HE could never imagine he would be chosen for this bizarre game… to watch a horror film in an auditorium… alone. He considered it a brilliant stroke of luck. After all, the prize money isn't a joke. Five lakh. And this time, there's nobody to claim a share…
He munched on popcorn. Silhouette of a dilapidated castle. Dog howling. Gnarled trees. So predictable. He chuckled.
He drifted off into daydreaming about the sleek car he has been drooling over for months. In another two hours, it'd be almost as good as his. Something in the screen caught his attention. A car — his dream car — speeding down a winding road. That's a coincidence, he smiled. But he isn't the kind to believe in coincidences…
A girl walking down the same road with her back to him. A shiver goes down his spine. He knows that limp… She stoops and picks something up. Even in the half-light, he can see that the doll she picked up has on a blue dress with white lace. His popcorn bag falls to the ground. He sees it everyday, at his mother's bosom, soggy with the tears his mother has shed for ten years.
He had always felt a scorching hatred every time he looked at her. His twin. The girl who made it impossible for him to have anything for himself – parents, friends, chocolate bars, room, or even a birthday. It'd always have been like that. With her limp, she'd never have got married. He knew. He had eavesdropped on his parents. Ten years after he pushed her off the cliff in Shimla, he still hates her.
She looks up at the castle. Then at the red car parked outside. He grips the hand-rest with clammy hands to stop himself from shaking. Sweat pours down his forehead. The door of the castle creaks open. She enters… He can't see her anymore. He can make out a dark room to the right.
A blinding flash of light so typical of horror movies. A piercing scream. From his own throat. Lying on the ground is the person he admires in the mirror every morning, covered in blood…
He stumbles out of the theatre and starts walking, as if in a trance. He knows where to go. He can make out the silhouette of a towering castle, flanked by gnarled trees. The door creaks open. He isn't scared anymore. He looks at the room to his right, steps inside and waits… the dog howls…
By Anwesha Bhattacharya, Times of India, Kolkata