ON a night like this, he would not have been out. But tonight, it was different.He had to meet his mystery caller.
Streets were dark and empty, as they usually were in this small suburban town. It was drizzling softly. Not a soul stirred out of doors. But Tapan carried on. Something inside told him he must not be afraid. He had tucked a dagger in his hip pocket.
Every night over the last week, he had heard the message, "Come to the old temple at 11;30 tonight". The strange part was, he had not heard it from anybody with his ears. The message, it appeared, was transmitted direct into his brain intermittently. He had dismissed it initially and thought he needed more sleep. But it kept coming back.
It wasn't the sort of thing he could confide in anybody. And something inside told him that he should obey. He was getting increasingly restless every day. Then tonight, he had decided to end the suspense once and for all.
The old temple was at one desolate end of the town. It did mean something to him because it was here that nearly year ago he and two others had....Could that have something to do with this ? But that's absurd.
The drizzle had stopped. A dog barked somewhere. He could hear his own footfall clearly, the only sound in this cold, silent night. He crossed the broken gate of the temple and stopped in his tracks. A figure had suddenly materialized from the darkness. It seemed to have a shine about it and Tapan recognized the face. He froze. Something cold ran down his spine. A diabolic smile appeared on the figure's face. "But you're dead", Tapan screamed hoarsely.
"Yes, I am. So are those two friends of yours. You'll join us now".
Tapan could not even think of pulling out his dagger. The figure closed in in a flash. Tapan felt ten fingers around his throat. They were cold as ice and hard as steel...... Tapan stood up and looked down at his own body. Yes, it felt lighter and better.
A year ago, he and two other party colleagues had murdered Rabi at this spot. Rabi had turned into a police informer. Well, he had had his revenge. But something had to be done about this. Rabi couldn't be killed again. But...Tapan considered...Rabi had left behind a younger brother named Raju.....
Later that night, Raju's brain received a message. Come to the old temple at 11.30 tonight..........
By Manojit Mitra, Times Of India, Kolkata