It had been two months since I started wandering the streets at night like a zombie with a purpose. At first, I was determined—full of dreams about becoming the mysterious hero of the city. Fast forward to today: I'm officially the city's "Hungry Ghost."

  Rumors spread faster than gossip aunties—apparently, there was a camera-shy ghost haunting the town. You guessed it—that ghost was me. I mean, I wasn't actually haunting anyone, but tell that to people who screamed at the mere sight of my shadow.

  Oh, and did I mention the hunger? Forget ghosting people, my stomach was ghosting meals.

  Paritraan: (grumbling) "Anahata, remind me why I signed up for this again."

  Anahata: (playfully) "Because you have a hero complex, a bad sleep schedule, and no social life?"

  Paritraan: "Fantastic. Thanks for that motivational pep talk."

  If hunger wasn't enough, I've had my fair share of near-death experiences during patrols. Thanks to Anahata and his "life-saving shenanigans," I was still breathing. Barely. And then there were those monthly syringes keeping me from turning into a complete nutcase. They tasted worse than disappointment.

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  Daytime was for work. Nighttime was for playing hide-and-seek with death. I was like Batman—minus the billionaire part, the fancy gadgets, and, you know, the actual bat logo.

  Anahata: "By the way, are you making fun of me?"

  Paritraan: (confused) "What?"

  Anahata: "This whole solo patrol thing. Is this how humans joke?"

  Paritraan: "No...?"

  Anahata: "Let me try it then. Before meeting you, I was considering becoming the heart of a monkey."

  Paritraan: (deadpan) "Wow. Ambitious."

  Anahata: (proudly) "But I've realized you're more of a monkey than any monkey I've met."

  Paritraan: (offended) "Finished insulting me?"

  Anahata: (pouting) "I was trying to joke."

  Paritraan: "Yeah, that wasn't a joke—that was an artistically crafted insult."

  As we walked through the dark streets, bickering like an old married couple, a stray dog casually joined our patrol.

  Paritraan: (whispering) "Hey, Anahata. Looks like we've got a new recruit."

  Anahata: (dramatic) "Finally! Someone more evolved than you."

  Paritraan: (grumbling) "I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that."