Zero Minute

For Dr. Roy, it was always a great time in his life and career being a successful Cardiologist for almost 10 years and being involved in many successful operations. Life was going great and his family members were very happy. On 25^th December, an emergency case landed up in the hospital of a 7 years old boy suffering from a cerebrovascular disease (Stroke). Dr. Roy was immediately called up for the operation as it was a very sensitive case. However, even after 2 long hours, Dr. Roy couldn’t save his life; it was a complete shock for him as he had never failed in an operation. He was feeling guilty as why he couldn’t save that boy, he was started cursing himself. A man, who was so energetic, very jolly started getting lost somewhere and always upset. On 31^st December, an Insurance agent Mr. Hardy had visited his house but he wasn't in a mood to meet anyone, the insurance agent somehow convinced him to give just 5 minutes of his time. Dr. Roy agreed but after a while he asked him to leave. The salesman before leaving said, “If you want to correct your mistakes, meet me at 11:45 pm at the bridge on the other side of the town, I may sound quite weird to you but I know you will come”. Dr. Roy was completely confused as he didn’t know what to say, so he just shut the door. Later, that night he gave it a second thought regarding what the agent said, so he decided to go, as he needed some sort of break from all the problems and tensions that were going in his mind. When he reached the bridge, he saw a weird scenario there. Almost 1000 people had gathered up there on a bridge. Each one of them was an agent. It was quite a peculiar scenario for him. Then the agent Mr.Hardy arrived and expressed that he was waiting for him. Roy couldn’t understand anything, so he asked what’s going on and how did he find him between these 1000 people. Roy asked if he had taken some sort of permission to organise this party on a bridge because it had blocked the bridge completely. Mr. Hardy said the traffic is as usual on the bridge the cars were moving at a normal speed. "You have just entered another dimension where you can’t see them, they can’t see you and most importantly you don’t exist in this world now," Mr. Hardy informed him. Roy told him to cut the crap and just tell what was going on as he has no time for this nonsense. Hardy explained, "You are one of the lucky people to be selected for the 'Zero Minute'.  He explained, "Zero Minute is the time between last minute of the year going to end and the first minute of the coming year, you can change a moment of the previous year which will change the future. You just need to sign an agreement with us and your life would be changed." Roy didn’t believe any of his nonsense and said, "There isn’t anything as such stuff." But Hardy somehow convinced him. Roy signed the agreement without reading the main clause, which said, “By agreeing to all the terms your life would be changed, but it will cost you something which you can’t change and if you try to challenge it you would die”. Roy signed the agreement saying that he wanted to change the death of the boy, he wanted to change that moment and wanted the operation to be successful. Hardy asked him to leave and told him that everything would be changed by tomorrow, a new day and a new life. Roy went home and slept. He woke up in the morning with a bad headache thinking all that had happened to him last night was just a dream. He then, as usual, continued with his daily routine. He went to the coffee shop where he usually went in the morning before going to the hospital. But to his surprise, no one recognised him there. It was quite confusing for him, so he asked himself why everyone there was acting so strange, as if they didn't know him, as if he was some stranger. He then went to his hospital, but still no one was recognised him; it was quite frustrating for him, so he started shouting and screaming around. He couldn’t even find his identity card nor was there any record of him in the hospital.  He couldn’t understand a bit of what was happening. So rushed back to his home, but he saw a family living there, who claimed that it was their house and they are living here for the past 10 years. They didn't know anything about him. His cell phone had no contacts, so he tried to call his friends but no one answered his calls. He visited his friends, colleagues but to his surprise no one was there. He thought all this to be just a joke but it wasn’t. Completely lost hope he was roaming around couldn’t understand what to do; he meets Hardy furious on him Roy asks what you have done to me. Hardy with a smile said it’s you who have done this to yourself, you never read the clause. Now you have lost your identity you have never existed in this world, you can’t do anything. The boy is alive as you wanted but you have lost your life and you can’t do anything. Roy was begging to give his life back. Hardy gave him two options. First, you will have your life back your identity everything but you will be dead. People will remember you for your achievements and all, but you will suicide because you couldn’t save a boy which affected you really badly and you have regrets for it it’s mentally disturbed you and you and you killed yourself. Secondly, live in this world and create a new identity for you new name everything, forget about your previous life. Hardy gives him 12 hrs to think about it, and he will meet him at the same bridge for knowing his decision. He had no clue what he should do, just roaming here and there, around the streets he didn’t know what to do, he was thinking there may be some other way to sort this issue out he can’t find anything about the zero minute or who those people are anywhere not even on Google. He saw a girl in a bookstore whom he tried to recall he had seen somewhere, he suddenly remembered that he saw that person on the 31^st night at the bridge, he had actually accidently collided with that person that night. Her name was Sarah. He went and asked what happened to her. Sarah replied I had wished for a better life that night but in return I lost my family, then I was given two options I had to choose the second one because there was no choice left with me. He needed someone’s help to know about those people, so he somehow convinced her to help. He decided he would meet Hardy that night at the bridge, and threaten him with the help of Sarah. As he reached, Hardy knew somehow they are going to threaten him, but it’s of no use. Nothing affects people working for the zero minute organisations. Roy wanted to know who is his boss, who did they work for,  were they humans? Hardy with his usual smile replied, " We just work that’s our job. We don’t have a boss. We even don’t know who’s the creator of the zero minute. It’s our job and we have to do it; we just follow the guidelines as mentioned to us. Hardy said that Roy could have avoided this situation if he had read all the clauses before signing up the agreement. Now you have just those two options you have to choose any one." Roy chose the second option and decided to live a new life with a new identity and that’s what he does. He is happy in his new life now and he has no regrets about the choices he made. Even Sarah is happy in her new life working in a bookstore. As far as Zero Minute is concerned, well no one knows about them, how they select people, or are they some messenger of Gods. It still remains a mystery.