Love and the Dark Night

PART TWO, NINE

3rd person POV

A crowd had gathered in the square to catch a glimpse of Rudi. Someone had got herself to the front of the crowd, at the bottom of the stairs. In between biting her nails, she was scratching her throat and mopping her face with a handkerchief.

There was a flourish of clickings as onlookers began clicking pictures. Some panned their cell phones for video shots. Rudi entered the square, surrounded by Ranee, Simran, Hermen. David and Shasht walked further behind him. The staff of the Man Poetry Prize stood in front of the stage. Rudi and his entourage made their way along the cleared space that the staff had created for them.

As the party got to the bottom of the stairs Rudi stopped. He had spotted an old man who had warned him in his dreams to beware of late nights. “Last night was my latest of nights. But nothing happened.”

“Yes... Nights change to days and night appears again.” the old man said.

*

On the other side of the street Anais stood leaning against a tree. She was straining her eyes and finally spotting David and Shasht, called David.

“David, Rudi is coming. Are you ready?”

“Sure as the rain.’ He smiled. We are…”

“Yes I’ve seen you guys. Coming in a jiffy.”

The party moved on, climbing the stairs and disappearing through the doors of the Town Hall.

One of the staff members, Sammy, popular among people approached Shasht in the foyer. “I hope the enterprise you’re embarking on today will be successful,” he said.

Shasht froze. “What enterprise, Sammy?”

“Nothing as such. Goodbye,” and he walked away, smiling.

David had been watching and sidled up to Shasht. “What did Sammy say?”

“He wished us well in our enterprise.” Shasht’s face had turned white. “I fear we’ve been found out.”

“Look, he’s going up to Rudi,” said Brutus. “Watch.”

Ranee joined them. ‘Ranee, be ready,’ Shasht said, not taking his eyes off Sammy. “Someone has got the wind of our plans. What are we going to do, David? If he knows about it neither of us will leave. I’ll kill him and then myself.”

“Be calm, Shasht,’ David said. “He’s not talking about us. Look, he’s smiling, and Rudi’s expression hasn’t changed.”

As they entered the front room of the Town Hall Shasht whispered to David. ‘Ranee knows her moment time. Look, David, Ranee’s leading Rudi’s friends out.”

Ranee had put her arm across the shoulders of two friends of Rudi’s and, talking urgently in whispers, was leading them back out of the hall, while the others followed.

Rudi’s friend-conspirators were gathering in a group. “Where are the others?” said Didier, one of David’s friends. “He should go now and present his suit to Rudi when he goes up to to speak.”

“He’s ready,” David said. “Come closer to support him.”

Hermen took Ranee’s arm. ‘Ranee, you are the first to lug the bullet.”

Rudi stood facing the microphone. He turned his face and cleared his throat. “Good morning to one and all. And a huge thank you to the organizers and to the judges of course for selecting me, or rather my poems and considering them and selecting me as this year’s recipient.

His friends all stopped talking and faced him. They were now at the front, close to Rudi. “Is there any problem,” and Rudi looked at his friends. “Is there any problem,” Rudi said, turning his face towards them.

Alex stepped forward. “No. Nothing is the problem,” and Alex threw himself before Rudi and went down on his knees.

Rudi gazed down haughtily at him. “I must stop you Alex. This bowing and scraping might inflate the pride of ordinary men and reduce the rule of ancient law into something to be bypassed. You are making a fool of yourself.” He put his mouth close to Alex’s ear. “Don’t make an ass of yourself, People will start to come and in the scramble, the event will not see the light of the day.”

Alex remained on his knees. He looked round at their friends. “Is there no voice more worthy than my own that might sound more favourably in Rudi’s ear to persuade him to publish one of my poems in the forthcoming anthology?”

David stepped forward and took Rudi’s hand. “Cousin’s blood, it is said, runs deeper than siblings from the same mother. Take a poem of Alex. He is bright in his creativity, I’ve gone through them.

Rudi looked pained. “What? David?” You are saying this I thought that you have some powers of observation. And besides, realty is not your business.”

David’s eyes turned red, he held his breath and made his hand into fists.

“Isn’t even David kneeling in vain?”

Ranee drew her pistol. “Speak gun for me!” she shouted and aiming the nozzle on Rudi’s forehead was about to squeeze the trigger when Sammy rushed forward, throwing Rudi, and the the trigger, being squeezed at that instant, went through Sammy's brain. Seeing this, Rudi ducked and rushed out through the crowd on the stage.

The entire crowd stood in shocked silence. “Run.”

“Run.”

“Run.”

Some of the Rudi’s and other’s common friends ran out in terror. Shasht called after them. “Some of you go to the other streets and by-lanes and tell the people not to be afraid as no one else will be harmed.”

David also called after them. “People, don’t be afraid, don’t run away. Stay. Sammy was hand in glove with Rudi and we are now looking out for him. No one else will be hurt.”

“Go to the public platform, David,” Ranee said.

“And you too, Shasht,” Alex said.

“Where’s Papilon?” David said.

“There he is,’ Alex said. “He’s looks quite upset. Did he have a close connection with Sammy i this regard?’

“Let’s stand close together,’ said Hermen, “in case some secret friend of Rudi unknown to us decides to…”

“Don’t talk about standing on the defensive,” David said. “Hermen, don’t worry. No harm is intended to you. Nor to any other person. Go and tell them that, Alex.”

“And leave us now,” Shasht said.

“Let no man bear the consequences of this action except us, the doers.”

“We will soon know what fate has in store for us,” David said. “What will be the outcome of my next realty project only fate knows. Every one dies eventually. We know that. It’s only time and how long it takes that matter.”

Ranee pulled a wry face. “We couldn’t cut off twenty years of Rudi’s life and if we could we could have avoided twenty years of his fearing death.”

*

Anais hid behind a corner of two houses that jutted out into the by-lane. She was scratching her hand, her eyes widened.

“What the f**k! This Sammy. I told him to steer away from Rudi. And for that he had asked for one thousand euros. But he never kept his word.” And muttering all this, she proceeded ahead towards the Buddhist monastery.

*

By now everyone had left and only David and everyone’s common friend remained.

“David what will be about our work,” Hermen said. “We were supposed to join Bluetooth Lawns.”

“”I have promised to make you the accountant, Hermen and you will be.”

David scratched his chin. “And for you,” and he looked at Ranee. “You will be my secretary. Personal.”

“Thanks David.”

“And you the others, will be sent to the sites for inspection and to deal with lawyers.”

And now to look for Rudi,” Shasht said. “We have to brainwash him again to kill him.”

Anais was at the corner when she heard Shasht’s words. I have to take a different stand. “Hi David. And Shasht. And high everybody. I love you all!”