Subhadeep Bandyopadhyay

Horror

4.0  

Subhadeep Bandyopadhyay

Horror

The Deadline

The Deadline

6 mins
424


They say you never die till the time comes. And when the time actually comes, you have to leave everything behind and go, even your half-completed missions, your most prized possessions, your relationships, so in and so forth. Being a writer, it is my good luck that I am acquainted with several people who are into serious writing and have earned fame for themselves. While devising a plot, I had been part of lengthy discussions and quite often my writer friends came up with requests to write meaningful reviews and rate their book which helped them promote it in the market.


Even in the 21st century, with the advent of cutting-edge technology, there is no match for printed format. The joy of touching the pages which arise from your imagination, taking the first steps to reach the readers' psyche, and often it feels like introducing your baby to your near and dear ones.


The character which I am introducing you to now is Prakash, my friend, philosopher, and guide who one day came up with a certain story that was so hard to be true. This not only shook me but let me doubt his senses as well. While he demanded his story to be true, but neither the medical fraternity nor the scientific acumen could justify the same. Still, this is a wonderful world where many things happen which are beyond the logic or boundaries of human intellect.


Many people have claimed even after physical, material, and tangible existence ceases away, there is a state of nothingness where there are absolutely no boundaries but ultimate timelessness. You get a feeling of everything beyond the five sense organs we have, the divine white light at the end of the black tunnel, the blessed beings guiding you, showing you the entire panorama of life. Your inhibitions and sins are presented to you in an objective manner that prepares you for afterlife. While some return to the present considered as Near-death experience while others who make a voyage are so enlightened to detach themselves from any earthly connections. This is what is called death. This story would sound too much psychological if I delve deeper so let me stick to the one which Prakash told me. Whether you believe in any such things or not or ever came up with these kinds of beyond science incidents I request my readers to follow this story with open eyes

Ruksana was a struggling author who had a particular problem. She could start writing a story, reach the climax but somehow could not finish it.


As a result, her house was a dump yard of incomplete manuscripts, incomplete poems, and everything in disarray. Personally as well, in spite of being extraordinarily brilliant and talented, she was misunderstood in friend circles to be insane and neglected for love. She could cry, laugh and go through mood swings which in turn affected her health as well.


But as they say, everybody gets a chance in life. Once she got a contract from a publisher to complete a novel which was interesting and fascinating but whosoever tried to complete it met with an unfortunate end. With savings decreasing fast this novel was the last thing she could do to survive in this cruel, paternalistic, male-dominated society. She took up the challenge. But as she started completing one chapter at a time, strange things started happening. 

She used to write after midnight on her study table with a built-in study lamp. But sometimes there would be power failure while at other an unsolicited phone call would come up threatening her with dire consequences if she completed her novel. 


One day an apparition emerged in her mind, and she tore all the pages of the novel she was writing and cut her wrist in her attempt to finish herself. Nobody would ever have found her out because she had very few friends, kept herself private in an apartment on the topmost floor, and usually ordered her food.


It was the food delivery boy who found her unconscious with a slashed wrist, in a pool of blood and rushed her to the nearby hospital. The doctors that she had slipped into a coma, with a minuscule chance for her to rise again. They were thinking of taking away the life support system and preparing for burial but decided to wait till 30th November.


Meanwhile, Rukshana ( as she told me later) was seeing all this but from a different level which was about 10-12 feet above the ground. She could see the machines at work to keep her heart beating, the conversations the panel of doctors was having concerned about her well-being. In this state she visited the hospital morgue as well and witnessed the dissection of the human body before it was handed over to the relatives.


All this while a white light was guiding her and she felt she had got a pair of wings. She could vividly see her mother at the death bed after giving birth to her and noticed her smiling from a level way beyond her reach. She met her parents, siblings, and deceased relatives in this vegetative state.


The deadline for the novel to be completed was November 30th and if completed not only it would be published in paperback format but it would ensure hefty royalty money for her as well.

Some of the hospital staff who were on night shift could hear the sound of typewriter whenever they passed through her ward. They thought it was their imagination. In the morning they could find a stack of papers, neatly piled as if somebody worked throughout the night to complete the novel. They would be left clueless and amazed.


It happened for an entire week and finally, the D-Day came on the 30th of November which was the deadline for the submission of the manuscript of the novel. It was also the day the doctors decided when they would declare her dead and all arrangements were made to take her to the nearby mosque for her burial.

In the afternoon on the same day, she woke up from a long sleep. The doctors couldn't believe their eyes. She was surprised to find the novel completed.


The next few days she was so busy with adulation, book review sessions, answering media questions, and over a million copies being sold in no time. She became the center of attraction but whenever she was asked how she completed the novel she lost her words.

People would be confused whether it was the work of an angel or devil. The government decided it wouldn't be safe to keep a hospital in the area and soon it was shifted to a new place. It was not long before the area was declared haunted.


Later when the place was dug up the skeleton of a female was found with the typewriter. Police became more vigilant but could never make headway in the case. 

So at last a signboard was put to beware the people not to visit the place after midnight but villagers could still hear the typewriter at work even from a distance.

Sometimes, some things happen which lets us question reality, the world we live in which we are seeing with our eyes but there are mysteries that change not only the way we look at things but the way we live.


Prakash finished telling the story, had the last sip of coffee, and left.


 


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