Since morning, Isha has been busy in household chores. And as usual, is wandering in her picturesque corridors of mind. Suddenly, she is interrupted by the loud sound of the phone ringing. “Who is calling on a landline in this age of mobile phones,” pondering this thought in her mind, she goes to the phone and picks up the receiver. A female voice echoes from somewhere, “Is Isha di (sister) speaking…?” and without waiting for her reply that voice keeps speaking on, “It is very important for you to come to the lab today at 3 o’clock in the afternoon.” Write down the address, ‘College Road, Home Science College’ and the phone gets disconnected abruptly.
''Who is she? How does she know me? What important work can I do for her? And look at the dare with how much familiarity she was taking my name.'' Many questions start rising in Isha's mind. She brushes all those questions aside and decides that she will go and see the situation. Who knows, there may be some old acquaintance whom she knows but can't remember.
At exactly 3 o'clock she was standing in front of the Home Science College gate. There, she asks the watchman for directions towards the lab and moves ahead. She is going straight and turn to the left…..hmm….. Now a big lab is visible.
“May be she has been called from here,” contemplating in her mind Isha enters the lab. She looks around and takes stock of the place. It is a big laboratory, big machines are installed here and there. As soon as she enters the lab, she gets a strange feeling. Isha experiences some coolness…… chilled sensation….. In this laboratory everything looks white. Three-four attendants are there, all are women, who look like nurses. Everyone is wearing white clothes. There are beds arranged in rows, covered with white sheets. Perhaps there is a doctor, sitting on the chair in front, whose back is towards her. She is also wearing a white saree. Overall, this place looks less like a lab and more like a hospital.
She is standing there surrounded in her doubts. Only then a woman, who must have been around 31-32 years old, came to her and said, “Come, Isha Di (sister), come, I was the one, who called you. Isha aghastly says, “Oh, okay, but who are you? I am not able to recognize you, what is my concern here? This place here looks like a hospital and I am fine. Why have you called me here? Tell me this.'' Skeptical, she asked several questions at once.
The woman says very calmly, “Di (sister), don’t worry, everything will be fine.” I just have to do your postmortem, that's why I have called you." Oh… a chilled current ran through Isha’s body. Frightened, she starts thinking, “What is this crazy woman saying? Postmortem is done only for dead people. Why is she saying this to me, is she joking or is she gone crazy?"
While she was thinking all this, a woman who looked like a doctor came up and went behind Neelima and made a big incision with a knife on her back. She was shocked, but what… she is not feeling any pain at all. Why?............She is standing still, not able to move, but her mind is racing fast, thoughts are coming to her mind. "Why isn't she feeling pain?" After all, in what dimension is she in?…………..Is she alive or dead?”
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