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2024-10-29 19:42:56Trying to keep my cool in the face of adversities, I contacted the bus operator and came to know that my daughter had suddenly halted the bus in the middle of the road, stating an emergency and got off near the market. My wife grew hysterical hearing the news and started screaming, while never stopping to blame me for everything . The teacher who accompanied my daughter later told the bus driver that Isha was not feeling well, so she had sent her home.
I immediately set off for the teacher's house but when I reached Mrs. Gomes's complex, an one hour drive from my place, she was not there. I had the class teacher's number and learnt from her that on the way to school Mrs Gomes came to know of her mother-in-law's heart attack and immediately had to return back, pack her bags and go. 'And where did her mother-in-law stay ?' I asked excitedly. 'Versova, Mumbai', Isha's class teacher said matter-of-factly.
After lodging a formal FIR at the local P.S. I was wondering how to face my wife back home, when I suddenly remembered that I still had the info about the seller on the app's order list . Opening the mobile app, I was surprised to find the address to be near the supermarket we frequented. I lost no time in reaching the shop only to find a closed board. The footpath peddlars told me that the man had shut down his shop once and for all. I jotted down the address of Raghu, the one famous for selling children's toys in the area. 'What made him decide to close his flourishing business of years ?' I felt devastated.
'Raghu had made a fortune in a couple of years of opening his tiny shop. He mainly bought made in China products smuggled through the Kidderpore docks. His offers being the cheapest, he had no trouble in procuring the orders. Since couple of months Raghu was disturbed. His consignments were suddenly being rejected by customers one by one . There were negative feedback on online shopping sites'.
'The police had also raided his shop a couple of times. I guess there was some business rivalry. The products were getting tampered midway. Yesterday he looked completely shattered'.
'One glass special with extra malai' a young man ordered siding off his bike and the teaseller excused himself. 'Make it quick man, if you want to catch him. Raghu had told me he'll be going home tonight. His train leaves in two hours from now'. Hari, a hawker selling cakes and other snacks along with tea seemed to be a close confidante of Raghu, both hailing from the same village in Rajasthan.The address showed South Kolkata and going by the traffic at that hour of the day. it'd take minimum two hours to reach. I knew I couldn't allow so much time. So I rode like a maniac dodging traffic signals and ignoring police sirens behind me . As it was the time of festivals, Kolkata was having a facelift resulting in blockades and traffic detours to facilitate construction of marquees, festooning of public spaces and carrying out lighting arrangements.
Coming halfway through I remembered that I haven't given a call home when my mobile rang. 'Isha had come back by herself' It was my wife's excited voice at the other end. I heaved a sigh of relief. But the next moment I failed to let go of a sneaking suspicion. 'Where is that thing now ? I demanded. She took time to answer. 'Actually Isha called out Mamma in her typical tone. Won't a mother recognize her child ? I had no doubt it was her. Maybe there is nothing eerie and this has something to do with her health. Come home and we'll take her for a check-up' my wife blurted put. 'But it was decided between us that you'd not open that door ' .. I clenched my teeth inadvertently.. ' .. That goddamn store room door till I returned' I spat out my frustration, cursing myself before cutting the line off.
Should I continue riding towards my destination or take a turn back to check my home ? I was in a dilemma now. On one hand I'd got to find my daughter, while on the other that doll .. that creature was let loose in my house. My wife's life was in danger. Without taking my foot from the accelerator I dialed my wife's number. Once. Twice. Thrice. But why wasn't she picking up the phone ?
I was at a loss. A police motorcycle screeched to a halt beside me and a young officer checked my licence and other documents but not before hurling a heap of abuses and threatening to put me behind bars the next time he found me flouting traffic rules. After greasing his palms substantially and promising to do the needful from then onwards, I continued driving and didn't realize when the wide, busy Southern Avenue had given way to quieter, narrow single lane of Joka.
The houses wore a deserted look in this part of greater Kolkata unlike those of the South which bustled with activities even at wee hours during the pujas. Promoter Raj was yet to claw it's way into this area and as such high rise apartments at every nook and corner was missing. I took a turn into an alley, as directed by the g****e map on my mobile screen, oblivious to where I was going. If there wasn't any open area ahead I won't be able to turn my car back leaving me with no option other than to ride one kilometre in back gear to get back into the main road, while returning .. But it wasn't the time to be bothered by such trivialities now. There was nothing important than finding Isha and carrying her back safe to her mother. The road ahead was illuminated only by my car's headlights with no streetlights in the vicinity. It was bumpy and less frequented, I found from the weeds having grown on the surface. Suddenly I was compelled to brake my car to a standstill, as there was a dead end.
A small, single floor building stood blocking my way. It looked dark and shabby. It was unlikely anyone lived here. With no living souls around, there was no way to confirm the address other than to knock and find out. ' Hello. Anybody there ?' My voice echoed in the darkness causing my heart to race. 'Raghu are you there ?' But still no answer. The rusty, metal door creaked open when I gave it a hard push and immediately a putrid smell caused me to feel sick to my stomach. Taking out my torch from the car I sneaked into the passage and immediately felt something run behind me.
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Don't Fall Asleep Episode Five - A New Family
Turning behind I saw nothing. 'Must be field rats' I thought, looking at the rice fields behind the house and kept walking .A small room led to a big hall and it was here that the smell was more prominent. My torchlight illuminated heaps of cardboard boxes lying on the floor all packed with dolls. So this was Raghu's godown, I told myself. Did he live nearby or his friend had misguided me ? As the light shone on one of the boxes, a barbie doll's face peeped from inside the transparent cover.. I could recognize the company's logo instantly. As I began to open the top cover an uneasiness gripped me . Then I realized this one had a different face. And also a different body.This was ridiculous. It was an older version of Nisha, in fact an old lady wearing a gown and not a young girl wearing fancy dress . Her skin was shrivelled of age and hair dry and unkempt. Out of curiosity I took the doll in my hand and watched it open its hazelnut brown eyes. Wondering why
Don't Fall Asleep Episode Six - A Mysterious Disappearance
'Since when has your sister gone missing, did you say ?'Last night Sir.What brought you to her apartment ? You told she stayed alone'.She had called me.''You mean she called you to say she was leaving ?'I got a ring from her mobile number, but couldn't make out anything other than her groans and laboured breaths at the other end.What ?She was trying to spell out something amidst her gasps. I tried to call back but without result. I even tried to reach her landline. I thought maybe her health had deteriorated . She has asthmatic problems you see.Hmmm .. I see. At what time did you receive her call ?8:30 PMYou too stay alone or .. ?My husband is out of the city .. business tourWhat business ?Building promotingAnd you ? Are you working ?No. Housewife.Hmmm .. From Chandannagar to Saltlec .. takes two hours to reach by carYes. Aro
Don't Fall Asleep Episode Seven - The Investigation begins
It was difficult to believe that Suparna would finally give in and take such a drastic step. They weren't on talking terms after that argument following the decision to sell off their ancestral property in Burrabazar. Actually it was Upendra's decision.Suparna was in the final year of her college when their parents died in a car accident. She had reluctantly stayed with her elder sister's family - Shivangi and her husband in Chandannagar for a couple of months. Then after she landed a job in BPO she moved over to Saltlec. Shivangi had caught her taking anti-depressant pills one day . Though she had pledged to dessist from such acts of self-destruction again, she knew once alone she would resume her habits. How many times Shivangi had asked her to refrain from watching those bullshit on TV. She had even locked up some TV channels in her Saltlec flat - but to no avail. She said the shows gave her thrills and made her forget her loneliness.But Shivan
Don't Fall Asleep Episode Eight - The First Clue
'Did you notice the TV Mrs. Ghosh ? Shivangi looked at the broken LED screen in horror. The screen was sunk inwards giving rise to a vent which went deep into the wall behind, yet it didn't bore a hole through it . It looked as if someone had dug a tunnel inside the TV to pull something in. 'Could be a chemical reaction which caused the explosion', Arunava Sarkar murmured to himself. 'Can a TV explode by itself ? Is there some major electrical dysfunctioning in the circuits in this flat ?' He called the constable to collect samples of the wreckage. The forensics would take care of the rest.'Your sister had placed requisition for a mechanic .. a TV mechanic. The apartment owners' association informed us. She had complained that a particular channel was always showing up whenever she pressed the remote. And then videos would keep playing all by themselves with the remote failing to pause/ stop them. Reporting the cable operator had not helped - there are many users of that net
Don't Fall Asleep Episode Nine - A Solo Ride
That was when she had her first nightmare. She found it impossible to move her limbs when she woke up. And things had only worsened further since then. The symptoms came up on her sister about a year later. Her father had consulted a number of doctors but to no avail. Referring to quacks, priests, even occultists had continued unabatedly and it wasn't long before the neighbours and relatives had labelled them as bananas - often sharing a laugh behind their back.Psychological diseases are still considered a taboo in the society in which they had been brought up. It took a great deal of concealing and cajoling on the part of Shivangi's parents to convince her in-laws that their daughter-in-law was perfectly all right. Still the air couldn't be cleared. On their wedding night when she had left him unsatiated at the peak of his desire, Upendra had charged at her directly.'Your father has deliberately married off a sickly daughter'.Shivangi knew there was no
Don't Fall Asleep Episode Ten - Don't Fall Asleep
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
Don't Fall Asleep Episode Eleven - How it all started
Dodamarg, Maharashtra. Present Day :Strangely there was no lock on the door, it limped badly to a side on the floor. It was the reason why it didn't swing open inside, otherwise the latch wasn't strong enough to keep it closed. The possibility of someone using the room couldn't be ruled out from such a situation, yet the thick layer of dust on the floor raised doubts over a living soul to have come that way in a while. Dust had settled inside the room too causing the door to sink into it.The light from the torch revealed no other footsteps than her own as she guided it all around the floor. After several attempts the old, wooden panel holding desperately to it's rusty hinges finally creaked open letting out a gust of wind as if captivated for years. The smell of old furniture and furnishings laden with cobwebs immediately rushed out to torture her nostrils. The dampness in the room was sickening. Finding an electrical switch on the wall she pressed it in the hope of light, but in va
Don't Fall Asleep Episode Twelve - Die-Hard
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
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Episode Thirty Eight - Creatures, Creatures!
Arunava shouted his lungs out. But his cries got lost amidst the incantations and noise. Tears rolled down his eyes. He remembered the police station he served. He found himself sitting at his desk with coffee. He saw the white board crammed with charts based more of his imagination than clues or crime scene evidences - which appeared like jigsaw puzzles to others in the Department, a child's meaningless scribblings to his boss who wondered how Arunava had passed the IPS interview. But it was an exercise which always led to the truth in the end, much to the discomfort of his peers eyeing the promotion ladder. He always knew he was made for the job. Images of his village, his home, his parents flitted by. Since when did he last paid them a visit? It's been ages he had food cooked by his mother. Would his parents be able to cope up with the pain of their eldest son's death? After he was gone, who would pay for his brother's education? He was a good painter too and had ambitions of holdi
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Episode Thirty Seven - The Atonement
Now pronounced disability stood around him like the leafless trees smeared in darkness. Nobody was walking. Nobody was standing properly either. Nothing was moving anywhere. A subtle consciousness of mixed emotions - astonishment, sorrow and loneliness formed lumps inside the throat but wasn't able to manifest itself fully in the end. The divine revelation continued his speech above their heads. 'Those of you who have made it till here - the time for your final verdict has appeared. From here the path will divide into two. One goes towards heaven, the other towards hell. A sky-scraping wall separates the two. Positioned on the wall are my dedicated messengers since time immemorial. Judging the karma of your human births they will decide who chooses which path. The door of heaven would never open for those who've insulted me, been rude to others. But those who've never lost trust in me, have been honest throughout their lives, always cared for others shall always find place in heaven.
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Episode Thirty Six - Sara
Scaring the shits out of him a young lady stormed inside. He recognised her immediately to be Sara - his neighbour. They stayed in the same barrack quarters. Despite their age difference of ten years they were quite friends. She was physical instructor Mr. Snehashish Dutta's only daughter. This was the man who had cured him of acrophobia. 'What's up? Won't let me in? Whom did you expect at this hour? A hooligan? A fugitive? Well he must be lion-hearted then .. a gem of a criminal .. to have hoodwinked the security. Did you expect an old rival?' When Sara spoke her words flew copiously like a mountain spring without giving the listener any chance to reply. Then eying the bottle and half-filled glass on his table she asked. 'Partying alone?' There was a twinkle in Sara's eyes. 'Just stressed out a bit', he shrugged. 'Well .. lemme guess .. you must've had a fight with your boss .. no .. you have that every other day. Then any particular case you're worried about?' The words were cascad
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Episode Thirty Five - The Gateway to Hell
Slowly the living souls came down on the muddy road. They started their journey again. She was walking beside him. Her eyes held that same innocence. But a question was aimed at him this time. And it seemed to pierce his heart. He increased his pace. He wanted to walk away from her. From others. But an individual's wishes were not considered here. One had to go with the tide.Suddenly a voice boomed in the sky above. 'I don't like torturers. Severe punishments await them. But if anyone is repentent and makes best efforts to rectify themselves I may forgive them. Those of you who have played roles in destruction in your lives - I won't spare you. Those who have been cruel to the orphans, the destitute and homeless would have to burn in fire to cleanse your souls of the evil. I hate those who have misused funds. Those who were busy maligning others and spreading hatred will be punished. Those who have wrongly accused innocent women would be dealt with severly. Those who are proud, arrog
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Episode Thirty Four - Lost
There was darkness all around. He strained his eyes but could hardly make out anything. Then slowly shapes of wild bushes and creepers appeared. He discovered himself lying on his back with no sky above his head. How long had he been lying there? He had no idea. He rose up and sat down on the ground with legs straightened before him. He turned his head around in the hope of finding a way around. He didn't feel any fatigue. As if a long period of sleep had rejuvenated his energy. But how strange the shrubs were here. There was no smell in them. He tried to touch them but couldn't. The branches were withered and dry without leaves. Is it winter here? How did he come to such a place? He tried to remember but in vain. Nobody was speaking around him. But there had been people even a little while ago, he could bet. He had felt their presence. Were they too sleeping like him ? Where are they now? He couldn't remember anything before or after that incident. He was feeling very lighter now. H
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Episode Thirty Three - Wait for me in your dreams
She heard Dad calling her mother. It was too cold outside. Dad had been calling her name since long. Why wasn't Mom getting up? Like previous times Dad had returned late from work. Even in her sleep she could feel his presence. He had knelt down before her bed and parted the strands of hair on her forehead. Then he had bent down and kissed her cheeks. The next morning when she had woken up Dad was gone again. How tired he must've been and to keep him waiting at such an hour of the night in the nail-biting cold was a crime. And then she realised that Mom had fallen asleep after a hard day's work. She hurried down from the bed and ran towards the main door. She knew immediately after getting in Dad would curse at Mom with 'Were you dead?'. Then he'd rush upstairs into his study and lock himself up. Despite knowing eavesdropping was wrong she had tiptoed up to her Dad's closed door many times. Anirban would be having a row with someone over phone. She could recall a few words like 'Tende
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Episode Thirty Two - Dad's Not The Same
It was a December night at Kolkata before Christmas. The cold had just started to show it's teeth and nails. A time when people hid themselves inside the trusting sheathe of blankets and quilts.However, barely a month more would the residents of the city be lucky enough to get a taste of winter. For the rest of the year the tiresome humidity and untimely rainfall awaited them. Perhaps I should've said a number of people and not all when I said people slept peacefully inside the cosy comforts of blankets and quilts. For many weren't lucky enough to procure them or to even have a roof above their heads for that matter. These hapless people who were generally beggars or ragpickers lighted little fires with twigs and dry leaves of trees. Often stray dogs joined them in their struggle to somehow pass away the night and long for the mercy of sun god when his seven horses would spread radiance and heat into the earth and rescue them from their state of helplessness. And this hope and wait c
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Episode Thirty One - The Chase
A man was walking leisurely down the road. When Arunava asked where the nearest bus stop was he measured him with a mixed expression of surprise and irritation. 'No buses ply in this road. You seem to be a newcomer to this area. What happened? Your car broke down? Hmmm .. there's a mechanic who lives three kilometres down here. I can give you his number. But I need ..'Arunava knew what he needed. At other times he would've slapped him twice. Once for seeking bribe from a police officer and twice for talking too much without listening; but now in a remote place several kilometres away from Kolkata, in a devastated condition; he needed help desperately. He had tried to reach railway enquiry on mobile but could not. The internet had also stopped working. The man seemed to be a local from his accent. His torn clothes, sewed at places and a large jute bag on his shoulders told him that he was a vagabond, probably a ragpicker.. 'I want to reach the nearest railway station quickly. How far i
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Episode Thirty - Vishnu's Sword
Suddenly he felt a hand pull him away and close a door behind. There was a flicker of light and it appeared someone had lit a candle. Then everything went black around him again. When he regained consciousness he found himself lying on a cot with a pillow tucked under his head. It was day and the sunlight was streaming through the openings in the white coloured walls around him. The fragrance of agarbattis filled the room. A fair, benign, saintly man in his mind sixties was caressing his forehead. The man had long, curly hairs, a tilak drawn on his forehead and a soothing smile. In his other hand he held a rudraksha garland. 'Where am I?' Arunava asked and tried to get up. But the man gently laid him down saying 'Not now, now, you are still weak, my son' Then looking at the inquisitive expression on his face took him into confidence. 'You are in safe hands now. Don't worry. Take some more rest. Come, have this glass of milk first. Then some breakfast. I'm sure you haven't had anythin
