The early morning sun rays fell
upon Hallstatt, a small fairy tale like Austrian Town. It was a routine morning
of 1986. With a population not crossing five hundred in number, majority of the
residents of the town knew each other either by identity or in person. The
early morning routine had been the same for the last few years. However, over
the last few months there was an additional routine that had kept the residents
of the town busy and entertained.
Some eight months ago, a small
press had opened its office in the town. Puzzled by the sudden interest of
press to open its administrative office and publishing outlet in the town, the
residents had inquired with its office bearers.
“We are here to publish newspaper
for the town and distribute to the locales. The residents can subscribe to the
newspaper here at our office and we will deliver the newspaper at their house
before seven in the morning.” The newspaper office personnel had informed.
The locals had been ecstatic. It
was the first newspaper that would be published in the town and the residents
wouldn’t have to depend upon the newspaper that was transported from the other
big cities. “The Hallstatt Morning Post” was the name of the newspaper that was
informed to the locales. Finding the name of their town on the frontline of the
newspaper, the locales were overjoyed.
Two weeks later, the first lot of
newspapers were delivered to the first fifty subscribers. Among those first
fifty, was Mr. Lakorsy, a seventy- five- year- old, World War II veteran. Mr
Lakorsy was extremely excited with the fact that he was among the first few to
be getting a newly started newspaper. The feeling of being among the first to
read the newspaper had upped his anxiety levels. As soon as he had got hold of
the first newspaper, he read it a like small boy reading a new comic book with
utmost interest and curiosity. He had observed the headlines that had given
news about the events taking place in the capital city of Austria. The ten-page
newspaper was bifurcated into Current affairs, entertainment news, sports news,
and two pages were dedicated to his own town of Hallstatt. He read the news in
relation to Hallstatt with utmost interest and concentration.
“Honey, it seems there has been an
increase in thefts and robberies in the town. The newspaper has reported.” He
said shouting over his shoulder looking towards the kitchen where his wife was
making the morning tea.
Over the next eight months, like
Mr Lakorsy, the other residents who had subscribed to newspaper had enjoyed the
news articles of the newspaper. The number of subscribers had increased to
three hundred out of the total population of five hundred. Every morning the
town of Hallstatt waited for the newspaper to be delivered to their homes to
start their day with news from all over the country and also from their own
town.
The town of Hallstatt is known
for the Hallstatt Lake surrounded by the Salzkammergut mountains. The Charming
cobbled streets framed by pastel- coloured houses gave a vibrant life to the
town. One evening when Mr.Lakorsy was seated inside his house which was one
among those pastel coloured houses, he was listening to the news on the Radio
which was sent to him by his son who was working in the United states of America.
As he sat and listened to the news, he felt confused with all the news that was
being transmitted. He walked to table and picked up that morning’s newspaper. A
puzzled Mr Lakorsy couldn’t understand one simple aspect. “There is not one
news on the Radio which appears in the newspaper.”
He tried to discuss the same with
his wife but she seemed little interested in her seventy- year- old husband’s
confusion. Mr Lakorsy repeated the same activity of matching at least fifty
percent of news appearing in the newspaper with that transmitted in the Radio. His
curiosity levels had increased one evening when he visited the local cycling
coach and inquired about the robbery of the cycle which had taken place a week
ago.
“What Robbery? I don’t know
anything of such kind had taken place?” the coach had informed.
A puzzled Mr Lakorsy had returned
home unsatisfied. He had to do something to clear his doubts. That night he
figured out a simple hack he would use to clear his doubts.
For the next five days, Mr
Lakorsy noted down all the news about his town that was published in the
newspaper. Over the subsequent week, he visited all the places in the town that
were mentioned in the newspaper. His doubts had now turned concrete. None of
news matched.
Finally, Mr Lakorsy was disappointed with his
conclusion. The newspaper was printing all fake news relating to his own town
and also about the other cities in the country. There were no robberies in the
town. No accidents had taken place in his town. That Evening, Mr Lakorsy collected
all the newspaper and walked into the local Police station and discussed his
observation with the head.
That Night, a secret raid was
organized in the newspaper publishing office by the local police team.
The town woke up to the news that
everyone at the newly opened Newspaper office were arrested. Upon the
interrogation, it was found that the entire team at the newspaper office was
group of robbers who had come to the town and had planned to fake the town with
their fake newspaper business.
The Hallstatt Morning Post was no
longer delivered, and the town got back to the old ways of waiting for the
local agents to get the newspaper from other towns.
The above story is completely a work of Fiction.
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