T1W7 JOURNAL

Ezekiel read the news report with great interest. He mused over the key sentences- " The traveller had a large sum of money but no passport. He seemed to be suffering from a loss of memory.."- as a plan began to form in his cunning mind. Ezekiel was never one who let a good chance to make money go without doing anything about it. He rubbed his hands with glee, thinking up ways to hoax the poor traveller of his money. Finally he decided on the best plan for his greed and sat back relishing the thought of things he could do with the money.

The next day, Ezekiel made his way to the hospital where the traveller was recuperating after the freak car accident that had robbed him of his memory. He found the troubled man sitting up on his bed, looking ruefully out of the window. For a moment, Ezekiel was struck by the sorrow that emanated from the man, but caught himself just in time. In his plan, there was no room for any sympathy. He had to be cruel in order to get what he wanted. With that, he stiffened his back and went on to perpetrate the hoax.

Walking into the room with a loud chuckle, Ezekiel approached the man with great confidence and said, "Hello, Paul! I'm so relieved that you're all right. I rushed as soon as I heard.". He reached out and grasped the man's hand in his with great sincerity , obviously taking the man by surprise. The man swallowed and stared at Ezekiel.

"Paul? Am I Paul?" he questioned in utter disbelief.

Ezekiel was ready for this. He fluently launched into the impeccable story that he had concocted the night before and gave the man not only his name but an address, history and even purpose as well. He reminded 'Paul' that they were business partners and that they had come to Singapore together to invest in a company. He also told him that the money in the suitcase had to be brought to the lawyer's office latest by 6pm that very day or they would lose a great sum of money. At the point of time, Ezekiel's confident manner and urgent tone had already succeeded in convincing the gullible man. 'Paul' nodded agreeably and told Ezekiel that he would pass him the money.

Ezekiel was rapturous. It had gone so much easier than he had anticipated. The man was as credulous as a baby, never doubting Ezekiel's claims. In fact, he looked so grateful that he had an identity that he was ready to give him anything. Ezekiel felt a sudden pang of guilt as the man's trusting eyes gazed at him. Ezekiel found himself turning away, unable to quell the sense of discomfort that had engulfed him. Upon receiving the suitcase, he quickly left on the pretext of needing to rush to the lawyer's office.

Once outside the room. he breathed much easily. But the feeling of guilt did not subside. Instead, he kept visualizing the look of gratitude and trust on the man's face in his mind. He tried to dismiss it but he could not. He was almost beside himself with agony when he approached the exit of the hospital. Eager to leave the hospital grounds, he ran towards it. The blaze of the sunlight greeted him in the open and almost blinded him, causing him to stumble. Ezekiel heard sharp screech. He could only feel immense pain. As he fell onto the vehicle's bonnet, Ezekiel could only remember one thing - the traveller's face.