I wanted everything to stop.
The voices.
The strange feelings.
The suffocating fear.
Every day, it felt like my mind was slowly breaking apart.
I kept telling myself the same thing again and again:
"This isn't real.
You're just losing control."
Maybe if I acted normal…
everything would become normal again.
That evening, while walking home, I suddenly heard someone calling my name.
"Takash!"
I turned around instantly.
For a second, my heart stopped.
Then I sighed in relief.
It was my elder brother.
Standing near the roadside market, waving at me casually like nothing in the world was wrong.
"Bhaiya yaha kya kar rahe ho?" I asked.
He laughed softly.
"Tu itna kho gaya tha apni duniya mein ki tujhe dikha hi nahi."
I forced a small smile.
For the first time in days, I felt slightly safe.
Normal.
Human.
He walked beside me while talking about random things happening around town. Small jokes. Stupid gossip. Everyday life.
And strangely…
those simple conversations felt more comforting than anything else.
For a few minutes, I almost forgot about the boy.
The presence.
The fear.
Then my brother suddenly looked at me carefully.
"You've changed."
My steps slowed.
"What?"
"You look tired all the time now. Aur aankhon mein ajeeb sa fear hai."
I quickly looked away.
"I'm fine."
But he didn't seem convinced.
The road ahead was filled with evening lights, small food stalls, and people returning home after work.
Everything looked ordinary.
Yet somehow…
I still felt disconnected from the world around me.
As if I was walking through reality without truly being part of it.
When we finally reached home, Mom opened the door.
"Welcome home son
My brother instantly started joking with her like always.
The atmosphere became warm again.
Comfortable.
Safe.
Mom smiled while serving dinner, asking random questions about school and daily life.
Watching them together made something hurt inside my chest.
Because I suddenly realized something terrifying—
I missed this feeling.
Normal life.
Simple happiness.
And deep down…
I was afraid I might lose it forever.
During dinner, my brother kept secretly observing me.
Like he knew something was wrong but didn't know how to ask.
Then suddenly—
all the sounds around me became distant.
The laughter.
The plates.
The fan spinning above us.
Everything faded.
A strange coldness crawled behind my neck.
My heartbeat slowed.
And for one horrifying second—
I saw the little boy standing behind my brother.
Silent.
Expressionless.
Watching me.
No one else noticed him.
Only me.
The spoon slipped from my hand and crashed onto the floor.
Mom looked shocked.
"Takash?what happened ?"
But I couldn't answer.
Because the boy slowly lifted his hand…
and pointed toward my brother.
And this time—
his eyes weren't filled with fear.
They were filled with warning.
I quickly looked away from the boy.
Maybe if I ignored him…
he would disappear again.
Maybe this was all inside my head.
Mom noticed my expression immediately.
"Do you need something?"
Before I could answer, my brother casually laughed.
"He dosnt want anything from table but want something from biology miss.
Mom smiled slightly.
"Takash, you…"
I forced myself to smile back.
Normal.
I needed to act normal.
That's what people do when they're afraid.
They pretend everything is fine.
My brother sat beside Mom while eating and continued talking casually.
I stayed silent.
If only stress were the real problem.
If only exhaustion could explain the things I had seen.
Mom suddenly asked me about taste of the food she made specially for us today
My brother grinned immediately.
"Mommy, taste is delicious."
Mom laughed softly.
For a moment…
everything felt warm again.
Safe.
The sound of plates.
The smell of food.
My brother's stupid jokes.
A normal family dinner.
Something inside me ached while looking at them.
Because deep down…
I was scared this normal life wouldn't last.
Then Mom suddenly looked toward me.
"Takash?"
"Hm?"
"You're very quiet these days."
I lowered my eyes.
"Just busy in college works."
My brother stared at me carefully.
Like he wanted to ask something more.
But before he could—
the lights flickered.
Once.
Twice.
Then stopped.
A strange silence filled the room.
Even the fan sound suddenly felt distant.
Cold air brushed against my neck.
I froze instantly.
No.
Not again.
My heartbeat started accelerating.
And then—
I saw him.
The little boy.
Standing behind Mom this time.
His face looked pale.
Distorted.
And his eyes—
they looked terrified.
He slowly opened his mouth.
But no voice came out.
Only silence.
Then suddenly—
he pointed toward the main door.
Hard.
Urgently.
Almost desperately.
At the same moment—
someone knocked.
Three slow knocks.
THAK.
THAK.
THAK.
Nobody moved.
Mom looked confused.
"Is waqt kaun hoga?"
But the moment she stood up—
the boy's expression changed completely.
Fear.
Pure fear.
And for the first time since meeting him—
I understood something horrifying.
He wasn't haunting me.
He was trying to protect me.
The atmosphere slowly became normal again after the knock on the door.
Or at least…
everyone else believed it was normal.
Dad had returned home.
The moment he entered, Mom immediately started complaining in her usual playful tone.
"Takash beta, I think you've completely forgotten your father these days."
Dad laughed softly and sat beside me.
"You know how much I love you, right? Even more than your mommy sometimes."
Mom instantly glared at him.
"Oh really?"
Dad raised both hands dramatically.
"Okay, okay… maybe not more than your mother."
For the first time that night, a small real smile escaped from me.
Watching them argue like that felt strangely comforting.
Warm.
Human.
Dad looked at me carefully for a moment.
"You've been very distant lately."
"I'm fine, Papa."
He didn't reply immediately.
Instead, he placed his hand gently on my shoulder.
"I know when something is bothering you."
His voice was calm.
Safe.
The kind of voice that makes you believe nothing bad can happen while your parents are near.
And honestly…
for a moment, I wanted to believe that too.
Mom suddenly interrupted the silence.
"If both of you are done being emotional, then wash your hands properly and come eat before the food gets cold."
Dad laughed again.
"And Takash, spend less time on your mobile and more time eating actual food."
"Okay, Mommy," I replied sarcastically.
Dad and Mom both laughed.
The strange fear inside me weakened slightly.
Maybe I really was overthinking.
Maybe stress and lack of sleep were affecting me.
Maybe the boy…
was only part of my imagination.
Dinner continued normally after that.
Dad talked about work.
My brother joked about college.
Mom kept forcing everyone to eat more food.
It felt peaceful again.
Too peaceful.
Then Dad suddenly looked toward me again.
"You should rest properly tonight. It's only 8:30 PM. Sleep early after studying a little."
I nodded silently.
But deep inside…
something still felt wrong.
Because ever since Dad entered the house—
I had stopped feeling the boy's presence completely.
And somehow…
that scared me even more.
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