Irene by Humayun Ahmed
Translated by Rupa Khandakar

“Some people can bring the stars down to their feet, but they never try.”

CHAPTER 1
Strangers!

He had a square face with very sharp eyes, which looked like they were about to come out of their sockets. His hands were very skinny, with even skinnier fingers. He had a blue bag on his shoulder; and his stand had a kind of gentle look to it, making him look like one of those annoying salesmen.

This kind of people usually lurks in front of your house in the afternoons. They would ring your bell and say in a very polite way, ‘I am a very poor man selling pieces of cloths for living. Would you be kind enough to buy some, Ma’am? It would really help me out.’

This guy looked like one of those afternoon salesmen, about to offer something to Irene. But, Irene never gave him the chance. Before he could open his mouth, Irene shut him out, ‘We don’t need anything. Please leave!’

But he didn’t say anything back. He just stood there, without paying any heed to what Irene had just said, and was even trying to have a peek inside the house. Irene made her voice louder, ‘I said, we don’t need anything!’

‘I haven’t come here to sell anything.’
‘Who are you then? What do you want?’
‘Can’t you understand who I am?’

Irene started checking him out more carefully. His stand, which had looked so gentle a moment ago, now looked more like a predator stand, ready to strike down its prey.

‘Are you looking for someone?’
‘May I come in, dear? Indore is more suitable for what I am about to tell you.’
‘Umm, my parents are not at home. I can’t let you come in.’

Suddenly he took out a napkin that had a strange flower pattern on it to wipe his forehead. ‘Ohh…it’s you, Sir! You didn’t send us a notice that you were coming! I am so sorry!’ Irene said with a shaken voice.

‘A lot of things come without a prior-notice: sickness, death, and sometimes people from Galactic Intelligence,’ the guy said, smiling mischievously.
‘Are you then…..?

He suddenly laughed out loud, and his laugh had a surprisingly melodious tune to it.

‘Please come in,’ Irene said. ‘Do you..umm…know my name?’
‘When people from Galactic Intelligence pay a visit to your house, you can be rest assured that they know everything about you. Isn’t that always true of us?’

Irene couldn’t say anything in return. She just stood there, looking straight into his eyes.

‘Do you wish to see my ID? As a valid citizen, you are allowed to see my ID,’ the guy said, still smiling.

‘I don’t want to see anything. Why are you here? What do you want from me?’

He put down his blue bag and said, ‘I don’t want anything from you, dear.’
‘Then why are you here?’
‘I have come here to take you away. You know!’
‘What do you mean? Where do you want to take me?’
‘Irene, don’t you know that you are not allowed to ask questions to the people from the Galactic Intelligence agency? It’s rule no: C 211/2. They must have taught this to you in school, right?’

‘Yes….’
‘Then am I right to assume that you also know rule no: C 211/3 as well.’
‘Yes…I…know that too.’
‘What is it? Tell me, dear?’ the guy said, still holding a hint of that mischievous smile on his lips.
‘If a Galactic Intelligence representative instructs one to go somewhere with him or her, one must oblige without any question,’ Irene said, almost like a programmed robot.
‘And what would happen if you refuse to go?’
‘It would be a first-degree crime, sir.’
‘And what is the punishment for a first-degree crime? Do you know?’
‘I do. But, I still won’t go with you. I …. I won’t go with you until my parents come back,’ Irene said, still looking straight into his eyes.

The guy from Galactic Intelligence walked around the room for a while. Then he sat down on a chair and breathed out a comfort-sigh. It was as if he had lived in this house all his life.

‘I am not going anywhere unit my parents come back,’ Irene said again, this time a little louder.
‘Is that so?’
‘Yes, that is so. I won’t go anywhere until my parents come back.’
‘You are saying the same thing over and over again, dear. And, you know, when you say something over and over again, it loses its importance,’ the guy said, while undertaking a delicate process of lighting a cigarette. He inhaled a couple of times and then stood up and went into the kitchen and came back with an ashtray. Irene’s eye followed his every move.

‘They are not coming back,’ he said, gently tapping down a bit of cigarette ash into the ashtray.

Irene suddenly froze, struggling to understand what this guy had just said. ‘I…what do you mean by they are not coming back?’
‘Right now, both of your parents are at the Food Distribution Department; they are going to stay there until 3.00 p.m.; after that, they will be taken to the First Control Panel, and from there, after undergoing all the necessary inspection, they will be taken to the Central Commune—want to hear more, shall I continue?’
‘No!’

‘I feel like, you are not believing me, Irene?’
‘How can I? You Intelligence agency people are all liars.’
‘Now, now, that’s not true. If you just tell lies one after another, you would get caught easily. You have to mix it up, you know! We usually maintain a 1:1000 ratio when it comes to lying. There are no ways for you to catch us,’ he said, laughing out loud in that same melodic tune.

How can such a hideous looking guy laugh so beautifully, thought Irene.

‘Can you get me some tea or coffee, Irene?’ he said. ‘Also some food if possible.’
‘There is no food in the house. But, there’s coffee,’ Irene said.

She stared boiling water in the heater.

Should I run away? The kitchen window—yes—I can run away. No, that’s not possible. It’s madness, yes, it’s madness. What should I do, thought Irene.

The phone rang. Irene looked at him and said, ‘Can I answer the phone?’
‘Oh, yeah, sure.’
The phone was from Irene’s dad. Her dad had gotten extremely scared somehow. His voice was shaking and he was taking deep breaths in between his sentences.

‘Dad, where are you calling from?’
‘From the Food Distribution Department.’
‘What’s the matter?’
‘No.. noting.’
‘You called me just to say Hi?’
‘Listen.. umm… Irene, dear, they are sending us off to somewhere.’
‘Where?’
‘I…. I don’t know. They kept us here for a long time for no reason. Now they are saying that……’
‘What.. .what are they saying?’
Irene’s dad hung up the line abruptly, as if someone had caught him passing secret information. He wanted to say a lot of things, but couldn’t. Irene rediled the number. The guy from Galactic Intelligence looked at her and whispered, ‘No one is going to pick up. You are wasting your time.’

And he was right. No one picked up on the other side. Irene wanted to cry, but she didn’t want to cry in front of this hideous-looking guy. She wondered how long she can hold it back.

‘Mind the water, dear, it’s boiling. Be a darling and make me a cup of coffee. Please put a lot of sugar in it. Sugar makes you really smart. You know that, right?’
Irene didn’t respond.
He drank his coffee silently, as if he had no hurry and nowhere to go but enjoy this cup of coffee. When the coffee was over, he took out a book from his blue bag and started reading it. It was written in an unfamiliar language. He giggled a couple of times while reading it–must have been a fun book.

I can get this guy from behind with an iron rod and escape, thought Irene. No, it’s not possible—O shit! I am f***ed.

After reading for a while, he looked at his watch and put down his book into the blue bag. ‘Our train leaves at 6.30 p.m. So, we have plenty of time. We will have our dinner at the train. So, don’t take any food with you. But, if you do want to take anything else—like in a small suitcase—go ahead. Pack your things up.’

‘Where are we going?’
‘Rule no: C 211/3, no questions please.’
Irene couldn’t say anything. She wanted to scream as hard as she could. But, who would listen to her?
‘Are you not taking anything with you?’
‘No.’
‘That’s great! Less baggage is always good for traveling; it’s best if you don’t have anything at all,’ he said and then laughed out loud. Ha ha ha.
‘I haven’t done anything wrong; I haven’t violated any of the 250 rules that an idea citizen should follow; the Regulation department has never given me a ‘Warning Card’. Why are you taking me away?’ Irene said, with a frowning face.

‘Well, technically you have violated one of the rules by asking me a question just now–again.’
‘I… …I…am…Sorry.’
‘That’s my good girl. Why are you crying, little girl?’
‘What… I can’t even cry? There is no rule against crying.’
‘I know. But, if you cry on the road, people are going to stare at us. I don’t want that. I want you to walk with me like you would with your friends. You can even hold my hand. I know a lot of funny stories. I just know that you would love hearing ‘em. Who knows you might even start laughing like me.’
‘Please tell me what did I do wrong, please,’ Irene said, now almost drowning in her tears.
‘Now, now, to be honest, I really don’t know. I just know that I am supposed to take you away,’ he said in a very calm voice.
‘Where?’
‘I can’t tell you that, sorry. But, I can tell you this, Irene, you are someone very special. I don’t know how to say this, but you are very, very important.’
‘How do you know that?’
‘Because they have sent ME to get you! That’s just my guess. You know I am not just some agent from the Galactic Intelligence —o, no, no, I am far more than that—I am someone very famous.’
‘Why are you telling me this?’
‘I don’t want you to get scared for no reason, dear. I like you. I have a daughter just like you—same age, she has blue eyes like you, and she is quite beautiful–just like you.’
‘You are lying. You don’t have a daughter. I know when someone lies. I can see it in their eyes.’
‘You are absolutely right; I don’t have any children. Heck, I am not even married.’
‘Can you at least tell me if my parents are going to come back to this house or not?’
‘I don’t think they are coming back.’
‘Then there’s no need to lock the house, right?’
‘I don’t think so.’
‘I don’t think I am going to come back to this house either,’ Irene said to herself.
‘There’s a high probability of that.’
‘Then there’s no point in waiting any more. I am ready, sir.’
‘Hold my hand, dear.’

Irene held his hand and got out into the street. And quite suddenly, out of nowhere, he started to tell a funny story. He was an exceptional story teller. There was no way Irene could keep her mind off the story: It was about a guy who suddenly starts to shrink one day. With each subsequent day, he became smaller and smaller. After a while, he became as small as an ant. Now, he not only looked as small as an ant, but he even started to think like an ant, everything in small portions, and anything big just flies over his head.

It was cold outside with a gentle breeze. Irene was wearing a heavy jacket and a red muffler. But, she still felt the cold. People were going back to their homes. You are not allowed to stay outside after eight, unless you had a pass from the Communion. But, nobody ever gets that pass. If you get sick at night, they would send a doctor to your house, no need to go to the hospital. But still, some people sometimes try to wander around at night. They never come back home. Who knows where they are now?

‘Are you cold, Irene?’
‘No, sir’
‘But you are shaking, dear.’
‘I am not cold.’
‘You haven’t asked me my name yet.’
‘I have no interest in knowing your name.’
‘You are so right. How old are you Irene?’
‘You are from the Galactic Intelligence agency; you should know everything about me.’
‘Right you are, dear! You will be eighteen on April 13th.’

Irene suddenly stopped walking and asked, ‘What else do you know about me?’
‘Your favorite colors are red and purple; you don’t have any friends; your favorite subject is world history; you have read a lot of books on the old world history; usually you are very polite, but you …..’

‘STOP! Just Stop!’

He started laughing again, as if something really funny had just happened. A security car stopped in front of them, but he didn’t stop laughing. Two officers in brown uniforms got down from the car. Both of them looked quite handsome in those uniforms.

‘May I see your evening passes?’
‘Now? Why? It’s not even eight yet. Let it be eight first, dear officers.’

The officers looked at each other. ‘Just show us your pass, sir.’

The guy from Galactic Intelligence showed something to the officers, and suddenly they got quite startled. One of them even started stuttering. ‘Sii…rr….tttell …us…where you ……waa..nt… to go. W..ee…will…take you …theee…..r.

‘No need for a ride, my friend. We are quite enjoying our walk.’
‘Should we escort you, sir?’
‘No, please, you are so kind, just leave us be.’

Irene saw the faces of the officers. They looked pale, as if they were seeing a ghost in front of them. The stuttering officer even took out a napkin from his pocket to wipe the sweat from his forehead.

They left the officers behind. After walking for a while, Irene looked back and saw the two officers still standing at the same spot. One of them took out a Walkie-talkie and said something into it–probably about them. On their way, they saw a few more security officers. None of them said anything to them. They just saluted the guy from Galactic Intelligence and stood by the side of the road. He was friendly to the security officers, asking them about their day.
‘Hey, what’s up, my man? Cold isn’t it? Boy this weather–tell me–so unpredictable, right?’
None of the security officers dared to say anything back. It was as if saying something back could mean a violation against the city rules.

‘Why are they acting like this?’
‘I told you, dear, I am someone really famous.’
‘Who are you?’
‘Just a moment ago, you told me that you have no interest in knowing my name. Didn’t you, dear?’
‘Yes, I did.’
‘And now you want to know my name?’
‘If it’s not too much trouble on your part,’ Irene said, taking her eyes off him.
‘Trouble or not, doesn’t really matter; what matters most is that do YOU want to know my name or not?’
‘Now I don’t want anymore.’
‘Orochi Leone, at your service.’

Irene instantly recognized that name. There were millions of reasons to know this name. But the most shocking reason was that this name belonged to the Chief of Galactic Intelligence.

Why would someone like him come to take me away? I am nobody, thought Irene.

‘Irene dear, do your legs hurt?’
‘No, sir, I am fine.’
‘You are cold, right?’
‘Yes sir.’
‘We are almost there. You will feel good on the train, I promise.’
‘I hope so.’
‘May I offer you another funny story?’
‘You may.’

They were right at the edge of the city. From here, Irene could see the flashing red lights of the station. Everything was so quiet. The fog had started falling down. Irene looked back and whispered to herself, ‘I am leaving, everyone. Goodbye!’