1.

After a long day of work, Dimitry Mikhailovich Lavrov was on his way to home in the cold and wet night of Potmond. On his way, he was as usual indulged in the depth of his thoughts which he had formed a habit to do, so much so, that he no longer was aware which lamp posts, which coffee parlour he was walking by. His legs turned automatically as a part of his daily ritual to ‘Squarecup Café’ – whose name’s appropriation, dear citizens, is not easy to justify, for this author has never seen a  ‘Square Cup’ being introduced in there.
“Welcome, Mr. Editor! ” The woman on the counter greeted Dimitry Mikhailovich
“The usual ?” The woman asked
“Yes, my dear Daria.” The editor replied still in some serious thought.
The Editor collected his beverage so as to drink it while walking and thinking, an act which he particularly cherished, and began to exit just when Daria said “Mr. Editor, Sir ….someone has left a parcel for you today, said he was unable to locate your home but he has come with you in this shop and that he wanted us to give it to you as he has some other errands to run.”
“Well, he could have dropped at my office.” Dimity murmured with perplexity
“It’s all right, Daria Ivanovna, get me the envelope, and thank you for holding it.”
Dimitry Lavrov took the package, he gave it a thought to open it, remembered his espresso and his walk upon which it was decided that the Editor would open it at his home.
Dimitry started to proceed on Ian Street, sipping, thinking what is in the envelope, who would have dropped it, sipping, thinking….
Just when he heard the sound of boots approaching him, he turned but no one was there to be seen. “A long day of work it was, now I am hearing things.” Lavrov said with a carved out smile on his face.
Just as he started to walk, the sound resumed again, like someone was trying to approach him – just like the rabbit in Zeno’s paradox, tries but not quiet reaches to the turtle. Dimitry Mikhailovich hastened with the steps piercing his ears, but seeing his house on 53A Ian Street brought him relief, he quickly ascended the stairs, opened the door, just when he was to close the door and feel safe, someone blocked the closing of door, Dimitry Mikhailovich pushed hard but in vain. A pinkish, whitish figure entered, “Who are you? What do you want from me? Do you know what a headline it would make for robbing an editor? Your life will get ruined.” Dimitry cried.
Looking at the thief, it must be said, dear citizens, the man was not looking like a thief – clean shaven face, a black hat, fabric of high quality, shoes of top notch leather – or maybe, he had robbed handsomely.
“Relax, Relax…Editor Dimitry Mikhailovich, I am not a thief, sorry for stalking you like that, but in our profession we have to.”
“Oh God! Are you one of those ? – part of the Hannibal the Cannibal troop! My Dear Lord!”
The tall man approached Dimitry Mikhailovich who was sticking to the wall like an insect, took a badge out of his coat showed it to Dimitry Mikhailovich.
“JOHN BLACK, HEAD CHIEF, PUBLIC INVESTIGATION AND EXAMINE BUREAU” Dimitry Mikhailovich read aloud
“Jesus Christ, Head Chief, why an esteemed person like you had to do such a thing? Scare innocent people! or unless it is about the critical piece that I put up about the government that you wanted to abduct me, this is how you treat people; who put up anything against the government?” Dimitry Mikhailovich said gasping
“Calm down, Mr. Editor, I am sorry I had to follow you like that, the matter is so sensitive, that if anyone had known about our meeting, it would have become a threat to our national integrity.”
“What matter?” asked Dimitry Mikhailovich indignantly
“Show me your kitchen, Mr. Editor, a matter like this demands calmness and wine at side.”

2.

Dimitry Mikhailovich poured wine for his not so welcomed visitor and sat beside him not lifting his eyes from Mr. Black for a moment.
“So please tell me, Head Chief…what was the issue for which you have gone so far to stalk me !” Dimitry paused, then continued “Although, I know the answer beforehand, Mr. Black, I know the stir that the government is in on the article which was published but may I remind the government that our founding fathers by imagining the utopian future of Seanche never intended to quell the voice of it’s utopian children, So why this abhorrence of the government with its critics ?”
John Black, sipping his wine, most carefully listened to his suprised host, then chuckling replied “Dear Mr. Editor, it’s not at all what you think…I have not come here to warn or put some kind of threat, what I have come for is a matter needing urgent attention and for that our country needs you at service.”
“What kind of service ?…Do you want me to publish something….I am sorry Head Chief but we do not publish anything unless verified even if it has or especially when it has come from the government.”
“It’s nothing like that Mr. Editor” Head Chief replied, gazing around the house “I need you to listen to me carefully now, we have been getting reports on our beloved city Viel that it has a current of opposite political uprising than our own founding fathers fought so hard for…that Viel has been engulfed by traitors who are working for the foreign ideological forces.” Then Mr. Black took out some pictures from his coat and laid it out on the table ” It’s the pictures of some of the usual suspects, Mr. Editor, who maybe working as a spy.”
“But how exactly have you come to suspect them ?”
“Every night, these groups put out different symbols in lawn of a specific member where the meeting takes place…. like of a pentagram, inverted triangle, a nazi swastika .. and these people lawns have been spotted with those.”
“Mmm…it’s never happened before people were all so happy, cheerful in our Republic” Dimitry said with a hint of nostalgia
“They are now too, Mr. Editor…but as time goes by some people get used to better things and start to despise those things too.” Black grinningly said
“Well, Head Chief,you are as a matter of fact describing a situation which is tantalizingly grave for our Nation; but what do you exactly expect of me ?”
“Mr. Editor, our government wants you on the front in Viel, We want you to provide information about these uprisings…in particular, we want you to focus on a certain person, Akaky Semyonovich, here is his profile and what we know about him” Black said laying out papers and pictures on the table
Dimitry slid the documents towards himself; wanting to speak something but Black continued “This man, Mr. Editor, was a government employee two years back, he despite having a family quit his comfortable job and moved to Viel just to remain unemployed, he has, as the city authority reported never even took a job of any stature for a single day.” Here Black took a pause as to recollect his thoughts, sipping the last bit from his glass “And, Mr. Editor, he had the pentagram outside his lawn on the eve of 28th Feburary – Seanche’s Revolution Day ; We know this evidence is inconclusive, it maybe circumstantial but that’s where you come from, Respected Mr. Editor.”
“But…why me ? I am just a journalist, I have not even spied as to which one of my siblings took my borsch, how would I spy an alleged traitor !” Dimitry said holding his head
“Extraordinary times demand extraordinary efforts, Mr. Editor…as to why you are selected, it is because if we send you Viel as a spy people will least suspect you to be one because of your infamous criticism of our government.”
“Hmmm…” Dimitry said scratching his head ” I see a point, I will go, do whatever to save our state.”
“Now we have arranged everything for you, Mr. Editor, you will be yourself there, just needing quietitude to write your articles and books, you need not to worry how you would do two jobs, we will take care of your journalistic career while you remain undercover.”
“Sounds good; but remember Head Chief, I am working as an agent not for sake and glory for our government but for our Great Nation.” Dimitry said puffing up
“Both will always thank you for that, Mr. Editor.”

3.

Dimitry Mikhailovich began unpacking his luggage in his new assigned house in Viel, just when the bell rang, Dimitry Mikhailovich went to attend the door, ” Hello, I am Dr. Elina Law, your neighbor, I just saw you coming in, absolutely nobody had been in this house for three years…well finally having a neighbor do feels good.”The neighbor said giggling “Can I come in?”
“Um…a…yeah Dr. Law.” Dimitry hesitated
“Tell me about yourself citizen”
‘A peculiar being’ Dimitry thought ” I am Dimitry Mikhailovich Lavrov, I work for ‘THE SEANCHE TIMES’ as an editor, a tranquility searching sapien who has found it in this beautiful city of Veil.” The Editor replied
“I am myself a psychiatrist, Mr. Editor, maybe if you ever get weary of this tranquility do visit me and if you don’t then too!” Elana said giggling
“Of course, of course, Doctor”
“Well, I should leave you to unpack otherwise I will prove to be a terrible neighbor on the very first day!”
” At last!” Dimitry thought

  On the very first day, Dimitry began organizing every piece of information that was provided to him by Black. He knew where Akaky Semyonovich goes for his evening beverage and planned to go there. ” Let us get some beer, it had been a long journey.” Dimitry Mikhailovich thought
He went to the stand on the east crossing which he had saw while coming to his residence. ” A Beer please, citizenness.” Dimitry said softly
The woman behind the counter looked at him rather strangely like he was a Martian who had just asked for beer. ” You don’t know, we don’t sell any alcoholic drink in Viel, the city council has prohibited its consumption and distribution ?”
Dimitry looking like a rat who has just saw a cat replied “My Apologies, citizenness, I am new to the city…what do you offer?”
The woman passed the menu looking at Dimitry with her boorishly gazing eyes
“Almond Milk”
“An Almond Milk”

Dimitry Mikhailovich returned having thoughts razing in his mind about customs and people of Viel. “People are really of unique colors here” Dimitry thought “Maybe that’s why the traitors were able to infiltrate this city; you have too many colors you don’t know which one is which, everything becomes white”
Dimitry Mikhailovich started working on his mission, he met Akaky Semyonovich, developed a sort of friendship with him, followed him and started collecting every bit of information about him and people he met.

4.

A year had passed by, Dimitry Mikhailovich though working on Semyonovich was sitting perplexed and in despair in the cold December night by the fireside. What has happened, my dear citizens, is that Mr. Editor had prepared the profiling on Semyonovich twice to be sent to Potmond, but on both occasions the documents it seems were stolen, or maybe the house had eaten it out.
“Twice, twice, I had build the necessary evidence on Akaky Semyonovich, he is a traitor and a liar, he goes on spying people at night, he breaks in houses, he steals… twice…It is nothing else, I know now, Semyonovich knows I am a government spy, he at both times had the files on him taken, he stole the files, I have to do something..it has been six months..it could be sixty months, if I not move fast.”Waves of thoughts poured over Dimitry Mikhailovich “I will, I will today break in his house and get those documents back, he must be out after 12 am, I will break in.”
Dimitry Mikhailovich gathered everything he could to keep him safe, a gun, a knife, a pin and a packet of cigarettes to keep him warm in this grueling winter of Seanche. He put on his grey coat which he remembered wearing that the last time he wore this coat was the night Black followed him. “A fine coat this is…got me into so much trouble.” But Dimitry Mikhailovich was a man of rationality he would not believe in such superstition of good or bad coat, a coat is a coat not a black tom cat.
Dimitry Mikhailovich chose the path of forest to arrive at Semyonovich’s house. He peaked at the door, with his gun in his hand, he picked the door and began searching every corner of the house. He looked into drawers, under the bed every place, but in vain “Bathroom, yes, bathroom.” He ran fast toward the bathroom started to look everywhere, just when he started to remove the mirror, a fat envelop slided down. Dimitry Mikhailovich didn’t had that much time but he couldn’t resist but to see and be sure that Semyonovich had stole at his house that he was a traitor and he knew Dimitry worked for the government. What he saw inside the envelop though gave a zolt to Dimitry, It wasn’t his profiling of Semyonovich that was there, but of a completely different person, but of the exact same nature as that of Semyonovich. Dimitry quickly put the envelop inside his inner pocket, while doing so he sensed something was already inside the coat, he took it out, it was that envelop which Daria Ivanova handed to her, which was lying in his coat, he without a second thought opened it, “DON’T ADD ONE MORE TO THE CITY OF ONLY STATE SPY” everything was clear before his eyes now.
Dimitry heard series of footsteps approaching, he got behind the door, the footsteps stopped, the bathroom door behind which Dimitry was hiding began to close just when it start pounding on Dimitry, he started firing randomly, the bullet hit Semyonovich and he fell on the ground, just when another man emerged from the bedroom, “I respected you as an editor Dimitry Mikhailovich, I couldn’t believe you were a traitor when I was told to spy on you, now you are a murderer too.”
“You can’t see” Dimitry said giggling with bouts of blood coming out of his mouth “We are no traitors, no one, we are all spies.”