Short Story: Anonymous

People can go to any extent to fulfil their crazy ideas.

Mr. Thomson, in his thirties, was a rather boring man. He had no hobby, except reading crime fiction. He worked in an irrelevant government department, in an obscure position.

He resigned one day. Nobody noticed.

The very next day, he started visiting slums of the town. He kept going there until he found a young girl. The girl was an orphan. pregnant, and abandoned, she had nowhere to go.

He brought her home. Next day, he packed his bags and moved to his farmhouse with the girl. He had bought the farmhouse sometime back - it was located several miles from the city, out in the nowhere, just where he wanted it to be.

After a few months, the girl gave birth to a boy. Mr. Thomson delivered the baby himself. The girl died in childbirth.

It was left to Mr. Thomson to raise the boy.

He cared for the boy the best he could. He home-schooled the boy, and trained him in various martial arts and weapons. The boy was sharp, and learned quickly, to Mr. Thomson’s immense satisfaction.

No one ever visited them, they never visited anybody. Mr. Thomson liked that. He visited the nearby town once in a while, to buy the necessities. The townsfolk did not notice him much.

As the boy grew up, things changed. Mr. Thomson, now charged with a purpose, started frequenting the big city nearby. In his visits, Mr. Thomson’s spent his time looking about, and meeting folks in a certain line of work.

After one of his visits, he declared "We are going on a long journey.”

The boy, now a teenager, was smart but never questioned Mr. Thomson.

So, they went on a journey. They reached a big city and moved into an apartment that had been arranged for them.

Mr. Thomson showed the boy a photograph. “We are going to get lots of money." said Mr. Thomson.

The boy understood; though he didn't know the ways of life, he knew the importance of money. He was prepared.

Next day, the boy went out for the errand. This was his first time on a street, but it was just like he had practiced over the years. Nobody noticed him - he looked like just another kid on the block. "Mr. Thomson would be so proud", he thought.

He came back in a couple of hours. Mr. Thomson was waiting for him, and they both immediately headed back to their farmhouse.

That evening, the newspapers were filled with the stories, about a murder on the street of the city. Who could have done this? Nobody had a clue.

That was two years back. Nothing has changed since. Still, Mr. Thomson and the boy live in that desolate farmhouse. Still, nobody knows about the boy's existence. Everything is the same.

But the days of their hardship are behind them. Once in a while, they travel out together. Once in a while, there is news of a murder, where nobody has a clue.

And, oh yes, Mr. Thomson still relishes his favourite crime fiction series "The Perfect Assassin."

 Image: https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Shadow_-_Acrylic_On_Canvas_62x117_by_Fine_Artist_Rene_Romero_Schuler.JPG