Friendly Competition

On Saturday evening, Isaac and Ronald were standing at another tower which had nearly twenty floors. They both were on the terrace of twentieth floor. As Megan arrives with her team of cameramen,

Isaac gets prepared and goes toward Megan to tell her his escape trick.

However, Ronald looks at ground outside and sees the height of tall building.

He takes out his borrowed binoculars to see and make sure that there was no foam material kept on ground spot where Isaac would land.

A minute later, Megan fires the pistol and the contest begins. Isaac sits on the side wall and Ronald asks him:

‘Are you sure you can escape your death?’

Ronald pushes him and Isaac fells backward, his body rotates and he fells downward. He was in air, his body going towards the ground and until seventh floor he had applied no trick. He keeps on felling and reaches almost towards the ground.

Ronald gets a little frightened and feels as if Isaac has died. He runs towards Megan and yells:

‘What happened to him? Did his escape trick fail?’

‘You pushed him you should know that…’

‘What was his escape trick?’ he asks hastily.

‘I’m not allowed to expose without his permission.’

‘If he has died, then I’ll be hanged. And that means that it was planned by both of you.’

‘I think you didn’t watch me carefully,’ Isaac says coming from behind the stair case.

‘…Thank God! you survived,’ Ronald says feeling relieved.

‘Want to know how? The metal rope, it was attached with my waist and it stopped me from reaching the ground.

So, I survived.’

The cameramen come closer to Megan and Isaac. Megan continues announcing the winner giving Isaac his desire of travelling Paris.

Megan’s Purpose

Next day, Megan was backstage with J.L. No show was going on but some of her contestants were there at another room. She was tensed. Seeing her, J.L. asks:

‘You okay?’

‘I am,’ she replies, ‘but something’s biting me.’

‘What is it?’

‘Those two contestants Isaac and Ronald, they are quite different.’

‘Different?’ J.L. asks.

‘People come here for two purposes. Either to commit suicide, or to get their desires.’

‘Mostly their purpose is to commit suicide.’

‘Well, you’ll be surprised J.L., I never told you a dangerous secret about our show.’

‘What can be hidden from me? I’ve been a part of your team since two years.’

‘Do you know why people commit suicide?’ Megan questions. ‘It’s because they face troubles in life such as loss of love, financial loss or other difficulties.’

‘Yes, I agree, so?’

‘Why do these difficulties come in their lives? It’s because my team’s some secret members create these difficulties and problems in their lives.’

‘I didn’t get you,’ J.L. replies feeling confused.

‘Listen carefully… I first examine some people personally and figure out what’s very much close to them. And when I find it out, I ask my men to take that precious thing away from them.’

‘So, does that mean that you were the one who stole away Isaac’s money and you created difficulties in Ronald’s life, so that they both would get depressed and would join your show?’

‘Exactly,’ she smiles, ‘now you see why they both were committing suicide.’

‘Listen Megan, tell me why are you doing this, this isn’t fair.’

‘I’ve been doing this since the beginning of my career, this is the only way to collect contestants and increase our show’s rating.’

‘I’m really shocked,’ he says wiping off his sweat.

‘I can see that…’

However, Megan stands up and sees around outside to make sure that no one was listening to them. Megan sits back with J.L. and says:

‘My next target is Ronald…’

‘Why, what do you want

from him?’

‘I sent a boyfriend to his wife so that she would fall in love with someone else and ask for divorce from Ronald, and that almost happened.’

‘What’s the point?’ J.L. asks getting confused.

‘Why was Ronald committing suicide? Because he wanted money to make his wife happy? No, it was because his wife Emily said that she wanted to get separated from him.’

‘Oh no,’ J.L. says getting shocked. ‘So, was his wife asking for divorce because that planned boyfriend

asked her to?’

‘Yes, but especially it was her, she was doing this on MY order. I actually offered her money to ask for divorce from Ronald. She agreed and did so and that eventually lead him to join our show.’

‘Wow, you have a devilish mind, but why did you say that he’s your next target.’

‘Because there’s something different about him. He is the only one who is against my show. Many people are, but that day when I revealed my final challenge to both of them, he seemed to like the offer of getting my show closed.’

‘So Megan, you’re saying that he wants this show to be over.’

‘Yes, that’s why I’ve decided to do something that he would eventually commit suicide.’

‘Oh, so you judge people through their expressions,’ J.L. taunts seriously. ‘Anyways, what about Isaac?’

‘Interesting fact is that Ronald will die with his own will. But Isaac will die with my will.’

‘You’re about to get him killed too? Why?’

‘I suppose you know why,’ Megan says looking at him.

‘Oh, I get it,’ J.L. says realising something. ‘You always hated those contestants who wanted your entire wealth.’

‘Yes and that guy Isaac is hungry for my money. I won’t let that happen, because my money is everything for me.’

Megan stands up again and makes sure that no one was hearing them talk.

Ronald in Misery

Back at Ronald’s home, he was reading newspaper. Emily comes towards him and says:

‘We’re not getting divorced.’

‘What do you mean? We were never getting divorced.’

‘No, we were actually. But now I’m pregnant.’

‘Really?’ Ronald asks getting happier. ‘That’s great news!’

‘No it isn’t, I’m getting an abortion.’

‘Don’t you even dare to think about that. I don’t want my child to be murdered.’

‘Oh, then can you raise him? You hardly have any money to bear our expenses. How can you fulfill your child’s desires?’

‘Emily, you have no idea how I feel about you,’ he says getting distressed. ‘I love you, and we are not getting divorced.’

‘To be honest, I don’t

want to waste the rest of my life with you.’

Ronald feels like crying after hearing this, so he walks away from her.

Next day, Isaac and Ronald were at Megan’s Theatre. Isaac was to give him the challenge, so he claims on mike:

‘My next challenge to Mr B is getting hanged.

He has to get hanged to a rope and survive death.’

‘Where?’ Ronald asks.

‘Next to the oak tree at a park.’

‘Sure, I accept!’

Megan remembers that two contestants had survived this sort of death before.

Moments later when the show was over, Megan comes toward Ronald, as he was leaving, and asks:

‘So, what’s your escape

trick? You didn’t seem

frightened today.’

‘My plan is final…I’m committing a suicide…’

This was quite shocking but more exciting for Megan. Ronald leaves her alone and J.L. comes toward her.

‘So, what did he say?’ J.L. asks.

‘What I always wanted him to say. He’s finally committing a suicide.’

‘Well, if you don’t mind can I ask you why do you hate him so much?’

‘For the obvious reason,’ she replies, ‘I told you before, he wants my show to be over and whoever wants that,

I have to get that person tormented and killed.’

‘What about Isaac then? He’s also after your wealth.’

‘No matter what happens J.L., I will get him in my final challenge and he’ll die either becoming A or B.’

Outside the Theatre, Ronald was walking sadly thinking of his wife and other difficulties. However he receives an unexpected call from his Father, he didn’t have courage to answer the call but still answers the call:

‘Hello, dad?’

‘What’s up Ronald? You haven’t visited me since a month.’

‘Sorry dad, I can’t come to hospital. But before I die, I’ll see you I promise.’

‘Before you die?

Are you trying to commit suicide again?’

‘This time I’m not doing it the way I did in my child hood.’

‘Ronald what’s the reason

this time?’

‘It doesn’t matter,’ Ronald replies trying to avoid the matter, ‘but I believe that suicide is the end of all problems in life.’

‘Don’t forget Ronald that it’s also escapism. Suicide is a coward man’s act.’

Ronald likes what his father just said but still doesn’t change his mind.

Ronald Refuses

On Saturday, Isaac and Ronald were at a park. Megan and her team were watching them and making their video. Ronald stands over a chair. Isaac ties a knot tightly on his neck with a rope that was tied with the tree’s branch. Isaac was to pull the chair away from Ronald so he would die getting hanged.

Megan fires her pistol. Ronald closes his eyes feeling a little scared. Isaac pulls the chair with all his strength and Ronald fells but fails to get hanged as the rope had a weak link which broke and let Ronald survive, who fell on ground. Isaac feels this was a trick to escape but actually it wasn’t. Ronald feels regretful and angry that he survived.

Megan feels even angry realising that either someone mysterious had secretly weakened the rope or Ronald might have lied about the suicide intending to actually escape.

Megan then comes towards him declaring him as the survivor of the challenge, which she was supposed to do. But Ronald stops her before she could say anything and claims in front of cameraman:

‘I’m sorry, I can’t have my desire. I don’t want to. Because I came here to die but I accidentally survived. This wasn’t supposed to happen.’

Megan realises that Ronald had not lied, but it was actually someone unknown who was behind this. J.L. walks towards Isaac and slowly asks:

‘Were you behind this? Because I’m sure that Ronald never wanted to survive.’

‘You won’t believe me. You’ll be surprised in fact. But today it was the first time when I wanted Ron to die… Actually, it’s because I want to die getting hanged on court’s order.’

‘Why is it so?’ J.L. asks.

‘It’s because I have nothing left. Your show is not entertaining me. I lost my money and I have only one way to overcome, and that is to commit suicide.’

J.L. gets surprised but happier inside as this was what Megan always wanted. So,

he says to Isaac:

‘But what about Megan’s Final Challenge.’

‘I’ll think about it.’

‘Well Isaac, I got to tell you that tomorrow there is a show on Megan’s Final Challenge. Two contestants have booked.’

‘Really? Who’s B?’

‘Actually you don’t know him, but whoever he is, he is playing not for wealth or money. He’s just playing to break a record which no one has ever done. This is what Megan likes.’

‘I don’t care about what Megan likes,’ Isaac says frankly, ‘I care about what I want, because if I’ll play I’ll risk my life not Megan’s. I only want money from that challenge.’

Isaac gets distracted as he sees Ronald walking away from the park. J.L. thinks about Isaac as greedy for Megan’s wealth, which was dangerous for him. But he wonders that why did he wanted to commit suicide like Ronald.

Plan becomes Useless

That night, Isaac was wandering around outside his home thinking about Megan’s Final Challenge. He has an escape plan for it but for that he required some money. Right now, he was almost penniless.

A moment later, he was lying on his bed thinking how much he was in need of money and would do anything right or wrong to get sufficient money to recover his loss. His plan to escape Megan’s Final Challenge was of wearing a strong armor on his head that would be a shield against

the bullet.

Next day at Megan’s Theatre, Isaac was waiting for Megan’s Final Challenge to begin. As Megan finishes her speech, two contestants A and B come next to her on stage; A was holding the machine gun. When Isaac observes B carefully, he sees that he was actually wearing the metallic armour over his head. Isaac regrets and says:

‘I wasn’t expecting this, my plan failed before I could apply it.’

Now his idea was useless, as someone else had applied it before him. And now Megan’s Final Challenge’s record was about to be broken.

As A contestant aims the machine gun over B’s head, he asks B:

‘Are you confident?’

‘I am,’ B replies firmly.

As Megan fires her pistol on air, A fires the machine gun. Unfortunately, B dies as the bullet crosses his head, as it was strong enough to break the metallic armour.

Isaac gets shocked, and the audience gets frightened. Megan and J.L. remain calm as usual.

Megan comes in front of stage and says:

‘Now, you see the strength of this bullet. It can break away any sort of armour. So, don’t be fooled. And Mr A, we’re sorry but you’re going to be hanged.’

‘No wait,’ contestant A says getting scared, ‘I wasn’t prepared for this…I didn’t know he

would die.’

Isaac sees the guards coming towards A and taking him away. He was trying to resist but had to die. Isaac talks to himself:

‘If I had applied this trick, I would have died like him. But what difference does it make? I’m already looking forward to die when I have no money.’

to be continued...