Have airplane ever inspired curiosity in you? The kind of ‘curious’ that borders on ‘suspicious’, never mind if have an Indian thriller novel is in your hands or not. The kind of suspicious that makes you think the real plot twist isn’t on land, it’s right here, at 33,000 feet.
And now I sit here… window seat and all… watching clouds drift like poorly-kept secrets. I see tiny cars crawling below, and I wonder how many of them are cheating? Or chasing? Or breaking a signal? Or plotting a very inconvenient murder?
My headphones are on, but not playing anything. It helps eavesdrop better. I can tell you that the couple in the row behind me is whisper-fighting. She suspects he read her diary. He suspects she left it open on purpose.
And me? I suspect this is Chapter Two of my next book. Where do you think I get ideas for my suspense thriller novels?
A toddler walks past me with a juice box and a very specific stare. That stare toddlers give you when they know something you don’t. CID training camp in kindergarten, maybe?
And suddenly, turbulence. A soft bump. Then a bigger bump. I clutch my armrest. Don’t worry. I am calm. I’m just mentally calculating whether I have enough plot to finish my next thriller before we land.
Oh you didn’t buy that, did you? You thought I was scared? No, no. Turbulence does not scare me (I am lying bigtime. It does. Remember what Field Marshal Manekshaw said – if you are not scared of death, you are either a liar, or a Gurkha. I am not a Gurkha.). I’m scared of not finding my popcorn when I land.
I return to the window. Ah, the city below. Lights blinking like Morse code. Maybe they’re sending messages. Maybe they’re spelling… “The man in 12A isn’t who he says he is.”
And just then, a voice over the intercom: “Ladies and gentlemen, we’ll begin our descent shortly.”
Sure. Into the city. Or… into the story. Because everything you see from a window seat isn’t just a view.
It’s a premise.
#KahaniHaiNaAmazing? Then let me remind you, #PadhnaZarooriHai. Have fun reading the Throne Room Thriller: https://lnkd.in/gWE_Nmki, and tell me in the comments below, what stories have stared back at you from a tiny, oval window 7 miles above sea level.
