By Mahra Butt
Money really has no worth. I learned
this lesson late, far too late in life. I have every
luxury life has to offer, all the material things. I
command respect. People look at me with awe as I walk down
the street. But it always wasn't so. Fear has no meaning
for me any longer. But it always wasn't so.
I used to cower with fear every time
someone shouted at me. My parents had abandoned me. I was
maltreated, pushed around, beaten up, but not by bullies
in the playground, rather by street goons and thugs. I was
beaten up by the police. I once made the mistake of
refusing to let go of the money I had earned. I still have
marks on my back to remind me what a weak creature I
really was. I learned to breathe in this atmosphere and I
evolved .Yes! I learned survival tactics learned not only
to stay alive but also to rule. I learned the trade.
But now, after all those years I am
tired of this facade; of this shell of an image which I
carved out for myself over the years.
I have lived in the most dangerous part
of the city and I have survived. Not only had I lived,
but, I crushed my competitors to dust. I had risen from
the ashes of fascist division.
I am a legend in the underworld. My
name is always whispered. No one dares to speak my name
loudly. I don't allow anyone to question my commands. My
word is final, no matter what. Over the years I rose as a
formidable enemy for many. Now, I am the ruler, I am the
king. The police are always on my trail but never are they
able to come close to me. Why, you may ask. It's simple; I
own half the homicide department in the city. Easy and
simple, that's my style.
After ruling for two decades, I have no
emotions left. I don't blink before I pull the trigger. I
never show emotions: I am devoid of any. I feel like an
empty shell, tears don't come to my eyes. Laughter doesn't
accompany me. I am empty, hollow.
He looked at what he had written. The
sadness of these past years seemed to be catching on. He
threw the paper in the grate with one smooth wrist
movement. Leaning against the wall, he seemed to be lost
in his thoughts. Then he threw his head backwards and
smiled; a sardonic smile.
He took off his coat and ruffled his
hair. He always had been an amoral person. Money and power
were his gods and he had bowed to them faithfully.
But a part of him was telling him that
he had committed too many sins. He had destroyed too many
lives, devastated too many families -- he was a sinner
worse than Satan himself.
His lust for power had left him blind
to his sins. His thirst for money had made him a blood
thirsty hound. He didn't deserve to be called a human. He
knew it and he was going to end this agony, this torture
forever.
"Freedom", he whispered to
the winds as he took the leap down the balcony of his
apartment on the 60th floor. "Freedom at last".
"The most notorious and feared don
of the underworld seems to have met his end. His body was
found after he allegedly jumped down from the balcony of
his apartment. Some sources state that he has given all
his money to the cancer hospital as charity. But his close
relatives claim these to be rumours. This is Ayesha Rani
with News 8."
"You know what? I am going to be
just like him when I grow up." A small boy, who
looked badly beaten up, whispered into his friend's ear.