Glaring Shadow - A stream of consciousness novel

In a stream of consciousness mode, Glaring Shadow is the self-account of the life and times of a man, who liquidates his immense wealth only to consign it to the flames.

The agony and ecstasy of his life as he makes it big in our materialistic world and the way he loses his soul in the bargain, only to regain it when tragedy strikes him makes one ponder over the meaning of success in life.

This philosophical ‘novel of a memoir’ is a compelling read that is conducive to contemplate about the nature and scope of human relationships.

This free ebook, in multiple formats, is in the public domain in umpteen ebook sites.

Chapter 1, Glaring Shadow 

He had the soul of our times, and is the namesake of many. He tamed success by the scruff of its neck, only to fuel envy in our neighborhood. When it seemed there was no stopping him, fate dealt him a deadly blow in his early sixties. Besides losing his  wife,  son  and  daughter-in-law  with  their  children  in  that  fatal  road  mishap,  he found his leg mangled in the debris of that Ferrari. The intensity of the pity all felt for him  seemed  to  match  the  magnitude  of  his  loss,  but  as  he  became  a  recluse,  his thought eluded all, and in due course, his tragedy became a thing of the past. But, in time, his intriguing behavior brought him back to the top of the page three in the local media  –  why  he  had  disposed  off  his  lucrative  real  estate  for  a  song  that  left  the realtors in the lurch. And as if to create a newsflash in the business world, he had off- loaded  his  considerable  stockholding,  which  sent  the  bulls  running  for  cover  in  the country’s  bourses.  Soon,  even  as  the  scrip  was  still  crunching  in  the  bear  hug,  the closure  of  his  umpteen  bank  accounts  earned  him  the  national  headlines,  as  it heralded  a first  rate liquidity crisis in the country’s banking system. But even in that gloomy setting, it cost me a fortune to acquire his palatial bungalow the outhouse of which he had retained. 

When I called on him for chitchat that morning, I was shocked to see him shredding mounds of money lying beside him.  Unmindful  of  my  protests,  as  he  picked  up another wad of notes, I snatched it from him as if it were the money I paid through my nose.   However,   getting  hold   of  another   set,   when   he  resumed   his  destructive regimen,  I  said  it  was  absurd  that  the  toil  of  a  lifetime  should  be  laid  waste  thus. Maybe,  to  clear  my  vision  as  well  as  to  set  his  mind  at  rest,  he  unwound  himself, which I would rewind for man to readjust his clock of life. But then why not reveal his name when he is worth writing about? It’s because, the value of this tale lies not in his name, hallowed  though, but  in  the hollowness  of  life he had  led  that  is  even  as  his name became a synonym for fame. However, if someone were to guess who it is, so be it.

“My  tragedy  brought  to  the  fore  the  falsities  of  life,”  he  began  melancholically...