"Risha,stop! It...it tickles."
Laughter filled the room. Six years old Risha is playing with her mother. Maisha Alam, an ordinary homemaker invested all of her for her children. She tried her best to be an ideal mother. She was caring, loving, she was the was Risha looked up to.
She hugged her mother, pecked her cheek. She even poked her a few times. A typical mother-daughter time. It continued for some time till Maisha suddenly stopped.
"What's wrong, mum?"
"Nothing dear."
"Then let's play."
"But Risha dear, dead people cannot play."
Risha looked up in surprise and her kind mother was gone. With a cruel face, she said, "Just die,girl."
"No!"with a scream Risha woke up. She was sweating a lot. She was in a single bed, covered in blanket. Sliding it, she sat and looked around.
'Where is it? Why am I here? What happened? '
Risha tried to recall. She was at her house. She was somewhat paralysed. Maisha stabbed her and she called... Noah!
'Noah? Who is he? Why did I call his name? Was he the one it asked me to call? What was it?'
Too much was on her mind and the pain in her heart was suppressed. She recalled further.
There was an explosion. Someone came. Was that Noah? Risha didn't see him, she wasn't in a condition to do so. But she heard. He also had a deep voice, but it wasn't ragged. Rather it was enchanting. It was human.
He called her with genuine worry. Why was he worried? Did he save her? What happened afterwards?
Risha couldn't recall.Everything was hazy.
Suddenly she thought, 'I was beaten and stabbed, why don't I feel pain at all?'
She touched her throat to find it was intact. She is sure it was pierced but there wasn't any injury. Not just her throat, she couldn't find a single scar on her body. Even the scar in her wrist was gone. She had it since she was four.
'What's going on? Did I die?'
'But dead people don't wake up in a hotel room.'
'Oh it's a hotel room.'
'Why do you act like you don't know? You are me.'
'But we are two different self.'
'Then do you recall anything? '
'No, but we should find out.'
The monologue ended and Risha stood up. She had no energy on her legs but somehow managed to walk a few steps. She reached the big mirror and looked at her. She was wearing a white two piece and her long black hair was tied into a ponytail.
' Just as I thought, there is no injury, not a single one' Risha thought to herself.
"Hello Miss Haydar. Are you feeling alright? " Risha jumped surprisedly. A female voice, where was it coming from?
"Who are you?"
"I am the system that controls this hospital. Feel free to call me Rie. "
"Umm... hello Rie. May I ask where is this place? Is it in State X? "
"No dear. We don't have a state. "
"Then where is it?"
"We can't tell you that. You may ask your host."
"Host, who is..."
"You are still weak, dear. Take a rest. "
And then the connection was cut.
'Host? Who is that?'
"She was talking about me."
"You, who are you? Don't talk like ghost. "
Risha snapped out.The sudden appearances almost gave her a heart attack.
"I am extremely sorry. But I can't show up in front of you. I do not have a physical body not yet. You may speak to me through mind link, just as I am doing. "
"She said you are my host. Who are you? "
"I go by the name Noah. There are'nt much about me and there are a lot I cannot tell you."
"Woah! What a magnificent introduction. I am impressed " Risha criticized.
"I'm extremely sorry to trouble you. But I need your help."
"Oh, why should I do that?"
"Cause you need it too, my help. Don't you want to fix everything, to have your family back?"
'What did he say? Did he mean... '
Excitement coursed through her body,she sat in the floor.
"You mean you can do that, how? "
"This place here is called 'the void'. Here time stands absolutely still. From here you can easily go back in time to stop them. You need my help for that of course. "
"And what you want in return?" Risha said. She knows nothing comes for free.
"You are a smart one. Very well, I do have something I want. And I'll get that. All you need to do is to cooperate with me and in return you shall have your family back."
Risha fell into a deep thought. What should she do?
'Maybe I should agree?'
'Do you trust him?Do you really think he can do that?'
'His words have hope. What if he is really capable? '
'And what if he isn't? What if he's lying? We don't know him. He can be an enemy?'
'Or a friend? Not like he is doing it for free.'
'But...'
'We don't have any other way,do we?'
"Yeah, you're right. ", Risha mumbled.
She stood up and went back to bed.
"So you made it decision?"
"When shall we start? "
Risha made up her mind. Good or bad,he was the only way to go after all.
"we should start in a bit. Now your food will be given. Soo finish it, for you need stamina. "
After couple of minutes, a bowl of soup was given. Risha rolled her eyes.
' Is this thing edible? '
There was no reply to her mental protest. She waited a bit hoping Noah to say something but he didn't talk. Groaning unhappily, she started eating. She didn't know that someone was watching over her and smiling. He was enjoying a lot.
'Stupid little girl!' He mumbled.
Right after eating, Risha felt so sleepy.
'Hey host, did you seriously put sleeping pill on my food? Seriously! '
Soon after that Risha felt asleep. And then a black shadow appeared in the room and took her. He commanded something in a stern voice," Let's go."
Risha along with the shadow disappeared and soon the room was dissolved into nothing like it never exist in the first place. Ir
It turned back into what it was. The being of nothing, 'the void'.