তুলট | Rupa Khandakar | Activity

Irene by Humayun Ahmed Translated by Rupa Khandakar CHAPTER 2 More Strangers! The train was really fast, running almost at a 100 km per hour. Irene was sitting next to a window that prevented ultraviolet rays from coming into the train. Everything outside was pitch black. ‘Is this your first time on a train?’ Orochi Leone asked. ‘Yes. I am resident of City-01. We are not so lucky enough to have the luxury of train rides.’ ‘O yeah, that’s right. So, how do you feel?’ ‘It’s okay.’ ‘You won’t see anything through the window. Tonight it’s new-moon. Although, even if there were a moon out in the sky, you wouldn’t be able to see anything interesting, because we are going through a ruined, desolated city. It’s not very pretty to look at. Thank God, it’s night time, right? ‘Could you please stop taking? I don’t want to hear anything from you, right now.’ ‘Shall I bring some food?’ ‘No, thank you.’ ‘You should eat something.’ ‘I am not hungry.’ ‘Well, I am hungry. I am going to the food carriage. If you change your mind, you know where to find me. Just follow the corridor; the last carriage has the food. They have robot attendants who can prepare a meal for you.’ Irene didn’t even bother to look at him when he left. There was a screen in front of Irene. It was broadcasting a program about the Great Devastation. Irene used to love this kind of program, but now she just wanted to shut it down. But, she didn’t know how to shut down the screen. So, she was stuck with. She knew everything about the Great Devastation though. She had read it in her history classes. The guy on the screen was explaining everything as if it had just happened in front his very eyes. ‘Dear Friends, those of you who are currently traveling on this lightning speed train, I should remind you that, 400 years ago, this very place, which you are traveling through right now, was the heart of a glorious civilization. Back then, this place was called Asia Minor. ‘But, about 400 years ago from now, around the year 2097, a Great Disaster struck the earth. It was the start of a series of devastating nuclear explosions and the end of human civilization. Before the Great Devastation, everyone had speculated that something like this would happen sooner or later. But, no one could have ever imagined the way it actually happened. No dear friends, if you are thinking it was a nuclear war, it wasn’t. For an unknown reason, all the stored nuclear bombs around the world started to detonate one after another, destroying the million-year-old human civilization under just eleven minutes. We call it the Great Devastation. ‘After the Great Devastation, no sunlight could enter the earth’s atmosphere for over a hundred years. We call it the Dark Ages. A great number of plants and animals that depended on plants died during that time. We know very little of this time period. We just know that a small number resilient people survived through this time. They gave rebirth to human civilization, creating the three-layered social structure: City-01, City-02, City-03, which has ensured the survival of the human race. ‘Now, as for the causes of the Great Devastation, there are many theories, and none of them have been proven. Some say the explosions happened due to cosmic radiation; some say …….. ‘ The screen suddenly went black. And, Orochi Leone was on it with his smiling face. ‘Irene! Are you there?’ ‘Yes!’ ‘I don’t like eating alone. Why don’t you come and join me?’ ‘I told you I am not hungry.’ ‘You don’t have to eat. Just sit with me. I have something important to tell you.’ ‘I am all ears.’ ‘I want to tell you in person, you know, face to face. It has something to do with where you are heading.’ ‘I have asked you many times before, and you refused every time. Why now?’ ‘Well, back then it wasn’t a good time. Everything has an opportune moment. Please don’t make me wait, dear.’ The guy who was talking about the Great Devastation came back to the screen. He was drawing something on a board and using his monotonic voice to explain something, ‘The cosmic ray comes to the world through the Ozone layer. Ozone, or trioxygen, is an inorganic molecule with the chemical formula O3. As the figure on my left shows, each ozone molecule has three oxygen atoms joined together…..’ Irene was already tired of the program, so she got up and headed to the food carriage. The attendant robot standing at the corridor saw her and said, ‘Hello Irene, how can I help you?’ Irene wasn’t surprised to hear the attendant robot at all, because she had seen the robot assisting other passengers on the train. ‘I am just going to get some food,’ said Irene. ‘May I escort you?’ ‘There’s no need for that.’ ‘Have you been enjoying your train journey so far?’ ‘No, I haven’t.’ ‘I am sorry to hear that. Is there anything I can do to make it more enjoyable for you?’ ‘No,’ Irene said and started walking again. The robot was walking right behind her. Irene was feeling a tad bit uncomfortable. She was not used to hearing robots talk like humans. ‘Irene, are you from City-01? ‘Yes, I am.’ ‘Congratulations. You have become a resident of City-02 at a very young age.’ ‘Thank you. But, why are you following me?’ ‘I just want to say something to you. I believe it would make you happy.’ ‘What is it?’ ‘You are very pretty, Irene.’ ‘Thank you,’ Irene said in a calm voice. ‘I have written a poem for you. I would really appreciate if you accept it.’ ‘Umm… okay…let me see.’ The robot handed a piece of paper to Irene and got back to the corridor. The robot even seemed like it was a bit embarrassed after handing over the poem. Irene looked down at the piece of paper: (this is the original version) I don’t know if my heart desires love or not. But, I have tried my best to separate lust from guilt. And, have tried to love you always. (this is just from the web) Our love is old and sure, not new and frantic. You know I’m yours and I know you are mine. And saying that has made me feel romantic. My dearest love, my darling valentine. Irene smiled. She was suddenly feeling good. She even felt a bit hungry. May be I could eat something, thought Irene. Irene was eating silently. Orochi Leone had a mischievous smile on his face. He had a strong drink in his hand. The drink was specially made to make you relax. ‘Irene, dear?’ ‘Yes.’ ‘How is the food?’ ‘Okay.’ ‘You look a bit happier now. Did something happen?’ ‘Nothing happened.’ ‘Everything happens for a reason, Irene. I think that attendant robot has something to do with it. His job is to make the passengers feel comfortable, and it uses different methods for different people. What was it for you—a song or a poem?’ Irene didn’t answer him. ‘You wanted to say something important about my destination?’ ‘Finish your food, first.’ ‘I want to hear now.’ ‘We are going to the Forbidden City.’ After hearing the words ‘Forbidden City’, Irene felt a bolt of lightning had just passed through her. She thought she had heard it wrong. She was staring at Orochi Leone, dumbfounded. ‘Yes, you are going to the Forbidden City. I will go with you until we reach City-03; after that, a self-driven plane would take you to the Forbidden City; and even though I would love to see the Forbidden City, I can’t go with you because I do not have a permit to enter it. Can you understand how lucky you are, Irene?’ ‘No, I…I don’t understand.’ ‘In the last two hundred years, only 12 people were lucky enough to enter the Forbidden City.’ ‘And none of them came back; so I don’t know if I am lucky or doomed.’ ‘Think about it: the people who survived the Great Devastation, the people who gave rebirth to human civilization, would be in front of your very eyes. Who knows, you might even be able to speak to some of them. Isn’t that lucky enough?’ ‘Why me?’ ‘That, I don’t know. They must have a reason. The people who live in the Forbidden City know about each and every single human being living on this planet. They must have seen something in you.’ ‘Trust me, I am not special.’ Irene said, taking her eyes off Orochi Leone’s. ‘Anyway, do you want a drink?’ ‘No, I am fine.’ ‘I can feed you more information to make you feel more confident.’ ‘Sure, if you can manage.’ ‘You are not the only one going to the Forbidden City this time. There is one more, and that person is one this very train right now. Interested?’ ‘Yes, yes, of course.’ ‘Compartment no: 6. You can go by yourself.’ ‘Aren’t you going to introduce us?’ ‘No! Help yourself out, dear.’ Irene stood up to leave. ‘I think I deserve a little thank you?’ Orochi Leone said, smiling that mischievous smile again. Irene looked back and said, ‘Thank you, Mr. Orochi Leone, Sir.’ ‘I can give you one more piece of information that would really make you happy.’ Irene came back and sat down again. ‘Your parents are doing fine. They have been accepted to enter City-02. If you don’t believe me, you can call them. Use the train’s phone line,’ Orochi Leone said, intentionally sipping his drink in between each sentence. Irene was staring right at him but couldn’t say anything. Orochi Leone took his eyes off his drink and said, ‘Are you happy, dear?’ ‘Yes, yes, I am. Why didn’t you tell me this before?’ ‘I wanted you to get really scared and confused at first. I wanted you to suffer.’ ‘For what?’ ‘I had my reasons: you got worried for you and your parents at first and that made you sad, but now you are not worried anymore, resulting in the happiness which you are feeling right now. You might even be feeling a bit of gratitude toward me, making you vulnerable to the request I am about to make you.’ ‘Request?’ ‘Irene, I want to know what’s inside the Forbidden City. If there’s any way you can contact me from there, I want you to do it.’ ‘Why do you want to know?’ ‘Curiosity! Nothing but pure curiosity. Let’s go and talk to your parents.’ The phone line was surprisingly clear. Irene was able to get hold of her dad. He was calm and happy this time. ‘Irene, you won’t believe what has happened--you just won’t, dear. Your mom and I both got accepted to enter City-02. We have received all the paper works,’ Irene’s dad said, his voice sparkling with happiness. ‘Very nice, dad. I am….’ Irene couldn’t finish her sentence. ‘Your mom couldn’t believe it. She has been crying ever since they gave us the acceptance letter.’ ‘Yeah, that’s typical of mom.’ ‘We are throwing a party tomorrow. Everyone’s coming. They gave us 50 points to celebrate.’ ‘O Wow.’ ‘We are decorating the house tonight. We won’t sleep.’ ‘Don’t you want to know how I am doing or where I am going?’ Irene finally said, her voice sounded sad. ‘O yes, they told us everything?’ ‘What did they say?’ ‘You have been selected for a very special project, because you are so special, my little darling. They said after the project, they will bring you right back to us. You can live with us just like before.’ Irene sighed. ‘Dad, I will talk to you later, okay?’ ‘Wait, wait, here, talk to your mom for a bit.’ ‘No, not now. Let her cry now. Please take care of yourselves. Good night.’ Irene hung up the phone. She wanted to get angry at her dad but she couldn’t. It is a big deal to get promoted from City-01 to City-02. Every citizen has to go through three layers of citizenship throughout his of her life. If you are in City-01, you have to work from eight to five every day; you are allowed a forty minute lunch break. Food is rationed out as per each citizen’s need. Every weekend all the citizens of City-01 are required to get their ration for the whole week. There are no other places to get food. Everyone eats like misers in City-01, saving every bits and pieces whenever possible, wasting nothing. And then, there are tons of rules to abide by. If you break even the simplest one, you get a red mark on your citizenship card. If you get 15 red marks, you will never be allowed to enter City-02. Everyone tries their best to keep their cards clean, but it’s really difficult. If you are lucky enough to keep your card mark free until the age of thirty, you are allowed to enter city-02. City-02 has no rationing system for food. You can eat as much as you want, even waste a bit if you don’t’ like the food. There are also markets where you can buy food. Work is only six hours a day. No hard fast rules to abide by. If you commit a serious crime, they would just charge you for it. The citizens of City-02 get one month of vacation time per year. During that time, they are given a travel pass, which allows them to travel anywhere for free. And, they also have plenty of festivals throughout the year. Everyone leads a relaxed life, ration, no tension, no worries. The citizens of City-02 eventually forget what sadness or worry used to feel like. They only dream of getting their acceptance letters to enter City-03. If you can stay in City-02 for twenty years, you are qualified to apply for the citizenship of City-03. But, not everyone can go. There’s a yearly lottery, which decides who gets to go and who stays back for another year. They day of the lottery is the most exciting day of the year. The family that gets selected becomes the center of attention. People party around them all night after the winning announcement. Some people whose names didn’t come up feel a bit sad but they join in the party eventually. They restore their hopes for next year. Nobody really knows about the systems or rules of City-03. People only know that City-03 is like heaven: no work, no rules, only boundless freedom. Everyone hopes to see City-03 at least once in their lifetime before dying. Irene was standing in front of compartment no: 6. There was a calling bell, but Irene decided to knock. ‘Who is it?’ said someone with a childish voice. ‘My name is Irene. May I speak to you?’ ‘Sorry I can’t, now. It’s bedtime.’ ‘Could you please open the door. It’s urgent.’ A very skinny guy with thick glasses opened the door and said in an annoyed voice, ‘What the f*** do you want?’ Without answering, Irene shoved him to the side and got inside the compartment. The skinny guy was looking at her face with a strange fascination. The train picked up its speed again. A mild whistling sound of the wind was coming from somewhere. It felt like the train would crash anytime. ‘May I sit?’ Irene asked.

Mon, 04 Oct 2021 10:39:53 +0600

Irene by Humayun Ahmed
Translated by Rupa Khandakar

CHAPTER 2
More Strangers!

The train was really fast, running almost at a 100 km per hour. Irene was sitting next to a window that prevented ultraviolet rays from coming into the train. Everything outside was pitch black.

‘Is this your first time on a train?’ Orochi Leone ask…Read More

Mon, 04 Oct 2021 10:35:35 +0600

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!’

Wed, 29 Sep 2021 13:38:14 +0600

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…Read More