LOST

5. Nonchalant

**/05/17

You mark your destination. You choose your path. You prepare yourself. You embark on the journey only to be ridiculed and embarrassed at that decision, by yourself. Ever happened? Happened to me. I ran towards my saviour, the Neelkanth of Meluha. With every successive step, distance tended to zero and simultaneously hopes tended to infinity. Basic level Calculus. But as hopes tends to infinity, disappointment follows. Basic rules of life. I was so excited on seeing him that I couldn't control my speed, I jumped upon him and we both came tumbling to the ground. I was holding on to his neck, my legs were crossed around his waist, three counts and I would have won the match. Within a few seconds on the disaster, he managed to gain his strength and threw me off. That's when I got a clear look of the impending devastation. He looked familiar with the brown eyes, black hair, tall configuration. I tried hard but couldn't remember where I had seen him but I was sure this face wasn't new to me.

"What's wrong with you man?"
"I... I'm sorry.... I couldn't control my excitement"
"Do I look like a celebrity"
"No. But..."
"Don't bother."
He began to walk away.
"Hey! Wait! Where are you going", I began walking parallel to him.
"Are you gonna drop me there?"
"No. How...."
"Then why do you ask"
"If you are..."
"If you have a purpose, do the job, you don't have one, don't pester around"
"Hey. You can stop being so rude"
"Are you my counsellor"
"No but.."
"Then don't advise me"
"I am trying to solve the problem"
"I don't have a problem and I don't need one"
"How could you not have one? Everyone's gone missing, we should..."
"If you ask me a question, you wait for my answer. Unless, it's a rhetorical question and the answer is yes"
"What..... Yeah OK..... How could you not have a problem?"
"By not caring"
"How on earth could you not care"
"Are you my mom?"
"What?"
"Then don't ask questions"
He was clearly the most arrogant and careless man I had ever seen.
"OK look. Apparently we are the only ones in the city. Rest all have, I don't know, vanished mysteriously or something. Something strange is going on"
"Yeah? Good."
"No no no. You don't understand. My parents, my friends, my neighbours, the entire city is missing. You need to help me."
"Should I go looking for them?"
"I have tried that, I can't find anyone"
"Then stop looking"
"How can I stop looking"
"By not searching"
"That's nonsense. But... But there's more. I tried to jump off the roof like a million times, every time I woke up on my bed."
"And?"
"I tried killing myself in all possible ways. I can't die."
"And how exactly does that upset you"
"I... I .... I can't die. How is that possible"
"You can't die. You are immortal. People spend years in mountains to get such junk. You've got it. Enjoy it."
"But there's no one around. Where is everyone?"
"There's no one around. The entire city is under your dominion. Do what you want. You are millionaire in your own city. Live it."
"Umm.... I.. I saw this place. It was completely dark. As if the world ends there."
"So?"
"So how is that possible?"
"Why do you care?"
"I can't go that way"
"Then don't go that way"
" Why is all this happening "
"Stop questioning the cause and follow the way"
"What does that even mean"
"You are alone. Live the life everybody craves. You don't need to work. Everything here is yours."