THE AGENT OF WISH-FULFILLMENT PART 5

In our previous episodes, we witnessed the protagonist's tumultuous struggle with his moral compass as he grappled with the gravity of his wish - a wish that brought him face-to-face with the potential for true evil within himself. As he now recovers from an unexpected accident, the lines between reality and illusion, divine and diabolical, become even more blurred.

In this concluding episode, we delve into the aftermath of his fateful decision. The protagonist is left to ponder the true nature of his experience - was it a brush with otherworldly forces or a psychological manifestation of his inner turmoil?

Prepare for a journey that ties together the loose ends, answers the lingering questions, and perhaps raises new ones. In the world of OBSCURUS, every story is more than a narrative; it reflects the human condition, a study of our choices, and the paths they lead us down.

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Listen to the Audio Trailer of THE AGENT OF WISH-FULFILLMENT PART 5:
https://youtu.be/xqpdtxZNmWc?si=ycoGF1uMJWNsgWoP
Watch the Video Trailer of THE AGENT OF WISH-FULFILLMENT PART 5:
https://youtu.be/MDtuNrqRB7g?si=F3keJrkSY-PkXMZF

Transcript

INTRO 00:00:00

Welcome to OBSCURUS, your weekly dose of paranormal fiction. Every Wednesday OBSCURUS features new short stories and serialized novels written by novelist, screenwriter, and voice-over artist Biswajit Banerjee. The realm of the paranormal stretches far beyond the usual horror story. So, while you will get to listen to lots of ghost stories on this podcast, there will also be many tales of lesser-known paranormal themes. To get us started, here's your host Biswajit Banerjee.

HOST TALK 00:00:47

Welcome back to OBSCURUS, the podcast where the veiled and the profound come to life. I'm Biswajit Banerjee, your guide through the shadowy realms of the unknown. Today, we present the final chapter in our engrossing tale, "The Agent of Wish-Fulfillment Part 5." This story has taken us on a journey through the deepest corridors of the human heart, exploring the complexities of desire, morality, and the consequences of our deepest wishes.

In our previous episodes, we witnessed the protagonist's tumultuous struggle with his moral compass as he grappled with the gravity of his wish - a wish that brought him face-to-face with the potential for true evil within himself. As he now recovers from an unexpected accident, the lines between reality and illusion, divine and diabolical, become even more blurred.

In this concluding episode, we delve into the aftermath of his fateful decision. The protagonist is left to ponder the true nature of his experience - was it a brush with otherworldly forces or a psychological manifestation of his inner turmoil?

Before we unfold the final chapter of this narrative, I invite you to explore more on my website, biswajitbanerjee.com, where you can delve deeper into my world of storytelling. Besides, you can find all episodes of OBSCURUS, complete with transcripts and special features, on our podcast website, obscurus.buzzsprout.com.

We're excited to announce that soon, you'll be able to support OBSCURUS on Patreon and other platforms. Your support will help us continue exploring and sharing these complex narratives with you. Stay tuned for more updates on this.

And don't forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel for the latest updates and content. Your engagement helps us grow and continue to explore the uncharted territories of storytelling.

Prepare for a journey that ties together the loose ends, answers the lingering questions, and perhaps raises new ones. In the world of OBSCURUS, every story is more than a narrative; it reflects the human condition, a study of our choices, and the paths they lead us down. Let the final chapter begin.

THE AGENT OF WISH-FULFILLMENT PART 5 00:04:24

Written and Performed by Biswajit Banerjee

00:04:51

A mix of voices surrounded me. Some of the voices were clearer than others. I could make sense of some of the sentences – his eyelids are moving, he will be all right now, the vitals have stabilized, the limbs are moving, looks like he will regain his consciousness soon, and plenty of other expressions that seemed to hint at my improving health condition.

Vague images emerged before me. People seemed to be standing all around me. The predominant color was green.

More excited voices filled the air – the patient has opened his eyes; the medicines have worked like magic.

In a matter of minutes, I was conscious enough to understand that a team of doctors was attending me in what looked like the intensive care unit. They were confident that I would be fine soon.

***

00:06:04

In another week's time, the doctors shifted me to the ward. I was close to full recovery. Except for some heaviness in my head, I was just fine.

Neha cried with my bandaged arm in her hands.

"Why are you crying, Sweetie? I am not dead, am I?"

"God answered my prayers. When your office colleague brought you to the hospital, the doctors felt there was little hope of recovery. One said the survival chances are only twenty percent. But my faith in Lord Ram didn't shake even one bit. I prayed to Him day and night."

"Indeed, Lord Ram has answered your prayers. But why are you crying now?"

"What if something had happened to you?"

"I am fine, Neha."

"You don't take care of yourself, Arvind."

"Yes, I had let petty office issues clutter my mind. Don't worry; I am a changed man now."

"I am not talking about the office issues."

"Then what?"

"The accident must have happened due to your carelessness, Arvind."

"You mean my crashing into the glass wall?"

"Some office matter must have made you rush into that cabin. Since you were so occupied with the issue, you mistook the glass wall for the cabin door and dashed into it."

"No, Neha. That's not what happened. Could I have broken that thick glass wall by simply dashing against it? One needs to move very fast to break that glass. No human can achieve that speed.

"Then how did the glass wall fall over you? Did it fall by itself?"

"Let's not talk about the glass wall. Tell me how's Prabhat. Where is he now?"

"He is at home with your parents."

"Ma and Baba have come here all the way from Chennai?"

"Yes, Arvind. You are their son. What makes you think they wouldn't come? They didn't care about their own health conditions when they heard about the accident and came over the next day. Thank God they came. I couldn't have endured all this pain without their support."

"I am so lucky – I have such a lovely family."

"You also have lovely colleagues. Your office guys have been by our side during the entire time you were in the ICU. One man in particular has been of the greatest support. If he had not promptly brought you to the hospital, the survival chances would go down further. Till the doctors declared you to be out of danger, he would spend almost all his time of the day in the ICU benches."

"Who are you talking about?"

"The one whose cabin's glass wall crashed over you."

"Mr. Frank Jones? Did Mr. Frank Jones help you so much?"

"Oh yes, he is a Godsend."

***

00:09:34

The next day, Mr. Jones paid me a visit.

"It feels so good to see you safe, Mr. Arvind."

"My wife told me that if you had not promptly brought me to the hospital, I had no chance."

"Anyone would do the same, Mr. Arvind. What is one supposed to do when one finds a seriously injured colleague on the floor?"

"All I can say is thank you for saving my life."

"Who am I to save your life? God saved your life."

"Anyway, congratulations, Mr. Jones."

"For what?"

"For the promotion."

"Promotion?"

"The promotion to the post of the Chief Financial Adviser."

With a calm smile playing on his lips, he said, "I declined the offer, Mr. Arvind."

"What! Did you just say you declined the offer?"

"Yes, I still need many years of experience in the company to become the Chief Financial Adviser."

"But as far as I understood, you always craved to occupy that position."

"I did, but I realized about a week before the company made the promotion offer that I wasn't yet fit for the post. That position belongs to you, Mr. Arvind. The administrative unit will soon issue your promotion orders."

***

00:11:02

Life is indeed full of uncertainties. Sometimes, unexpected events can shake your soul, and sometimes, they can fill your inner space with untold bliss. In the following times, the one I deemed my rival turned out to be one of my best friends. Only after teaming up with him did I realize he wasn't an incompetent executive as I thought him to be earlier. His grasp of company finances was firm, and his data analysis skills were pretty good. We worked on many projects together, and each one of them proved to be profitable for the company.

Although the company had set up an investigation committee immediately after the incident, it ended up with an inconclusive report. The police did even worse. None of the government sleuths had any explanation of how the glass crashed over me. And I must confess, I hid the truth from one and all. For sure, telling the truth held no good prospects for me. Even months after my serious injury, many of my colleagues asked me how it happened. When someone asked me what I was doing close to Mr. Jones's cabin on the day the glass crashed and what caused the crash, I offered the same reply - "I have no memory of what happened. Neither do I know the reasons why I was close to Mr. Jones's cabin, nor do I have any idea what caused the thick glass wall to crash."

***

00:12:57

As my friendship with Mr. Jones deepened, I realized he was a scholar in various occidental belief systems. During one of our usual discussions over coffee in the office canteen, he said, "Some religious gurus believe there's a constant battle between the good and the evil. While God represents the good, the devil represents the evil. You might have heard about Lucifer."

The very mention of that word brought to my mind the last words of the old man before I lost consciousness after crashing with the glass wall – You sickening man, Lucifer hates to lose.

"Who's Lucifer?"

"Some people think he is the evil aspect of the universe, God being the positive side of things."

"So, the concept is that an unending battle is on between God and the Devil."

"Yes, there are many other ways of interpreting this idea. Some gurus on spiritual self-management suggest that this battle is happening at all levels and is particularly pronounced in an individual. In every person, the good and the evil are fighting each other. One is supposed to make one's good defeat the evil."

"Umm hmm … go on."

"The devil is known by various names. Some call him Lucifer, some call him Beelzebub, and, of course, the devil has many other names. In some cultures, these names are supposed to be of the same evil force. And in some societies, Lucifer, Beelzebub, Mephistopheles, and Iblis are seen as different evil forces."

"What is Lucifer trying to achieve?"

"Well, as a personification of the evil, he constantly works against God. You could say he wants exactly what is anti-Christ or anti-divine to happen. One of the things Lucifer and the likes of him is known to do is entice people into following devilish paths. Lucifer offers the target individual riches, pleasures, and other material benefits in return for leaving the path to divinity and Godliness. Weak-hearted people get attracted to the material benefits and follow the devil's path. One who is strong and doesn't let such benefits of fleeting nature lure one away from God's path is considered the vanquisher of evil. Only the strong-willed beat the devil. It is, after all, not easy to follow the path of God."

Jones smiled and continued, "What makes you so interested in such things as good and evil?"

"The subject is interesting," I said with a smile.

It made little sense to tell the truth. Who would believe that Lucifer came to me in the form of an old man?

00:16:27 – THEMATIC MUSIC – DARK TUNNEL, AN AI MUSIC COMPOSITION BY BISWAJIT BANERJEE

OUTRO 00:19:06

Thanks for listening to OBSCURUS. If you like what you heard, please subscribe and visit biswajitbanerjee.com for more information about Biswajit's books, movies, documentaries, and other creative pursuits. We shall see you next Wednesday with another episode of OBSCURUS. Till then, take care!