When a lost child is forgotten, her presence lingers. This chilling story written by Tridiva Chakraborty of class IX explores family secrets, guilt, and the eerie bond between a girl and the sister she never knew.
“Mamma, please give me my dinner. I am getting late to catch my train!” cried Vishal assuming his mother had forgotten about it.
“Yes, here you go, I haven’t forgotten about it you see.” his mother replied.
After finishing his dinner, Vishal left for the station.
“Oh, why hasn’t the train arrived yet? It is almost 3 a.m.!” Vishal said, exhausted.
Then Vishal saw a beautiful lady standing beside him. But there was no one else at the station except him. The station felt empty and creepy. He did not understand why the surroundings suddenly felt colder. The lady was silently standing there.
Being curious, Vishal asked her, “Do you know when the last train for Kolkata departs?”
The lady replied, “12 a.m.”
Vishal thought to himself, “Did I miss the train? But how is it possible? I arrived here at 11:30 p.m.! Or have they forgotten to start today? “
After a while he noticed the lady walking towards the railway tracks. Vishal followed her curiously, thinking she might have seen something. But he was wrong. After a few minutes, he saw the lady lying on the tracks.
“Madam, are you okay? Do you need any help?” Vishal asked.
Suddenly, without understanding what was happening, he felt as if something pulled him towards the tracks. He became completely paralyzed. The only things he could do were see and hear. He tried to move, but he could not. He heard the train approaching. He searched for the lady, but before he could do anything, the train passed.
Everyone was informed about the accident. It became the headline of all the newspapers because he belonged to a royal family. His family could not believe the death of their elder son, who was about to become the next landlord after his father.
Years passed, and people had forgotten about the incident. Vishal’s younger brother got married. After a few years, his wife, Sunita, gave birth to twin baby girls. Her mother-in-law was not happy, as she desired for a boy. She often taunted Sunita for this.
Sunita was a simple village girl and had no strength to speak against her elderly family members.
One of the twin was handicapped; her shoulder was slightly tilted, and she had a long birthmark starting from her nose and extending to her head. The other girl’s right hand was not fully developed.
Her mother-in-law was highly disappointed. The twins were named Ayantika and Avantika.
One day, Sunita fed her children and went to cook. Slowly, her mother-in-law entered the room and picked up the handicapped girl, Ayantika. She disliked her deeply. While the baby was sleeping, she took her to the garden, dug a small pit, and buried her there. She then planted a hibiscus tree so no one would suspect anything. She felt relieved, thinking her neighbours would no longer tease her.
Sunita returned to the room and saw one of her daughters missing.
“Do you know where Ayantika is?” Sunita asked her mother-in-law.
“Oh, can’t you take care of your babies? How would I know? I have many things to do,” she replied.
Sunita’s eyes filled with tears, and she was left speechless. She was so sad that she had forgotten to laugh.
Years passed. Ayantika was forgotten. The hibiscus tree grew, and every morning it bloomed with red flowers. Sunita would pluck the flowers for puja.
Avantika grew up. She was three years old when her father gifted her a doll on her birthday. She played with it all day. Slowly, the doll became her lifeline. She spoke only to the doll and named it “Ayantika.”
She was never told about her twin sister, which she might have forgotten as no one spoke about her after she went missing.
Soon, something strange was noticed. Avantika often went under the hibiscus tree and played with her doll. Her grandmother noticed this. Slowly, Avantika, the doll, and the hibiscus tree seemed connected.
Her grandmother grew old and fell sick one day. She called Avantika and asked, “Why do you always go under that tree?” But Avantika gave no answer.
Soon after, her grandmother passed away.
Avantika’s connection with the tree and the doll grew stronger. Her parents noticed this and decided to admit her to school, thinking she was becoming unsocial.
Avantika was not happy about going to school. After returning home, she immediately went under the tree to play. It seemed she waited the whole day just to return.
Strangely, when Avantika was not home, the hibiscus tree would dry up and lose its flowers. But when she returned, it became lively again. The tree, the doll, and Avantika formed a strange triangle.
As Avantika grew, her behaviour changed. She started behaving like a small child. Her voice sounded childish, and she sometimes crawled like a baby! Her parents deeply became worried.
After a year, Sunita gave birth to another daughter named Anantika. She was healthy and normal.
Avantika was 14 years old, but mentally she remained a child. She still played with the doll she named Ayantika. One day, her father decided to tear the doll and throw it away, believing it was the reason for her behaviour.
When Avantika found out, she cried and shouted, “Why did you do that? I loved her like my sister!”
Anantika was five years old when her exams ended. The family planned a trip.
“Di, do you want to come with us? We are leaving tomorrow by train,” Anantika asked excitedly.
“No, I don’t want to go. You all go. I will stay at home,” Avantika replied.
Knowing her condition, her parents did not force her.
That night, Sunita heard a strange noise from Avantika’s room. She rushed in. Avantika stood up, staring intensely at her mother.
“Why are you disturbing your sister? She’s sleeping. What do you need?” Sunita asked nervously.
Avantika replied softly, “Do you want to know who I am?”
She walked towards the kitchen, picked up a knife, and drew a straight line from the tip of her nose to her head — like the birthmark of her twin sister, whom she had never known.
At that moment, the hibiscus tree began to wither. The doll was already destroyed. Only Avantika’s body remained — but it seemed another soul had taken over. She then asked softly, “Do you remember me, Mamma? The daughter who was almost forgotten?”
Sunita stood frozen in shock.
The answer was finally clear.
