POSTMAN

“Sir. Are you Mr Shankar?”

“Yes. I’m Shankar Narayan. Tell me. Is that a post or a courier?”

“I guess a post, sir. But you need to sign it.”

“Oh. Where’s Sundaram? He was the regular postman.” 

“Sorry, sir. Sundaram was one of the oldest postman in the Indiranagar suburb. He passed away yesterday.”

“Oh. That’s tragic. I met him three days back at the post office. He spoke about his daughter’s wedding which is just a month away. I’ll visit his place today and pass the condolences to his family. By the way, thanks for letting me know.” 

“It’s fine. But Sundaram sir’s family are not in the town. They left to Chennai this morning.”

“That’s ridiculous. How can they leave without finishing the rituals? I’ve known Sundaram from the past 30 years. He used to visit my bank once a week to deposit his weekly savings. I’ve known their family too. They were highly orthodox. How can they leave all of a sudden?” 

“By the way, how did he die? He was fit and perfect. I fondly used to call him ‘Joe Pesci’.” 

“I’m sorry to say, sir. It was a murder in broad daylight. The killer used a cloth hanging rope and strangled him to death. 

It was a gruesome murder. Don’t know what was the killer motive. Even the cops couldn’t find it.” 

“Well, that’s intriguing and sad. AND, how do you know all this? Did someone tell you? By the way, is the murderer on the loose? Did the cops catch him yet?”

“The killer is on the loose sir. The cops haven’t found a clue yet.”

“But, how do you know all this young man?”

“Sorry again to break it down sir. I’m Hari and I was the one who strangled Sundaram sir, your step-brother to death.” 

Shankar Narayan was shocked. His heart began to pound faster for two reasons. Firstly, the killer was in front of him and secondly, apart from him, nobody knew Sundaram was his stepbrother. 

“Hey. Stay out. How do you know all this? said Shankar with sweat pouring all over his face.”

“Relax. Sir. I’m not here to cause harm to you. Don’t worry. I just dropped here to share the story behind the killing. I’m here to justify the crime I’ve committed.”

“Sundaram was your step-brother. Isn’t it Mr Shankar?”

“Yes. But, why the hell you killed him and what’s your bloody motive?”

“Patience sir. Patience. An old man like you need to be calm and even Sundaram was in a hurry to explain me things. But, you know what sir? My reason to kill him was stronger than his cries.” 

“As far as I’m concerned, Sundaram is a kind-hearted person. He wouldn’t hurt anyone. Even after my father threw him out of the house, he never took it to his heart. Right from bringing up his kids to managing his household songs, he did it all by himself. Only after he lost his job as an accountant, he was forced to work as a postman. It was only during that time, he sought my help.”

“AND, based on the way you speak, I guess you’re a cold-blooded psycho who loves killing people for no reason!”

“Relax, Mr Shankar. I haven’t spoken about my reason yet and you’re already jumping into conclusions.”

“Whatever the reason might be, Sundaram wouldn’t have caused you any loss. I know about him very well.”

“Ok Mr., Shankar. Let me not drag further and tell you the reason behind me killing your step-brother. After all, you should be knowing how unrighteous Sundaram can be?”

“I guess it was 3 years ago. It was on June 9th 1991, I was employed at HAL as a chief engineer. I was the only breadwinner in my family. Father left us early and I was left out to take care of my mother and sister. You know how difficult it is to handle a family, Mr Shankar? In simple words, you carry all the burden.”

“But still, I studied hard, took tuitions, paid my bills and finally got a job at HAL. 6 months after I got placed, my mother sent me a letter and it was about a marriage proposal to my sister. I was on cloud nine. It was one of the moments where you feel proud of yourself, isn’t it Mr Shankar?”

“Anyway, I couldn’t travel to my hometown immediately. There was an ongoing project going on and I was designated as a project lead. So, I wrote a letter to my mother stating I would be dropping by two weeks later and I also sent her a cheque of 50,000/-“

“After two weeks, I packed my bags with enough sweets, bought some jewellery to my mother and sister and visited my hometown with full of excitement.”

“But, I’d never expected the sweets would go for waste. I’d never imagined the jewellery would be of no use. I’d never thought in my wildest dreams that there would be a day where I would get to see my mother and sister dead. 

You know what’s more painful Mr Shankar?”

“It’s losing your dear ones even after being a responsible son. But, it was your bloody stepbrother who was responsible for my loss.”

“I’m sorry for your loss. I know a sorry can’t justify your sorrow. But, I would like to know how Sundaram was responsible?”

“Mr Shankar. I guess you’re not getting it. I guess you’re still thinking your stepbrother was an innocent person. Had he been innocent, he wouldn’t have invented a murderer in me. Had he been innocent, I wouldn’t have strangled him to death.”

“Listen, young man. I would like to know the truth. As far as I know, our upbringing has never led to any atrocities in the past and yes, it would never, even in the future.”

“Mr Shankar. I’m not here to play philosophy. I’m here to convey the brutal truth.”

“It was your stepbrother who forgot to deliver that cheque on time. In fact, I got to know about it only after reaching the post office. It was still lying on the office amid many undelivered letters.”

“My mother and sister were humiliated by the local villagers. Poor people. They couldn’t handle it. So, they took a decision which would haunt me for a lifetime.”

“I thought of killing Sundaram the very next day. But no. What’s the point, Mr Shankar? What’s the point in killing him when his family is stable?”

“So, I patiently waited like a hungry lion who’s hunting a prey. It took me 3 years and only a month ago, I came to know Sundaram had arranged a marriage proposal for his beloved daughter.”

“I felt the time was apt and right. I visited him in the morning yesterday and as you can rightly guess, you know what happened.”

Shankar was left with tears. He was unsure about the cries. Whom he would cry for? His stepbrother or his unethical values? 

“Sorry, Mr Shankar. You might be a righteous man. But, Sundaram had to bear the brunt of his mistakes. After all, some mistakes have to be corrected.”

“Anyway, it was nice meeting you, Mr Shankar. I feel better now. It was nice meeting you in person.” 

“Wait! Why did you come here? You could’ve just escaped or vanished. What was the reason to meet me and tell me all this and make me more unhappy?”

“Mr Shankar. I guess you forgot the foremost essence of my story. Even I hail from a lower middle-class family. In fact, I don’t mind taking the privilege of being a more righteous soul than you are.”

“But, unfortunately, a murder is a murder. Sundaram committed a blunder and I had to repay. However, after killing him, I felt a bit guilty. I don’t know why. It suffocated me to the fullest. I just couldn’t handle it. For me, it was like a negative energy, Mr Shankar. I couldn’t destroy it. The only option I had was to pass it to someone.”

“AND, I don’t think there could be anyone as best as you to take that honours.”

But, what if I tell it to the police? 

“Ha ha ha ha ha. Mr Shankar. That was a good joke. Remember, just a couple of minutes back, you spoke highly of your upbringing.”

“Just go ahead, Mr Shankar. Go ahead and prove your upbringing was wrong. I would be more than happy to get jailed.”

——

Written By Vishal Aryan Komara