Little did I imagine that the Déjà Vu would become the rationale behind my extant and would let me pen up about that fluky escapade to let you all know about. The same shudder runs throughout my whole body and continues until my intellect succours me that now I am a self-assured individual, an eligible voter and a poised journalist having ample command over my own fate.

The memories of that distant morning when I avenged the one who came to avenge me, is still equally flamboyant. Still now when I am asked about how it all had come about, I reply, "It ran all over me! But thanks to Déjà Vu."

COFFEE! It holds an extra special rank in my life. Carina considers me a coffee-worm even in this day and age. And I feel I love Venzorfield so dearly more because of the seclusion I find in the Diva Espresso amidst the chaotic throng. I used to be a routinely found patron of the café.

The day, dated as 27th June 2018 in calendar, had witnessed the most unexplainable report at Diva Espresso, one of the most famed café of Venzorfield. Fate led me to the place twenty minutes prior to the arrival of the constabulary and five minutes hence the shoot-out was carried on. My portent was knocking me up from the moment I left home for the café with only a sling bag and my mobile phone which was something parallel to my heart and brain in my life. But Carina went on telling the same thing over the phone, "Come on Jiana, chill, it's your birthday today. And why fear when your bestie is here?"

Yes, Carina, popular as Carina West in Venzorfield, is an officer of the Crime Branch. She is some five years or more senior to me but that is the least acknowledged truth of our friendship for she never considers me something else but her best friend. She is an absolute extrovert with a fair face, blue eyes and golden curls. The contrastic reality for us was that she didn't love the café much before but it was only after the incident that she started growing interest in that place.

We still now have a sharp contrast in our views and habits; don't know yet what made us best friends. The best example of it could be that, I am really scared of spiders but she loves arachnids. Also, I prefer coffee even to this day but she did not and does not like coffee much. This is an idiosyncrasy in hers. Though she likes café along with my company.

The year which I mentioned above saw the turning point of our lives. On account of my birthday, which she wanted to celebrate in a silent grand manner, she asked me to meet at the Café.

"Jiyuu, let's go for a coffee. But....."

Now before she would finish off with her words, I screamed, " What? You in a café? Can't believe this."

That did indeed vex her but she assured me the very next that it was on account of my birthday only.

I was waiting for her at the bus stop when I received a text which said, "Jiyu, I'll meet you at the café. I am stuck in a horrible traffic jam and so I had to take a different route to reach the place."

I was being lashed out by the monster of boredom while waiting at the bus stop for a bus when my awareness was seized by a sudden announcement which said,
"This is to inform the residents of the Venzorfield that convict no. 179 has escaped from the Venzorfield Jail and is hiding himself somewhere in the city. Citizens are requested to be cautious and inform the authorities if any suspected person comes to their notice......"

That did disturb me for a while and it was merely after the announcement was done when a bus arrived.
Reaching the place, I found Carina nowhere, but decided to enter the café.
I took a seat at the table farthest from the door. Don't know what fun I got but I loved the seats at the corner. Carina finally arrived.

"What would you like to have, Birthday Girl?"

Without taking a second to think, I gave her a steady reply, "Latté Macchiato.....my faaaavooourite!"

"I knew, still felt like asking you may bring a change to this invariable. Well I would like to try Café au lait this time," and soon after placing our orders, we started taking selfies.

While the order was in its process, Carina decided to clear away the bill to the receptionist, Mrs. Carolina Smith. Meanwhile I went to the washroom to wash my face and eyes as I felt some dust had entered it.

The washroom was just opposite to the scullery. While I was there, I overheard something or perhaps someone who said, "Just drag him here and lock him in the scullery till I finish off my work."

"What? 'Him'?", I couldn't decipher what I heard and considered it to be a mere misinterpretation but the fishy smell reached me when I heard some sudden screams from somewhere.
The very first thing to strike me was that if the café had been ransacked, the robbers would find little in a café to plunder except for the cash. But what bothered me more was Carina's safety. I rushed out of the washroom.

I was petrified with what I saw. Some robust and muscular men with their faces hidden behind a black cloth invaded the place and held everyone at gunpoint and that included Carina even. I was just about to shout when someone nudged me by my shoulders and portrayed a flashback which I almost forgot. He uttered, "So here comes our main suspect, isn't it Miss Smith?" And Miss Carolina Smith with a sly smirk replied , "Yes she is the antagonist of this drama," and those words blew everyone's mind.

The mouths of the people were shut with yellow duct-tapes and their hands were tied with ropes. Carina shrieked but couldn't come to the aid of the situation, nor did I. The only thing I did to get rid of it is..."Stop this ! Stop this immediately. Don't you dare touch anyone over here."

And with no more words, they headed towards me to take me to their den where they could avenge me without any hiatus or intervention. Suddenly a man came rushing forward away from the gunpoint.

"Noooo,don't! Don't you dare stop us if you want this girl to live her days," said
the man and held the gun on my head. I almost gave up but still went on thinking about what exactly made them so furious over so many innocent lives.

The man started narrating his agenda which no one over there did dare to ask for initially. "Miss Jiyana Giddens, don't you remember anything? "

Having lost my words, I just blinked which was enough to show my curiosity and fear at the same time.

"Okay no problem, let me take you three years back. Remember? 29th March?"

"No, I don't," was all that I could utter with those frosty lips and sweaty face.

"Quite obvious! FLAAASHBAACK...YES! You won't because you were not the one to feel the pain. But I was."

No sooner did he finish off with his words than Miss Carolina started, "He is Aureliano Sutton! Yes Convict no. 179 of Venzorfield Cell! He is the same person who appeared as the spotlight in the news channel for eloping from Jail a few hours back. He has one more identity. He is my brother."

"And also I am the same person who was handed over to the police by YOU."

Immediately I looked back on that 'distant morning.' He was the same constant who on 29th March, 2015 entered the café as a regular customer and took an attempt to steal the purse of another customer when I chased him and got him caught by the police red-handed. So.....He meant.....He was again there to avenge me, assisted by her sister,
Miss. Carolina Smith.

"But who are you hiding in the scullery then?" I somehow evolved valour to ask them.

"Let's not hide it from you my dear," said Miss Smith and soon her glances fell on to the fifth table in the first row and she continued, "Table no. 5, Yes Ma'am, where is your husband?"

And the lady's loud scream was enough for me to understand that the man they were hiding in the scullery was actually her husband. They might have killed him at their worst as he overheard their conversation somehow.

Holding back my tears, I thought of chalking out an immediate plan to rescue every naive being witnessing the felony.

Something went on encouraging me to somehow manage to drag the phone from Carolina and throw it out the window. Déjà Vu? I felt like I had already been an experience-holder of this situation! Cannot be, but I thought to execute the instructions given by my mind to me. And I snatched the phone from her hand and threw it out. That phone kind of drifted the attention of everyone there and I gave a severe blow to Sutton and grasped the gun from his hand.

With that, half of the situation came under my command.

"GUNS DOWN! I SAID GUNS DOWN!"

With a mere visual gesture, Carina got me and managed herself to go out of the café and call the police. My work was to dominate the situation for the next fifteen minutes.

With the arrival of the constabulary, the man and his supporters were arrested along with Miss Carolina. But we had nothing but condolences for the lady who saw the murder of her husband. But thanks to God for saving him.

Carina and I unstrapped the faces of others. The immediate telecast in the news channel about the incident left the entire city awestruck. We stood beside the lady and took her to the City hospital along with her husband. Thankfully he was saved.
We cleared off the formalities that we needed to do at the Police station for being the witnesses.

Reaching back home unharmed appeared as a dream to us. And today, penning it up to let you all know about it, is something beyond imagination.

I don't know if I could describe that birthday of mine to you but I tried my best. Don't know if God will pardon Miss Carolina Smith in future. But one thing for sure, she was so dedicated to her work. Hats off to her. So she was awarded a five years imprisonment by Law and a pitch-black lifestyle behind bars by God.

- Jiyana Giddens

~~~