Almost at the same time she let out a scream her hand also got released from her steering. She was approaching the bridge she knew from the sound of a train nearby and was aware that if she failed to stop the car now it would either fly into the railway track running parallely or go crashing into the river below. She tried hard to take her foot off the accelerator but her limbs had gone numb.She knew this was going to last for sometime. And within this time she had to manuovre the vehicle to save it from swerving left or right. Fighting her innermost fears for survival was a trial she had been subjected to many times before, a curse she had been suffering since childhood. But it was not the cosy comforts of her home. Again on second thoughts, where was the difference ? Till her parents were alive, she didn't doubt about her safety. She knew she could always fall back on them in her miseries. But now who bothered whether she lived or died ? With Upendra away from

Before Arunava could stop his black Tata Innova and get out, Shivangi's red sedan crashed at the metal barriers. His heart seemed to stand still. The fog made visibility very poor and even with the foglights on he had difficulty in locating the car swinging on the left railings. He had screeched to a halt at the sound of the collision, but now while running on the deck, he found the distance to be around twenty paces. Even such a small distance appeared very long now and he knew every moment was costly. The bridge side they were negotiating was from Kolkata towards Howrah. The one carrying traffic from Howrah to Kolkata ran parallely in the opposite direction. A double line railway track separated the up and down routes, confined inside massive steel girders. Upon reaching the location, he tried to look inside the car to ascertain whether Shivangi was still inside. Then without a second thought, he climbed on to the railings. The dark waters was a raging torrent several feet below. He

Just before the wrecked vehicle collapsed on the river bed on that ill-fated night - scraping out earth and turning the waters muddy, pairs of hands pulled Arunava and Shivangi away. When a river patrol boat found a woman's scarf and policeman's cap floating in the waters with a broken railing on the bridge, they immediately sent divers down. What god wills no frost can kill. Despite the harrowing experience, Arunava suffered only a few minor fractures and was released from the hospital in a week. Shivangi's life was saved by a miracle though she suffered multiple injuries and had to go through complex surgeries before she could recover. One of her legs was badly affected by the accident. Doctors had implanted steel plates in it and she'd have to use a stick for the rest of her life now. Her face was badly wounded, her eyes spared by a mere inch. Despite plastic surgery, much of her earlier looks couldn't be restored fully and the trauma of the accident left a black mark in her life.

From the position he was in, he could see the bridge clearly. The car was heading towards the railings. He knew what lay ahead. He didn't want to go through the ordeal again. But what was he seeing now? A girl was standing still on the railway tracks. A goods train was rushing in from the Howrah side, the steel girders reverberating with the noise. Like an arrogant devil sporting his monstrosity before a helpless human, the train was closing in upon the girl - ready to devour her from behind. The headlights of the engine were like glowing embers which went for the devil's eyes - illuminating the serpent like track before it. The girl was holding something close to her heart. A Doll? It was only a matter of moments before the girl would get crushed under the wheels. Arunava wanted to run towards the tracks though he knew the accident was inevitable. But why was he unable to move his limbs? The girl looked at the raging river either side of her and started running on the tracks. If only

Shivangi was alone all over again. She had only one friend, her sister, whom she could call and talk for hours to let go of her loneliness. But fate had taken her away too like her parents. Now there were only the four walls, ceiling and the inanimate furniture to give her company. But she couldn't blame Upendra. He had taken care of her all these months and didn't let her complain about anything. Now he had an important client meet at Mumbai. Upendra was ambitious and didn't want to get tethered to his family for long. Otherwise it was just the two of them. And they had all the material comforts of the world. Then again maybe that was the reason why he wanted to keep himself busy in work. To forget the void in his life. But thinking optimistically, there were so many couples in the world who had adopted a child. She had talked it out with him during the initial years of their marriage, but Upendra didn't agree. She had found out Upendra to be old-fashioned in this regard. Was his hu