Haseena was sitting in her seat, but... There was another seat across from hers.
Someone was sitting in it.
I looked closely.
That man...
He looked exactly like me, and he was giving me a sinister smile.
To be continued... Next: — Part 8 — She Was Never Seen Again.
That man... He looked exactly like me.
And he was giving me a sinister smile.
I stared at the man with my face for several moments. I was finding it difficult to decide whether what I was seeing was real or just another hallucination.
The woman in white sitting across from me was completely calm. She looked at me. Then at the man. And the color suddenly drained from her face. For the first time, I saw a fear in her eyes that she had kept hidden from me until now.
I asked in a low voice— “Ma’am...” She looked at me but said nothing. I asked again— “Who is that?” She pressed a finger to her lips. “Be quiet.” I said in bewilderment— “But...” Again, she motioned for me to stay quiet.
The man sitting across from us was still smiling. His eyes were exactly like mine. His nose, his face, his hair... Even his forehead had the same faint line that had been on mine since childhood.
But there was a hardness in his face that I had never felt in my own.
I whispered to Haseena, “Is he going to hurt me?” She looked at me. “If you recognize him... maybe.” I asked nervously— “And if I don’t recognize him?” She was silent for a few moments. Then she said— “He won’t spare you then, either.”
A shiver ran through my body. I looked at the man sitting across from me. He suddenly rose from his seat. I backed away. He began walking slowly toward me. One step... then another... Then a third...
I looked at Haseena. “Do something!” She didn’t move from her spot. I said anxiously— “If you brought me this far, then you have to help me now.” She looked at me. This time, there was no mystery in her eyes. Only helplessness. “I didn’t bring you here.” I was startled. “Then who did?”
She didn’t answer. The man had now come right in front of me. I looked into his eyes. Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through my head. It felt as if someone had thrown thousands of images into my mind all at once.
A station... Dense fog... An old train... A girl... Those same white clothes... And then... Me. But I wasn’t the Sumit of today.
I was very young. Maybe twenty years old. I was standing on the platform. The same Haseena was crying in front of me. I had said something to her.
But I couldn’t hear the words. Then suddenly, the train whistle blew. The girl moved toward me. I grabbed her hand. And just then, someone shoved me hard from behind. The scene shattered.
I opened my eyes. I was sitting on the floor. The same Haseena was standing in front of me. But she wasn’t looking at me. She was looking at the man who had been sitting across from us.
I asked breathlessly— “What was that?” Haseena said softly— “A memory.” “Whose?” “Yours.” I clutched my head.
“But why don’t I remember anything like that?” She came over and sat beside me. “Because you were the one who made yourself forget it.” “I was?” “Yes.” I asked restlessly— “Why?” She looked at me. There were tears in her eyes.
“Because if you had remembered everything after that night... you might not be here today.”
A strange uneasiness spread through me. I looked ahead. The man was no longer there. My breath caught. “Where did he go?” Haseena looked toward the window.
“He left.” “Where?” “Back where he came from.”
I looked out the window. Dense fog was racing alongside the train. I asked, “Was he real?” Haseena didn’t answer. I looked at her. “Why won’t you answer me?”
She smiled, but this time her smile was deeply sad. “Because some answers don’t save you... they break you.” I couldn’t say anything. The train was now racing at tremendous speed. Nothing outside the window was clearly visible. I looked at my watch. It was 2:17? I was startled. The same time again. I said to Haseena— “It’s still 2:17?”
She looked at me. “Yes.” “But it’s been so long.” “Who said so?” I said nothing. She pointed toward my watch.
“Sometimes time moves forward, but the clock stays behind.” I said, “And sometimes?” She replied— “The clock moves forward... but the person stays behind.” I listened to her and suddenly remembered something. “You said you already knew me.” “Yes.” “What’s your name?” She fell silent. For the first time, I asked her more firmly— “I have the right to know your name.”
She looked at me. A few moments later, she said— “What will you do once you know it?” “At least I’ll know who I’m traveling with—and whether you’re my friend or my enemy.” She said with a faint smile— “You aren’t traveling with me.” “Then?” “I’m traveling with you.”
I couldn’t understand what she meant. “What’s the difference?” Looking out the window, she said— “A very big difference.” I asked— “What?” She looked at me. “You can’t go where you’re going.” My heart began pounding. “Why?” She didn’t answer.
I asked again— “Why can’t you go?” This time, she closed her eyes. “Because my journey ended a long time ago.” It felt as if electricity shot through my body. I stared at her. “What does that mean?” She opened her eyes. “You’re smart, Mr. Sumit. I don’t need to tell you everything.”
I said softly— “Are you...” My voice faltered. I couldn’t ask the question. She smiled. “Go ahead.”
I gathered my courage and asked— “Are you actually alive, or...?” For several moments, the only sound in the coach was the train. Clatter... Clatter... Clatter... She looked at me.
Then she said very softly— “What do you think?” I had no answer. I looked at her carefully. Her face looked completely normal. White clothes... Long hair... Calm eyes... But it was as if nothing around her moved at all.
Even though the train was speeding along, not a single strand of her hair was moving. I noticed it for the first time. I reached toward her nervously. But she immediately grabbed my hand. Her hand was cold as ice. I asked, trembling— “Why are you so cold?” She let go of my hand. “Because I’ve been on this journey for a very long time.” I said— “How long?” She looked out the window. “Twenty years.” My breath stopped. “Twenty years?” She nodded.
“Yes.” “But you...” I tried to guess her age. She looked barely thirty. I said— “Your age is...” She smiled. “The age someone appears to be isn’t necessarily their real age.”
A question suddenly arose in my mind. “Have you been here since that night?” She looked at me. This time, she didn’t answer. I understood that the answer was yes. I asked— “What happened that night?” She remained silent. “I want to know.” “Not yet.” “Why?” “Because you aren’t ready to hear the truth yet.”
I said irritably— “When will I be ready?” She replied— “When you remember the last thing.” “What last thing?” She looked into my eyes. “What you promised me that night.” A sharp pain shot through my head again. I closed my eyes.
And suddenly, a voice echoed in my ears— “I’ll definitely come back for you.” I opened my eyes. I was gasping. Haseena was standing in front of me. Looking at her, I said— “I... I made you some promise, but I don’t feel like I remember anything.” Tears streamed down her face. She nodded. “Yes.” “What?” Before she could say anything, the train gave a violent jolt. Bang! All the lights in the coach went out.
I cried out nervously— “Ma’am!” There was no answer. I reached out and touched her seat. It was empty. “Ma’am?” No answer. I pulled out my phone. This time, the flashlight came on.
I swept the light around the entire coach. There was no one there. Not the man... Not Haseena...
I looked toward the door. It was locked from the inside, and the window was closed too. I looked beneath the seat. There was nothing there.
I called out anxiously— “Ma’am!” My voice echoed through the entire coach. But no answer came. I looked at my watch. It was 2:18?
My eyes widened. For the first time, time had moved forward. Just one minute. But that one minute was nothing short of a miracle to me. I looked at my phone. It was 2:18? I let out a relieved breath. “So time is moving...” I said to myself. But then my eyes fell on the seat across from me. A small piece of white fabric was lying there. I picked it up.
It looked like part of Haseena’s clothing. A small silver ring was lying beside it too. I picked up the ring. There was writing inside it. I turned up the brightness on my phone. Only two initials were engraved inside— “S. K.”
My heart began pounding. “S. K.?” I started thinking. Whose initials were they? Mine? Hers? Or a third person’s?
Just then, someone suddenly knocked on the train window. Knock... I froze. Then came another knock. Knock... knock... Slowly, I looked toward the window.
There was only dense darkness outside. I reassured myself— “Maybe it’s a branch or a stone.” But then a face appeared at the window. I backed away. That face... It belonged to the same man. My face. He was looking at me from outside the window. And smiling. I squeezed my eyes shut in terror. A few moments later, I opened them again. The window was empty. But a word had been written in the fogged glass— “Promise.” Looking at the word, I whispered— “What promise?” Suddenly, my phone screen went dark. The entire coach was plunged into darkness again. And in that darkness, I heard Haseena’s voice— “You promised you would come back for me.” I looked around. “Where are you?” Her voice answered— “Where you left me.” I asked— “Where?” There was silence for a few moments. Then she said— “Hisar.” My breath caught. “Hisar?” Her voice came again— “Twenty years ago.” I asked, trembling— “What happened to you that night?” This time, there was no answer. I asked again— “Ma’am?” Silence. I turned my phone screen on again. The light came on. The white cloth was gone from the seat across from me. The ring was gone too. I looked at my palm. The ring wasn’t there. I looked beneath the seat. Nothing. I looked toward the window. The word written on the glass had vanished too. Everything was normal. But Haseena... I never saw her again.
To be continued...