INTRO 00:00:00
Welcome to OBSCURUS, your weekly dose of paranormal fiction. Every Wednesday OBSCURUS features new short stories and serialized novels written by novelist, screenwriter, and voice-over artist Biswajit Banerjee. The realm of the paranormal stretches far beyond the usual horror story. So, while you will get to listen to lots of ghost stories on this podcast, there will also be many tales of lesser-known paranormal themes. To get us started, here's your host Biswajit Banerjee.
HOST TALK 00:00:47
Greetings, and welcome to this episode of OBSCURUS. Today, we shall learn what followed the harrowing experience of Ravi while sleeping, or should we say while being in a sleep-like state. Just imagine what Ravi went through! A ghastly girl sitting over him breaks into pieces, and the flesh and bone fragments fall all over Ravi.
Ravi's wife, Kavita, believes he dreamed of the terrible event. Will Ravi find reason in his wife's ideas? We will find out soon.
Before we embark on this captivating journey, I invite you to explore our websites biswajitbanerjee.com and obscurus.buzzsprout.com. Here, you'll discover a wealth of information about my creative works, including musical compositions, spoken English lessons, and documentary films. You'll also find the transcripts and chapter markers of all our episodes, enabling you to delve deeper into our content.
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Now, it's time to jump into the story. What follows the ghastly girl breaking over Ravi? Was he dreaming? Or did the strange apparition with a material presence invade the couple's bedroom?
SHE WANTS TO KILL 00:03:44
CHAPTER 04 – NO PLACE LIKE HER ARMS
Written and Performed by Biswajit Banerjee
00:04:12
"Tell me now what happened," Kavita said when Ravi regained his balance.
"She was here, Kavita," he pressed her hand, "trust me, she was here."
"Who? That bloodless girl?"
"Yes."
"But how could she come here, Ravi? The door is bolted, and all windows are closed. You are not suggesting that she came through the ventilator, are you?"
"She doesn't need an opening to come, Kavita … physical barriers cannot stop spirits."
"O come on, Ravi, I have had enough of this."
"That's the problem, you won't believe me. Perhaps I shouldn't talk about it at all. What is the point of discussing the issue if you are unwilling to dispel your preconceived notions?"
"Okay," she said after some thought, perhaps realizing that she shouldn't be so grossly unreceptive to her husband's convictions, "tell me exactly what happened."
"Are you sure you want to listen?"
"Hmm," she smiled and nodded.
Ravi remembered every bit of the experience and narrated it as best as he could.
"O, it must have been terrible for you."
"Yes, it was."
00:05:33
"Look, I am not trying to discount what you said," she observed after a long pause for thoughts, "but I have good reasons to believe that it was a dream."
"What reasons?"
"After I woke up because of your screaming, I found your body convulsing. That means you were still living through the experience when I saw you. While you felt that you were under the fragments of that bloodless girl's flesh and bones, I saw just your body and no debris. Besides, your eyes were closed, but you felt they were open as you lived through the experience. So, what I perceived as the physical reality of things was completely at variance from what you felt to be true during that time period I am talking about. How could our perceptions of things be different for the same period unless the realms of those perceptions were different? Therefore, I would be led to believe that while I was in the real physical world because I was awake, you were in your dreamy world because of being asleep."
"So everything happened in a dream, you mean?"
"I am sorry, dear," she lovingly pressed his shoulder, "I know you wouldn't be too happy with this conclusion, but the truth is you were dreaming."
"So the bloodless girl could either be a hallucination or a character in my dreams but nothing else … that's what you are telling me."
"Yes, honey, that's the way it is, and the sooner you accept the truth, the better."
"But everything felt so real!"
"Dreams can feel real, Ravi."
00:07:34
Ravi quickly lived through the events he had just described. Kavita's arguments were not easily dismissible, he reasoned. Although the girl's appearances were not hallucinations, as Kavita and Bikash would have him believe, what happened right now didn't seem to be anything more than a dream.
"What are you thinking," Kavita softly moved her fingers over his hands.
"Perhaps what you are saying is right."
"I am so glad you said that," she said with a big smile.
"Don't think I have begun to subscribe to the idea that her appearances are hallucinations. I am just inclined to believe that this dismantling episode was a dream."
"Fine, even that is fine with me. Even to convince you what you experienced now was a dream isn't a meager achievement."
"I am not convinced of anything; I just reckon it as a strong possibility."
00:08:44
Kavita took him in her arms and caressed his head.
"It's okay, it's okay," she held him tighter, "I am not forcing you to accept my views. You just take it easy and don't get excited."
Ravi, too, put his arms around her. There was nothing more comforting on earth than his wife's embrace. Her warmth had a greater therapeutic effect than all the medicines Dr. Malhotra had prescribed for him.
"Do you remember – you have an appointment with the doctor tomorrow … I mean today," she said, "it is already close to three in the morning."
"That's in the evening. First, I will have to go to the office."
"I don't think that's a good idea," she said, withdrawing with a look of concern.
00:09:42
"You mean going to the office is not a good idea?"
"Yes. You have had a tiring day and haven't slept well so far. I believe you should take a leave from the office. The first thing you should do in the morning is call your boss and tell him you won't be going."
"Mr. Jacobs will not be happy."
"Let him not be happy. What matters first is your well-being."
"I am supposed to brief him on some market projections tomorrow. He is already upset with the way I am working. If I don't go, things will only get worse."
"Doesn't he have human feelings," her eyes showed traces of tears, "how can he be so unkind to you? There was a time when nothing moved in the company without you. Has he forgotten those days?"
"Bygones are bygones; nobody cares about what I have done in the past."
"People are so ungrateful."
"Yes, they are, Kavita. That's how the world is."
"I don't know how you will manage it, but you must rest during the day."
"Okay, honey, I will try."
CONCLUDING REMARKS 00:11:20
Okay, that brings us to the end of this chapter. Yes, it is a short one, but I am sure you understand that this episode has laid the foundations for a streak of mysteries and shocking revelations due to follow in this spine-chilling novel.
Remember to visit our websites, biswajitbanerjee.com and obscurus.buzzsprout.com, for tons of interesting creatives and information about my writing, filming, teaching, and juristic pursuits.
Your support on Patreon is invaluable in fueling our creative output. We deeply appreciate your suggestions for enhancing the podcast. We're also eager to hear what other types of paranormal tales you'd like me to explore for your reading and listening pleasure.
With those words, I, Biswajit Banerjee, am signing out with the hope that you will keep your curiosity alive and continue to support us in every possible way. Take care.
THEMATIC MUSIC – IN LOVE WITH A DRAGON, AN AI MUSIC COMPOSITION BY BISWAJIT BANERJEE 00:12:36
OUTRO 00:15:31
Thanks for listening to OBSCURUS. If you like what you heard, please subscribe and visit biswajitbanerjee.com for more information about Biswajit's books, movies, documentaries, and other creative pursuits. We shall see you next Wednesday with another episode of OBSCURUS. Till then, take care!
