Abhishek's Musings

  A TOWN SHAMED   Margaret Thomas, Director of the CIA, stared down at her three colleagues in the conference room. Sam Washington, Richard Stone, and Daniel Oliver, who had gathered to be briefed on the results of their investigations over several years in a shameful case where one of their young operatives, John Simon, had been stigmatised and rendered indisposed.   ‘Washington brief me on the case, right from the beginning, ’ commanded the Director, with an inquisitive tone. Sam Washington gave her a mock salute, looked down at his notes, and began narrating the sequence of events that led to the tragedy.   ‘It so happened that on the orders of the government, our agency’s asset and his family were called to Oklahoma. He was supposed to continue pursuing his education while on our rolls. However, the situation in Oklahoma at the time was very fluid, and the scene was abuzz with student uprisings, politicking, and picketing; in other words, student politics were at...

  FATAL HELP   The cosy little nook in the garden was where Deepak retreated during the day in search of peace of mind. He had been troubled lately by a string of uncalled-for incidents that began when one of his colleagues at work, Mr P, decided to help him out. It so happened that Deepak was looking for some domestic help for his overburdened family. Mr P. was in the business of supplying labour to interested parties. He ran an NGO that specialised in this activity. “Trust me, Deepak, I’ll solve all your problems in a jiffy. I know just whom to send, who will take care of all your worries,” said Mr P to Deepak one fine morning. “Thank you, Mr P., for all your help,” said Deepak.   And so it happened that weekend, Mr P. delivered a somewhat overzealous-looking girl to his doorstep. Although Deepak immediately had misgivings, against his better judgment, he decided to try her out and keep her for a week. He soon discovered that the girl was of no help to him and was ill-m...