Eye Witness

There wasn't any wind that blew along with the tiny droplets of water that fell with the enchanting smell of wet mud. It was about 4'o clock in the evening when the rain stopped, I went outside into the garden to see the lush green grass and the beautiful Rainbow engulfing my whole attention. I sent forward to smell the beautiful white jasmine flowers and the red roses which were my favorite.
Thud! Bang! Thud! I heard the breaking of a glass and rushed towards my house. It wasn't how I left it, all things were out of place and the glass of the back door shattered and the lay on the ground in pieces. All my books of Sidney Sheldon and Agatha Christie and many others were on the floor with open pages like someone had come to look for something in my house.
"It was the third time it had happened to me, since the last three days I haven't slept properly due to fear that somebody's following me and keeping an eye on all my actions". I told my pshychatorist all this and cried endlessly when I realized nothing of this sort actually happened, all that happened was that it rained and then I went to the garden sat there constantly looking at the flowers and then mom took me inside after an hour. I had consulted the pshychatorist when first I came across such a thing, I am never able to realise that what's the reality and what's my imagination. According to her I am suffering from a mental disorder in which I imagine things.
I sat in the car to drive back home and found an envelope lying on my companion seat. It read "To Understand The Mystery of your condition and what's happening to you meet me at Starbucks tomorrow at 4 p.m.". I looked around to find any familiar face or someone who could have kept it, but there was none.
As I reached home, mother asked me, "What did the doctor say?" I was hesitant to tell her the truth because I knew she would be worried. After my father passed away she was the one who did so much for me and sacrificed her everything, so I didn't want her to get even more worried therefore I replied "Maa, I would be fine in a week."
Today everything went well without any abnormal behavior of mine, so I decided to meet a person at 'Starbucks' to interrogate about the matter.
The next morning I woke up early from my daily routine, removing the pretty white bed sheet off my body, I stood up wearing my favorite light pink cloak, It was winter and the weather was quite cold outside and it seemed that it was about to rain. I helped myself with a hot cup of coffee and went to the balcony feeling the cool breeze on my face. It felt refreshing and stress free. Splash! I felt lot of water on my face, just like somebody dipped it in water. I OPENED MY EYES saw coffee mug in my hand touched my face and found no water, I stood in the room near my coffee machine and was about to pour some coffee in my mug and...........
I called my doctor, she didn't reply and then a message flashed on my mobile screen, it read "Don't forget to meet me today, I'll be waiting", petrified by all this I stepped back kept the phone on my table and went to take a shower.
Hugging my mother I left for my work, it was all going well till the clock struck 3:45 p.m., I had to go; should I?, or should I not? I asked myself gravely, after few moments of contemplation I decided to go.
As I reached the cafeteria, I found a box kept on one of the tables wrapped properly with my name written on it, I opened it and found......... A DEAD MAN'S HEAD. I had never thought of that, something so frightening. Slowly everything dissolved, it was all blur and then.............
I had fainted but thankfully some people helped me out in being conscious again. I started searching through my bag for the letter which I had found in my car and then began to go through my in box I never received any note for going to cafeteria 'Starbucks' was my favorite place may be that's why my imagination created all this scene set in here.
Then I ordered a cup of cappuccino and thought about all this calmly. I called my doctor and she said that it was a condition of subconscious mind which was caused due to some kind of stock or an accident.
The net morning when I was going through the newspaper, this news' A man found dead in the garden' and the picture of the man lying on the grass beside the red roses and jasmine caught my attention. The man's face was almost the same that I saw in the imagination, that Dead man's head was exactly the same.
I immediately started to feel afraid, threatened frightened. Something was linked with this man and my imagination. I went to the police station to enquire what happened, further I wanted the details of the man.
The inspector-in charge of the case told me. "The man was a 48 year old businessman, he was the owner of General motors and had two sons who were married and between whom the property of the man was distributed. Aakash seth was a well renowned person in the market and every body used to talk about his wealth and I remember that I had also received a letter to take an interview of this man. "Being a Journalist I have to meet new people frequently and jot down their experience of life. I love my profession but I don't remember clearly that did I go or not.
This was about a week ago when my boss gave me this opportunity to interview Mr. Seth I was extremely happy and informed Maa about it after all it was my first interview. But, After that I don't remember anything.
I went to my doctor ad told her the hole story how Mr. Seth's death was related to the projections of my mind. She gave me some medicines and told me that I have to go through the case more precisely so that all my facts about my imaginations get cleared and all this stops.
I slept somewhat peacefully that night and then, the next day I went to the inspector and told whatever connection I had with the man and he promised me to give any further information he gathered.
As I was walking out of the door of the Police Station I saw him, the face was familiar, I think I knew him, I stopped, turned and followed him;.... He was the gardener of the same garden where Aakash died. The police had called him for interrogation.
Ajit Singh had been working in the city garden for last five years, but this happened for the first tie. He had never expected something too terrific, to happen in this garden. He told the police that before the murder he had seen this girl named Risha from some news channel in the garden with Mr. Seth taking his interview and then he went away and when he came back he found Mr. Seth dead on the ground and the girl was seen nowhere.
Definitely I was tensed, it was me who took the interview and for god sake I don't remember anything. Risha was my name I was the only suspect and I didn't remember anything to say to the inspector in my defense because I remember nothing.
For the next two days when the police was investigating I was kept under strict supervision I was not even allowed to go anywhere, but, one thing which made me satisfied was that I didn't have projections revolving all around my head.
At last something good happened the police obtained the footage of the interview I took and found something in it. After my interview I had almost left and this shadow of a man was quite visible standing right behind Mr. Seth. If we zoom it was Ajit Singh the gardener. He gave a false statement against me. A greater satisfaction that I've not done this calmed my mind and soul. But then who? and why all these projections were in my mind.
Ajit Singh was held by the police and kept in Jail, when police asked him did he do the murder he said no but then after a lot of beatings, he told that he had not committed the murder but helped for the greed of money.
He said "Risha madam saw the murder and was the only eye witness, I was standing there, so that nobody sees who has done the murder and Risha madam was the eye witness of the murder therefore I took a log and firmly hit her head so that nobody remains as the witness and I also get some pills so that she suffers a memory loss of 24 hrs in which the murder took place. Unfortunately I was only able to give her two dozes instead of four and she remembered some things, he also revealed the name of his partner.
The next day Police came to my house the inspector informed me about everything and apologized to me. Then, he called out
"Mrs. Gayatri Mehta....................?

Anisha Jain