Ekusher Golpo (Story of Ekush)

We could not even think mistakenly that we would find Topu again.Yet, Topu has come back amidst us. I become astonished, the man whom I saw four years ago for the last time at Highcourt intersection and even never imagined in my dream that I would see him again-that Topu has come back.We can’t sleep a sound sleep at night. Though, there comes a little slumber, but we become stupefied when I look at him at night; become motionless after his return, we have become a sort of concerned; our bodies tremble under the quilts.
At daylight,we gather around him in a small group . Having got the news, many people come to see him. They look at him with amazement. We also become surprised. There also rises a startle in our eyes. Two years ago,he was even with us. Now, we cannot even recognize him. Call his mother, I can say with assurance that even his mother will not recognize him.
How would she recognize? Rahat asks from a corner of the gathering, also says she could recognize if there is anything to identify him. In this state, no one can identify anyone. He says with a great sigh.
We become unmindful for a while. We collect the address of Topu after a lot of hardship and sent Rahat to inform Topu’s mother and brother. After wandering all day long from pillar to the post, Rahat comes back at evening and informs us that none has been found. We become worried at this. Say, what can we do now, none has been found? I look at Rahat’s eyes.
All on a sudden, Rahat sits on the bed and says, his mother died.
Has died? Alas! Last time, here, she cried a lot for Topu with tumbling. I could not help shedding tears to see her to cry.
What about the wife?
Don’t talk about her anymore. Rahat bents his face. She has got married to another place. What! The girl has got married by this time? Topu loved her from the core of his heart.Najim mutters with a restrained voice. Sanu says, will the girl be a widow for the rest of her life? And, Sanu looks at topu.
We bring back our eyes on him.
Really, who will say that, that Topu of four years ago, who always used to wear a smile makes my blood cold, when I look at him.
He was with us for two years.
We were three people.
Me, Topu, and Rahat.
Topu was the youngest guy among us. Though he was junior to us by age, but he was the only person who was married.
After admitting to the college, he got married to Renu. The girl was their relative. The girl whose body was well-proportioned and slim, apple colored skin used to come to see him often. Every time when she used to come, we raised a subscription for sweets. Everyone was remained busy in gossiping. Topu was the king of storytelling.The boy was used to smiling a lot as well as the master of confabulation.
Nobody was allowed to speak when he used to start his stories. I was telling about that man on that day. That ugly-fat man, with whom I had a conversation at the capital, who said that he would be the Bernard Shaw, died yesterday night, when he was run over by a car. …. and that girl, who promised to marry him …. next day, after his death, eloped with a foreigner … Renu knew about that girl! What, you can't recognize Renu? She was the best dancer in the town, but now-a-days she is busy with politics. I met her a few days ago. Earlier, she was very skinny. Now, she has become quite burly. She fed me in a restaurant. Having heard of my marriage, she inquired about the appearance of my wife.
Enough, now you may stop. Ah, you can’t keep your mouth shut, once you start talking, Rahat tried to stop him.
Renu used to say, you can’t even think, how much he can talk-
Having said this, she used to blush.
But, Topu did not stop. Having spread an inconsecutive smile, he used to speak again, no problem, if you don’t want to hear about others, let’s speak about myself. I am thinking that I would go to village, if pass the medical exam.I would build a small home. And, you would be able to see that there would no splendor in our home. It would be so ordinary, yes, there would be a dispensary, would be nothing more. Topu was habituated to dream this dream.
Once, he dreamt about joining in the military.
But, luck was not in his favor. He was a born lame. The right leg was two inches shorter than the left. But, the hill of the left shoe was made two inches longer,so that nobody could detect this defect. And, our life was robotic.
We used to rise from bed at dawn. Topu was the first riser. He made us to awake from sleep, wake up, can’t you see that it is already morning? Why are you sleeping like a buffalo, wake up. He,forcefully took away our quilts and made us awake from sleep. Having opened the window near head, he said, look, what a sweet sunshine. Don’t sleep anymore, wake up.
After making us awake, Topu used to make tea. After finishing the last sip of the tea, we used to open our books. Then, we took our bathe by 10 and went to class.
We used to pass our evening delightfully. Someday, we went to visit Eskaton. Someother day, we went to visit the other side of the Buriganga. And, When Renu accompanied us, we lost in a far distant village being walked by the side of Azimpura.
Sometimes, Renu brought peas for us from her home. We munched those peas while walking in the rural pathway.Topu used to say, listen, Rahat, what do I think sometimes?
If this zigzag red soil pathway would never end. If we could walk like this endlessly.
What, when have you become a poet? Rahat asked the question by raising his eyebrows
No, no, why would I be a poet. Topu answered vacillatingly, yet, sometimes I think…….
His dreaming eyes were filled with dreams.
We were three.
Me, Topu, and Rahat.
Our days were passing good.But, there was a sudden incision.
On that day, outside the hostel, there clustered innumerable people in the green field. Outrageous People of all ages gathered there since morning. Some were holding placards, many were holding small pipes for slogans, and some others were raising some bloody garments hanging to the long sticks. They were showing those garments with their forefingers and randomly uttering something amongst themselves. Topu pulled my hand and said, come.
Where?
Why,with them.
Having looked there, we saw the ocean of people was moving slowly.
Come.
Come on.
We started for the procession.
After a little while, Renu was coming towards us gasping. It was like that I thought, She came towards Topu running and hold his hand.Where are you going?Let’s go home. Are you in your senses? Topu took away his hand from her clutch. After that, he said, let’s come with us.No, I will not go, let’s go home.Again, Renu hold his hand.Why are you blabbering? Now, Rahat flew into a rage. You may go home, if you want so. He will not go.
Having turned back her face, she outrageously glanced at Rahat for once . Then, with a shivering voice she said, for God’s sake, let’s go home. Mother is crying.
I have already said, I can’t go, you go. Again,Topu took away his hand from her clutch.
I felt compassion to see her gloomy face. I said, what’s the matter, why are you behaving like this, there is nothing to worry, go home.
After that, she went back vacillatingly with sobbing eyes.The procession then came near Karjon hall after crossing Dhaka Medical.
We were walking side by side.
Rahat was giving slogan.
Topu was holding a large placard. We want Bangla as a state language, was written with red ink on that placard. When the procession proceeded near high-court, all of a sudden, the people in front of us were running scatterdly with a shout. Before, understanding the matter, Topu laid on the street with the placard. We could see a hole in the middle of his forehead.From that hole, blood was coming incessantly.
Topu, Rahat began to howl.
I was then standing motionlessly.
There approached two military men and took away Topu’s body before us. We did not move a bit, could not make any obstacle. My body turned as cold as snow, in spite of being that, I shouted, run Rahat while returning.
Where, Rahat looked at me with astonishment.
Then, both of us began to run breathlessly.On that night, Topu’s mother cried a lot here.Renu also came,tears were shedding like a fountain from her unblinking eyes. But, she did not look at us for once.Renu did not utter a single sentence. Only Rahat whispered to my ear, it would be better if Topu would not die.See, what a surprising incident, we were side by side. But, nothing happened to us, the bullet pierced his forehead, see, what a surprising incident it was!
After that incident, four years have passed. After four years, it is beyond our imagination that we have found Topu again. After Topu’s death, one day, Renu took away all his belongings.She took away two suitcases, a trunk of books, and a bedding. Renu was looking gloomy even on that day.
She did not talk with us. Having looked at Rahat for once, she asked, there was a warm coat, where is it? O, that coat, that is in my suitcase. Rahat, began to take out that coat slowly.The seat of Topu remained vacant for some days. Sometimes, we felt, having touched our bodies; someone was calling us at the end of the night.
Wake up, don’t sleep anymore.
Having opened our eyes, we could not see anyone; rather, having looked at his bed, the mind became filled with pain.
Then, oneday, a new boy came to possess Topu’s seat. That boy remained about three years.
Then, came another. Our new room mate. He was quite jolly minded.
On that day, he was turning over the pages of Anatomy. He was trying to find out the similarities with the book after taking out the skull of the skeleton. Suddenly, he looked at Rahat and said, Mr. Rahat, please take a look at this and tell why there is a hole in the forehead of my skull? What have you said? Both of us looked at him with astonishment.
Rahat, went up and took the skull in his hands. He began to scrutinize the skull.
Yeah, there is a hole in the middle of the forehead, Rahat looked at me, it was not difficult for me to read his eyes. I muttered, the bone of the left leg was two inches smaller.
Before finishing the sentence, Rahat took away the bones from the basket. His hands were trembling. After a moment, he anxiously answered, the tibia fibula of the left leg is two inches smaller.
Look, look.
I was trembling because of nervousness.
After sometime, he raised the skull and said; Topu.
His voice began to shake while saying.

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Rafat Ainul
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