S(m)ell me the truth

Hello readers,

It’s been a while, I know. For this one, I’ll not state what genre it belongs to. Read it to find out J

And this message is especially for my vampire friend….Don’t knock it till you read it please ;)

Oh! And BTW my dear readers, I would love to see some genuine feedbacks and for the shy types, am allowing anonymous comments too…so write away J

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She is a bit of a loner. By choice. She seldom talks to anyone unless absolutely necessary, and even when it is, she’ll probably make do with monosyllables. She hates talking. She thinks it’s really over rated. She’d rather listen.

She was born with a gift…an ESP. She could categorically classify whether whatever the person is spewing through his pie hole is the truth or otherwise!

Weird isn’t it? When one knows she’s being lied to but has no way to prove it! What happens when people talk to her? Well..she doesn’t see it or hear it…she smells it! I swear by all the Gods Its true! Yes! Strange as it is, that’s the truth.

During conversations, not only would her ears be attentive, her nose would go on an overdrive! Here’s what she’d actually smell!

• Bored chatter – oats
• Salacious gossip – chilly
• Utter lie – burnt food
• Resentment – lemony
• Lust – chocolate
• Gratitude – coffee
• Curiosity- roasted bread
• Malice – rotten food
• Happy thoughts – bouquet of roses 
• ETC..ETC..

She could not understand all the smells she’d smell as a child and was told off for fibbing several times by elders! But as she grew older, she began to understand it’s something only she can perceive and also started to understand what the smells signify. That took a lot of homework.

When she was a teen, she really got the hang of it! And of course she would smell a combination of smells in one go as the conversation would be a mix of many things! She’d usually smell chocolate whenever she was with men (and very rarely..around a few women!). Not surprising as many thought she was good looking.

She really hated talking, she’d rather smell…err.. I mean listen. She was nicknamed the human lie detector in college as she would always win a game of bluff. She was an Urban Legend of sorts. She didn’t have friends. It really became tedious to be around people when you get to know what they say is never what they mean. That’s the reason she avoided getting close to anybody because sooner or later, they will let you down.

She was sitting on a bench in the park doing nothing in particular when she became aware of someone sitting nearby who was giving out a wonderful smell as he talked on his phone…he strongly smelled of roses! Too strong!  It was pure, so pure, she almost had a gag reflex! She had never smelled one emotion in such concentration! It was usually a mix of many and even if concentrated, it would be there for a very short period of time. It would feel like a shot and then it would dilute..but Not like this! Never like this! Her curiosity got the better of her and she let her nose lead the way. There he was…talking animatedly over the phone….she didn't get too near as the essence was overpowering….she waits till he hangs up, and thinks ‘Good….the smell is bearable now’. She walks up to him and is about to say ‘Hi’ when she’s sized by a sudden feeling of extreme shyness…’whoa! What’s the thinking??Go up to him and say..hey! Your essence is overpowering! Can we talk??’ She immediately turns 180 degrees and is about to flee when she feels a hand on hers…holding her back!

She is so stunned, she has not even reacted to the touch! No..it isn’t a touch…the grip is pretty strong! She has not even checked who’s the owner of the hand, which is right now constricting her movement and the blood flow to her right hand

She swallows and turns slowly. Grey eyes meet brown ones….no, not brown..his eyes are a pair of butterscotch crystals!....... and time stands still.

She is stunned as she is not getting any readings from this man! Absolutely nil…this is a first!

She is brought back to reality as he gives her a disarming smile along with the smell of oven fresh bread. She realizes her mouth is still a surprised ‘O’ and immediately shuts it up. ‘Oh! Thank god! He’s not immune to my power!’

She manages a ‘Hello’ and a ‘Err….can I have my hand back?’ to which he says ‘if you really must’ and lets go of her hand. She is rubbing her hand as she studies him…and senses an odour she has never experienced before..not only did it smell amazing, She had absolutely no idea what it stood for. She feels vulnerable without her sixth sense. ‘Good god! My power has been rendered completely useless by this gorgeous hun…focus!’ She gives herself a mental shake and rephrases the sentence in her head ’….by this stranger’.

‘Shall we take a walk?’ What the ****? Did her mouth just speak on its own without her brain knowing about it?? Before she feels embarrassed that she’s been a tad bold, he nods his approval and holds out his hand.

That’s how they met. It’s been several weeks since the first meeting in the park. She is totally into him because for the first time ever in her life she’s met someone who means what he says. She was extra attentive around him to catch him lying or something that’ll discredit him, but unbelievably this man is sincere all the time!  But that awesome smell would invariable be there when he was around her and she still hadn’t figured what it signified.

Though she liked him a lot and spent a lot of time with him, she still didn't talk much and certainly didn’t relive her ability. The main reason was the odour which had no emotion attached to it. The one which did not fit in any folders in her head.

Things changed drastically after she had visited a far off relative; more out of obligation than anything. Her mom had bullied her into agreeing for this due to various reasons which we will not dwell at the moment. She was there just for a few hours.  Her ailing aunt was bedridden and taken care by her loving husband. When her Aunt smiled at him, she smelt that fragrance from him! Something clicked in her mind…True Love?! ‘Man! That sounds cheesy even in my head!’

She kept wondering how she could have missed this emotion her entire life?? Well..nothing much at the home front since her parents’ marriage ended in a bitter divorce. At college? C’mon! That’s rarer than hen’s teeth!  She thought about it during the journey back and by next day and she was a changed person. She had finally let her guard down and was talking to him rather than listening! He was a very attentive listener. She knew because she could smell him being attentive! She finally talked to him about her ability and was pleased with his reaction… disbelief, awe, respect and love! She was in love! Irrevocable so…

The poor girl…if only she knew. She was being played! By a pro….He was no ordinary guy. If our girl’s gift was that of an interpreter, he was a projector. He could project whatever emotions he wanted someone to perceive.

Her ability was the precise reason he was sent here. He worked for the other side and they had kept tabs on babies born under very rare astronomical events. Only 1 percent of those babies would develop the special ability. They would spend years locating such Interpreters and elaborate plans were made before finishing them off in what appeared to be a seemingly unfortunate accident. She had no idea how valuable an asset she could be for her country. She would be their ultimate weapon in negotiations and treaty agreements with other world leaders. This country would never get that advantage. Now he had her trust completely. He would make use of it and end her life much before her time.