He wanted to discuss a project with me. He had told me on the phone. And now, he was standing in front of me arriving within 15 minutes of his phone call. I was seeing him after nearly 15 years . He had drastically changed . He was shabby . His hair were unkempt , brown, entangled and reaching his shoulders . His beard was unshaven and his moustache untrimmed.He also looked desperately tensed, sweating profusely, each of his face lines folded in a definite pattern of anxiety. The steady downpour had by now worked itself into a violent storm. The gushes of the strong wind were carrying rain droplets far off making them fly in every direction. He was thoroughly drenched , his overcoat and gumboot were wet, droplets of water were trickling down the rim of his large black hat.
The pendulum struck 12. "Come in and dry your clothes. Meanwhile I will bring you a cup of hot , sizzling cocoa."I said , showing him the way to the living room. Meanwhile I switched on the room heater.
I returned with the cocoa but he had still not taken off his hat and coat."Come on Simon. Relax a bit. " I said , simultaneously taking off his hat and overcoat. "You wanted to discuss something with me." Taking a few sips of the hot cocoa , he began ," Raj, you are the first and the last person with whom i am discussing this. You have got to help me,but alone."
"What is the matter, Simon ?". I was now sensing that there was something urgent." First of all, you have to assure me this is just between you and me. Not even your shadow should ever come to know about this." "You can trust me."
"Well, you know, Raj that right from our college days I was a brilliant scientist. I had even worked out a number of novel concepts that would have shocked the world. But , somehow , I never got the recognitions that I deserved . Sometimes due to jealousy , at other times due to treachery, I could never succeed." He stopped , taking another vociferous sip of his hot cocoa and then went on.
"Well those were my college days. Even the next ten years that I spent working in a firm in Massachusetts were full of frustration. I always had the awful feeling lingering at the back of my mind that I had not achieved what my talents could lead me to. I became irritable, nagging everyone , discouraging friends and neglecting acquaintances. People started despising me because of my behaviour. Nobody talked to me . I was socially boycotted. I was miserable."
Surely,I had to ask , "But what?". He spoke out ,"CONTROLLED NUCLEAR FUSION ENERGY ". I was paralysed. My mouth dropped open. I sank down in my chair. Had Simon done what none in the world had been able to do for the past half a century. ever since Einstein had developed the first atomic bomb in 1945, the only obstacle separating man and complete utilisation of nuclear energy was how to control nuclear fusion reactions. This could be the find of the millennium!
But, suddenly his face crumbled into a distorted pattern. In a quivering voice, mingled with a sense of self pity and anguish, he stammered out , "But the story does not end here. I told the Research Institute of California about my invention.I was damn sure that now I would get the glory and reward that I deserved. But .... "
He broke out into heart rendering , clamorous cries . "But they said that my project could not be tested as it fell under that baseless Non - Prolific Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. "
I was frozen with shock once again. "Instead the California Police Department is after me . I have been accused of carrying out secret nuclear researches. According to court orders, I am to be.... " He looked up, took a deep sigh, and wiped off his tears." I am to be shot at sight," he spoke in slow , soft , faint words and dumped his head into his hands.
I was flabbergasted. I felt a sudden , violent palpitation in my heart . I opened my moth to speak but could not utter anything for right at the next instantly, he got up in an unusually energetic manner and raised his head.I recoiled in horror . His eyes had a wild , lunatic look, wide open as they were.He was slowly and slowly widening his lips into a cunning , abominable smile. He was in a frenzy.
Slowly, Simon reached out for his pocket, taking out a dumbbell shaped , silvery white bottle filled with a green liquor with a big red button at the top. He held it right in front of himself, eyeing it with such an affectionate , dear look that I hardly took a second in guessing that this was his nuclear fusion model.
His gaze constantly fixed at his invention , he spoke rather eccentrically , "Half an hour before coming here, I had informed the leading research institutes that there will be a big explosion at Parkinstone Street at midnight and that would be the "controlled nuclear fusion reaction " carried out for the first time by Simon Syndrone . "No, Simon ..... , you can't do this", I kept stammering out.
"Yes, Raj , yes , I can do this.The world will now know that Simon Syndrones is a genius!". He spoke this last sentence in great fury, with each word, raising his tone in a crescendo of loudness. I saw in his horror as his hand reached out for the big red button at the top of the bottle. I had closed my eyes in horror, yelling eccentrically and dashed towards him in a last bid to stop him.
