Story
1
“Did she give any hint about being depressed? I mean did you had any idea about the step she was going to take?” Inspector Kumar’s interrogative voice echoed in the room.
“I… No. I had no idea about this. Sh… She was so happy about the job, leaving this place and all. I don’t understand why…”
“Wait! She was happy about leaving this place, her home! Why? Was there any problem between her and your parents or between the both of you.”
Inspector Kumar didn’t had any hesitation in asking these questions. After all, he was just doing his job.
“Nothing like that sir. She didn’t had a problem with us but after she and Deepak broke up, she was glad that she could leave this place.”
Senior Inspector Abhishek Kumar pulled a chair from under the nearby desk and took a seat. “Didn’t the boy she dated an year ago committed suicide? Can you tell me everything from the beginning?”
“Yes sir. Ankit, the boy she dated an year ago committed suicide but it had nothing to do with their relationship. He was stressed about studies, exams and just couldn’t handle the pressure and ended his life. In fact, Priya was shaken by that incident. Deepak’s entry into her life made her stable again, she was happy but…”
“But what Shreya?”
“Deepak broke up with Priya two months ago. Her life was colorless again. That’s why when she got a job offer in Delhi, she was all ready to leave as soon as possible.”
“So, can their breakup be the reason of Priya’s suicide?”
“No sir. She was slowly getting over it. The thought of her new future was helping her in it, then why would she take a step like this? Why now?”
Shreya’s eyes were filled with tears and her voice choked. Abhishek got up from the chair and walked out of the room. In the hall he met Rekha and Suresh Chaterjee, Priya and Shreya’s parents. Both looked absolutely broken. They have lost a 24 year old daughter and right now no condolences will soothe that pain. Abhishek just gave a quick nod and left their house.
“Mr. Ranjan.”
“Yes sir.” The short heighted constable who was following behind Abhishek took quick strides and was beside him in a flash.
“Mr. Ranjan, look into Priya’s lifestyle. Check into all her relationships, her parents, relatives, friends, boyfriends, everybody. I want all the details quickly.”
With this Abhishek got into the police van and left for the station.
On the way, the whole time he was thinking about the case. An year ago he had come in contact with Priya Chaterjee, her family and friends. Her boyfriend had committed suicide then and now the girl has committed suicide.
What’s wrong with the young generation these days. A little stress and all they can think about is ending their own lives. Do they even understand what’s the meaning of life? They don’t even consider how their loved ones will cope with life after they loose them.
2
Night after night Senior Inspector Abhishek studied the case but every night ended with despair. The more he looked into people in Priya Chaterjee’s life the more confused he got. It was confirmed that Priya had committed suicide but there must be some solid reason to back this act.
According to Ranjan Sharma’s report, Priya’s breakup with Deepak was not very natural. Deepak accepted that he was cheating with Priya for another girl and when Priya got to know about this she caused a huge scene at the college.
Deepak also stated that Priya had called him numerous times and begged him to not leave her. She stalked him everywhere in college and school and had also threatened Sweta (Deepak’s present girlfriend) but when Deepak stood firm in his decision in ending their relationship, Priya finally stopped.
Shreya had confirmed the fact that Priya had stopped going to college since Deepak’s harsh words and had locked herself in the room. She wouldn’t even come out to eat. When their parents got worried and forced her out she only cried more and argued to be left alone.
It would have made sense if she committed suicide right then but that is not the case.
As days passed by though, things changed. According to Shreya, rather than being sad anymore Priya was getting quieter. She would wake up and start screaming at nights and when asked she would just ignore everything and push her family out of the room.
After about two weeks of her breakup Priya got a job offer from an MNC in Delhi. That was the day the family dined together again and Priya was getting normal since then. She had started to gather her thoughts together and planning for her new life.
“She would make me sit and tell me all about what she is going to do when she reaches Delhi. She was so happy about everything but I could still see something in her eyes. First I thought it might be the aftermath of the rejection but no, it was something else. Sometimes she would just jolt out of the blue like somebody had touched her. I have heard her mumbling to herself and shouting at somebody in her empty room. When I approached her about this she just waved me off and smiled making me think that everything was okay but now I think I should have interfered more. Maybe then I could have helped her, stopped her from taking her life.”
This part of information was making Abhishek think that maybe Priya was blackmailed by someone, forced to commit suicide but who? They have checked everybody’s call records and it shows Priya didn’t receive any threats. Also, no one came to the house neither did Priya went to the college during that period so it’s not possible to be anybody from outside to have made her do this. So, was it her family who talked her into this? But why would they?
“Sir?” Ranjan Sharma’s voice stopped Abhishek’s chain of thoughts. This is the CCTV footage of the platform where Priya committed suicide. Ranjan handed a pen drive to Abhishek and took his leave. Abhishek inserted it to the computer and looked at the screen.
Priya was sitting on a bench. Her head bobbed up and down as she sobbed quietly. Since it was early in the morning not many people could be seen around other than a few vendors. About after 10 minutes the sound of the train coming towards the platform could be heard. With a heavy sigh Priya got up from the bench. She uttered something looking ahead and as much Abhishek can decipher it, it looked like “I AM SORRY”. Before anybody could do anything Priya went down to the tracks and within few minutes the train smashed into her body splashing blood everywhere on the platform.
The next day Senior Inspector Abhishek Kumar met the Chaterjee family and relayed to them the scenes that took place at the train station and closed the suicide case of Priya Chaterjee. A few questions still played in his mind. Why did Priya committed suicide? Why at the same place where one year ago Ankit had committed suicide? Just what was eating her up so badly? No one was there to answer these WHYs of his.
3
One Year Back
“Why did you do this Priya? Why did you cheat on me?” Ankit’s heavy voice echoed in the empty classroom.
“Oh please, I didn’t cheat on you or anything. I have been avoiding you for weeks now telling you that our relationship isn’t going anywhere and I am tired of being with you. If you couldn’t take this as a hint for breakup then it’s not my fault?
“Don’t say that Priya. We have been together for 2 years now then why do you want to breakup with me. What’s so good about that Deepak anyways?”
“For starting he is not a looser like you who only cares about his studies and nothing else. You tell me Ankit, do you even have time for me these days? All you say is I have studies, coaching, I have to get good grades blah blah.”
“I am sorry Priya. I promise I will always give you priority from now on. Please let’s not breakup, I promise I will spend more time with you, just please.”
“It’s over Ankit. The sooner you accept it the better.”
Priya walked of the class where Deepak was waiting for her. Seeing them together made Ankit burn in anger but what could he do.
He knew about Priya cheating on him. She was going out with Deepak for quite some time now but he choose to keep his mouth shut and wait for Priya to come back to him but it has gone this far now.
Ankit walked home that day and had already made up his mind. He loved Priya so much but got this in return. He tried to toughen up but Priya’s actions had broke him to such an extent that he couldn’t hold himself up anymore.
The exams were closing in and nobody still knows about his and Priya’s breakup so everyone would think he was doing this because of the pressure of studies. That was good enough for him. He didn’t want anybody to misunderstand Priya and make her look bad.
The next morning Ankit’s dead body was found at platform number 3 of DD train station.
Two Months Ago
Priya slammed the door and locked herself in her room. She was burning in rage and crying profusely. “How could he do this to me? All this for that Sweta. How could he even compare her with me?”
“The same way you did it to me.”
Priya gasped and got up from the bed. “Was that... Ankit.” She looked around and shook her head. “No, that can’t be. This is just in my head.” She tried calming herself down.
“Yes, Priya, it’s in your head. I am in your head and I am going to stay there forever. Hahaha.”
Since that day Priya had no focus on her breakup with Deepak but instead she was concentrating on Ankit’s voice.
Now, not only his voice but Priya could also witness a certain apparition of him floating around in her room. It would follow her everywhere she went, she couldn’t get rid of him.
“Get out of here.” She would scream into the nothingness of the night making her family worry about her.
“You deserve the betrayal Priya. You did the same to me. Remember how you smiled when I was found dead. How you spent you time happily with Deepak and showed fake remorse when I was gone from your life. You hurt me badly Priya and expected a better life?!”
Priya was slowly getting mad. She couldn’t sleep well, couldn’t eat properly. Ankit’s voice was everywhere.
The day when she received the job offer, she was finally able to smile. She will accept the offer and leave this place, she thought. She will leave all her past here and step to the bright future waiting for her.
For a few days she avoided that consistent voice ringing in her ear and spent time with her family. She would talk to Shreya for hours and was regaining her happiness again. But it was short lived.
Ankit’s words had slowly started to get to her again.
“You are such a shameless person Priya. I was such an idiot to love someone like you. You can are a filth.”
“No, I am not. You are the one responsible for our breakup Ankit and you are dead. There is no way you could be here. This is just my imagination.”
“You know the truth better Priya and Yes, I am dead but this is not your imagination, I am right here.”
Priya felt a cool sensation on her cheeks as if someone had touched her. She crumbled on the floor and crawled towards the wall. Sitting at a corner with her head between her knees she kept crying and chanting that this can’t be true.
“You have to do it Priya.”
“No, I won’t.”
“That’s the only way Priya. The only way for you and me to be together, to be happy. Nobody wants you here anyways.”
“No... I am not going to do it. I am going to go to Delhi. You can’t reach to me there. I will be happy on my own.”
“Who are you kidding Priya? You can never be happy without me. I will not let that happen, ever. I will always stay with you, haunt you, wherever you go. You killed me Priya. Don’t I deserve to be happy? Come with me Priya. Tomorrow I will be waiting for you at the same place.”
With that the apparition vanished but Priya shuddered at the thought.
“No, I will not go anywhere. I will no... I will do it. I did it. I killed him.” She uttered between sobs. “I killed Ankit. I did wrong. I...I...”
Priya didn’t sleep the whole night neither did she stopped crying. She was going to end her life or else she will go crazy.
When she heard the train nearing the platform she got up from the bench and looked ahead. A smiling Ankit stood on the other side of the platform with his arms open to embrace her.
“I am sorry.” She said.
“It’s okay Priya. Come to me. We will always be together now.”
