May 10,2025
9:43 PM
Salt lake Sector V, Kolkata
Kolkata the city of joy. The same city which bring joy, opportunity, happiness and warmth to others it can also be felt monotonous by someone.
The never sleeping city, kolkat was decorated with neon sign lights changing and flickering over the bustling chaos of Salt lake Sector V, the technological hub of Kolkata.
Salt Lake Sector V, the new era of Kolkata's modernization center, high rise buildings can be seen pierceing the sky.
The walls of these buildings can be seen equipped with digital billboards. Ads can be seen coming and going one after another.
Under the billboards, the street was bursting with car engine sounds, car horns and people's endless echoing footsteps.
Amidst of all these hustling and brustling one man was walking alone, accompanied by his shadow, trailing behind him like a ghost.
Rahul Sen.
At the age of 33, Rahul can be said the embodiment of a routine life. His days at SBI bank branch was nothing but monotonous. The same account opening procedures, and guide people carefully to open accounts. Update the passbooks who can't able to use auto printing passsbook machine, etc etc.
The city have aged, but so has he-not gracefully. He just aged as times goes. He can be said nothing but the pale reflection of the ambitious boy he once was, lost beneath layers upon layers of wrong decisions, missed opportunities and work fatigue.
It was late, as his shift had streched longer than usual as some unexpected files come towards him from a co-worker who also worked in the same bank but have fimilial connections with the Branch Manager.
This was not a one time thing as it happens almost everyday. First it was under excuse as the newbie was inexperienced but now five years later it's still going on.
Everybody knows what's happening but didn't dare to voice things out, not Rahul nor any others after all their job was highly important to them and nobody wants to risk it.
Rahul didn't blame them, they also have a family to feed like himself. So he just endured this corporate bullying silently.
"Another day wasted." He muttered under his breath.
Outside a chilling breeze swept through Salt lake. The air was heavy with the scent of engine fumes. He made his way towards the crowded Bidhannagar metro station, a lifeline for thousands who couldn't afford the luxury of app-based cabs.
The platform buzzed with life even in near midnight. Some were seated in empty seats some were scrolling through their phones watching reels, messaging someone or scrolling on Facebook giving likes. People are patiently waiting for the metro. Their faces were full of exhaustion but they have a fait smile to return to their loved ones.
Rahul stood near a column, leaning his body weight on it. Lost in heavy thoughts.
The train screeched into the platform, it's old brakes whining like a wounded beast. After the doors opened, he along with countless others climbed abroad, squeeze into the suffocating metal coffin packed with strangers, with a mixture of many worn of perfumes and sweat. His destination, Ravindra Sadan metro station. As the metro started to speed up, the rhythmic clatter of tracks soon become a background hum, blending with the dull ache in his chest, an ache he'd been carrying for years.
But unknown to him or anybody else in the world, fate had been waiting for him patiently.
After approximately 45 minutes later, Rahul left the metro. Next target a bus to Howrah, towards his home.
After waiting for some time a Barast-B.Garden bus came. It won't go towards his home. If he coose this he have to take another bus or E-Rickshaw to go home but at this late of the night he choose to take it. This ride may not go towards his home but it's enough to cross the Second Hoogly bridge.
After taking the bus it speed through the flyovers and entered the bridge. Rahul leaned slightly against the door. As the cool night breeze kissed his face his mind drifting to forgotten ambitions, lost loves, unsuccessful marriage, heavy compansations, sister's marriage and her in law's demands etc etc. In these life tragedies the boy who once belived he will be happy in the future lost himself, now what remains is only a empty shell.
Then it happened.
A sudden jolt threw Rahul off guard and he fell from the bus loosing his footing.
His fingers clawed the empty air as the world tilted. What he saw was the bus getting out of his reach and the hard asphalt coming closer.
With a heavy thud his head hit the asphalt and after a few rolldown he lay motionless with several of his bones broken, blood coming out of his forehead like an open tap, blurring his vision.
The last thing he saw was the blurred flash of headlights, a truck breaking desperately but unable to do it in time and it went over him.
And then... There was darkness.
Abbys.
Silence.
Weightless.
Timeless.
Endless.
But that's not the end for him.
A faint light blinked in darkness. But that faint light felt like a glimmer of something aincient, something powerful, and most importantly, it make him feel hopeful in this endless abyss.
Suddenly that faint light come towards him, little by little it became big. The more it come closer the more the light felt Blinding.
After a blinding flash the light hit him then he heard for the first time.
[SYSTEM INITIALIZING...] A mechanical girl's voice, cold and emotionless, echoed into the abyss.
[SYNCHRONIZATION WITH HOST, COMPLETE.
HOST: RAHUL SEN
OPTIMAL PRESENCE OF SYSTEM IN HOST'S LIFE: TEENAGE
INITIALIZING CUP OF REINCARNATION: REWINDING TIME IN HOST'S TEENAGE YEARS
TARGET LOCKED: YEAR 2007]
'...WHAT?'
His consciousness started to ripped from the abyss, hurtling through fragmented memories of his childhood, his failures, his guilts, this sadness and most importantly his regrets. His memories swarm besides him like a huge tornado various voices echoed beside him faster and louder. He went through a hell of a rollercoaster of emotions until....
GASP!!
Rahul sat up, drenched in sweat, his heart pounding like a drum.
But shocked him was the room he was in. It wasn't a hospital.
Old, cracked walls. A rusty celling fan spinning lazily with a sound of 'sceech' with each spin like it was protesting to work. A old poster of Saurav Ganguly holding a bat on the wall beside it was a callender of May, 2007.
A scene very fimiliar to him from his childhood.
Outside the room everything was just as normal but nobody knows a fortunate soul drifted back in time now he will make shockwaves that the world can't bear.