by Satyajit Ray
I said, ‘Well! Then we have to admit that there’s no other scientist to match him in this world.’
‘But what if he uses this gas on us?’
‘If we see such signs we need to work out a strategy to disarm him. Won’t we be able to arrive at a solution if we all apply our minds together? ’
‘Shonku—’
Somerville tapped on my shoulder. His eyes were focused on a particular steel cabinet. Selecting one among them, his torchlight now moved on to a specific drawer. It was labelled—‘H. Minus.’
‘Can you figure out something?’ asked Somerville. I said, ‘Perhaps I can. This is possibly the antidote to drive away the spell of Hypnojen.’
Somerville moved forward and opened the drawer. I stood next to him.
Inside the drawer, on a bed of cotton lay a carefully placed solitary bottle—slightly bigger than the size of a homeopathic bottle. ‘Crystal,’ said Somerville. He was right. The bottle contained white powder. When he opened the bottle, a whiff of a sweet, pungent smell entered our nostrils. Somerville instantly closed the bottle.
I thought I would experiment this on one of the hypnotized creatures in the next room but that was not to be. A fourth figure had appeared in the room. It happened so quietly that none of us realized till the light from Somerville’s torch fell on him. Odin. He stood tall in the doorway. The voice that had announced Craig’s death was the same voice that now bellowed across the enormous room.
‘You’ve committed an offence. My master will resent it. Now return to your rooms.’
It was indeed very wrong of us—though the person to be really blamed is our Greek friend.
Left with no choice, we all headed towards the door. As we passed him, Odin stretched out his hand to Somerville. Like an obedient child, Somerville placed the bottle in his hand. Odin then put it inside the side pocket of his gown and turned towards the door. The three of us followed him through the corridor, climbed the stairs and walked back to our rooms. Odin escorted each of us to our rooms and then vanished into the dark passageway, as quietly as he had appeared.
I checked the time in my watch. It was 3:45 a.m. I went back to bed. I knew there was no way I could get any sleep under these terrifying circumstances yet I knew even if I just lay down with my eyes shut, it would help me to gather my wits. With what we had observed and heard in the last few hours there was plenty to reflect on.
14 May
Craig had spoken of his last adventure; the way things were shaping up, it was becoming quite apparent that this would turn out to be the last adventure of our lives too. That it did not turn out that way was for one and only one reason . . . no, I shall narrate everything in due course. I must maintain the sequence of each event.
At 7 a.m. Nils served us breakfast in our rooms. A little later, I heard the same voice echo through a hidden speaker in my room.
‘The master is waiting for you. Kindly come to his room.’
The three of us met on the landing of the staircase and, having greeted each other good morning, proceeded to go down. None of us said a word. Papadopoulos appeared restless as well as nervous. I noticed he hadn’t even shaved properly. I doubt if he had had a proper breakfast. In any case, I won’t perturb him with queries.
The curtains of Craig’s room had been drawn, letting in the sun. Now there was no darkness in any nook or corner of the room. The sunlight had fallen on Craig’s bed; even on Craig’s face. It was clear that the face was one of a dead man.
Odin was standing next to the bed. With ease he picked up his master’s body in his arms, turned his head in our direction and said, ‘Follow me.’
Once again in single file, we walked behind him. After crossing three long corridors and reaching the other end of the fort, we came to an open door that led to a spiral staircase going down. It meant that this special room of Craig’s was down in a cellar!
Following Odin, we climbed down thirty steps and when we reached I saw the kind of room that one reads about only in novels. There were no windows in this dungeon-like room and no possibility of any natural light. Instead, the room was glowing with a bluish electric light. There was an operating table in the middle of the room with a light hanging from a shade above it. A number of glass tubes, electrodes, indicators, various switches and buttons to be turned on or off and a helmet with wires sticking out of it all surrounded the table. Near one of the legs of the operating table stood a teapoy which held numerous medicinal bottles—each of a different colour. None of this was unfamiliar to me; but the end result which would be obtained when all these items applied to a dead body was not clear to me.
After laying down Craig’s body on the table, Odin left the room. A chart hanging next to the table explained in clear and minute details about our course of action. The chart had divided the body into three parts—the head; the upper torso and finally the lower torso, that is, from the waist to the tip of the toes.
‘Five minutes to go!’
We were startled by this new voice.
‘Read the instructions carefully and proceed!’
Our attention shifted to one corner of the room. Another humongous monster was standing there. His outfit, too, was like that of Odin’s gown except that his was blue in colour. He was marked by another difference—he was carrying an immense hammer.
‘Thor!’ Somerville and I almost chorused together. Among the Norwegian mythical gods the position of Thor comes right after Odin. And everyone of course knows of Thor’s famous weapon, the hammer. I soon comprehended that this Thor was made in charge of the special laboratory. And that he was to ensure the operation was carried out smoothly. Without wasting any more time, we worked out our duties. Notwithstanding numerous fears, one was also very curious to face results of such an unbelievable venture. I told Somerville, ‘I’m handling the head, you take care of the middle portion and Papadopoulos will look after the area towards the feet.’
I observed a strange change in Papadopoulos when he heard me. Sounding desperate, he said, ‘I beg you. Please leave me out. I’m not capable of accomplishing such a task.’
We both were completely taken aback by his reaction. What was he trying to say?
‘What do you mean, you’re not capable?’ I said fervidly, showing great annoyance. ‘Being a scientist yourself, won’t you be able to follow such clearly written straightforward instructions?’
Papadopoulos hung his head. ‘I’m not a scientist. My brother Hector is the scientist. I am his twin. My twin . . . he is not well. He is now admitted to a hospital in Athens. After receiving Craig’s invitation I came in place of Hector out of sheer greed.’
‘Greed for what?’
‘Greed for valuable items. I knew of Craig’s precious collection. I thought if on such an occasion . . .’
Somerville interrupted him. ‘Are you the same Nikolas Papadopoulos who, ten years ago tried to steal a painting by Pieter de Hooch from Holland’s Rijksmuseum and was arrested?’
Our Greek friend’s head bowed down even more.
‘Two minutes to go!’ announced Thor in his thunderous voice.
Papadopoulos dropped himself into a chair by the staircase. After spilling out the truth he looked much relieved.
Somerville and I got into action. The work was not too difficult and could be handled by two people. Within a couple of minutes we got everything readied, following the chart’s instructions. It was now 9 a.m. We were ready.
The body was on the table, its emaciated hand bearing thin nerves and veins, and its bloodless and ashen face marked by endless wrinkles. It was not difficult to believe this man was almost 150 years old. Craig lay on the table—senseless and lifeless. His head was now covered by the helmet, which had seventeen electrodes protruding from it in different directions. The entire body was wrapped in a white sheet. Only the head, two hands and the feet remained uncovered. Many more tubes were visible from two sides of the temple, neck and from his hands and legs. Within the exposed part of the body, twelve areas of
the skin were penetrated by pins in the manner of Chinese acupuncture.
We received fresh instructions, once again in Thor’s voice:
‘Now press the switch.’
We pressed the white button next to a glowing red bulb on the right side of the table. Instantly we heard a sharp vibrating noise like that of a flute which was joined by a deep sound resembling a Tibetan chant which ricocheted off the walls and rumbled through the underground laboratory. I just couldn’t work out from where the second layer of this sound emerged.
We knew nothing would happen before 12 noon. I still had my doubts if at all anything would emerge as the apparatus and instruments used here showed no signs of anything unusual or original. Except for the fact that I’ve no knowledge of what liquid was exactly being passed into his body drop by drop, through a tube inserted into his nose. To be very frank, I would not have believed anything at all—but judging by the effect of Hypnojen on these ferocious animals which we encountered this morning—we were left with no doubt about Craig’s ingenious scientific mind.
Being preoccupied, I had not noticed that Papadopoulos was missing. Could he have escaped? Somerville, too, looked surprised at his absence. ‘For all you know, he may very well be removing paintings from the wall and putting them into his bag.’ Since the very beginning I’d had my doubts regarding this Papadopoulos and now I feel somewhat relieved that my conjecture, after all, turned out to be true.
At 11 a.m., I concentrated fully on the dead body. A green shadow had appeared on Craig’s entire face. Somerville was standing close to me. He placed his own hand in mine. The hand was cold. Even someone of Somerville’s stature emerged weak and frightened right now. I gently pressed my hand on his hand to give him some courage. When I looked at Thor I saw he was standing in the same position. Like Odin, he, too, is devoid of any eyelids.
When it was five minutes to twelve, I noted my heart was beating rapidly. Chiefly because Thor had left his earlier position and, taking four giant steps forward, was now standing right behind us. Upon hearing a mechanical sound we saw his hand slowly rise up to a certain level, along with the hammer, and then pause. That meant, if we commit any error at this last moment, the hammer would strike our heads.
With only a minute to go, Thor in his own voice began to chant peculiarly. He was requesting his master to return—
‘Master, come back! . . . Master come back! . . . Master come back!’
In the meantime, all other sounds had stopped. This included the vibrating flute-like noise, the Tibetan hymn, and the beating of drums that had started an hour ago. Eventually, everything had died out except for the sound of Thor’s voice.
And now Somerville and I looked at Craig’s dead body in sheer amazement. The green colour on his face was gradually fading away and instead a layer of red was appearing on his face.
The shade of red became deeper. And, like magic, each wrinkle on his face began to fade away rapidly.
And now the veins have started throbbing! My eyes were now focused on the electric watch hanging on the wall behind the table. The second hand was slowly ticking away towards 12 o’clock. Four . . . three . . . two . . . one . . .
‘Master!’
Thor’s jubilation was followed by a horrible ghoulish shriek and we both lost our balance in sheer fright and fell to the ground. Even in that state we saw Alexander Aloysius Craig releasing his two worn out hands with great zest and raising them. And then Craig sat up.
‘Are you convinced now? Are you convinced now?’
Due to Craig’s brandishing movements, all the glass items of the operating room began to clatter.
‘Now are you convinced that I alone am the world’s greatest scientist?’
We both remained silent. And I could strongly feel that Craig was thoroughly enjoying our silence when I noticed his face parting with a grisly grin. But at that very instant the smile disappeared. He looked straight in our direction. ‘Where is Papadopoulos? Why can’t I see him?’
Craig had finally detected the absence.
‘Where is Papadopoulos?’ Craig once again asked this question. ‘Hasn’t he helped you?’
‘He got scared,’ Somerville said. ‘Hence we spared him.’
Craig’s face turned grim. ‘A coward deserves only one reprimand. He has offended science. He has acted like a fool by trying to escape. This castle has only a doorway to enter but not an exit to flee.’
Now Craig’s attention turned towards us. His anger was replaced by a strange sense of curiosity.
He climbed down from the table and stood before us. His brazen attitude showed that along with his new life he had also regained his vigour. His voice bore no sign of old age.
‘I do not need Thor or Odin any more,’ Craig said in a grave voice. ‘You both will now replace them. There’s a limit to intelligence in a mechanical being. You both have the intelligence. You’ll follow my orders. You will become attendants to the man who is going to rule over the people of this entire world.’ Still talking, Craig moved to one side and opened the door of a cabinet to take out something. It was a thin rubber mask. He put it over his head and his right hand proceeded towards a switch. I knew that the moment he pressed that switch a lethal gas from an invisible source would be released and then eternally we both would . . .
‘Master!’
Craig’s hand stopped. Nils was panting near the staircase, looking dazed.
‘Professor Papadopoulos has fled.’
‘Fled?’
Craig was astounded.
‘Yes, Master. The professor went to the locked room. As the lock is broken, Henrique was guarding the door. Henrique had a revolver. The professor fled when he spotted him. Henrique followed him. The professor jumped out from the large window on to the cornice of the west facing wall of the fort. The professor was very quick, very—’
Nils could not complete his sentence. One could now hear a new sound. This sound was so utterly unexpected that even Craig, seeming baffled, removed his hand from the switch.
The sound was now much closer to us. Nils’s face had turned as white as a sheet. He immediately ran off. And in that instant, letting out a huge roar, an animal entered the laboratory. The blue light was reflected on his smooth, black, hairy body. The tag with the date was still hanging from his neck.
A strange groan came out of Craig’s mouth. With great difficulty he uttered two names, ‘Odin! Thor!’
But Thor had almost turned into a statue—he was standing motionless and still. Craig took the hammer from Thor’s hand. Strongly securing it into his hands he retreated two steps. I knew the hammer wouldn’t be of much help to defend us if the animal attacked; but I also knew the animal was not targeting us. He proceeded step by step to the man who had turned him into a witless fool.
I’ve often observed that at the height of any crisis my mind always remains clear. When I saw Craig’s hand was moving towards the switch to release the gas and disarm us as well as the tiger, I ran to him and pulled the mask off his face. And in that instant the panther leaped on him. I now ran towards the steps even as I heard Craig’s piercing scream. Then I heard a familiar voice calling out our names.
‘Shonku! Somerville!’
We had reached the corridor on the top but couldn’t fathom from where exactly Papadopoulos was calling us. In this maze it’s often very difficult to trace the source of the sound.
There was a right turn ahead of us. We came up to the forbidden room after taking this turn. This was now open. In front of it is lay the blood-smeared body of a man. Henrique had become the panther’s first victim.
At the head of the corridor we could now spot Papadopoulos; he was holding a revolver, no doubt taken from poor Henrique. After taking a few steps he suddenly halted and waved to us and called, ‘Come on. The road’s clear!’
The three of us crossed three rooms and after passing through the waiting room door, we arrived at the entrance to the castle. Thanks to that lone revolver, we crossed all hurdles in o
rder to escape. Using the same revolver, we were able to commandeer the Daimler and the driver, Pietro Norwell, to take us to the airport. Given that we all had our return tickets and passports with us, we faced no more difficulties.
We felt safe only when we reached the main road. I turned to Papadopoulos, ‘What happened? You jumped over the window and landed on the cornice, and what followed then?’
Not removing the weapon pointed in the direction of the driver, Papadopoulos said, ‘Well, that was easy. After landing on the cornice I headed straight towards the room located outside the zoo. And does it take too long to notch up a few grooves of the stones using your hands and feet to reach the skylight?’
‘And then?’ Both Somerville and I asked together.
‘Not much was left to be done really. I had the bottle with me. After opening the bottle, I put my hand inside the skylight and spread the powder from there.
We both were utterly amazed. I asked, ‘How come you had the bottle with you? Odin had put it in his pocket.’
Papadopoulos revealed two layers of teeth below his bushy moustache in a smile.
‘In my youth, in a year, I’ve picked the pockets of at least a thousand people on the main avenue of Athens. And now I can’t pick a pocket of a robot in a dark corridor?’
He then opened his left hand which was gripping something. In awe we saw that his hand was holding a big diamond ring, glittering with all the colours of the rainbow. ‘Of course, nothing is easier than pulling a ring off a dead man’s finger,’ quipped Nikolo Papadopoulos.
The Black Night of Professor Shonku
7 June
Numerous people from various countries have often asked me if I believe in astrology. Each time my reply has been the same—I’m yet to come across an astrologer whose words of wisdom or whose actions have moved me enough to firmly believe in him. However, three months ago when Avinash Babu brought along an astrologer to my house, the events following it have changed my mind; I can vouch that all of his predictions turned out to be absolutely true in every sense.