FATAL ATTRACTION

BEYOND THE BOX

TWO 2 TANGO TEAM # 25.

A collaborative writing with Mithila Peshwe.

POV:

Toby, the stalker – Mithila Peshwe

Brandon Reid, the husband – Sangeetha Kamath

PROMPT: WRITE A STORY IN 800 WORDS IN TWO POV's ABOUT A VIDEO CLIP THAT GOES VIRAL.

FATAL ATTRACTION

BRANDON REID

Darned nuisance!

It wasn't enough that the media had a field day for weeks and months hounding me, trespassing my premises, now a loon is out to make life hell for me.

I was still reeling under the tragic death of my wife, Bianca while holidaying at a resort and this case, media attention was adding to my list of woes.

Bianca’s bird-brained craze of vlogging had gotten us into this mess. Her ‘last’ vlog not only captured the scenic backdrop but also her dying moments - thrashing about underwater and finally succumbing to her death.

What a furore that 'Live' had caused. Millions of hits within a day. Now there's this joker called Toby, some stalker I’m sure, claiming that she didn't drown, but was murdered!

His online petition caused the case to be reopened.

*****

It was a circus outside the courtroom. The reporters thronged the stairs, sticking tier cameras and mikes into my face, bombarding me with questions and taunts.

Head held high, I jostled my way into the safety behind the closed doors, walking up to my seat. The jury settled in, and the prosecutor perked up, turning towards them.

“A new piece of evidence has been brought to light. May I be permitted to play the clipping, please?”

The screen came to life with the same video which had been replayed umpteen times with Bianca gliding underwater in her scuba gear.

Suddenly, she thrashed about, arms and legs flailing helplessly.

“Can we not go through this again?" I pleaded, almost hysterically. “It’s agony for me to watch this. What’s new in this?" I barely controlled my anger.

“Patience Mr. Reid, I will rewind the clip a few frames and we will see.”

The screen whirled in a motley of colors, as Bianca emerged back to life.

TOBY

There was a tic under his eye, and a rigidity in his shoulders that betrayed his underlying emotions. An act – pathetic and pitiful, to evoke sympathy in the minds of the jury. They seemed to have eaten up the emotional garbage he had spewed so far.

But I knew better.

Because I knew ‘her’ better.

The faint strains of Bianca’s last video clip played on the white screen.

It was an accident, he said.

A well-designed accident, I must say.

Bianca’s mellifluous voice filtered through the stuffy courtroom, twisting my mind into knots.

“Guys, you won’t believe this. I’m at the Jade Palms Resort, South Coast. Look at this vast expanse of azure sea and shimmering, silver sand. Just like heaven.”

The video panned out from her radiant face over the breathtaking landscape.

Her copper tresses blew over her face like a gossamer curtain. My hand twitched to caress the silken strands as I had done a million times over in my mind.

She folded her sun-kissed, lithe body on the beach towel right beside him – Brandon! The video tilted as his smirking face came into view. He waved awkwardly, pulling her feet over his lap, deftly massaging her soles.

“Oh what more can a woman ask for?” she moaned appreciatively, relaxing under his ministrations. He shifted back to pour some oil.

"STOP! Stop right there!" I jumped up from my seat, facing the startled faces in the courtroom.

“The oil… it killed her!”

I knew it well. There was only one thing Bianca was severely allergic to. Even a few drops of it mixed with the oil could cause anaphylaxis, fatal to her if not treated immediately. She had alluded to it in her vlog from two years ago, the one in a blue monokini for a famous beauty brand. I still remember every word, every video, every tiny detail about her – her dreams, her regrets, her fears.

Brandon stared at me aghast, countless emotions passing over his face. He raised an accusatory finger at me.

BRANDON REID

Indignant, I stomped my foot, “Are you mad? How dare you accuse me without proof? I don't know anything about any Jasmine oil!"

“Mr. Reid”, the prosecutor looked at me smugly, “Who said anything about Jasmine oil?” he looked downright gleeful.

All eyes were on me. My blood ran cold. Did I just give myself away?

“No!” My mask crumpled. “I’m the smartest! I planned this for months. An accidental death and all her insurance money would have been mine." I screamed, driving the nail deeper in my coffin.

This cannot be happening to me.

TOBY

I slumped back in my seat, oblivious to the cacophony around me. My gaze glued to the white screen, still paused on Bianca’s upturned face.

Our love for her was toxic in its own way but his killed her, mine made sure he paid.

Pic Courtesy:Pixabay

**********************************************

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