Secrets of Whispers | ✅

-12- The City Without Memories

Title : "The City Without Memories"

Sidharth Oberoi woke up to chirping birds outside his window; the sound was very much a part of his life. Stretching, feeling the sun's rays warm his face with its soft embrace, he shifted and looked at his wife, Shehnaaz, who lay asleep beside him. A smile crept up on his lips as he leaned over to brush off a strand of hair that had fallen on her face.

As he got up and looked around his bedroom, something seemed off. The place had been draped in personal effects, photographs, souvenirs, and books, all of which he failed to remember. A strange feeling of discomfort began overwhelming him.

"Shehnaaz, utho na," he said, shaking her gingerly. "Mujhe kuch ajeeb lag raha hai."

Shehnaaz stirred and opened her eyes, blinking sleepily. "Kya hua, Sidharth?"

"Yeh sab cheezein. yeh humari hain, right? Lekin mujhe kuch yaad kyun nahi aa raha?"

Shehnaaz sat up, her brow furrowing. "Haan, yeh toh humari hi cheezein lag rahi hain. Lekin. mujhe bhi kuch yaad nahi aa raha."

Everything seemed all right in the city outside of their window-people moving, children at play in the park, and the hawking business taking place on the streets. However, everybody had this look of bewilderment on their faces.

Sidharth and Shehnaaz went for a stroll around the locality. They came across a little café along the street and decided to enquire about it. The café was thick with the hustle and bustle. The air was filled with the murmurs of people, each face displaying a tension impossible to ignore.

"Excuse me," Sidharth said to the barista, "do you know what this is all about?"

The young guy at the counter, with dark circles under his eyes, shook his head.

"Nahi sir, sab log aishe hi subah se. Kisi ko apna past yaad nahi hai."

Shehnaaz frowned.

"Yeh kaise ho sakta hai? How can the whole town lose its memory?"

"Kuch toh zaroor hai," said Sidharth, determined. "Hume pata lagana hoga."

They decided they would visit the city hall and see if they could get some official explanation. The city hall was crowded. All the residents looked very anxious, demanding to be told what was happening.
The mayor was a tall woman with an authoritative aura, trying to pacify people.

She shouted, "Please sab log shaant ho jaiye! Hum is situation ko handle kar rahe hain. Humare scientists aur experts pe kaam kar rahe hain."

Pushing his way to the front, Sidharth pleaded, "Madam Mayor humein kuch information chahiye. Humari memories kaise gayab ho sakti hain?"

The mayor sighed. "Mujhe khud kuch samajh nahi aa raha. Pura sheher hi affected hai. Scientists keh rahe hain yeh koi natural phenomenon nahi lagta."

Wanting to get to the bottom of the mystery, Sidharth and Shehnaaz began an inquiry of their own. They visited hospitals, labs, and universities, talking to experts and gathering clues.

One day, they met a neuroscientist, Dr. Rajan, who had a theory. "I think this is all a part of some experiment," he said. "Someone has tried using a mind-control device on us."

Sidharth leaned forward with interest. "But why? And how?"

Dr. Rajan shook his head. "Well, we haven't been able to determine that yet. But we are detecting some radiation traces that look unnatural."

Shehnaaz became a little worried. "Toh ab hum kya kar sakte hain?"

"Humein un traces ka source find karna hoga,"

Dr. Rajan said. "Yeh ek badi conspiracy lagti hai."

After constant searching for weeks, Sidharth and Shehnaaz landed on the city's outskirts, where there was an abandoned facility. They were very highly protected, but they penetrated it. They found a highly advanced lab inside it. A vast machine sat in the middle of the lab, humming like there was no tomorrow."This should be it," Sidharth whispered. "Yeh machine hi humari memories erase kar rahi hai."And then, just out of nowhere, a bunch of guards showed up as a man in a lab coat stepped ahead. "Welcome, Mr. and Mrs. Oberoi. I see you've found our little secret."

"Kya chal raha hai yahan?" demanded Sidharth.

The man smirked. "My name is Dr. Varma. Hum, log ek experiment conduct kar rahe hain. Humari organization ka aim hai human minds ko control karna, aur yeh sheher humara testing ground hai."

Shehnaaz's eyes widened. "Aap logon ne itne saare logon ki zindagi ke saath khel kiya? Kya aap pagal ho gaye hain?"

Dr. Varma shrugged. "Yeh sab research ke liye hai. Aur waise bhi, ab tak kisi ne complain nahi kiya."

Sidharth and Shehnaaz knew they had to stop Dr. Varma. They managed to overpower the guards and reached the machine. Dr. Varma tried to stop them, but Sidharth knocked him out.

"Shehnaaz, hum yeh machine destroy kar dete hain," Sidharth said.

Together, they sabotaged the machine, causing it to overload. Lab filled with sparks, machinery breaking down, they ran towards the exit gates of the facility, and before they did, the whole building exploded with sparks lighting up in the sky in the darkness.That following day, the city woke to find every resident healed by their memories. Jubilant and thankful is what people said to the people of Sidharth and Shehnaaz for their valiance.

The mayor called for a press briefing to show the world how great the couple were as heroes. "In dono ne apni jaan khatre mein daal kar humari madad ki hai. Hum inke shukraguzaar hain."

Sidharth and Shehnaaz were hailed as heroes.

As they stood on the balcony of their home, looking out at the city, Sidharth turned to his wife. "Humne kar dikhaya, Shehnaaz," he said, smiling.

"Ab humari zindagi normal ho sakti hai."

Shehnaaz nodded, her eyes shining with pride. "Haan, Sidharth. Ab hum sach mein nayi shuruaat kar sakte hain."

And with that, they embraced, ready to face anything the future had in store, knowing fully well that together, they could do this.

The End