In 1960, Nelle Harper Lee’s book To Kill A Mockingbird set the literary stage on fire, winning her the Pulitzer prize. After a few years in the limelight, Lee seemed to have gone into hibernation except for the odd legal case that she filed. And then this year, quite out of the blue, came Go Set A Watchman.

Closer home, my building acquired a new watchman, one with a habit of lighting a cigarette early morning. The fire alarm in our apartment block is super sensitive and even cigarette smoke is enough to trigger it. The result has been that every morning the last few days, residents have been jerked off their beds, their pleasant dreams rudely shattered by the frenzied, shrill shrieking of the fire alarm. A combination of pleas, suggestions and warnings issued to the watchman have been of no avail. He claims insouciantly that he doesn’t smoke and that the problem is with the alarm system. Once he even insisted we were all imagining it! Early morning walkers however, have reported otherwise. A few have caught the watchman in the act and accosted him but to no effect. An email has been sent to the landlord. But the watchman has stuck to stout denial. Perhaps the only option is to film the accused in the act. Somehow one never gets used to a fire alarm at 5 am. This morning too, I woke up white with fright and shaking in every limb. It’s weekend, dash it! I am absolutely livid. My mood right now is a cross between Harper Lee’s two books.

To Kill A Watchman.

PG Bhaskar is a private banker and has authored several books. He tries hard to keep up with the times @bhaskarpg and www.pgbhaskar.com. Look out for his weekly humor column on B-Change Saturdays.

Featured Image Artwork: Night Owl City