With a high fever, Trayee has got up from the bed a little earlier than other days.She has woke up today at 6O’clock in the morning.The melodious alarm tone also can’t make Trayee sleepy again! Rubbing her tearful eyes Trayee looks at the Window just beside her bed. And she is almost having a heart-attack! There is Trayee looking through the window glass at Trayee and she is smiling! Trayee rubs her eyes again and looks again at the window. Oh no,…she is there! A second Trayee is looking at Trayee! Trayee can’t say anything…her throat is choked!The Trayee-replica enters into the room through the closed window. Trayee is almost dead! Her whole body is shievering in panic and shock! The replica has sat on the study chair of Trayee and looks straight at her. Replica says, “Wipe out the tears first…come on!” Oh! The voice is same also!It seems to Trayee that she is talking with herself! Trayee can’t response to the replica. Replica says again,”Stupid girl! Wipe out the tears…hurry up!” Trayee wipes out the tears with shaking hand. She has cried for the whole night. Replica says, “Would you have some tea now?” Trayee is surprised. She can’t talk with her choked throat. But she tries to tell something to the replica. Replica says,”Why are you shievering to see me? I am the person you were before ten years.” Trayee has started to cry again in fear! The replica has become irritated now. Replica says, “Oh just stop this nonsense! You are crying to see yourself…and you think that you can stop crying over somebody else? Silly girl!” Trayee looks straight at the replica and at last says something with her chocked voice.Trayee says to the replica,”I can’t understand anything! How’s…this…possible…!” Replica bursts out in laughter and says,”Have you become so much weak Trayee? You were not this type of girl when I was you…I mean…you were me!” Trayee has become a little bit strong after hearing so much taunts for her nature. Trayee says,” It’s not possible scientifically!” The replica says,”Come on Trayee! You used to hate science. Have you forgot that you opted for science stream in your 12th standard in school and failed in Mathematics in class 11? You hated science and used to write poetry for the whole day!And he told you…oh,just leave!…would you have some tea with me?I’m going to the kitchen.” Trayee is in a strange world now. Her replica brings a cup of tea for her after a few minutes. Trayee says,”uff! So bitter!” Replica bursts out in laughter again and says,”And you never surrendered to him that you can’t make tea well!” Trayee has gained more strength in last ten minutes. She says,”I do surrender now…I don’t argue with anybody now-a-days! I’ve changed totally.” Replica says,”But I hate your changes…and that’s why I’ve come to meet you today…and listen,this happens with a few persons in the whole world. The people who can’t get out of their old ‘good’ days and suffer with psychiatric problems and gradually become mad…for those persons…their replicas come to treat them.” Trayee is being surprised more and more with the replica’s each and every word. Trayee says to the replica,”When I was you,how beautiful my life was,na? And see…now I cry for the whole night and take the sleeping pills and…so on…” The replica takes the tea-cup from Trayee and says while going to put that on the sink,”Have you noticed which cup I’ve given to you?” Trayee has not noticed the cup. Actually,she even doesn’t notice many important things now-a-days.She looks at the cup in replica’s hand and becomes surprised! Oh,that red cup,he never gave it to Trayee for tea!It was his favourite cup for tea,so he did not allow Trayee to use this cup!Trayee had baught two similar cups for two of them.But,one day he threw a cup on the floor while querrling with Trayee.She cried that day for a cup! Yes,just for her favourite cup…not for him! He threw her cup…he threw her likes and dislikes…everything!Trayee looks and the another red cup in replica’s hand and says,”I’ve given it to him on our last day.How have you got this one?” Replica smiles and says,”Oh!I am your past time…remember that…” Trayee is now much more comfortable with replica. She asks the replica,”Tell me one thing,I used to tell him…oh sorry…I mean…You tells him that you hate his female friends and don’t want him to talk with them.Do you really a girl of this type?” The replica smiles in a little bit pain and sighs. Then says,”Not at all. His female friends are good in nature. I don’t hate them. I don’t believe him. He can say anything to any girl.I know that…but I can’t accept if he would do so! So…I repeatedly tells him not to mix with female friends!And that’s why…I don’t mix with my male friends…but I have no problem regarding this personally!I can’t believe him…I know that he does this type of things with another girls behind me…but…I don’t want to believe that! Don’t want to…!” Trayee sees her old version after so many years! Yes,the replica is crying now. Trayee is looking at the replica. Trayee is not crying at all. She says boldly,”Don’t cry. I’m not like you now. I don’t believe anybody anymore…so …I’ve no troubles you know!” Replica wipes out the tears and goes to the veranda.Trayee is standing beside the replica. They are like two friends now. The replica looks down from the 2nd floor’s balcony and says,”he would pass by…I’m sure…”.Trayee looks down and throws a hateful sight on the road and says,”He would never pass by this road again.Shut down your imaginations!Those are silly!” The replica says to Trayee,”You have told just before sometime that this life is beautiful…in which I am now!” Trayee drinks a glass of water and says,”Oh…have I told this? Forgotten!” The replica’s eyes seem more stressed than Trayee’s. Trayee requests the replica to sleep for sometime beside her,on her bed. The replica can’t sleep,says,”If he would come and see that I’m sleeping?If he would call me and I can’t hear the call?No…no…I can’t sleep. He has not received the call for 10hours!I don’t know where he is…or with whom he is now!” Trayee smiles and says,”I have no such tensions now. He can be with anybody…I hardly care!” The replica has a bag with her.Trayee has not noticed.Seeing the school bag,Trayee says,”I used to keep two umbrellas in the school bag. One for me,one for him. One day,he asked me to wait after my school-hour and did not come.I waited for long 3hours for him in the rain and thunder!”The replica has been started to write something in Trayee’s diary.Trayee says,”What are you doing?” The replica replies,”Let’s play a game!…I’d write something.If you have same feeling for that till now,like my time…then…you’ll give a cross sign.And if you’ve changed,then you’ll say,’I’ve changed.’…”..Trayee feels it interesting.The replica writes, ‘The red cup’…Trayee gives a cross sign.The replica smiles with a mystery,then writes
– ‘Tea-making’…
-×
-‘Phone calls
-×
-The day he gave you the first rose
-×
-The day he changed his phone password without telling you.
-×
– school days
-×
-The day you both were married
-××
-…
The replica has stopped.Trayee is in a trance now.The replica writes again,
-The day he slapped you in a drunk moment and you fell down…and the miscarriage…he repented later…and the divorce…psychiatrist…
Trayee throws the pen to the replica and shouts…”I’ve changed…changed…changed!”
The replica is laughing…Trayee can’t see the door of the room…the replica is coming towards Trayee…suddenly the replica has become…He…Arjya…yes…he is coming towards Trayee with a cruel smile and a red cup in his hand…Trayee wants to free herself from this situation…but…oh no,it’s the wall…and he is just infront of Trayee…Trayee’s hands are blooded…she screams…
…………………..
A baby is crying. From where?Where is Trayee sleeping for so long time? Where it is! A nurse says to Trayee with a smiling face,”Ma’m,perhaps you were dreaming!”…Oh,Trayee is in the nursinghome. It’s morning. Yesterday…a doctor told Trayee…”You are blessed with a baby girl!”…The baby is crying. Trayee looks at it’s little legs and utters the name,’Trinayana’,the name she and Nayan has thought for their daughter!Trayee feels a warmth on her forehead.It’s Nayan He looks at the baby’s face and says,”She is just like your replica!”…The baby is crying…how sweet her reddish cheeks are!