Azure

Inked

The weather around was calm and tranquil. Along the busy roads of Mumbai, there was a small tattoo parlour. It was a place no one, not even the curious entered. Whenever someone  would pass by the parlour they would feel a strong energy that would make them all jittery. So it was that people would not go anywhere near the parlour.

However, the shopkeeper opposite the tattoo parlour had always been suspicious. Because, everyday late in the night, there would be someone coming and getting a tattoo done. Even though his shop had been pretty famous at one point, for some odd reason, he had been facing losses as of late. He was in need of money. So with this thought in mind, he went back to work.

Three hours had passed without his realisation.  Shutting down his store, he found himself walking towards the tattoo parlour, to his great surprise. He wanted to stop, but for reasons unfathomable, he couldn't. Soon, he was standing in front of the parlour door.

All of a sudden, he saw a man standing in front of him. Startled, he jumped back. The man looked normal except for the tattoos covering his entire body. They seemed to be symbols of some kind unknown to the shopkeeper. Suddenly, the shopkeeper was broken away from his thoughts by the artist's voice:
" Welcome to my parlour".
Without waiting for his reply, the artist walked inside. After a few moments of awkward silence,  the artist said loudly:
"Are you just gonna stand there or make an effort to enter?"

Some moments later, the shopkeeper entered. He had been to the tattoo parlour once before when he was in his twenties and had got a tattoo done. Since then he never entered one because he had always regretted it.
"Don't worry. You won't be getting a tattoo this time." At this point, the shopkeeper was starting to be creeped out.

The artist sat down on a chair and took out some books filled with different tattoo designs. Well, they appeared to be designs, but were in fact, symbols.
"You think a lot sir, you should let lose and live a little."
" I don't know why I'm actually here, but if what you're saying is that there will be no regrets, then I would like to get a tattoo."

The shopkeeper had no clue as to what  he had gotten himself into and so he sat down." Flipping through the book, he chose a design that called out to him.
"Ah! Good thing, you've chosen the tattoo for success."

As soon the tattoo was chosen, the shopkeeper sat at the workshop and pulled up his shirt. But the artist stopped him and said that he should get the tattoo on his wrist instead. The shopkeeper quietly obeyed and was about to close his eyes, but not before seeing the needle shine with a golden ink which would be soon imprinted into his skin. Strange, he though.

Later, the shopkeeper was awaken by a tap on his cheek. Waking up, he felt a tingling sensation on his wrist and saw the gleaming golden tattoo on his dark skin. Soon he was about to take his wallet out but the artist stopped him and told him that he doesn't need it. He does it for the well being of the people and told the shopkeeper to leave.

Soon, the shopkeeper left, reached his house and fell asleep on his couch. The following day, he returned to his ship. To his surprise, there was a steady stream of customers the entire day. This went on for the rest of days. The shopkeeper had an idea that maybe, his success was because of the tattoo artist.

Convinced that this was indeed the case, he appointed a person to keep a watch on the people going to the parlour and try to get their background checks. After going through them, he found something in common. After getting the tattoos, all the people going to the parlour seemed to be a lot happier. Their problems, whether financial or personal, seemed to sort themselves out.

So, one day, the shopkeeper went to the parlour. The artist came out and asked the shopkeeper,
" What do you want now?"
The shopkeeper with hesitation asked:
"Is it because of your ink that I'm successful now?"
Silence. The shopper went on:
"And the others...are their problems somehow solved simply because of your ink?"

Again, silence. Finally, a few moments later, the artist said:
"Well, well, well. Aren't you smart? You've just discovered my biggest secret, which isn't really a secret at all... Well, I'm sorry but I'm going to have to do this."

The artist snapped his fingers and the world tilted around the shopkeeper. When he woke up, he found himself sleeping in his store. Thinking that it had been a dream, he went across the street. To his astonishment, there was no parlour. Not believing his eyes, he went to the place where the parlour used to be and saw only dry grass and waste wrappers around. Dismayed, he turned to leave. However, before he could do do, his eye fell upon something gleaming on the ground. Picking it up, he saw that it was the tattoo artist's needle.

-Rtr.Anusha Bhujabal