Chapter 4: Worm
Disclaimer:
All characters in the following story are entirely fictional. Any resemblance to real-life persons is entirely coincidental.
Ramachandra was never meant to be a giant; God never intended him to be one. He was small, skulked in dark corners, jumped at loud noises and nibbled at his nails. Teja, for some reason, saw a similarity between him and the character 'Wormtail' from the Harry potter series. Two weeks later, Ramachandra ceased to exist, and Worm was born. There were precious few who remembered his real name.
But, there was one area he had mastered - Counter Strike. You see, computer games can turn the smallest creatures into unconquerable beasts. They don't really rely on physical prowess. As long as you can reach your keyboard and your mouse, and manage to peek over the table to stare at the screen, you should be fine. Perhaps that is why PC games appeal so much to mortals like us. But, Worm was beyond all mortals. He was the truest personification of the non-replication of a gaming identity of one's real characteristics. While in real life you could pick him up with one hand and dispose of him in the nearest dustbin, in CS, he could make opponents pee in their pants when one on one up against him.
None of us knew why he hung around us. The others had never cared to try and play a computer game and I was much too pre-occupied with Dota to venture into new areas such as the above-mentioned game. Jojo always thought Worm was a spy.
"Maybe he is spying on us and reporting every detail to his superiors."
"And do what?"
"How do I know? Who knows what use he might put it to. All this privacy stuff is like real big shit today. I've heard these celebrities invest millions to ensure their privacy. "
Teja and I looked at each other wondering if we should point out the fact that the celebrities have reasons to try and ensure their privacy while we don't. But Jojo was blabbering at such an uncompromising pace that we thought it would be best if we just waited for him to run out of steam.
Finally he did.
"Don't you think so too?" he asked, suddenly turning to us.
"What?"
"That he is a spy?"
"Yes, yes. It's all very well."
One never noticed Worm walking into our presence. He slid into the horizon and shimmered out, as and when required. Once he had established his physical presence, he would sit quietly drinking in every word of our conversations. Jojo always got pissed off by this habit of his.
"I tell you, he is conspiring against us. I won't be surprised if one day I walk into the hostel and find you all dead."
However, Worm was not always as described. When the exams were around the corner, he turned into a frantic beast thirsting for blood. He haunted the corridors and turned up wherever least expected. Exam-time was the only time in the year he seemed to have other friends. Scum like us were ignored, and Worm found solace in the toppers of the batch. It would suddenly appear as if he had devoted his entire life to them. Tongue hanging out, he would cling to them for dear life and lick up any bits of knowledge they threw at him. 'Everybody's bitch' Jojo once called him. not that he cared, of course.
Teja was lying on my bed watching me play Dota and Worm was hovering around, largely ignored by us when Jojo strode in with what looked like a week's shopping. He collapsed with a loud groan on Juggy's bed, leaving two huge shopping bags at the foot of the bed. I tore my eyes away from the screen to stare at his eagle-spread figure on the bed. Teja waited for Jojo to explain himself, but when no words came from the other end, chose to ask his question.
"Shopping for your to-be-born kids?"
Jojo had his arm across his eyes and hadn't bothered to take his shoes off. If Juggy was there, he would have fired him.
"Huh?", asked Jojo from somewhere under the mess of hair and arms.
"What's all that?"
"Oh, nothing great. I had gone down to the city to pick up a few things."
Worm was already knee deep in the contents of the bags. He had insatiable curiosity. Very soon, the floor was strewn with clothes, stationary and a pair of table-tennis racquets.
"Dude!" shouted Jojo at Worm, who hastily grabbed a handful of stuff and attempted to cram it back into the bag. "What the hell do you think you are doing?! Fcking get your filthy hands off them."
Worm gave a meek glance up at Jojo and scampered off from the room.
"That bastard." Jojo swore under his breath once Worm was gone.
"Chill, man" said Teja, casually observing my game again.
"Don't worry. I just needed to scream at Worm once. He has been getting on my nerves these days."
"Peace, man. Let him exist."
"Ya, ya. Why can't he let me exist in peace. He pops his ruddy ass in places where not required."
I diverted my attention to Jojo after trying in vain to prevent my hero from dying.
"Nice. You headed down there with the Husseins? That was a smart way of impressing a chick. I doubt if you would have thought of it yourself."
"Who said anything about the Husseins? I went down there with Chichi. In fact, half of this stuff belongs to him. He toaded off to meet his darling and shoved the bags onto me."
"Whoah, whoah. You weren't with the Husseins?"
"Nopes, why?"
"I thought I asked you to spend time with them."
"Well I did."
"When? You have been out shopping all day."
"I did have breakfast with one of them yesterday."
"And?"
"Well, we talked."
"Over breakfast?"
"Ya, for about half an hour."
"Tell me you caught up with her later in the day."
"Nopes. Was I supposed to?"
Teja gave a sudden smirk.
"Jojo, you ass. Half an hour is like half a second in a girl's world." I said.
Jojo looked around at Teja hoping for salvation. But Teja gave a slow nod.
"You are a bigger ass than I thought", I added. "How hard is it to stick around a hot girl all day?"
All characters in the following story are entirely fictional. Any resemblance to real-life persons is entirely coincidental.
Ramachandra was never meant to be a giant; God never intended him to be one. He was small, skulked in dark corners, jumped at loud noises and nibbled at his nails. Teja, for some reason, saw a similarity between him and the character 'Wormtail' from the Harry potter series. Two weeks later, Ramachandra ceased to exist, and Worm was born. There were precious few who remembered his real name.
But, there was one area he had mastered - Counter Strike. You see, computer games can turn the smallest creatures into unconquerable beasts. They don't really rely on physical prowess. As long as you can reach your keyboard and your mouse, and manage to peek over the table to stare at the screen, you should be fine. Perhaps that is why PC games appeal so much to mortals like us. But, Worm was beyond all mortals. He was the truest personification of the non-replication of a gaming identity of one's real characteristics. While in real life you could pick him up with one hand and dispose of him in the nearest dustbin, in CS, he could make opponents pee in their pants when one on one up against him.
None of us knew why he hung around us. The others had never cared to try and play a computer game and I was much too pre-occupied with Dota to venture into new areas such as the above-mentioned game. Jojo always thought Worm was a spy.
"Maybe he is spying on us and reporting every detail to his superiors."
"And do what?"
"How do I know? Who knows what use he might put it to. All this privacy stuff is like real big shit today. I've heard these celebrities invest millions to ensure their privacy. "
Teja and I looked at each other wondering if we should point out the fact that the celebrities have reasons to try and ensure their privacy while we don't. But Jojo was blabbering at such an uncompromising pace that we thought it would be best if we just waited for him to run out of steam.
Finally he did.
"Don't you think so too?" he asked, suddenly turning to us.
"What?"
"That he is a spy?"
"Yes, yes. It's all very well."
One never noticed Worm walking into our presence. He slid into the horizon and shimmered out, as and when required. Once he had established his physical presence, he would sit quietly drinking in every word of our conversations. Jojo always got pissed off by this habit of his.
"I tell you, he is conspiring against us. I won't be surprised if one day I walk into the hostel and find you all dead."
However, Worm was not always as described. When the exams were around the corner, he turned into a frantic beast thirsting for blood. He haunted the corridors and turned up wherever least expected. Exam-time was the only time in the year he seemed to have other friends. Scum like us were ignored, and Worm found solace in the toppers of the batch. It would suddenly appear as if he had devoted his entire life to them. Tongue hanging out, he would cling to them for dear life and lick up any bits of knowledge they threw at him. 'Everybody's bitch' Jojo once called him. not that he cared, of course.
Teja was lying on my bed watching me play Dota and Worm was hovering around, largely ignored by us when Jojo strode in with what looked like a week's shopping. He collapsed with a loud groan on Juggy's bed, leaving two huge shopping bags at the foot of the bed. I tore my eyes away from the screen to stare at his eagle-spread figure on the bed. Teja waited for Jojo to explain himself, but when no words came from the other end, chose to ask his question.
"Shopping for your to-be-born kids?"
Jojo had his arm across his eyes and hadn't bothered to take his shoes off. If Juggy was there, he would have fired him.
"Huh?", asked Jojo from somewhere under the mess of hair and arms.
"What's all that?"
"Oh, nothing great. I had gone down to the city to pick up a few things."
Worm was already knee deep in the contents of the bags. He had insatiable curiosity. Very soon, the floor was strewn with clothes, stationary and a pair of table-tennis racquets.
"Dude!" shouted Jojo at Worm, who hastily grabbed a handful of stuff and attempted to cram it back into the bag. "What the hell do you think you are doing?! Fcking get your filthy hands off them."
Worm gave a meek glance up at Jojo and scampered off from the room.
"That bastard." Jojo swore under his breath once Worm was gone.
"Chill, man" said Teja, casually observing my game again.
"Don't worry. I just needed to scream at Worm once. He has been getting on my nerves these days."
"Peace, man. Let him exist."
"Ya, ya. Why can't he let me exist in peace. He pops his ruddy ass in places where not required."
I diverted my attention to Jojo after trying in vain to prevent my hero from dying.
"Nice. You headed down there with the Husseins? That was a smart way of impressing a chick. I doubt if you would have thought of it yourself."
"Who said anything about the Husseins? I went down there with Chichi. In fact, half of this stuff belongs to him. He toaded off to meet his darling and shoved the bags onto me."
"Whoah, whoah. You weren't with the Husseins?"
"Nopes, why?"
"I thought I asked you to spend time with them."
"Well I did."
"When? You have been out shopping all day."
"I did have breakfast with one of them yesterday."
"And?"
"Well, we talked."
"Over breakfast?"
"Ya, for about half an hour."
"Tell me you caught up with her later in the day."
"Nopes. Was I supposed to?"
Teja gave a sudden smirk.
"Jojo, you ass. Half an hour is like half a second in a girl's world." I said.
Jojo looked around at Teja hoping for salvation. But Teja gave a slow nod.
"You are a bigger ass than I thought", I added. "How hard is it to stick around a hot girl all day?"
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