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
Welcome back to OBSCURUS, where the shadows come to life and the unseen whispers secrets into the night. I'm your host, Biswajit Banerjee, and tonight, we continue our journey into the dark and mysterious world of our serialized novel, 'SHE WANTS TO KILL.'
In the last episode, we delved into Ravi's harrowing experience with the ghostly girl in the rear seat of his car. This led to a terrifying crash and a humiliating encounter with the police. Despite the chaos, Ravi's friend Bikash came to his rescue, showcasing the strength of their bond and the power of true friendship. Moments like these remind us of the importance of human connection.
Tonight, in Chapter 7, titled 'Autosuggestion,' we explore the aftermath of Ravi's ordeal. He returns home late at night to a worried Kavita, who supports him through his emotional turmoil. As Ravi recounts his terrifying evening and reflects on the events, we see the couple's deep connection and struggle to balance fear and rationality. This chapter delves into Ravi's attempts to use autosuggestion as a coping mechanism and his determination to face the unknown with courage.
Before we dive into this gripping chapter, I want to remind you to visit our websites, biswajitbanerjee.com and obscurus.buzzsprout.com, for more exciting content and updates. Don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel, where you'll find exclusive behind-the-scenes content, interviews, and much more. Your support helps us bring you more thrilling episodes, so please consider joining our community.
Also, for those looking to improve their English speaking skills, check out my training program, SPOKEN ENGLISH FOR NON-NATIVE SPEAKERS. It's designed to help you gain confidence and fluency in English with tailored lessons and interactive sessions. We have exciting plans to expand to other forums where you can support us and get more exclusive content.
Now, without further ado, let's dive into the seventh chapter of 'SHE WANTS TO KILL' – 'Autosuggestion.' Get ready to be drawn deeper into Ravi's harrowing journey as he battles the supernatural and strives to reclaim his sense of normalcy.
SHE WANTS TO KILL 00:04:10
CHAPTER 07 – AUTOSUGGESTION
Written and Performed by Biswajit Banerjee
00:04:36
By the time Bikash dropped him home, it was close to eleven. He checked his mobile phone as he climbed the stairs leading to his apartment. There were nineteen missed calls from Kavita. He realized that he should have called her up to inform her of the position after Bikash arrived at the police station, but somehow, it simply didn't strike him that she would be worried in the middle of the ruckus.
He pressed the calling bell and heard Kavita's footsteps inside. The rapidity of the footsteps alone told him how worried the poor woman was.
"There you are, finally; I would have been dead if you hadn't been back in another minute," she said, opening the door.
"I am sorry; I should have informed you," Ravi said as he entered the apartment.
"Where have you been," Kavita asked as she shut the door.
"I was with Bikash."
"With Bikash … at this hour! What's wrong, Ravi?"
Ravi didn't answer. He simply didn't know what to say. On mature reflection, Kavita didn't press for a reply.
"It's okay, Ravi," she patted his shoulder, "relax. Go and freshen yourself up while I warm the dinner."
Kavita had prepared some delicious items, but Ravi couldn't eat them all. Not only did the thoughts of the bloodless girl hover in his head now, but he also couldn't get over the humiliation handed out to him by the ruthless police officers.
00:06:34
The drama of the day was still not over. As he brushed his teeth in the washroom a little later, he felt movements behind him. He turned around and found no one. Ravi wondered if the autosuggestion technique, as advised by Dr. Jyoti Malhotra, would work. It had disastrous results when he tried it in the car in the evening. But Ravi thought of giving it a try again. So he said to himself that the movements behind were simply not happening and that he would not be harmed in any way. It worked this time. He could hear no further movements. Even though it was small, that success made him feel better.
"Honey, I need to talk to you," he said after coming out of the washroom. "Thanks for giving me the time to get a hold of myself."
"I did tell you last night, Ravi, that I am a part of you. I can sense what your need is. Go to bed; I will join you soon."
Soon enough, he found himself safe and secure in his wife's embrace. It was now so easy for him to narrate how terrible an evening he had to brave, and he said it all.
"You took all that trouble yourself," she said with tears in her eyes, "why didn't you call me Ravi?"
"The conditions in the police station were just not right for you. The police officers said ugly things to me, and I swallowed their words without protest. That's because I didn't have a choice. If I had made the slightest of protestations, they would have twisted the case and fixed me up. That is how the police force works in this city, you know that. If you were there and those sickening men had misbehaved with you, I couldn't have taken it. I would then go rough with them without caring about the consequences. So things could go wrong in your presence, honey. That's why I didn't call you. Also, as I just said, that place is not right for someone like you."
"I should have gone with you to the clinic, Ravi," she held him tighter, "I shouldn't have listened to you. It was a terrible mistake on my part to let you go alone."
"You can't join me whenever I go out, honey, can you? I have to keep moving. How often can you be with me?"
"As often as I can. Maybe I should join you every time you go out till you completely recover."
"That's not possible, Kavita. I have to go to the office every day."
"When will you get your car back?" Kavita asked after a brief pause.
"In a week from now."
"I think you should stop driving till you are fully fine."
"How will I go to the office then? Sometimes Bikash can pick me up and drop me off, but I can't expect him always to do it."
"But he can do it for the next few months, right? I can talk to him about this if you want," Kavita suggested.
"No, Kavita, that will not be the right thing to do. I do not doubt he would agree if we asked him to do it. But that will put too much pressure on him. Already, he is doing a lot for us. Just imagine what he did for me today. After he reached the police station, the problems simply disappeared."
"He is indeed a true friend of ours."
"O yes, he is."
"He paid the entire amount, didn't he?"
"He did. He came prepared with all the money that was required to be paid. Not only did he pay the compensation amounts, but he also shelled out the advance amount for the car's repairs. Altogether, he paid close to seventy thousand rupees."
"When can we return the money to him, Ravi?"
00:11:13
"I don't know, Kavita. Rupees seventy thousand is just beyond my reach now. I don't think I can pay him before a year - the financial strain we are braving doesn't show any signs of getting over."
"Don't call this phase a financial strain, Ravi. It is just a minimal adjustment, given what we have achieved. Just imagine what we have done – we have purchased this apartment! Such a spacious apartment!"
"This apartment is still not fully ours, honey … we have a huge loan to repay. It is this loan that has made our lives so difficult."
"Things will soon be fine … the value of money goes down. Very soon, you will not feel the pinch of the monthly installments."
"Well," Ravi laughed, "I like your optimism … perhaps Bikash will have to wait till the value of money goes down appreciably because I don't see how we would be able to return him the amount with the same conditions prevailing."
"So you are pulling my leg now."
"I am sorry," he laughed again, "sometimes what you say appears so theoretical that …"
"That you can't help but laugh at my childlike immaturity, right?"
"I won't call it immaturity … I would rather call it innocence."
"Doesn't matter whether you call it immaturity or innocence … as long as I can be the reason for your happiness and laughter, I shall reckon myself useful."
"You know what," Ravi said, planting a kiss on her forehead, "it is your innocence that makes me such a great fan of yours."
"That's quite flattering, I must say," she snuggled into him.
"Thanks for being such a great wife, Kavita."
"Thanks for being such a great husband."
"No, you don't have to return the compliment to me. I am surely not a great husband."
"Let me decide that, Ravi."
"All right, darling," he said, "you are again displaying your kind self."
"Will you be going to the office tomorrow?" Kavita asked.
"Yes."
00:13:45
"Will Bikash be picking you up?"
"Yes."
"That is so reassuring … I would again suggest that you tell him to pick up and drop you off every day for at least a month."
"It will be like squeezing him beyond all sane limits, honey. My car will return soon, and I shall drive myself."
"I don't want you to drive till you are completely fine."
"Look, Kavita, I can't let my problems vanquish me. Deciding not to drive would be like making a meek surrender before the problem. If it is a problem of the mind, as Dr. Malhotra and you and Bikash say, then I must not let it dominate over me. The problem can only get bigger if I lay my arms down."
"But what if you see the bloodless girl again while you are driving?"
00:14:48
"I will follow the autosuggestion technique as advised by Dr. Malhotra."
"But it didn't work in the evening when you found the bloodless girl on the rear seat, you said."
"Perhaps it didn't work then," Ravi reasoned, "because I was unsure of the technique's effectiveness, or maybe I didn't make the autosuggestion correctly. But it did work sometime back while I was brushing my teeth."
"Really, what happened?"
"I heard some strange sounds behind me, and I just made an autosuggestion that there were no sounds and nothing would harm me. The sounds didn't recur. It's a small success but a success nevertheless."
"It is not a small success, Ravi," Kavita said excitedly, "it is a great success."
"Well, maybe."
"Do you think you can replicate this success?"
"I shall try my best."
"Ravi, don't mind my saying this, but doesn't this show that you are having false visions and that the bloodless girl is not real?"
"How did you arrive at that conclusion?"
"Look," Kavita explained, "the autosuggestion technique worked for you some time back. This means a mental exercise on your part prevented the sounds from happening again. If those sounds had been real, your mind couldn't have controlled them. Putting it differently, only because the sounds didn't exist and were simply offshoots of your brain, mind-control helped you prevent their recurrence. Just like the sounds were false, the bloodless girl is also false, Ravi - this is a truth you must come to terms with."
"You have done a good analysis, but it is too early to draw conclusions."
"What other conclusion can be drawn from the success of the autosuggestion method?"
"Well, honey, the autosuggestion might have had nothing to do with preventing the recurrence of the sounds. Maybe the sounds wouldn't have recurred anyway, and I fallaciously concluded that I prevented their recurrence."
"Umm, hmm, that also could be the case," Kavita agreed.
"I am not too sure, but the sounds might not have recurred for another reason," Ravi said thoughtfully.
"What's that?"
00:17:37
"I have read scores of books on paranormal activities. Many researchers have observed that the fears, anxieties, and uncertainties of a person who finds himself or herself in the middle of paranormal activities can feed the source of such activities. For example, a man in the middle of a spirit phenomenon could make things worse for himself by being afraid. The more afraid he is, the stronger and more lethal the spirit could become. On the other hand, if he chooses to confront the spirit with courage, the spirit gets weaker, and its effects become much less pronounced. I firmly believe the paranormal phenomena I have been confronting are real, not imaginary. The sounds might not have recurred because I bravely chose not to be afraid."
"What you are saying is very logical, Ravi. If the bloodless girl and other paranormal phenomena are real, your fears could strengthen them. But you would agree that even if they are unreal, your fears could be fueling your mind to make them feel real."
"Yes, that's possible, honey," Ravi agreed, "so irrespective of whether these phenomena are real or imaginary, the technique of autosuggestion could be a savior as it helps reduce my fears."
"Yes, Ravi, you couldn't have been more correct."
"So I must use the technique of autosuggestion whenever I feel a trouble of this nature."
"Absolutely, Ravi."
"Should we sleep now? It is late. I have to go to the office tomorrow."
"Yes, Ravi, we must sleep now. Let's hope the dawn comes with a new promise. May these troubles never touch you again."
So, the day ended on a sweet note. It was a peculiar day – it started well but then turned out to be very bitter towards the evening, and then it ended well. Ravi now slept with a new hope and a newfound confidence to brave his fate.
CONCLUDING REMARKS 00:20:31
And that, dear listeners, was Chapter 7 of 'SHE WANTS TO KILL' titled 'Autosuggestion.' This chapter shows Ravi's struggle to find solace and rationality amidst the supernatural turmoil plaguing his life. Kavita's unwavering support and Ravi's attempts to use autosuggestion provide a glimmer of hope in their fight against the unknown. The emotional depth and tension in their relationship bring a human touch to the eerie occurrences surrounding them.
As we progress, expect more chilling encounters and unexpected twists that will keep you questioning the boundaries between reality and the supernatural. Ravi's journey is far from over, and each step brings him closer to unraveling the mysteries that haunt him.
Remember to visit our websites for updates and additional content, and subscribe to our YouTube channel. Your support helps us bring you more episodes filled with suspense and mystery. Also, check out my training program, SPOKEN ENGLISH FOR NON-NATIVE SPEAKERS, designed to help you gain confidence and fluency in English.
Thank you for embarking on this eerie adventure with us. Rest assured, OBSCURUS is committed to delivering high-quality, suspenseful content to keep you on the edge. Until next time, keep your senses sharp and your lights dim, for the shadows are never far away. Stay curious, stay cautious, and always be ready for the unexpected.
Following my talk, enjoy the thematic music for this episode titled 'Unspoken Words of Ether,' an AI music composition by me that perfectly encapsulates this episode's eerie and unsettling atmosphere. As Ravi grapples with his ghostly encounters and the chilling presence of the bloodless girl, the haunting melodies of this composition underscore the tension and fear that permeate his experiences. This piece is an auditory embodiment of the episode's suspenseful and mysterious themes. This is Biswajit Banerjee signing off.
THEMATIC MUSIC – UNSPOKEN WORDS OF ETHER, AN AI MUSIC COMPOSITION BY BISWAJIT BANERJEE 00:23:25
OUTRO 00:26:04
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!
