Flash Fiction
The Classified File
And the poison
The sachets of gutkha (a form of tobacco) lying in Amit’s handbag were mixed with a poison that would cause a cardiac arrest. He would die sitting on his seat, and his co-passenger would think he was just dozing off. The classified documents in his handbag would be extracted and sold for a fortune.
Of course, he was not aware the trap laid for him.
The man sitting across him introduced himself as an employee of the Port Trust of India. His name was Srikant. He was a jovial fellow, kept talking about his places of postings across the country. He spoke about his good connections with the officers in the Indian Railways and that a clerk would bring his dinner at the next station, which he would be happy to share with Amit.
When the train arrived at the station, Srikant went to the door to get the food.
The train left the station, but he didn’t come back.
Suddenly, Amit realized that his handbag was gone!
Srikant opened the bag — it contained a file and some sachets of gutkha. No money. Frustrated, he picked the sachets of gutkha and threw the bag away.
He chewed the gutkha and looked around for another mug to swindle.
