That Is One Incident

After a long time, almost three years, I finally took a month's leave from the office and went to my uncle's house in Bhavanipur. Uncle didn't live there; it was his farmhouse, really for vacation or a change of scenery — the perfect address. It wasn't long before the train arrived. I settled into my seat, took a long sigh of relief, and opened my eyes to the pages of a foreign detective novel. I was alone in my cabin when I suddenly saw a gentleman in a coat and pants, with a bald head, and what was more eye-catching were his 'tiger eyes'. Shortly after leaving the train, a grenadier came and offered tea.

The book was almost finished, and on the other hand, the gentleman, who was reading a journal, turned his face towards the window and lit a cigarette. Suddenly looking at me, he asked, "What sir, what is done?"

I replied rather unprepared, "I am in a news agency. The name is Mukul Chakraborty in editorial."

"Well, what is the name of the news?"

I said, "Dainik Jagran. I write a special column for this; the weekly name is 'The Conundrum'."

The gentleman blew a ring and said, "Very interesting, go ahead..."

I explained, "This column is about giving a public opinion on all the unsolved mysteries that happen in the city."

The gentleman asked, "Is there a ghost?"

I hesitated after hearing this and said, "I don't understand what ghost means."

Now raising his voice, the gentleman said, "Hey, Mr. Ghost, what does Ghost mean?"

I said, "No, actually, I don't have much faith in that stuff. I think it's better not to talk unnecessarily in public about something that science contradicts every moment."

The gentleman suddenly asked me, "Well, we are entering the city now. Is the dropping station another 4 hours away?"

I looked at my watch and said, "That'll be a while."

The gentleman said, "Then you can be told if you don't have any problem."

I said rather unprepared, "No, why not, you start."

The gentleman began now —

"It's up to you to check whether it's true or not."

I said, "Don't say enough; you need to have a new experience."

The gentleman began again, "But one thing I am telling you is that the incident absolutely plagues me, to the point of believing it..." The gentleman paused for a moment, then resumed, "My name is Niladri Halder, once a researcher of monuments. I used to have my articles published regularly in several well-known journals abroad. Almost all of the country's unknown heritage sites are my horse. In case I got the news, a famous restoration agency abroad has given an advertisement; they want to work on several extinct historical places in Birbhum. Willing, but they need a guide to report all the land; depending on the king, their organization will move forward. So by applying, the burden fell on me."

"I had all my activities in a remote village area of Birbhum, a two-storied house rented for a few days. The owner of the house, Mahendra Sinharay, was a one-time zamindar; he lives a little way behind the house. After understanding everything from Mahendrababu, I entered the house that night with the key. Two living rooms, a kitchen, and the two upper rooms are not used; that's enough for me. Because the house was taken only for sleeping at night, the rest of the time had to be spent in the sun. The front porch overlooks the road, and sometimes the street light or moonlight falls on it. There are two tetul trees around the house; there used to be a ghat; later, due to the curse of time and neglect, the place has turned into a small forest full of trees. It has been almost three days since I came here; everything was going on normally. But that day's incident hit my consciousness in such a way that I lost control over my own body and humanity. Then science, technology, and so-called theoretical observations are completely baseless then stand out to me."

"Usually, I come home by evening, but that day it was around 9 for some reason. After eating at a nearby hotel to freshen up, I went straight to bed. Just after that, I heard the sound of a stormy wind outside; I could feel the advance signal of a terrible storm. The light of the street light was not coming through the window; I took the torch from my head, lit the table lamp, came to the bed, and sat leaning on the pillow. Gradually, the eyelids became heavy; just like that, suddenly in a terrible voice, the window of the house, the doorstep! It opened."

"It seems a bit impossible to me; I have locked all the doors and windows of the house before going out. I also have the key to the house, and before going to bed, I have seen everything... I didn't worry too much about it; I got up and closed the window, lit a cigarette before going to bed, and just like that, the rain came down with thunder. At the same time, every window in the house, the door opened again, and this time I had a feeling of dread. Because a little while ago, I have monitored everything very well; it is very unlikely that such a thing will happ

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en again."

"To tell the truth, I was not afraid of the thief then; my mind did not want to support what I was doing with the fear. Then I calmed my mind with various means. I noticed with drowsy eyes that on the right side of the corner, at the far end of the room, there was a shadowy figure standing and looking straight at me. Now I noticed that the statue was right next to my bed on the landline in front; I pulled the mosquito net with one pull, I looked out, and there was no sign of doing anything; everything was empty."

"I couldn't keep my head straight anymore. Taking the torch in my hand, I began to shout loudly: 'Who is here? What is going on here so far, but I will not talk about it. If you have the courage, let's see the income ahead.' At the same time, the whole room was filled with a woman's loud smile! Fake! After doing it, she is constantly laughing."

"I lost my direction like a fool and sat down on the bed with my hands on my ears. That smile was trying to enter my body and take away the edge from my body.

 It was unbearable and could not be a normal female voice; it was very unnatural and terribly demonic. At that moment, I noticed a footy baby of about one month and six months next to the table lamp; he was using like five other babies. How is it possible, and if I think practically, how can a child come into a closed room; it is not so much my eye's mistake, it is real. I went down to the table, and just then I noticed that child laughing and suddenly pointing straight fingers at my right side with a fisted hand. I looked and saw that statue. Now, as if more clearly and witnessing the excitement of that child, I had no trouble understanding; this is his mother. There were many questions in my mind, and just at that moment, I was going to catch the child; immediately a gust of wind came from outside like a mad horse that grabbed the side window! The moment it opened, the white light of a flash of thunder fell on the face of the statue, and its terrible, dead face appeared in front of me. It is impossible to express it in words. And five ordinary people would have fainted or died. I didn't let myself get flustered at that time; I kept myself strong, I hit the flower vase from behind and threw it; it fell on the table, but where was the statue and where is the child? And just at that time, that Harhim's laughter came to the ears again ha ha ha ha ha..."

"Now I have the courage to ask who are you? I know that no man. Now that smile in the air, the answer came, 'I am one of this house.'"

"Honestly, that voice was otherworldly and very subtle."

"'My husband, Mahendra Singh's uncle, Upendra Singh, killed me and my 6-month-old daughter on false suspicions and confiscated all my ancestral property. Over the years, many people have come here; some have fled in fear and some have died. Today I saw you only being steadfast. I didn't have to take revenge for the murder; he died shortly after. I have wandered here and there for so many years unsatisfied for just one thing.'"

"I just listened speechless; I was not in a position to say anything instead."

"'There is a pond on the south side of the house; dig 4 cubits under a willow tree beside it, and find a brass pitcher, in which are all my jewels and some of my life's savings. You fence it and give it to Mahendra Singh, who is in a very bad condition. This is my peace and salvation.'"

"The rain has stopped outside by then, and the light has returned to the house in a while."

"After getting myself together for a while, it was normal to have a nervous breakdown."

"I didn't sleep that night; exactly at 4:30 in the morning, I started digging, and found everything as promised."

I asked, "Then did you evaluate them?"

The gentleman said, "I didn't go to work that morning; I just came to town and saw them valued, at about 3.5 crores a little over. Honestly, that was enough to change the life of an unemployed, unemployed man?"

I smiled a little and said, "That's a hundred times."

The gentleman's eyes now began to shine, as if with a mixture of intense lust, his face became more excited and impatient. He said, "Understood sir, I didn't kill you there; I took the train at 4:30 am the next day. I will come to Bhavanipur, but...

Hoping to be near the station, I put the book in the suitcase next to me and asked him, "Well, is your house here?"

Oma, where is he, he was just here.

Just then, when Beyara came to take the tea sets, I asked, well, where did you see this gentleman?

Beyara said, "No sir, may have got down at the station."

I said with a little mischief, "Oh, well, maybe, well, the station has arrived?"

"And darkness will arrive within hours," said Beyara.

I took the journal from him and started blinking, the thing that suddenly caught my eye was the death news of Niladri Haldar who was sitting on the seat opposite to me a while back, a train accident, death yesterday, exactly 7:37.