by Anup Dixit

Created on: March 28, 2009

TIME: 10 years back.

Raj & Amar, both aged 11 are returning from school. They have to walk 5 minutes to home from where the school bus drops them. It is a hot afternoon, and as the tired and hungry boys are eagerly trying to reach home, suddenly a rough and well built young man appears from around the corner ahead. He is apparently running away after committing a crime. As he realises that these two boys have seen him, he stops for a moment, wields out his blood-stained menacing knife, and quickly mutters in a cold voice, "If you guys report that you have seen me, then also ensure that I never come out of jail, else you will repent your mistake", and quickly disappeared around the next corner, leaving the two boys totally stunned and scared, for life.

Somehow the two friends gather themselves and quietly start walking back to their neighbourhood homes. On the way back they had a brief discussion:

Amar - Did you hear the same thing that I heard?

Raj - I guess so...

Amar - Now what?

Raj - I am scared man, I suggest let us keep quiet and stay away from all this crap.

Amar - That decides it then. This goes with us into our graves.

Raj - Deal.

Later, the boys learnt that an elderly lady, staying a few blocks away, was murdered and her house burgled. Her son and daughter-in-law were away at work, and she was alone at home at the time of the crime. Raj and Amar could have gone to the cops and at least given a verbal description of the crook, whom they had seen so closely. But since they had a deal, they did not mention this SECRET even to their parents.

TIME: Current day...

Raj and Amar are now young men, and are graduating out of their colleges, today. After this, they are both planning to join their fathers' respective businesses. But today, its party time..! As their group of young boys and girls enter the discotheque, they are greeted with their favourite numbers being belted out. No one seems bothered about who is coming and going. Everyone is swaying to the DJ's moves. Raj, Amar and their friends also hit the dance floor. They also get lost in the mood, apparently without a care in the world. Today must not be missed out upon - seems to be the motto, and why not? After today, you never know when will old friends get to meet each other. People are getting nostalgic. There is a sense of sadness as well, among these young people. Some are feeling repentant about certain fights which they had picked up during their tenure. It all means nothing now. Today they are meeting

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