"The Elevator to Realms" Act 3 Curiosity :
Vaibhav
The alarm started blaring. I woke up and tried to look through the blinding brightness of my cellphone. It was already 10'o clock in the Morning. And there it was. A WhatsApp notification.
It was our Chemistry teacher, Sir Verma.
'Come to School to collect certificates.'
I saw this as a golden opportunity to get to know what had just happened to us on the day of our Farewell. I called up Pooja.
Vaibhav: Hey, did you check our class group?
Pooja: Yes I did. Seems like a good chance to explore it, eh?
Vaibhav : *Sighs..* Okay... We'll see. Let's meet.
Pooja : *giggles* Yep. Meet me at the Basketball Ground.
"Oh, Pooja.." I said to myself, and then I started thinking about everything about that day.
It was already dawn, and the sun was already up. Hence, I started getting ready for School and went down.
I started my scooter and reached the school, and there she was. Sitting on one of the chairs of the Basketball ground waiting for me. She was looking around, so I approached her. She was wearing a red lehenga with her hair open through which the Morning breeze was drifting through her hair causing me to get dumbstruck. She's the most beautiful girl I've ever met in my whole life. She's the best! Okay, she noticed me. We greeted each other, and then I sat beside her. "Just, tell me one thing. How can someone look like you?", I asked, jokingly while looking deep into her eyes to which she said, "Why? What." but then, I nodded it off. Damn it! It's always been her. It will always be her. No matter what, she's just perfect and way too similar. Sometimes too much, I seem a creep to her. But whatever it is, I just can't afford to lose her. Every time I see her, it's never the same. What am I supposed to do? I'm in trouble...
"Okay, so tell me what the plan is? How can we know more about it? Mr. Lost?" She laughed. As if I knew the whole plan or I had planned everything in my head already. "How can I even know?!" I said. "You always find a way to figure out things. Every time, Vaibhav... And I trust you." She replied. Well, I had to do this for us. We both had been so curious about things. And this is the one thing that bugged me the most. So much for being curious eh? Chuck it!
After thinking for some time, I came up with an idea. Not a brilliant or unique one, but usual. I decided to access the security camera footage to figure out everyone who had accessed the elevator on that very particular day. I had my cell phone with me, so I started the whole process of hacking. It took me not more than a couple of minutes to get into their security cameras. I started probing every footage from that day. "Vaibhav?", Pooja was looking around saying something to me, and then she suddenly noticed the footage on my phone. She got attentive too, just like me.
And THIS was the moment when we saw it...
A mysterious sketchy man with hoodie plants a shiny bright device emitting blue light inside the elevator just below the switches inside its control panel. He seemed nonchalant. The unknown person picked up the lock of the elevator's control panel in no time, and this looked tremendously suspicious. We observed everything that he did, and then the footage cut off! I could no more find footage of that day after this incident. I even checked the main gate footage and everything but no luck so far. Where did he go? What happened after that? No one knows now.
We both started staring at each other's faces giving confused looks. I got goosebumps all over my body. This, this has got to be it. Everything that happened, was just because of this person and we have no idea who he is. How is this even possible? Who is he? What is his intention behind this? From where did he get this device? Millions of questions started rushing throughout. Maybe.. maybe he might be someone we already know? Or, else why would he conceal his identity by wearing a mask and a hoodie... Is.. is Pooja safe? I started staring right into her big eyes so deeply. Should I include her in all this? I shouldn't do th---
"VAIBHAV! What in the world are you thinking?! Let's go and check. Now.." Pooja exclaimed.
"You know, I think... I should not let you proceed more. This might be dangerous, Pooja. And I won't forgive myself if anything ever happens to you and you know that, right?" I spoke out, softly. She said, "Yes, I am well aware of this. But, this goes the other way around too. Let me come with you?" She held my wrist while making baby faces. I couldn't deny it and giggled. "O--Okay let's go then. You won't budge. But first, we need to find something to pick the lock of the elevator panel. But before that, we need to disable the cameras on and around the elevator." I opened up my cellphone and started scrolling through thousands of exploits into which I have spent many sleepless nights. Found a suitable one and ran it.
Now that I have successfully disabled the cameras around the elevator, I need to find a way to break through the panel of the elevator. Remembering the make of the elevator, it's a Schindler with a manual cylinder lock so a simple brute-force approach while listening to every bitting might be helpful. "We need two to three pins, or any sharp pointed object, and a double-sided sticky tape. Where am I supposed to get them, any bright ideas?", I asked Pooja. She exclaimed after thinking for a bit, "Come with me!". And then she took us to the stationery where we bought all the necessary items required to pick the lock.
Now it was about time. We had reached our mystifying elevator. I pressed the button. And as the elevator was on its way, tension prevailed over everything. Each second felt like hours. Millions of thoughts started running through my head. What if it happens again? What if it does, and we couldn't come back? What are the odds of this happening again? And above all, what if a paradox may have happened and I didn't notice? Oh god. This is tremendously burdensome.
The elevator door opened...
We both went inside carefully, and then I pressed the button to third. As the third was empty and no one was there, I might get enough window to pick the lock and find out what was inside of it. We reached third without any problem.
"Okay, Pooja. You provide me an overwatch from the outside and don't let any security cameras spot you. If something happens, or someone comes, double tap your shoe on the ground and I will get informed. Deal?", I said. She nodded and seemed a bit nervous. So, I gave her a warm hug and told her that it was okay. She went and started walking around the deserted floor. I crouched and placed my bag in between the door to prevent it from automatically closing. Finally, started picking the lock of the panel.
Minutes passed, and it was almost unlocked but suddenly, I heard Pooja tap her shoe on the ground. And in sheer suddenness, I could not help but drop everything which was in my hand and looked at Pooja immediately. She signaled to me, that she felt someone around. Fortunately, after looking around it was just a malicious rat dodging around. I sighed and continued picking the lock and there it was. It opened...
And to my surprise, it was not there. Nothing at all! Just some usual wires and fuses. "There's nothing in here... It's not here, whatever it was." I announced. Pooja seemed a bit off about the situation and could see the disappointed expression slowly spreading out over my face. I stood up. "So, now what? What are we gonna do?", pointed Pooja. "There's nothing we can do right now. Let's just go and get our certificates. Sir Verma might be waiting for all of us up there.", I said. I fixed the panel back up, and then we went to our classroom, where Sir Verma was sitting on his chair, right behind his table with the certificates of his students.
"Vaibhav and... Pooja. Here are your certificates. And congratulations, All the very best for your future!", said Sir Verma, after handing over our certificates. "Thank You, Sir! and above all, we're seriously going to miss you.", said Pooja. "Sir. Nothing can beat the kind of teaching and support you gave us." I said. We then touched our teacher's feet and turned around to take one last look at our classroom. The place where we all had our best moments. And of course, our last bench. How can I even forget this place? This is where we caused all kinds of hell. Ate our lunchboxes in the middle of the lectures. Right in front of the teacher without letting them know and whatnot! I smiled while looking at those empty benches and then turned around to leave the classroom...
* * *
"Wow. That was something, right? Our school life is officially completed now.", she said. "Yeah." I smiled. Pooja's cell phone buzzed, and she started texting. I looked around and then she asked, "Vaibhav, are you free after 8'o clock tonight? Today is my sister's birthday and I want to invite you and your family to the birthday party. Our families haven't met yet, right? It would be a good time then!". I started thinking and I started checking my phone for any schedule for today. "I'll let you know, Pooja. You want me to drop you home?" I asked, to which she happily agreed and nodded a big yes. We went off on my scooter and I dropped her at her house and I went off back to my home. Tired, I could not think of anything else as it was an overwhelming day for me. While having my Lunch at the dining table, I informed mom about today's program.
"Mom, Pooja has invited us to dinner tonight, it's her sister's birthday.", I said.
"Ohh! Who's Pooja?" she asked, teasing me. To which I smiled and explained to mom that she's been my classmate and somewhere we both like each other but we're not sure. And I don't even know how to express all my feelings to her. "And why's that." She asked, and kept a hand on my shoulder. "Why do guys of your generation have so messed up relationships? Look, beta, it's not about needs. Sometimes, you have to just be for each other. Love is not time-pass. You both have to work for it every single day. Also, it doesn't need to be one-sided, and it hurts. Be brave, and go tell every single thing that you feel for her. Come on! We don't get multiple lives. Tonight when you're ready, just go on and speak out whatever you have inside your heart. Okay?" I nodded.
As she was telling me all this, I began making up my mind since she was not wrong. It's not wrong to tell someone that you love them while you still have time. I finished my lunch and went up to my room. Pulled out my phone, set an alarm for 7'o clock tonight, and burrowed myself into my bed. I sighed, excited for tonight's dinner and in no time I dozed off.
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