughed out loud.

"Well, I guess I can hire you as a personal cook then." I said to which he gave a huge nod in approval. I looked outside the window, it was still raining, dark clouds seemed to cover the sky even more densely, there seemed a subtle gloom to the surroundings that was increasing with each raindrop.

After having eaten the food, I started doing the dishes when there was a knock at the door. I really fail to understand if people could really not see the doorbell out there or they desperately ignore it. However, it quickly hit me that there was no electricity. Someone shouted from outside, "Sir, it's your parcel."

I came out of the kitchen and found Naman already at the door, I also approached there when the delivery boy gave me a slip to sign and said, "Oho, sir, what kind of place did you chose to live at, it was so difficult to reach here. You should've....."

"Hey! mind your own business, where's the parcel? Hand it over and go, stop blabbering." Naman interrupted.

"Here sir, it is quite heavy."

He pointed at the box kept on his bike, Naman looked at the box suspiciously and his expressions changed to somewhat unreadable like a stone.
"Sir, please take this box away."

Naman replied with anger mixed with nervousness, "What will you do then?"

"Sir, my work is to deliver, I am not a free service provider." replied the delivery boy nonchalantly.

"You people! ....I..."

"Forget it Naman, come on, help me with the box. It is very heavy." I said, half-lifting the box.

Naman came nervously towards the box but as soon as he touched the box, he screamed and fell back while the box also fell with a jerk from my hands. I looked at all this unbelivingly as there came a noise of something breaking from inside the parcel. The delivery boy also ran away.

"What happened?"

"I....I don't know, I think there was some insect sitting on the box, it bit me."

"Maybe...." I wasn't convinced. There did not seem anything sitting on the box. I dragged the box inside as Naman said that he won't be able to lift it anymore and what I noticed made things stranger. Naman's palms were all red as if burnt, there's no way it could be an insect bite.

Well with a knife I opened the box and found the idols of lord Ganesh, lord Krishna, mata Durga and other puja accessories I had asked the packers team to send to me as I had left them at my previous house. To my horror most of the idols, statues and photo frames were broken. Naman was standing at the door and said in a low dangerous tone, "Sirish, I think I will have to leave now."

"Wh...why?" I just blurted out.

He grinned, but anger and frustration were evident on his face. He went towards his room. From there he came out with his bag, kept some money on the dining table and advanced towards the door.

He was about to go when he half turned his back and said, "You should not keep broken God idols at home, also this was not a good omen." When he walked away, I could see that by this time his palms had turned blue and were swollen. I leaned down and stared at the box unable to comprehend what just happened.