Krishnendu


I still remember the chilly dampness that had crept into the station that day. It was like the weather wanted to give that special scary effect to everything that had happened in the little village. My office was in a mess, as usual – only two things on my desk were where they were supposed to be; a cup of coffee that was growing steadily colder, and a name plate that identified who I was.

Detective Tarun Bhattacharjee

I like almost all the things that occupy my desk space. Almost all of them, with the exception of the case file that lay open in front of me that cold day. I had had a lot of experience in homicide, but never had I seen a case like this. The cold precision, and the unashamed open-and-shut nature of the case gave me the chills. It almost made the steady pour of hailstones outside feel warm. I wanted to linger on with the cup of coffee as long as I could. I wanted to delay the interrogation with Krishnendu for as long as possible.

I remembered the cold eyes of Krishnendu, as they had scanned my face from behind the matted hair. I wasn't too keen to meet those eyes in a hurry again.

Finally, the last drop of coffee was gone, and there were no more excuses for me to stay away from the interrogation room. I got up, stretched, and with a few slow steps, was standing in front of the metal door separating me from Krishnendu.

The door opened, and one more time, I saw those cold purposeful eyes of Krishnendu looking at me; almost as though he could see right through me. It was hard to believe that he was twenty six years old. There was something innocently curious and boyish about his face, almost as though everything that he had done, he did just to quench that curiosity.

"Good evening, Krishnendu," I said, as I entered the room. The eyes still followed me, from the door, to the table where he sat watching me.

"Good evening, Sir," he said with a hissing whisper, barely moving his lips. The chill from outside seemed to have found a place in that interrogation room, precisely at the moment he had opened his mouth. He noticed my reaction upon hearing his voice, and the edges of his lips twitched into a smile as he peered inquisitively into my face.

"Cold day this one. I wonder how long that hailstorm's going to last. I like hail, wish I could see it once," he added. "Do you think that's possible, Sir?" he asked me with a sneer.

I couldn't answer somehow. There was not much left for me to do in the interrogation room. He had confessed to everything that he had been accused of, and the preliminary interrogation had revealed that he wasn't lying. What left of me was to go into his mind, and figure out why he did whatever he did.

I took the seat that was waiting for me opposite to those cold cruel eyes; a misfit in that boyish face. The eyes stared at me, a sense of evil power resonating from them. I found that I couldn't look for too long into them.

"4th August, 2008. Interrogation of Krishnendu Saha, accused for 11 counts of murder. Round 2. Time, 7:42 PM. Presiding officer, Detective Tarun Bhattacharjee."

I paused for a moment, and chanced a look at Krishnendu. His stare had become fixed, but he wasn't looking at me anymore. He seemed to be able to see outside the room, right through the stone walls. I didn't mind really.

"Well, Krishnendu. You've pleaded guilty the murder of Shailendra Saha, and 10 other boys from the village. Is that correct?"

"Yes."

I looked up, searching for a slightest bit of remorse on his face. There was none. I continued with the interrogation.

"It was 1992 when Shailendra was killed, wasn't it?"

"Yes."

"That means you were ten at that time."

This time, there was a slight pause before he answered in the affirmative. Something moved in his voice though, something had changed. I wasn't in a position to let my emotions show however, so I asked what needed to be known. We knew the when and how. It's the why we were looking for. It's the why, for which I was sitting in this room.

"Why did you kill him, Krishnendu?" I asked, praying that my voice stayed calm.

Again, he didn't answer immediately. It was some time before he said, with a slightly warmer whisper, "He raped my little sister. She was six at that time; his only niece. When she squirmed, he choked her so she wouldn't make a sound. He didn't release her. By the end of it all, she was dead." Apart from that slightly warmer voice, there was no other display of emotion on his face. No tears stained his face, no lines of anger formed on his un-wrinkled, boyish face.

A few minutes of silence, I had to give him that. I knew this story, his lawyer had gotten it out of him too. However, I had to continue the questioning.

"That was in the year 1992. After that, you waited for 6 years before you committed another murder, is that correct?"

"Yes."

"Why did you commit that murder? I don't think there was any need of revenge this time."

No one had bothered to ask him this question. As long as he had pleaded guilty, who cares why he murdered all those people? I, however, couldn't stop myself from asking that question though.

The cold voice was back. "It's addictive."

I felt a cold sweat on the back of my neck. Suddenly, I wished I hadn't asked that question. However, I still had one more thing to ask him, but it wasn't easy anymore. He was looking right at me, with those eyes.

"Your father has been missing since 1993 Where is he, Krishnendu?"

~~~~~

The day was hot, sultry. All he wanted to do was just get a quick dip in the river, but he knew he had to sneak in there, so that he could avoid his father. He came to the river bank, clad only in his towel. Taking it off, he plunged into the cool water. How wonderful it felt, the river flowing slowly, talking to him. The river knew his secrets, almost all of them.

The buffalo was also in the river, but he didn't mind. He had given her a bath many a times, and she knew him quite well. He wasn't scared of her. In fact, he was one of the very few people in the world the buffalo adored. He could get her to come inside the house when no one else could, he could get her to stay in the shed on rainy days. He could get her to calm down on stormy nights. They were quite fond of each other actually.

He hadn't seen his father come from the other side though, but his father had seen his towel lying there on the ground. His father knew that he had sneaked out, and gone into the river, even after he had been explicitly told not to go there. Furious, his father pulled him out of the river.

He got a beating that day, right in front of his buffalo friend, and his river friend. They couldn't do anything about it, except watch him being beaten up. Finally, when his father was satisfied with the punishment he had handed out, he let Krishnendu go.

Krishnendu picked up the moist towel from the ground, and with a whisper said to the River and the Buffalo, "Don't worry about him. I'll be back tomorrow."

***

Image Courtesy egvvnd

44 comments :: Krishnendu

  1. Dark. Staines of childhood leave the permanent marks.
    I especially liked this line "He seemed to be able to see outside the room, right through the stone walls. I didn't mind really."

    You did very well to maintain the tension .

  2. hey hey is the story over!!! Is it a real one??? What happened next.....i feel sorry for him!!

  3. @ BrownPhantom... They really do.

    That line is one of my favourites as well. Why that is, I dunno...

    Thanks a lot man, cheers...

  4. @ Aruna... Yeah, the story's over. At least, as far as I could see it. I dunno what happened to him after this though.

    Also, I hope it's not a real one...

    Cheers...

  5. Is this complete? Ohh.. it is! I was waiting for what happened to the dad :-)

    Amazingly written.. I like that you didnt try to express it in a more detailed manner.. it was crisp and tight! just the way I like it :D

  6. Again, AWESOME narration. Loved it, yet again :)

  7. hmm..back to gripping.. in the beginning i thot it would be a thriller or something with a detective n stuff.. but it was too explaintory and full of emotions to be that..so i kept waiting for your twist..:)

    i loved it when he says "it's addictive" :) i mean sadism personified..but it has that effect..

    somehow the father's thing did not come out clear..he could just one of the crazy ones..who like beating thr children..but if in your writing there is a lot to be assumed..it leaves the reader slightly dissatisfied.. hope that makes sense..

    wonderful otherwise..:p i think im inspired yet again..lets c..:D

  8. Arnab,

    One of the best stories you have come up with. I cud feel the tension and the underlying sadness.

    Wow! Do you plan to find a publisher or you will wait more?

  9. mate... the first part was chilling... felt like i was in a room with hannibal... superb :)

    is the second part over? did he kill him too??

    awesome stuff as ever man... kewl :)

    take care... cheers...

  10. arnab- i have read a lot of amateur murder stories but this is by far the BEST! my palms were cold by the time i reached the end.
    i love the chilling note on which you ended it... very very delicious...
    i don't agree with one of the previous commentors that the reader is left dissatisfied because there is a lot to be assumed. the fact that there is a lot left to my imagination makes it INFINITELY more chilling.
    the river knew all his secrets. hmm... i wonder if thats where he chucked all the bodies...

    a bengali serial killer... the idea is wierd beyond all sense :D

  11. and btw, pls check out this very short story i wrote and tell me what you think...

    http://amritorupa.blogspot.com/2009/04/crab.html

  12. @ Netika... Thanks a lot. Seems a long time since I saw you around, how you been?

    Cheers...

  13. @ Niti... Well, it's good to be back to gripping :P About the father's thing, I've left that to the imagination of the reader... depends on them, how they want to see it. It did make sense though... :)

    Keep blogging, cheers...

  14. @ Arv... Glad to know that the chilling effect was felt by you. The tale lived up to it's expectations then...

    Second part... well, that's up to you to decide. The fact remains, that he has been missing, and that he told the river and the buffalo not to worry about his dad... beyond that, you decide!

    Cheers...

  15. @ Winnie the poohi... The story's over, but it's not finished. It's just that I don't know beyond what I've written here myself... :D

    Glad you enjoyed it. Cheers...

  16. @ Little Girl Lost... Thanks a lot. Welcome to Technicolor Collage...

    Good to see that you got the point I was trying to make when I left those assumptions to be made in that story. And yes, maybe the river does know all of his secrets....

    Keep blogging, and do go through the rest of the stories out here. Cheers...

  17. You are quite the raconteur, monsieur. 'nuff said. :)

    Trust your examinations went well.

    Peace.

  18. @ Kartz... Thanks. The exams were fine, they're over now... and I don't really wanna remember how they went :P

    Cheers man...

  19. Hey.. I've been doing fine. Have my exams going on, they finish on the 12th. So nothing much happening apart from Exams. I guess even you had your's.. How did they go? Anything else?

  20. I'm here !!

    Hmmm.....what do I even say that's not already been said here?

    Know what? For a change, I'll refrain to comment. :)

    Cheers ( and will always do, whenever the need arises) :)

    P.S. Aha!! You seem to be inspiring people too...my position is jeopardised!! ;)

  21. hey there! i liked d way u left some things to d reader's imagination. good one! n d best was "it's addictive".. hehe.. jus like ur posts i gues :p

  22. Arnab
    it wod be unfair for me to say that this is the beat..but i wud rather say.. agian abeautiful piece by u..
    u knw u always narrate beautifully..
    the way, the words..what ever u write tht become almost an example for me..

    tell me at what time i shld visit u for tution from u.. for writing

    Stupendously written....
    only one thing which i dint get is...the end..
    wht do meanhere..
    did he killed his father tooo... ??
    perhaps yes..

    anyways..
    nice writeup..
    Cheers :)
    Pallav

  23. @ Netika... Best of luck for your exams. I'm pretty sure there'd be lots of things happening once your exams get over... you'll see :D

    My exams... well, they're over, and that's all I care about right now! My internship's going on though, so I'm home for the next 2 months or so... happy about that :) Nice to see ya around... take care, cheers...

  24. @ bondgal... What kind of a comment was that? You don't refrain from commenting, and say that IN a comment! That... ends up making a confusing sentence!

    And don't worry about the inspiring bit. I'll tell you how it works - You inspire me, then I inspire someone else... it's a circle, see? :P hehe

    Cheers... and keep coming up with these wacky comments. Sometimes, they're needed in the world too :) Go figure...

  25. @ aastha... Thanks a lot. I dunno how addictive the stories are, but I'll believe you when you say that ;)

    Good to know you appreciate the bit about playing with the reader's imagination... fun, innit? hehe

    Cheers...

  26. @ Pallav... Thanks for the honest comment there man. I wouldn't want this one to be the best either :D

    I'm a writer man, not a teacher. I ain't got patience for that. I'd probably end up screaming my head off at any poor student I try teaching :P

    About the ending, I don't really know what happened there. I can guess though, just as you can.

    Hope that cleared things up a bit... cheers...

  27. That was a comment that comes about when yours truly is you-know-what and no that does not mean high! :P

    And hello! I just did! :P And I was under the impression that you are well aware of the camaraderie between confusion and me. :P

    Yes, I'm aware of the concept of the balance of the nature. ;)

    Cheers

  28. @ bondgal... Ah yes, of course your Crankiness! And I didn't misconstrue anything when you said that, don't worry :D Plus, I think I know you enough now to figure out the wonderful relationship you have with confusion... need I quote specific examples?? :P hehehe

    Nice to see you catching on with the concept of balance of nature... proud of you!

    Cheers... :D

  29. Hmmmm...Interesting....

    You are gettign tiem to write inbetween exams too..
    Pass hone ka irada hai ya nahi..?

    What should i say about the story man....

    I hate you so much sometimes... Iss tarah ke emotional dhakke dena bandh karo, varna hum ro padenge..:P

    Good one from you arnab............

    I wish to be like you sometime like you..:)

    Cheers...:)

  30. @ Mahesh... My exams got over last week. I've started with the internship now, probably that's why I've got relatively more time than before - the keyword here being "relatively" :D

    I don't really know why these stories come into my head, but somehow it feels, better out than in. Which is why, I get them out in this form. Don't worry, I'm hoping for a happier phase, with happier stories. Even I'm looking forward to it...

    Dude, I'm a very ordinary guy living a very ordinary life. Ask my friends, they'd tell you how uncool I am in real life :P

    Thanks for sticking by man, cheers...

  31. W-O! This was really well written. :)
    will watch your space!

  32. @ Serendipity... Glad you liked it. Welcome to Technicolor Collage, do browse through the older stuff.

    Cheers, and cya around...

  33. hey.. jus read this one. nicee i liked it. everythng else has alreday been said so ill jus say. very chilling. good flow. will be back to read more. so far it seems u lik to end stories whn d readers dont expect d end. nice. :)

    Cheers,
    Annie. :)

  34. @ Annie... Good to know that you liked this one. Thanks for dropping by, and commenting on this. Also, I like to keep that surprise element in the stories, and people somehow do enjoy it too... but then again, I don't want to keep writing in that specific pattern only, so I try to change it time to time...

    Do read the other stories, you might enjoy them too. Cheers...

  35. Detective Tarun! nice! \m/
    Reminded me of my Erle Stanley Gardner days.

    Have exams soon so will check out your earlier works later.

    Keep them coming! \m/

    Feel free to drop by my blog anytime!

  36. intriguing and intense mate :)

  37. @ dPhat... I haven't read any Erle Stanley Gardner, but now I'm intruiged. Wanted to get some books anyway, now I know which one to get... thanks man!

    Glad you enjoyed this one, and I'll see you after your exams get over. I'll drop by your blog in the meantime...

    Best of luck for the exams, cheers and seeya around...

  38. @ Sam... Thanks a lot man... cheers...

  39. i do things that make you jealous ??? Lol !!
    You're mad!
    Anyways, I'm glad you liked my post.
    Take Care :D (:

  40. @ Cursed... Yeah, I am jealous of your abilities at writing poems! I think I've told you that before, haven't I? :P

    Cheers, take care...

  41. Everyone is unique in their own way...

    I dint really mean to point at that side of yours, of which i have no idea...

    But i would lik you to know one thing...

    if someone is coming back to see what reply you gave means something to someone right?
    I dont really need to put more words on it...
    BTW i talked about your writing man..

    You simply rock with your writing..:)

    Cheers...

  42. @ Mahesh... What you said about being unique brought back a line I read/heard somewhere... 'Everyone is unique, just like everyone else.'

    And yes, I know how important you guys have become in my life now. I didn't really have anyone who would read the stuff that I used to write before I started putting them up on my little space out here, and seeing so many people coming here, again and again, really means quite a lot to me.

    About the writing, all I'd say is, don't follow anyone... follow your heart. Write whatever you want to, in whichever style that you want to. That is the only way you'll get the maximum fun out of writing... at least, that's what happened to me :)

    Cheers man...

  43. :)

    Hope it explains....

  44. @ Mahesh... You bet it does!! :)

    Cheers...