After being admitted to the university, Alik had an awkward habit of sleeping at noon. All their classes ended at half past one. There is a subsidiary class at three. One day a week. Sir of the subsidiary came one day but did not come for three days. There is no end to teaching, one day he started teaching again the next day. When someone asks a question, he says angrily, don't try to understand more. Try to understand as much as you can. No more, no less.
Alik's fascination with the university is gone. She dropped out of going to subsidiary class. Honors classes are not done at all. His idea is to sit at home without taking a class and he will come out with excellent results. However, some teachers do roll call. That's why they have to take classes. English literature classes are supposed to be very fun, but they are not. Most classes look like math classes. If he knew that literature would be so interesting, he would take economics or psychology.
Today is Wednesday BR's class. This class is fairly good. BR do not teach evil. I like to read Pride and Prejudice. Although the characters in the novel are angry.
Alik went to class. Class is not. A bomb exploded right in front of their classroom. Scattering broken pieces of glass on the floor. Shortly after the bombing, of course, all calm, but did not take the BR class. Annoyed, he said, what will happen after studying? Go home and sleep. Alik has obeyed Sir's words to the letter. Come home and sleep without eating anything. Handwritten outside the door. Please do not disturb the notice.
No one bothered him. Of course, there are no people in the house to bother. Baba will return from Banani at around 8 pm. Their house is being built in Banani. He is very busy with that. Everyone else in the house is scared of Alik. Although there is no reason to be afraid. Alik doesn't talk loudly to anyone.
He woke up in the afternoon. When he wakes up in the afternoon, he feels very restless. Who knows why. Then one very popular person wants to talk. The problem is that Alik does not have any loved ones. Sometimes, as soon as he wakes up, he picks up the telephone, closes his eyes and dials the number six. Most of the time there is no sound. Again occasionally rings. Then a thing of great excitement will happen to pick up the telephone? Catch a boy, or a girl? If he catches a boy, what kind of boy is he? Intelligent or idiot class? Anxious voice can be heard from the other side, who is saying hello? Hello. Alik puts down the telephone.
As soon as I woke up today, I stretched out my hand as usual and pulled the telephone receiver. He closed his eyes and dialed number six. No one is holding the ring. After ringing five times, Alik sighed and put down the telephone. He opened the door and asked Moyna's mother to give him some tea and some food.
Moyna's mother said in fear, who is coming to you. It's been a long time.
Not a boy
Girl? Girl.
Ever come to this house before?
No.
Then tell him to leave.
Her name is Veena, your friend.
Tell him to leave. I don't know anyone named Veena. What are the clothes on? Sari or shirt?
Sari.
What is the color of the sari?
Blue flowers in white.
Big flowers or small flowers?
Moina's mother sighed to herself. This mother is in great pain. The head hurts.
How does the girl look?
Beautiful.
More beautiful than me?
I don't know, Afa. Uni is also beautiful in you.
Alik came down. If the girl is beautiful then one can see. He said in his mind- I Loved a love once, fairest among women, closed her doors on me, I must not see her, this poem she memorized last week. She plans to memorize one poem each week. Swinburne's poem is to be memorized this week. Poems have not been selected yet.
Hey, are you a harpist?
Alik almost ran and hugged the harp. And not stopping there, he rolled the harp and fell on the sofa, yet did not leave. He said in a deep voice, where did you get my address?
Malby gave.
How much I thought about you. Believe it
The breath is coming off. Release the hand.
I will not leave. I loved a love once, I must not see her.
You're crazy, Alik.
Alik let go of his hand and said seriously, "There is news that Veena's mother has died."
What is he?
I was so happy, very happy.
Shut up
Honestly, harp. My mother's death was a joy for me.
Tears came to Alik's eyes as he spoke. Veena is looking at her girlfriend in surprise. What a beautiful alik. You can't take your eyes off it, it's so beautiful. Health has improved. The color of the skin has become brighter. The eyes are two deep black. Tears are streaming down his black eyes. Like a picture drawn with a brush.
Alik wiped his eyes with the hem of his sari and said in a very simple voice, I saw my mother working hard for eleven months. What an inhuman suffering he is — you can't believe it. It looks like a sack that encloses with a drawstring.
Shut up Don't want to hear.
No, you have to listen. Last commas mother just said, fall at your feet, you kill me. Please please.
I couldn't stand it. Understood, one day really poison for beating. Went to buy. A drug store in New Market. The shopkeeper thought I was probably crazy.
What happened to the aunt? No one knows if the skin was getting damaged. Doctors in Britain say it is a rare skin disease. Changing the whole skin of the skin and applying new skin will only be fine. I am very happy that you have come, Veena. No one to talk to me. Come to my house. Eat rice with me.
What to eat rice now? It's five o'clock.
I didn't eat lunch, I'm very hungry. Income harp, no do. If I say no, I will feel very bad. I might cry.
Veena came to inform Alik about her side, she didn't get any chance. Alik is constantly talking. He is saying between the words, the person who is talking is not a harp. This is why I am talking so much. Aren't you angry?
No, I'm not angry.
Well, your grandmother, are you alive now? I went to see that once. I touched my feet and saluted. You introduced me, Dili-Dadi, my girlfriend. And he said to me, I am a bastard.
Veena said in an unprepared voice, her head is not right.
That's why I like him so much. I'm not feeling well. Is he still alive?
Yes.
I knew he was alive. Crazy people are long-lived. I too will live a long time.
Alik really started laughing like crazy. Veena said, your character has not changed so much. I used to write poetry in English, do you still write?
Alik did not answer. She is pressing her lips and smiling. Surely thinking something.
This strange girl was admitted in the second year of harp college. A slender tall girl with glasses. It is as if he speaks in a hushed voice. He looks at her with fixed eyes while talking. Not once did he drop his eyelids. On the first day, his name became Sarparani. Because snakes do not shed eyelids - snakes do not have eyelids.
One day after a week, while eating tiffin at tiffin time, Alik came and appeared. Without blinking, he looked at her for a while and said, "I have taken you as my friend." Because you are the only one who did not call me a serpent and everyone said so.
Didn't understand what the harp would say. Alik sat next to him and said in a simple voice, now we have become friends. So I will tell you a secret of my life. And you will tell the secret of your life. All right?
Veena said in a hushed voice, "There is no secret in my life."
I have I'm telling you, if there's ever a secret in your life, how do you tell me? With this, Alik spoke about his life with great difficulty.
We have many bathrooms in our house. But there is only one bathtub in the bathroom. That bathroom is attached to everyone's room. I know what I do: I leave all my clothes in the summer and read a book lying in the bathtub. One day I suddenly felt as if someone was watching me. But there is no way to see. I can't see anything through the key hole but every day I think someone is looking at me. One day I realized he was really watching. He is looking at me through the hole that has been made above for electrical wiring. I could only see Lotar's eyes but I recognized him. People can be recognized by sight. The man is a distant relative of ours, about to become my mama, working in my father's factory.
What did you do, tell everyone?
No. One day I went to his house and told him that I did not know that Mama wanted to see me so much. I should have told. You try so hard. The human body is not something that will rot when anyone sees it. Then tell me if you ever want to see me. There is no need to suffer. That's why I left. Then he never peeked again. Isn't the story funny?
Veena thought to herself, the girl is insane. Maybe it's better not to get acquainted with such a girl. There is no question of friendship.
Yet friendship is. It would not feel good to have such a friendship without holding hands. The girl stayed in their college for four months and then suddenly came to class one day and said that her mother was ill. He is going to Britain with his mother. After that there is no more communication. Alik. No address left.
Veena had to eat rice with Alik at five in the afternoon. During the rainy season, the day is getting worse, clouds are gathering in the sky but Alik will not leave him. Veena said, Alik, I will come again, leave today. Will think at home.
Think about it. What's the problem? One day people do not die thinking.
You don't know about our house so you are saying this. Dad would have a heart attack if I didn't return before evening.
People do not have heart attacks so easily. Heart is a very hard thing. My mother died in front of my eyes, nothing happened to me. I have written some poems in English. I will listen to you.
The evening matched. The day is really bad, the clouds are thundering. Alik is holding him tightly. It means that it is not possible to break this barrier. Alik doesn't realize how horrible it is to be out of the harp until evening. That's why my father is in a bad mood. What is the problem in the office. Brother disappeared for seven days. No search results found. Dad doesn't sleep at night. Walked on the porch.
At seven o'clock in the evening, Veena said in a sobbing voice, "Alik, fall at your feet." Look, it's raining.
Will it not rain in the rainy season? How is it again? Listen to this poem, written on my last birthday. This is the sonnet. Elizabethian sonnet. Do you know what a sonnet is? There are fourteen lines. Match is abab, cdcd, efef, gg.
I got without the harp at eight o'clock at night. Alik said in an annoyed voice, why are you doing this? I think I will fall fit. Go home.
De brother with someone, get home.
I will not give it to anyone. You go alone. What a shame, such a big girl can't go home alone. It's a shame to think so. Which is shared.
Vina had to return home alone, trembling with fear due to the storm. Why did that go to Alik? None of the things he went to say were said. He could not even say the result. Now I have to return alone at noon. The road is dark. The attitude of the rickshaw puller is like that. Looking back again and again. No rickshaw puller looks like that. Once he stopped the rickshaw, he hit the harp. Why did you just stop the rickshaw? What does he want? What will the harp do now? Scream? No one can be seen on the street. Will anyone hear you screaming?
It was half past eight in the morning when I arrived. Veena is sitting in the rickshaw and crying desperately. The path does not seem to be over.
Mr. Mizan has been standing at the Kalyanpur bus stand since evening. A torch light in his hand. Despite holding an umbrella over his head, he became dizzy and had a fever. He looks like he's in a trance. When Veena called from the rickshaw with a trembling voice, my father was still speechless. Veena said, get up, father. He did not get up. Once he just dropped the torch and looked at the face of the harp. Then he turned off the torch and started coming behind the rickshaw.
It has been two hours since the harp came home. Mr. Mizan did not say a word in these two hours. He changed his clothes and ate and drank. He finished two cigarettes while sitting on the verandah. The weather in all the houses is thumping. Farida is next to her husband. Leena and Bablu are falling very high. Like all their senses in a reading book. Mr. Mizan did not finish the second cigarette, threw it in the rain and said in a cold voice, send the harp to my house.
Farida cried and said, the girl has grown up, don't beat her.
Do what I say.
Veena is standing in front of her father with her head bowed. Her face turned blue in panic. Mr. Mizan pushed his wife out of the house and closed the door. Mr. Mizan had no knowledge till some time later. When he regained consciousness, he saw the harp spread its arms and legs on the floor, its lips parted and blood gurgled. Farida is knocking hard on the door. Bablu and Leena are screaming and crying. At one point Mr. Mizan opened the door. There is no word in anyone's mouth, only Leena whispered and said, Apa is dead. And mother, sister is dead.
It's almost two o'clock at night. Everyone in the house is asleep. Mr. Mizan did not sleep. Sitting on the waterfront. Turn off the lights on the porch. Yet the porch was not completely dark. There is a moon in the sky. In its dim light everything fades into obscurity.
Mr. Mizan left the water station and stood up. As soon as she stood silently in front of the window of her house, the old woman said, what is Chazre Mizan?
Mr. Mizan said, is the harp sleeping?
He is sleeping. What did you do?
He did not answer. The old woman said, your head is bad. You take an amulet. See a doctor. I see signs of headaches in your stomach.
He remained silent. He wanted to enter the house. Dhaka is not possible. If you want to open the door, you have to wake up the harp. Not wanting to wake up the harp.
The old woman said, the door of income inside is open.
He stepped inside.
The old woman said, do one thing. I put my hand on the girl's head and thought to her. Excuse me, tea. If you don't apologize, you won't have peace of mind. And there is nothing wrong with that.
Mr. Mizan came forward and put his hand on the girl's back.
O Mizan.
What?
Marry the girl. The girl is suffering from him.
Mr. Mizan did not answer. Tears came to his eyes. She is feeling ashamed. The house would be dark or even more embarrassing.
What?