Prachi’s Doll

Fiction

PrachisDollEpisode3 #RhituparnaChakraborty

Older episodes:

PrachisDollEpisode1 #PrachisDollEpisode2 #RhituparnaChakraborty

Disclaimer: This is an original piece of work by Rhituparna Chakraborty. This work is not intended to hurt or rebuke anyone or any profession. This story is not connected/related to anyone or any organism alive or dead. This is a work of fiction. This work cannot be copied, published, or reproduced elsewhere without the consent of the author, Rhituparna Chakraborty.

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Prachi froze. She began shivering as she looked at the mess and dropped Peehu. She ran to the front door, opened it, and rushed downstairs, banging on Sonam’s door, yelling, ‘Help… Aunty, open the door… Help.’ Sonam opened the door hastily upon hearing the noise. Prachi hugged Sonam tightly and said, ‘Aunty… Aunty….’ Sonam tried to calm Prachi, bringing her inside her home. She made Prachi sit comfortably and quickly rushed to the kitchen to get a glass of water.

Prachi finished the water in one gulp. Sonam then rubbed Prachi’s head gently and asked, ‘Tell me, Prachi, what happened?’ Prachi, trembling, said, ‘Aunty… something is not right… Peehu’s new clothes were all ripped… don’t know… what… why….’

Sonam, perplexed, asked, ‘Peehu?’ Prachi replied quivering, ‘My doll Peehu… I… I wanted to change her dress, change her hairstyle, I got the dresses, hair styling kit, everything is now scattered, broken/torn…’

Sonam listened, and every word that Prachi said made Sonam startle. Sonam couldn’t understand what Prachi was talking about. Sonam said calmly, ‘Prachi, let us go and see what happened.’ Prachi replied, ‘I… I am so scared. I don’t want to go….’ Sonam replied gently, ‘Prachi, we need to know what has happened, right? Let us go and see.’

Sonam held Prachi’s hand, and both of them went to Prachi’s home. The door was closed. Prachi, crying, said, ‘I had left the door ajar. How did it close?’ Sonam said, ‘The wind is strong today. Must be the wind. Come, let’s see.’

Sonam opened the door and went inside. Everything in the house was neat and tidy. The doll was seated on the couch. The doll’s dress and hair styling kit were kept neatly on the table.

Prachi stood there petrified. She cried, ‘Aunty, this is so strange. Everything was scattered. I had dropped Peehu on the floor.’ Prachi then went to the table where the doll’s dress and hair styling kit were kept. ‘The scissors from the hair styling kit are missing… and …this is not the dress I had got for Peehu. I had got a pair of trousers. This… this is a dress….’

Sonam had no clue what Prachi was saying. Sonam said lovingly, ‘Prachi, are you okay? Do you have exam stress or something?’ Prachi wept bitterly and said, ‘No, Aunty… I am not imagining things… something is not right… can I stay with you tonight? Tomorrow I will go to my hometown.’ Sonam replied, ‘Of course, sweetheart. Stay with me tonight. Call your parents. Ask them to come and take you with them if it is convenient. You should not go alone in this state.’

Prachi nodded and dialed her mom’s number. The call did not go through. Prachi tried her father’s number. Again the call did not go through. Prachi tried calling her parents repeatedly, but she could not reach them. Sonam said, ‘That’s fine. Let us try calling them from my phone.’ Saying that, Sonam took Prachi to her home. Sonam tried calling Prachi’s parents, but somehow from her phone too, the calls did not go through. Sonam told Prachi, ‘Could be some network glitch. Let us try calling them tomorrow.’

Prachi was quiet. She knew she cannot sleep tonight. Sonam took Prachi to the guest room and said, ‘Make yourself at home. I will get something for you to eat.’ Prachi sat on the bed and looked around, still scared of what had happened. Sonam came with a plate of fluffy rotis, a bowl of peas and potato curry, a little bit of rice, and a bowl of lentil soup. She put the piping hot food on the table beside the bed and said, ‘Here, please have your food. I will get you water.’ Prachi wiped her tears and was about to eat when she saw something.

Peehu was there on the bed beside her….

To be continued…