The Midnight Lady

By Arijit Talukdar

It was nearly midnight. A bus pulled over near the crossroads. Shankar stepped off the bus, carrying a rucksack and a black leather jacket. He tried to read the board that stood at the crossroads that goes to a tiny trail that leads to his Village. There was another sign next to the board that said no entry through the bridge after ten o'clock.

Shankar took in his surroundings. There was no one, not even animals, to be found till his eyes could see. He sat down beside a granite bench to pass the night. He put on the jacket, stretched his legs, and settled on the seat, staring at the full moon.

Shankar couldn't sleep after half an hour on the cold, chilled bench. He stood up from the granite seat and lighted a cigarette. He was smoking when he noticed a van approaching him. However, he couldn't hear the engine. He ignored the van and resumed smoking. The van came to a halt directly across from him. He peered at the van, but no one got out. He became intrigued. The door suddenly opened, and a lady was flung out of the van. The van sped away from there. Shankar was startled by the scene. He yelled at the van and dashed towards the lady on the road. He approached the lady to check on her. There was no reaction. He knelt down. The lady had passed out. He examined her. The salwar kameez was ripped. Some wound marks on her back and hands. He realised there was something wrong with her. He attempted to pick her up. She weighed too much. Shankar pulls the hair from her face. He froze when he gazed at her. He felt as if the ground had slipped beneath his feet. His eyes were wide open. He became so terrified that he jumped back towards the bench. He couldn't believe what he saw. The lady had no nose, eyes, or mouth, as if it had been severed. He squeezed his eyes shut. His trembling hand grabbed for a cigarette and attempted to light it. He cautiously opened his eyes to gaze at the lady. The corpse vanished. He felt a cool breath behind him. He began to sweat and turned around to discover the lady with no face standing behind him. Suddenly, the lady jumped at him.

Shankar awoke startled and terrified. He was out of breath and sweating profusely. He moved his gaze around. Nobody was present. He realised he could have slept off and saw a nightmare. But somehow, he felt it real. He grabbed his backpack and rushed down the narrow path that led to the village.

Shankar moved as quickly as he could. He knew he was close to the bridge because he could hear the river running. He came to a halt and returned his gaze to the long, empty, narrow route. He sensed something strange, so he paced up to the bridge. He was only a few metres away from the bridge when he observed five people harassing a woman in the middle of it. He noticed the woman being surrounded by the five drunk men. He yelled at them, but they didn't appear to hear him. He dashed towards the bridge in an attempt to save the woman. As he approached the middle of the bridge, he discovered the five men dead and drenched in blood. He was puzzled and horrified. He couldn't believe what had just happened. He turned around to see the woman standing on the bridge's edge. As he slowly moved towards her, he urged her back to step down off the bridge. He grabbed her hand and attempted to draw her back. He couldn't, though. He was trapped at that point since he couldn't let go of his grip. He was traumatised to hell. The lady returns her gaze and eventually reveals her face. Shankar was captivated by her beauty. Her eyes were as smooth as polished marble. Her lips are as crimson as blood, and her cheekbones are as white as the moon. She looked like an angel who had fallen from paradise. She gave him a kind grin. Her smile charmed him. The lady slowly leans out of the bridge and falls, dragging Shankar with her. Shankar splashed into the river.

An instant later, Shankar opened his eyes. He found himself on the granite bench once more. He was puzzled about what was going on with him. It was early morning. The sun shone brightly. A rickshaw was parked in front of him, waiting for passengers. Shankar managed to gather himself. He requested the driver to take him to the village and reserved the entire rickshaw for himself. The driver proceeds along the dirt path. Shankar noticed a small crowd and a few policemen in the middle of the bridge as they approached it. He attempts to peer outside. When he discovered five dead males, his eyes were wide open. He recognised the men from his nightmare. He inquired about the incident with the driver. The driver informed him that the men had been charged of raping and murdering a woman. They were granted bail two days ago. However, the cops discovered their body here this morning. He was uncertain as to whether what he witnessed last night was real or a nightmare. While the driver explained himself, Shankar's sight was drawn to a lady on the riverbank. As he peeked at her, she gave him a faceless stare. Shankar's mind was shattered since he couldn't believe what had just occurred to him. As he continued to stare, the lady vanished into the water.

By Arijit Talukdar