Editor Roy flung the file away in frustration. His face had turned red and sweaty as his pristine looks turned upside down. At the moment he looked like a seventy year old who had been dragged from his bed in the middle of sleep out to a no man’s land. Huge bags underlined his eyes and he looked as if he had aged twenty years in a short span of few weeks. The cat and mouse that Wobon, the drug lord had been playing with him for the past seven years had robbed Roy of his mental peace.

Despite producing evidences one after the other, none of his acquaintances in the Narcotics Control Bureau could not bring the case to conclusion. Every time he felt that the drug lord was about to get caught, one or the other loophole presented itself that Wobon exploited to his advantage using the money and connections he had in his pocket and got out of the case scratch free.

Aniruddh Roy’s career as a journalist spanned two decades. He had been awarded as journalist of the year twice and was considered a well known name in the field but this case had thrown him off wheels. Roaming around the roads of Aizawal in search of evidence against the drug lord suffocated him now. He had given his everything to this case and yet Wobon remained out of his reach. Tired of the boundations laid down upon him by his job and status, Editor Roy decided to quit his job and work on the case as a private investigator. His experience as a crime journalist made him adept enough to do so.

A day later, he went to the Editor-in-chief of the newspaper resignation in his hands and knocked on the door of his cabin. Once inside Aniruddh bowed his head to greet his boss and smiled courteously. Keeping the envelope on the glass table standing in the middle of the office, he turned to leave trying to avoid giving any explanation for his actions.

As he kept his hand on the door knob and twisted it clockwise to open, Editor-in-Chief called out to him. ‘Roy if you have some time to spare, let’s meet at the cafe near the clock tower this evening. I would like to treat you before you and I go our separate ways.’ Editor Roy felt a bit hurt at Chief’s words. Though he was determined to leave the job behind, he thought that Chief would try to stop him or at least argue or reason out telling him that it was a foolish decision. However, to his dismay Chief’s manner seemed too calm and business like.

That evening around seven thirty, when darkness descended over the clear May sky, Editor Roy entered Cafe Rhino. He had frequented the place with Chief since the beginning of his career, then a lean young man of twenty four who feared public speeches and stammered while speaking. Peers picked on him easily. Chief who used to be their team leader at the time helped Roy in many ways. He served as the young newbie’s mentor and guide who went out of his way to help him establish a successful career in the field.

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Waiting for his mentor to arrive, Roy went to sit on their usual table near the window. It gave him a clear view of the clock tower square which bustled with people. Street lights lined the pavements illuminating the roads that emerged from the square.  When Roy first started his job as an intern at the newspaper, Aizawal used to be a quiet city. There was not much to report or so he thought. Thus to advance his career, he often contemplated going to Gwahati or Calcutta (present day Kolkata) to work in some major newspaper. However, once his internship was over, Chief took him under his wing and introduced Roy to the world of crime reporting hooking him onto chasing after drug cartels ever since.

It took Editor-in-Chief a while to arrive. Roy had already ordered his favourite Darjeeling tea with ginger. Chief seated himself in front of his protégée and waited for the server to leave. He then sipped the aromatic, steamy tea in silence. Once the cup was empty, he set it aside and began, ‘I understand that things are not going your way and it makes you angry but resignation is not the solution to every problem Roy. What are you going to do once you leave this job? Become Sherlock Holmes? You think that will give you a chance to lead things the way you like? Are you still a teenager with zero knowledge of the workings of real world. Is this what I have taught you all these years?’ Chief bellowed at Roy like he was still a newly hired intern.

‘But Chief..............’ Roy tried to explain his point of view by his mentor had asked him to come to the cafe to set him straight and not to see his favourite disciple throw years of hard work away.

‘I have not come here to listen to your stupid idea. Drink this tea, open your ears and mind, and listen very carefully to what I am going to say. Have you ever heard of Mimawl? It’s a small village lying along the Indo Mayanmar border. There is a lot of notorious activity going on at the place. I want you to go to the village. Rent a small building there, set up an office, and continue under the name of our newspaper as a local branch. I will take care of all the formalities.  Build a network of people like we usually do and dig up all the information that you can.

Try staying in the village for as long as you can. It will help you get closer to your destination. I know it will be tough to live in a small place with minimum amenities but trust me Mimawl is where you will get a chance to do what you wish for without any interference from the higher ups.

For now, keep coming to the office. I will get the papers ready within a week. And the next time when you think of such dumb ideas, consult me first before flaunting your letter writing skills.’ With this Chief took out his wallet, paid the bill and left.