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A Killer Among Us

Page 20

by Ushasi Sen Basu


  It was the boy! He hadn’t left after all. My lips curled at the thought that he’d heard his mother’s confessions. Would he understand? Today’s kids…possibly, yes.

  I put my hand on the door knob with a feeling of relief. I would go straight home and fix myself a stiff drink. It had been a hard day’s work and I was thirsty. To be honest I needed it to steady my nerve again.

  A shrill scream―‘Nooo’ echoed through the near empty flat.

  Already jumpy, I started violently and began to turn when I heard a crack and a tremendous burning sensation lanced through my head. I staggered and hit the door with my face.

  I brought my hand up to where it hurt most. Wet. My hand came away red. Blood.

  I slid to the floor and finally came to rest on one cheek.

  Complete silence reigned for an eternity with my occasional sob breaking the silence. ‘Help, help me,’ I finally gulped. Every word hurt like the devil.

  Whoever had screamed had fallen silent now. A lifetime went by and my head started to reel. ‘Hospital… please…’ I gasped, ‘…all will be for…for…given.’

  There was a sound of a scuffle. I heard Deepa say, ‘Let go, I tell you, let go!’

  Pain ripped through me again with a second impact.

  There was another shriek. ‘No, no, Arun stop it!’

  ‘He was going to hurt us, he has hurt us for so long! I knew there was something wrong with us…and now I know it’s him! I heard everything!’ The boy’s voice broke on the last word.

  ‘Arun, put the bat down,’ Deepa’s voice whispered. ‘Everything was going to be alright; I had a plan… Arun, what have you done? It was just a few pictures, nothing would have happened!’

  ‘I just wanted to protect you!’

  I heard the heavy wooden thunk of something hitting the floor. The sobs of the boy mingled with mine.

  I could feel blood pumping out of the open wound. I so hated pain, I opened my mouth to beg again, but no words came out.

  My eyes started to see only white…oh God no…did I not pray every morning, did I deserve this?

  My ears started to fade as well, but I heard the mother whisper to the son with tenderness, ‘Don’t worry, Arun, I’m good at keeping secrets….’

  My ears buzzed tremendously, and then there was nothing.

  ******

  Acknowledgements

  I must thank those among my friends and family who always encourage me to be a better writer. Especially my long-suffering beta-readers and motivators―Sarbari Dasgupta, Prithwiraj and Anindita Sen, Debjeet Basu, Haimanti Basu and Nandini Bhattacharya. A Killer Among Us is a better book because of your advice and support.

  There were a few people who advised me on some technical points in this book. If some errors have still got past, it is entirely their fault; not mine. Jokes apart, this is a work of fiction more focussed on entertaining than educating, so I plead poetic license.

  For readers who didn’t know me, my debut novel Kathputli was yet another self-published book by a nobody author. Quite a few readers, however, did give it a chance and went on to spread the word among other book lovers. Though a seemingly small gesture, it meant everything to a first-time author. It is a pleasantly long list, so I will just say, you know who you are―thank you. I hope you enjoy my second book too!

  My profound gratitude to Readomania for publishing A Killer Among Us. Indrani Ganguly, my editor, has greatly improved this book with her ministrations.

  Particular thanks are due to my daughter Mia, who is the reason I get out of bed every morning. It is difficult to write a book in bed, as everyone will agree.

  And very importantly, I am grateful to my friends and neighbours at Cinnamon, for not being anything like the people I describe in this book.

  USHASI SEN BASU

  Bangalore, 2020

  About the Author

  Ushasi Sen Basu holds a master’s degree in English Literature from Jadavpur University, Kolkata. She has been a professional writer and editor for nearly a decade and a half, and is the erstwhile editor-in-chief of SiyaWoman.com. Ushasi’s debut novel Kathputli, a contemporary literary fiction novel, was published in 2017. She lives in Bangalore with her husband and daughter. A Killer Among Us is her second novel. To know more about her, visit her website ushasisenbasu.com or her author page on Facebook (@ushasikathputli).

  Glossary

  Achha: Okay

  Aloor dum: A spicy potato curry

  Aloor paratha: A flatbread filled with potato stuffing

  Amrita-r Shongshaar: Amrita’s household

  Anchal: Part of the sari that hangs down the back of the wearer from the shoulder in pleats

  Arre: An exclamation used to express annoyance, surprise, or interest, or to attract someone's attention

  Arre hyan: Oh yes

  Baap re: An exclamation that indicates exasperation that roughly translates to ‘oh father’

  Babu: A term of respect for a man

  Bapi: Endearing way of addressing one’s father in Bangla

  Besan: Gramflour

  Bolo: Tell me

  Boti: A traditional Bengali cutting instrument that one has to squat on the floor to use. The advantage is you can grasp the vegetable with both hands and pass it across the curved, sharp blade easily

  Boudi: Sister-in-law, but often used by domestic help to indicate a female employer

  Chaa and taa: Literally ‘tea, etc.’

  Chhee: Exclamation of disgust

  Chhuti: Holiday

  Chomchom: A syrupy Bengali sweet

  Dabba: Container

  Dada: Elder brother

  Double deemer maamlette: Omelette made with two eggs

  Ei: Here! / hey!

  Elam: Literally meaning ‘I have come’, but a polite way of saying ‘I’m leaving’

  Gajagamini: A woman of a stately (elephantlike) walk.

  Hai bhogobaan: Oh God!

  Hoi-choi: Uproar

  Hyan: Yes

  Jota: (in this context) messy topknot

  Jyetha: Older brother/cousin of father

  Jyethi: Wife of older brother/cousin of father

  Jyethimoni: Affectionate name for wife of older brother/cousin of father

  Kalamkari: A type of hand-painted or block-printed cotton textile

  Keema ghoogni: Chickpeas with minced meat

  Keemar bora: Meatballs

  Kosha mangsho: A slow-cooked Bengali mutton dish

  Luchi: A deep-fried, puffed-up flatbread made of refined flour

  Maachher chop: A savoury snack made with fish and mashed potato

  Ma-Baba: Parents

  Mashima: Literally maternal aunt, but used in a generic way to politely address elderly women

  Mishti: Sweets

  Mishti doi: Sweet curd

  Mora: Low seat made of bamboo

  Na: No

  Panchmeshali torkari: Vegetable curry with five kinds of vegetables

  Phatak: The sound of something ricocheting back, or hitting a hard surface

  Phulkopi bhaja: Fried cauliflower florets

  Poitrik: Ancestral (on the father’s side)

  Poitrik bari: Ancestral (on the father’s side) home

  Pujo: Durga Puja festival

  Raita: An Indian side dish of yogurt containing chopped cucumber or other vegetables, and spices

  Saunf: Fennel, often given after meals as a digestive in restaurants

  Shaheb: Saheb

  Shingaras: Bengali name for samosa, a small triangular case of pastry with a meat or vegetable filling

  Shon papdi: Cube-shaped sweet that has a crisp and flaky texture

  Shona: Literally ‘gold’, but used as an endearment

  Shukto: A Bengali vegetarian dish

  Shunchhen?: Are you listening?

  Thali: A set meal at an Indian restaurant

  Thana: Police station

  Toh: A filler word like ‘so’

  Yaar: Informal, friendly form of address, literally means ‘friend�


 

 

 


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