“Noooo”, Shyam screamed and woke up. It took some seconds to understand that the things he just saw was just a dream. He looked at the watch, it says 10am. He got up and went to the bathroom, washed his face and looked into the mirror. There was a big scar on his face. He came back to his room, sat on his bed and tried to remember what actually happened last night, but he couldn’t. There were many questions roaming in his mind. Like, where was he in the last night, how he came back to his hostel room, how he got the scar in his face etc. But, he could not recall anything about the last night. There was no one else in the hostel, as the semester exam had finished and everyone went back to their home. He was also planning to go back to his home in the previous night. Even he could recall that he went to the railway station to catch the train, but could not recall what happened after that. He got an idea to talk to the security guard of their hostel as he may know when and how he came to the hostel. Suddenly someone knocked the door of the room. He opened and saw that a police officer of local police station is standing in front of the door, along with Raju, the gate keeper.
- “Are you, Mr. Shyam Kumar Das?”, the police officer asked.
- “Yes, I am”, Shyam replied.
- “You have to go to police station with me”
- “Why, sir?”
- “You are asking me ‘why’?”, asked the officer angrily, “There are many attempt to murder complains have been filed against you, and you are asking me ‘why’??”
- “But sir, I did not do anything like that”, Shyam said calmly.
Then Raju said, “Sir, he can’t do anything like that. He is staying here, for almost two and half years, and he is one of the calmest students. He can’t even kill a cockroach, how can he attempt to murder a human?”
“I don’t know, but I have arrest warrant against him and he must come with me to the police station.”, the police officer said.
Shyam was willing to say something, but the police officer asked in anger, “will you go with me politely? Else I have to force you.” Shyam requested him if he can call his father once. But the officer rejected his request and locked his hands with handcuffs.
After they left, Raju called Shyam’s father and told him the situation. He also told that, in the previous night, Shyam left the hostel at almost 8pm and he closed the door as there was no one else in the hostel. Almost after 3 hours, he listened some noise of knocking in the door. When he opened the door, it was Shyam in almost senseless condition. He took Shyam to his room. After listening everything from Raju, Shyam’s father became worried. But he could not do anything right then, as their house is almost at a distance of six hours from Shyam’s hostel. From internet, he found the phone number of the police station and called there.
In the mean time, the police officer took Shyam to his police car, and told the driver to go to the police station. Shyam was sitting their calmly, and thinking about what was going on. He noticed that, the police officer is looking at him confusedly. Like, he was not expecting that Shyam will behave so calmly with him. Suddenly the officer broke the silence, and asked, “Where were you last night?”
-“I went to station to catch the train to my home yesterday night.” Shyam replied, “But I can’t remember what happened after I reached the railway station.”
-“Don’t worry. Let me help you to recall what you did there. You fought with five men and beat them very badly. When they were half dead, the railway police noticed you and tried to help them, but you beat them also, and escaped from that place.”
-“But how are you very sure, that the man is me?”
-“Mr. Shyam, we are not fool that we would arrest anyone without any proof. Thanks to one of those railway police, who picked something from your pocket and that is your college ID card.”
-“But sir, tell me why should I beat someone who is unknown to me?”
-“You know that.”
They reached to police station. When they entered to the station, Shyam saw there were some people standing wearing bandages around their face and hands. They looked very scared seeing Shyam. Shyam became more confused. Unknowingly he smiled looking at them. The police officer shouted, “Why are you smiling? Look how you have changed the structure of their faces.” Shyam smiled and asked, “Sir, do you really believe that I have the strength to beat them like this?” Then the police officer also smiled and said, “I only believe in evidences and witnesses.” He also said that, “We have another witness against you” and called someone named Chhotu. A little boy came in front. Shyam was shocked to see the face of the boy as he saw the boy in his dream. The boy pointed finger at him.
The police officer locked him up in the jail. Shyam was so confused that he could not even say anything for his side. At this time, the call from Shyam’s father came to the police station. The police officer told what happened and his father decided to go there next day. Shyam spent the whole day thinking about previous night, but could not recall anything. Now another new question came to his mind about the little boy. Thinking too much put pressure in his mind and he got headache. At evening, he suddenly felt severe pain in his head and became senseless.
Shyam’s father, Mr. Angshuk caught the first train of the next day to take his son out from the jail. He was shocked to hear that his son did something like that. But he could not believe that. He kept regular contact with the faculty stuffs of Shyam’s college and hostel and they did not report any misbehave like that by Shyam ever before. He knew that surely there is some mistake by the police or someone wanted to trap his son by this incident. Thinking about this, the train reached to the destination stoppage. He took a taxi and went to the police station. The taxi was standing in a traffic signal, he saw that in a television store in the footpath, there was showing Shyam’s photo in the televisions. But he could not watch the whole news as the signal turned green and the taxi started to go. He was very confused and tensed by such successive shocking incidents.
In the police station, the police officer told him that his son broke out of jail last night and when some policemen tried to stop him, he beat them furiously. They are admitted to hospital. Mr. Angshuk said that he could not believe a single word of the officer, as his son is very peaceful and calm and he did not have enough strength to beat many people alone. The police officer said, “I was also could not believe that he can do such things as he behaved very politely with me yesterday. But today morning I came to know about this incident and when I checked CCTV footage, then I was surprised, that it was really Shyam, who was beating our policemen so badly in the footage! So we have sent his photos to news channels to alert people.”
When Shyam regained his sense, he opened his eyes and saw that he was lying on a bench in a park. It was still paining in his head. He woke up, and again he could not remember what happened with him. After trying hard, he could recall only that the police officer took him to jail. But how did he come out from jail! Suddenly an image of the face of the little boy flashed in his mind. He mumbled, “What is his name? Oh yes! It’s Chhotu.” He was the only one, who could tell him everything about what happened in that night in the station. Others would call police if he went to them for help. But it is not an easy task to search a boy in a city without any information. And he knew that, he had to do that before night, as he could not remember anything about the happenings of night time. Suddenly he noticed that an old man was sitting in a bench, reading a newspaper. There was his photo in the newspaper. He borrowed the paper from the old man and read the news. He ran away from that place immediately and straight went to the market and bought some fake beard and mustache to hide his face. He thought he should inform his house about such incidences. But again, he thought if he would do that, then his family members would be worried for him. So at last, he decided to find out what was actually happening with him and then inform it to his family and to find out that, he had to talk with Chhotu. But he did not have any clue about the boy. He had a nice hand in drawing and painting. So, he bought some papers and pencils and tried to make a sketch of the boy. After many failures, ultimately he drew a sketch that is almost identical with Chhotu’s face. Now he can show the picture to people and ask if they know anything about the boy. But still it was a tough job for anyone to ask random people about a boy by showing his sketch in a city and the toughest job for this is deciding from where to start. He spent the whole day doing and thinking such stuffs. At night, he was very tired and weak but still he tried to be alert if there would happen anything with him again. But, after sometime he felt asleep and slept on the footpath. Next morning, when he woke up, he was still lying on the same place. After the horrible experiences of previous two days, it was surprising to him that he was normal during the night.
Shyam went to a park, sat on a bench and was thinking about his family, friends and Sujata. Sujata is his childhood friend and girlfriend, who live near his house. He had not talked with her for 3 days. She must have heard his news already. She must be worried about him. Just before 3 days, he was one of the most brilliant students in their college. He could clearly recall that in his last birthday his hostel friends arranged a big party and the very next day, Sujata was scolding him for not meeting her in his birthday. In the next weekend, he went to her house and gifted a big bouquet of flowers and wrote “sorry” on it using a card. At last then Sujata calmed down and gifted him a nice handmade craft as his birthday gift. Thinking about those days, Shyam’s eyes filled with water. He closed his eyes and could see the faces of his father, mother, Sujata, college friends, school friends one by one. His hands were shaking, tears rolling down from the corners of his eyes. Suddenly he felt a touch on his shoulder. He looked up, there was a old man standing beside him. He asked, “What happened? Why are you crying?” for some moment, he looked at him with eyes full of tears and then ran out from that placed. The old man remained standing there with puzzled eyes.
Shyam washed his face in a roadside tap and went in search of search Chhotu. He thought to go to the railway station at first, because that is the place, where everything started. He went there at the evening as the incident happened at evening and the probability of finding the boy in the station is highest at that time. While walking on the platform he suddenly saw that boy, sitting on the platform and begging. The boy could not recognize him at first as he was in disguise. He went close to him and put off his fake beard and mustache. The boy got scared and was about to shout, but Shyam requested him not to shout and to listen his words at least once. The boy look at him with feared eyes. Shyam said, “Look brother, I’ll not harm you, please listen to me.” The boy remained silent. Shyam asked, “Can you please say, what actually happened here at that night?”
- “At that time I was sitting here and suddenly some drunken people came to me and took my begging bowl. When I tried to resist one of them, he kicked me and others also started to beat me. Watching this incident, almost all the people in the platform came and tried to save me and scolded them. You and some other people were standing at the other side of the platform. One of those drunken people went to you and told you angrily, “Why are you silent? Everyone is scolding us and you are enjoying that?” And suddenly pushed you with force and your lost you balance and your head got hit hard with the wall. The attacked was laughing at you. Suddenly you woke up and started beating him like hell. The other drunken men went to resist you and you beat them very furiously. After that some policemen went to stop you, but you beat them too and after sometime you ran away from here.”
After hearing the whole incident, Shyam’s head was spinning. He went there to reduce his confusion but this story made him more confused. He put on his fake beard and mustache and came out from the railway station and went to a nearby riverbank to sit and think in peacefully what to do.
In the other side, Mr. Angshuk’s mental situation was critical as he got shock in his mind to see his son’s behavior. Shyam’s mother was also very worried by hearing the news from her husband and television. She was also getting ready to go there and that moment Sujata came to their house and told her that she is also willing to go with her. After sometime Sujata’s mother and father also came and were telling their daughter not to go. Even Shyam’s mother also told her not to go but she kept on requesting to go as she was much tensed about her loved one. Three days went but still there is no single news about Shyam. She said, “Aunty, please let me come with you. I have searched on internet that the symptoms of Shyam is directing towards a dual personality. That means there are two different identities of him in a single body. He can’t remember what he has done while he was in his second form. But mental treatment can help him to overcome this situation. I confidently know that if I can meet him, even in his second form, he can recognize me. Mother, please allow me, give me one chance to save Shyam’s life.” At last, after too many requests her parent’s allowed her to go with Shyam’s mother. After some hours, they boarded on train.
Next morning, Shyam found himself lying in a garden. That means, he again did something as because he did not wake up in the same place where he slept. Again he went to market and bought new fake beard from a different store and bought a newspaper to find what he did in last night. The newspaper stated, “Unknown beast killed 2 two people in the riverbank. Late night, three friends were returning from a party and thought to take some rest in the riverside benches. They were talking loudly with each other and suddenly someone came from behind and started to beat them. One of them ran away from there but the man beat the rest two friends to death. Police has started investigating.”
Shyam could not understand what he should do. He determined to call his home and give them detailed information about the incidents. Then he went to a nearby telephone booth and called his home. Then he went to a nearby telephone booth and called his father and told everything and they decided to meet at the nearby bridge over the river at evening. There were many beggars used to sleep at the footpath of the bridge. Shyam went there in the afternoon and sat on the footpath. After sometime unknowingly he felt asleep.
Suddenly he felt pain on his head and woke up. It was evening. He saw that there were almost three or four police cars standing in front of him. His hands were full of blood. There were some injured policemen and among them there was Sujata, lying on the footpath in a pool of blood. Mr. Angshuk was sitting beside her body. Tears rolled down from his eyes. For sometime Shyam could not understand anything. Then is father said with a tremble voice, “Oh my boy, you called us to meet and now see what you have done. You killed her!” Now everything was cleared to Shyam. His father and lover went to meet her at the particular time and then he was in his second form and attacked the girl. Shyam was speechless. “May you confuse how we came here” told the police officer, “We tapped your father’s phone and came to know that today you people were going to meet. Mr. Angshuk, you should be thankful to us as if we had not come then he might kill you also.”
Now Shyam could not control is rage on himself. He shouted, “Enough is enough. Now I have to end this.” Then he ran towards the edge of the bridge and jumped off from there to the river. Mr. Angshuk ran hurriedly to the edge and burst out in tears.
Story