White ping pong ball with blue dots.

He kept on mumbling

“white ping pong ball with blue dots….white ping pong ball with blue dots.”

Seated on a tripod stool with his arms folded on his beer belly; rocking back and forth to the rhythm of the tinnitus in his ears, he continued muttering

“white ping pong ball with blue dots….white ping pong ball with blue dots.”

The jargon continued and when the tune submerged or the rhythm slurred, a voice whispered in his ears “faster moron and a little louder.”

And it continued again “white ping pong ball with blue dots….white ping pong ball with blue dots.”

  

While rocking on the stool his eyes were fixed at the pixelated big TV screen which was divided into eight grids. Two grids showed the entrance of the provisional general store. The one with grilled shutter was in front, guarded by a motionless snoring scarecrow. The other one was unattended doubly latched door at hind. One showed the little corridor in front of the main entrance. The next three grids showed the sections of bunk shelves stacked with commodities. Another one featured check out counter with the cash vault. The last one stared at the small staircase which led to the small, dim lit security room where Charlie continued his chant.

Charlie was in his early fifties. Freckled face, panda eyes due to insomnia. Stubby, stout built with thick abundance of grey on the scalp. He had dubious eyes, tentative movements, ambivalent behavior and indecisive, naive demeanor. He was afraid of both, his memory and imagination as he always clang to worst of his memories and imagined worst of the outcomes. More so the luck was not his forte as such. His fate was like the sections of provisional general store at that point of time; ill lit and gloomy. He had his own share of rubble and boulders in his life which was reflected well on his tired face.

The monologue continued and he rarely blinked; but then something happened and the back and forth juggernaut was halted. He squinted towards one of the grids showing bunk shelves. He leaned forward narrowing his eyes while gently biting his inner cheek with the canine. He saw some shadow sliding from behind the big refrigerator of dairy products. His heart raced fast. He rubbed his eyes and peered again. The shadow played hide and seek but was nonetheless visible. The silhouette was that of a tall thin man.  He got weakened in his knees but soon his fight and flight responses took over. He stretched his arm and got hold of the receiver and dialed a number still gaping at the screen un- blinked.

“Hey Freddy! It’s me. I think there is some one in the store.” Said a low hoarse tone.

“Hello” replied a droopy, yawning voice.

“I said there is someone at the store” slightly irate Charlie said to his partner who had called in sick for the shift.

“Listen Charlie, and listen to me very carefully, there is no one. Like there was no one yesterday and the day before yesterday and the couple of nights prior to that or for that matter even a fortnight ago. It’s all in your thoughts buddy.” Said his partner.

“But I can see him right now.” Charlie protested.

“Yes, sure you do… in your head.” Freddy replied in a shrill sarcasm.

He continued “Charlie its 2 am. I am having fever and I am running out of my casual leaves. I need to rest so that I can fill in tomorrow. Please don’t call and bother me. Your life is a pig sty and a mess. If you continue entertaining these imaginary friends of yours, I need to report it to the management. So shut the fuck up and deal with your problems like an adult.” 

In frustration Freddy tossed his mobile on the sofa, it bounced on it and fell down; the battery popped out. All Charlie could hear was a long beep.

  

There was a flurry of emotions that the Charlie experienced within a split second, but then the shadow was on the move. Black synthetic jacket and a monkey cap. There was a limp in his walk. The metal plate on his heels glowed alternately. Charlie got up and grabbed the baton in one hand and his coffee mug in other. Lot many things were happening but real or unreal, that was the question.

Charlie climbed down the stairs half callously and half cautiously. He followed the thin man from an adjacent section. The tall man was casual. He was pushing the steel trolley and was picking stuffs from the shelves. The shopping cart contained a pack of razors, a spatula, few dried canned tunas, a hammer, a cleansing lotion and a laxative. Charlie still couldn’t see his face, but when the man turned around to get some bread Charlie could see his face covered with black balaclava cap. It had various shapes on it inked in light blue and red. The shapes of bat, caterpillar, moth, human heads, worms and what not. He remembered the flash cards which he was compelled to decipher in the rehabilitative center. The sheer dis- trust in their eyes ached his heart. Those obnoxious looks had alienated him from himself and now he was losing his nickel to reality. The euphoria, anxiety, anger, elation, fear, sourness, sadness all came to him at once and pulled him in the depths of his past. Somehow, he jolted back to reality. The masked man had proceeded a handful of steps ahead.

He knew he had to intervene now and confront his greatest fear, truth or false. He kept his baton and his coffee mug down. He opened his bolster and removed the stun gun. Stealthily he moved forward and intercepted the man at the check out counters. The man had somehow managed to open the cash vault by now.

Taking him at the gun point he shouted “raise your hands and show yourself.” The man raised his hands and turned around.

Pivoting towards the left still pointing the gun at stranger Charlie mumbled “Don’t be ridiculous. Put the gun down. He is non-existent. You are looking like a fool pointing the gun at Kelloggs.”

He pivoted  towards right to the sound of the whisper “He is real; as real as this undertone. Hit the buzzer and alert everyone.”

“NO…NO! don’t do that. Hey you, talk to me.” The capped man said with bit of concern.

“Who are you?” Charlie asked.

“You don’t know? That’s odd. After all am I not the figment of your imagination?” the man played along.

“Prove it to me.” Charlie ordered with authority.

“Usually people fight to prove the existence and supremacy of their creators, their gods. But strangely here its other way around.” The stranger smirked.

Swaying towards the left Charlie said “The man is correct. He is a puppet of your brain.”

Swaying towards the right he murmured “Don’t be an idiot Charlie. He is a thief. Ask him to show his face.”

And then while tilting the head to left he questioned “Who knows, who is under that mask....huh? May be the warden of your hostel, or your ex-wife who stomped your heart to molasses. Or could it be your kid who abandoned you? Don’t be stupid Charlie, just ask him how to get rid of him.”

The situation forced Charlie to his knees. He shouted “Please stop, both of you.”  

Looking towards the man he shouted “What would you take to just fuck off?”

The man replied in calm and composure “Just let me out then.”

“Then go…go…please go.” Charlie begged.

“Then drive me out. Let us see who wins.” The man poked.

Charlie was now infuriated. He got up. His bulky hands got hold of the stranger’s collar and with all his might he pulled him through rows of the store. As he approached towards the latched door at the back; he pushed the man on the wall adjacent. Glaring viciously at him Charlie removed the bunch of keys from the pocket. He unlatched the door. A whiff of cool and fresh breeze touched his face. He pushed the other man out and quickly locked the door behind. He felt liberated.

The walk back was easy and light. He started whistling a lullaby. He pushed the cart in tranquil and placed all the items at their respective places. He picked up his baton and coffee mug. To his surprise the coffee was still lukewarm. He slowly climbed up the stairs and locked himself in the room. He sat on the tripod stool and started staring and mumbling “White ping pong ball with blue dots….white ping pong ball with blue dots.” Only, this time his head bobbed merrily.

Freddy got up at around 3 pm the next day. After a wholesome sleep, He was feeling healthy. He got out of the bed and he noticed the dismantled cell phone. He picked it up and fixed it on the way to the kitchen.  He poured a glass of water for himself and gulped some of it. Now the glass was half filled and half empty. His mobile caught the range and started buzzing. Back to back he received four notifications of Charlie’s missed calls and eight messages from Charlie. He opened each and every message hurriedly.

They all said only one thing “white ping pong ball with blue dots….white ping pong balls with blue dots….white ping pong ball with blue dots.”

In a scare and worry he called Charlie. First time the ringer went unnoticed, but second time around it got answered.

“Hello Charlie….!” Freddy asked.

A harsh uninterested voice answered “This is not Charlie. He has been booked for being an accomplice for stealing the stash of cash from the store.”

Freddy almost chocked on his saliva. He just couldn’t utter a word or frame a sentence. He felt as if his health had vanished and he had become sicker. He remembered their conversation. So, it was true after all; Charlie was not hallucinating. His mouth went dry. He was filled with guilt and remorse. He wanted to shout and yell and tell that it was his stupidity, his mistake. He wanted to tell that Charlie was not well. He was ill. He is not a thief but just a simple, troubled man. However all his cracked lips and barren tongue could mumble was….

“White ping pong ball with red dots….white ping pong ball with red dots.”