text: On a stark Thursday night, I stared out of the window of the precinct. Then, looked at my watch to check the time. It was 10:30PM and the skies looked like it was about to rain. I couldn’t wait to get out of this humid police station and my sweaty uniform. My thoughts are interrupted by my colleague Chirag. Apparently, he has gotten into the weekend mood a little early and he is forcing me to grab a beer with him at a nearby bar & restaurant. “Come on, Mary gold bar will be empty tonight and it’s owner hasn’t paid his due for this week... it will be a free beer for you. What’s the harm?” While Chirag was trying to convince me, there is tall lanky guy with frameless spectacle coming in all worried and sweaty. It felt like he had lost his car or something. He was in office formal attire and he directly looked at me & said” I had like to press charges for an intruder in my house... my wife is with him... but... but ...” His voice breaks down a little “she is ok with it” Chirag’s tough voice breaks in “Look mister, we are not here to record your petty cheating cases of your wife” The victim looks up in rage “You don’t get it, it was all planned!!! First my friends then my money and now my family... this is not fair “ I try to reassure him by saying, “please sit down and let’s take your report formally” Chirag’s get a phone call and he walks out to attend the call. The victim & I walk into the side and sit on the table. He is a bit worried now but he starts narrating his case and his weird experiences from past few days... “... I am Raunak Sharma, working in the ITS, an IT firm. I had client holidays on Tuesday and Wednesday. So I had planned for an evening out with my best friend. When I left my house and drove my car towards the hotel... there was this strange person who was standing in the middle of street. When I honked at him he came to the side and asked politely for helping him to drop him off at a nearby. He informed me how his cab got cancelled and how got late for his seminar. He looked decent with a round face and a white shirt coupled with blue trousers was worn by him. His stop was quite near for me to ask any questions or strike a conversation with him...” “Can you please get to the details of when and where the crime was committed? This feels more like your personal experience... It’s quite late and I don’t think this is relevant to the crime at all...” I interrupted him as I wanted to get done with this as soon as possible. “... officer this person is the one who took my life, my money and my everything...” “Look sir, if you really want, I can arrange a sketch artist to whom you can describe the details of this person and we will try to find him. It would be a robbery case and you can just get to the point about what all he stole please?” He gave a heavy sigh and continued “... I am getting to it, officer please let me complete.” Raunak continued “When I dropped him near the junction, he got down and before he got down he told me something really weird ... he told me that friends are like a real gem and often a set of different gems form a wonderful collection of jewellery, it would be a shame to lose any one of gem isn’t it? At first I ignored and rushed to the hotel. To my surprise, my best friend was already there. He is often late but this time he was there. He was looking for someone. When I went and greeted him, he didn’t recognize me and acted like I was a complete stranger and he started asking questions like do I know you? ... ” I interrupt him again this time in anger “Sir, if this isn’t even a robbery but a stupid prank. Why are you even reporting this? Please call your friend and get consolidated” “...Exactly my thoughts a prank, a joke. He walked away and so did I. When I returned home and told my wife about this strange event she thought I was also trying to spoof her and prank her as well. I tried calling my best friend’s cell but he didn’t pick up. Next day I had to rush to Office for an important document and use it to fill a form. When I was driving my car to office at the same place I found that creepy guy with the same outfit as last night... He looked at me and emptied his pockets and ran away ...” “I wanted to chase him but he ran into nearby lanes or shop’s. It was strange but this task of office was much more critical and I had to get it done within the time frame. So without much though I rush to office. Again to my surprise, when I reach office ... I find my pockets missing my wallet... I had my keys, phone and wallet but now it wasn’t there....” Now, I am convinced that this guy is either some creepy lunatic who is out of his mind. I would not interrupt him and ask him how he lost things or how he is able see this other guy he keeps speaking about. “...I was convinced this guy was either some creepy lunatic who was completely out of his mind ...” Raunak said in a reassuring manner When he said this I was completely taken aback. How could my exact thoughts be felt by him? I am scared to my bones. Raunak studies the change in my body language and now for the first time he smiles and says “You know what’s crazy? Today when I returned from work I met this guy again but not in middle of street in some strange way. He booked a ride for carpool from my office till my home. When he comes to my car from the office pick up spot. He seems changed, he has spectacles now, formal clothes, he is no more trying to talk to me or trying to take things for me or being mysterious at all. In fact, the whole way back, I keep asking him questions, trying to get thing’s out of him. He even calls me crazy at a point of time. He says he has never met me...” Raunak chuckles for a bit then he continues... “When we reach my building, I am going to basement to park my vehicle but to my surprise there is already some other car in my parking spot. While I park at some other spot and go to my apartment via the elevator thinking about all these strange experiences... I try to unlock the door with my keys but it didn’t work for some strange reason... When the door unlocks from the inside I see the same creepy person yelling at me stalker go away, I’ll call police go away... I could see my wife looking at me like a complete stranger, like someone else...” “I was broken, my head started hurting, I thought about calling the police but I see the notification of the carpool app with my own name giving me 1-star rating but the photo on the profile was that of the creepy guy.” “I couldn’t believe what had transpired, how my life was taken away from me ... “ Raunak stops speaking now, I am feeling depressed. What if he is actually speaking the truth, how will he ever get his life back with no alibi’s or no one recognizing him. How is this even possible? Chirag who was once my colleague comes in and questions me “Do I know you?” I have no answers but one hundred more questions on what the hell had just happened.I couldn’t believe what was transpiring, how my life is being taken away from me ... He later drags me by my collar and I fall off my chair in complete shock. He says “We shouldn’t entertain these fuckers, these bastards wearing our uniform’s ... come on Rajesh lets fucking leave, it was your holiday and yet you came in and tried to help this piece of shit...” My mind hurts, I couldn’t process what had happened to raunak was in fact him doing the same to me... I look at my shirt’s side pocket, I am still in police’s uniform and the name tag reads “RAUNAK”.