Echoes of the Unseen: The Forgotten Man

ＰＡＲＴ [04]: "The Truth of Spreading"

As Steve and Ethan revisited a familiar park, Steve asked, "Remember this park?"

Ethan responded with nostalgia, "How can I forget it? I recall every little detail of this place - where we played cricket, and you were so small back then."

Steve reminisced, "Yeah, I remember. You hit me on the head with a shot from the."

Ethan, while apologizing, quipped, "Sorry, but it was your mistake to stand there."

Steve questioned, "Sach mein?" (English: Really?)

Ethan recalled another childhood memory, asking, "Do you remember that tree we used to climb and play 'ऊंच-नीच का पम्पड़ा' (Indian game)?"

Steve lamented, "Yeah, I never got a chance to climb it."

Ethan explained, "You were small at that time."

Steve expressed his disappointment, saying, "Sad life..."

Ethan, however, had an idea, suggesting, "By the way, the tree isn't that tall for us to climb."

Steve, initially taken aback, responded with hesitation, "Yes."

Ethan, excited, pushed him, saying, "What 'yes'? Let's climb it."

Steve, feeling cautious, replied, "Woah, wait, man!"

The two of them started to climb the tree, with Ethan leading the way. They hurried as fast as they could, but suddenly, Steve accidentally placed his hand on a sharp branch.

As Steve grunted in pain, Ethan rushed to help him, saying, "I've got you!"

Steve, still in discomfort, exclaimed, "Oh God!"

Ethan, with a sense of humour, retorted, "I saved you, not God."

Steve, calling him out, said, "Dude!"

Ethan then extended a hand to assist him, saying, "Come on, get up," as he pulled Steve to his feet.

As they lay on the ground, gazing at the sky, Steve struck a more sombre note, sharing, "Ethan, we've seen in many movies that when a person dies, they become a star. Mom and Dad have become stars," speaking emotionally.

Ethan agreed, adding, "Yeah, they are stars now, blinking and watching over us."

Reflecting on their childhood, Steve reminded Ethan, "You didn't use to believe in this."

Ethan admitted, "No, I didn't. But today, I wish I could. I want to fulfil their wish - that I become a good son to them."

Steve acknowledged, "Yeah, you weren't, but it's true. Their last wish remained unfulfilled."

Curious about their parents' unfulfilled wish, Ethan inquired, "What was that?"

Steve revealed, "Just to see you before they became stars."

Ethan grappled with his own identity, saying, "Why am I like this, different from everyone?"

Steve reassured him, "That's your identity, man."

Ethan confided, "But that identity hurts the most."

Steve offered words of wisdom, saying, "Bro, it's not meant for everyone to understand you. What your condition did to them hurt, but what they did to you hurt too. Nevertheless, you have to be understanding, and I know you are."

Their conversation then took a nostalgic turn as Ethan expressed, "Sometimes I miss Mom and Dad so much and wish to relive the time of my childhood."

Steve teased, "Oh, you want to live without me?"

Ethan, lightening the mood, replied, "Okay, okay, I'm feeling hungry."

Next day,

Liam came running to Ethan's room and then woke him up, saying today is the meeting by higher officials on that matter.

Ethan, half-awake and puzzled, asked, "What?"

Liam confirmed, "Yes, and get ready. The meeting is at 10:30."

Ethan, clearly not a morning person, grumbled, "Why can't they keep the meeting in the evening? It's so hot. Please check the AC, man."

Liam pointed out, "It's already 9:30, bro. Sun is over our heads."

Ethan, still not quite awake, mumbled, "Then tell it to go down, please," as he snuggled back into bed.

Liam, understanding his friend's reluctance, reassured him, saying, "You sleep."

Ethan, with a reluctant acceptance, replied, "Okay, I am coming. Just get ready with the car."

Liam acknowledged, "Okay."

After getting ready, Ethan runs towards the car as he is already late.

Steve, puzzled, asked, "Ethan, where?"

In a moment of determination, Ethan expressed, "To prove..."

Aviya, concerned for Ethan's well-being, inquired, "Steve, where is he going? Will he not eat?"

Steve, focusing on his own hunger, dismissed Ethan's actions, saying, "Leave him. I am hungry."

They are again at the RAD centre with new hope for further investigation. There were higher officials of National Defence and Security and some newly appointed researchers over this matter.

THE MEETING STARTED.

"We all welcome you and your gratitude for this matter and a deep apology about the past meeting. We hope this meeting will come up with some solutions. So, being positive, let's start the meeting, and Dr. Benjamin will present his research about the matter."

Dr.Benjamin, deeply affected by his research, shared his findings, saying, "It was amazing and an honor, but a nightmare for me to research on this matter. It is horrific to say, but something was inhabiting that fish."

He addressed the audience, urging them to watch a video of an infected fish, which had been placed in a standard fish container. He continued to explain his observations over several days:

[Day 1]: "Everything was normal except the fish's violent nature. I guessed that infection would spread, but it didn't. Instead, the harmed fish would die due to external bleeding."

[Day 2]: "That infected fish's behaviour was altered. It seemed less violent but was pulling out other fishes' flesh and searching for something in the tanks."

[Day 3]: "The infected fish went missing. I thought it may have died, but it hadn't. It was hiding behind rotten wood and mud."

Dr. Benjamin then revealed a gruesome discovery, stating, "And then what I witnessed was horrific to imagine. There was a cocoon-like thing made of scratched fish flesh. The smell that was coming from it was burning my lungs. I thought of disposing of it, but later I kept it for some more days."

[Day 4]: "The fish was still in that cocoon. I introduced some more new fish to the tank and waited."

[Day 5]: "As I approached the tank, it was getting worse than the worst. The whole water in the tank was red, some of the fish were outside the tank. It was horrible. I cleared all the water as soon as possible, and then what I witnessed is in front of you."

"Everyone's face turned around; it was gruesome and unpleasant to watch. That wasn't the fish; it was a different creature, fully transformed into something else. Ethan couldn't bear it; he closed the video. Everyone was in trauma; the silence in the room was so tense that a higher official asked the doctor."