THE BRIDGE

A Visionary’s Nightmare! (1st Position- 6th International Writing Competition) by Syed Huzaifah Ahmed - Pakistan

“Hello Professor. I’m very sorry for asking you to do this on such short notice. I know you’re a busy man so I’ll keep this interview quick.” said the man at the Professor’s doorstep. “This interview will be part of an article on the cover page of Dawn News, correct?” The Professor inquired. The interviewer replied “Of course!” so the Professor welcomed him inside. “No one has heard from you for five years since you retired! You were the leading scientist and founder of Gensec International, the largest biotechnology industry in Germany!” He said, sounding almost dramatic. “That, I was” the professor replied rather grimly. “Then suddenly,” the interviewer continued “four years after your contract with the military, when your organization was at its peak, you retired without making a single public statement. It’s rumored that you even told your coworkers and subordinates to do the same. The people have since been dying to know the whole story. So naturally this will be a hit on the cover page.” The Professor simply said, in his gruff voice “Good then, I’ll be over with tea” he had been preparing tea beforehand for the interview.

Once the two sat down in the living room, with the air conditioning turned on, the interviewer took a recorder out of his coat and turned it on. “So, Professor Mauren,” he started “you were the leading scientist and founder of Gensec International, the largest biotechnology industry in Germany. Before that you started by contributing to research done on prosthetic limbs in the local research facilities, while on the side you made your own firm to manufacture and sell artificial limbs. That firm soon developed into a large business with a dedicated research team spearheaded by you yourself. Then you expanded your horizons to make other ingenious inventions, micro-robotic medicines, organic batteries, stuff that people could only dream of. You and your company became famous for revolutionizing so many other industries” The Professor, looking down at his knees, replied “Yes, that’s true.” “Then you made a contract with the military, your business grew exponentially with their funding. But then you quit, without any explanation or public statement. The question on so many people’s minds is: Why? Why would someone quit at the height of their glory?” Upon hearing these words, the Professor clenched his fists and started trembling slightly. The interviewer, not noticing this added “I was hoping you could enlighten us on that.” The Professor spoke in a slightly louder voice while managing to keep his calm demeanor “Very well, I’ll enlighten you.”

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The Final Plunge! (2nd Position- 6th International Writing Competition) by Zeenat Iqbal Hussain - Pakistan

The morning rays of the sun filter through the glass in the cell at Alcatraz; this is the only connection with the outside world. As Joseph, who is serving a death sentence, basks in the rays, he hears a shriek from a cell down the corridor. The sound is familiar. It is from an inmate who is mentally deranged. The attendant serves him breakfast consisting of dried toast and tea. With a wicked look on his face he tells Joseph, “eat up, you are lucky to get this”. Everybody in Alcatraz is wicked, thinks Joseph.

?The time for menial labour nears, but he has already ‘burnt’ his breakfast, so he prepares to work on an empty stomach. The warden opens his cell and leads him to where he will be breaking stones with a pick. The warden tells a young boy, “The more hours you put into your work, the shorter the time of your sentence shall be.” Joseph’s eye focuses on the boy. What could his crime be? He had stolen some goods from a grocer’s at gunpoint. The grocer had tried to stop him and the gun that the boy fired in panic had hit him. The boy was given a lawyer, who had lost the case to the grocer.

?Joseph’s son must be of the same age. His thoughts wander back to the times when he used to perch his son on the bicycle to drop him to school. “Come on son, we will stop on the way and you can buy yourself a chocolate.” He loved his children. He also had a daughter. His daughter loved to listen to the stories that he would tell. She sat on his lap, with her gaze fixed on him, devouring every word of the story, he uttered. As he reflected on the past, he felt his heart sink. But did it sink? The prison had really hardened him; hardened a man who was capable of being passionate about life, and how did this come about?

 

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A Fictional Reality! (3rd Position- 6th International Writing Competition) by AFIQ SYAZWAN BIN S SHUHAIMI - Malaysia

Nobody knew where they were as they mysteriously disappeared while playing hide and seek. On a lovely evening, Dylan and his sister, Diana, had just moved to their new house. They were playing around together when they suddenly bumped into Amanda, a girl who lived nearby. "Hello there. Are you guys new here? Wow! Your house is huge. Can I go in with you?” she exclaimed excitedly. "Umm, who are you?” Diana asked curiously. Amanda introduced herself.

"Oh, Amanda. So you want to see our house? But our parents are not home”, Dylan hesitated. Amanda insisted them to let her in. They finally gave in.

Amanda who was very talkative, couldn't stop talking while they were wandering around the house. They stopped at a room. "What is inside this room?” Amanda questioned while pointing to the room. "We don't know either. We have never entered this room. Our parents warned us to not do so,” Dylan explained. "But your parents did not say that to me,” Amanda didn’t seem to be bothered by Dylan's explanation and persistently pressured them to go inside . Dylan and Diana were flabbergasted and finally gave in. "You guys want to play hide and seek?” Amanda asked and started counting. Dylan hid inside the nearest wardrobe, followed by Diana...

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