Translator Sayantan Sengupta, unmarried, middle-aged, had been staying at an old neighborhood in Kolkata. His lonely days had been passing by reading books and doing complicated linguistic researches. His mind was sharp and intelligent, but his lifestyle lacked in thrill. Nonetheless, it was peaceful. One day that peaceful life took a sudden incredible turn!
That morning, while going for his newspaper at the door, he received an anonymous package. There was no one outside and none of his neighbors in the building could say anything about a potential mailman or anything else regarding the package.
Sayantan came back to his apartment and curiously pulled out an old manuscript and a letter out of the package. The letter, with no name or any kind of signature, read the following:
“If you can solve the mystery inside this manuscript, you will come to know how to save anyone’s life.”
Sayantan readily thought it could be some kind of a joke! But his linguistic mind wanted to know more about the manuscript. Apparently it was written in a language that has been dead for centuries now. Sayantan had never before seen such a literature. He went on to investigate further – across the dictionaries and other books in his library and the internet.
After a few hours, he found out that it was an extremely old language from his motherland, India. Not many experts are aware of this language, he got to know from certain authentic sources. Anyway, he was able to discover the right disciplines of understanding the manuscript and went on with its uncovering.
In the process, every word of the script started revealing themselves in front of Sayantan. He got to know about a secret message in the form of an address of an aged building – that too, near his place. It was late by then, and he decided to visit the building the very next day.
Next morning, Sayantan went up to that address and found out that the two-storied building was almost destroyed. Looking around he saw nobody, but various bushes scattered here and there. Suddenly he heard a repeated sound of a knock – as if something or someone was hitting the ground or the walls inside the building, in intervals of seconds.
He was already regretting not bringing anyone else with him. But he went inside anyway, following the sound. It had stopped for a while as Sayantan was inside. Then again did the knocking start – this time Sayantan counted: one, two, three, four, five and it stopped again! He even followed the intervals between the knocks – it was about 4-5 seconds every time.
Sayantan moved hurriedly toward the apparent source of the sound, and discovered a few stairs down to an underground closet. It was almost like a room. On its walls was written a cryptic message in large Bengali fonts.
It took every ounce of wit for Sayantan to solve this new message, although the large Bengali fonts helped. The series of the knocking appeared again, and this time it was nearer to Sayantan. The message on the walls led him to a secret door inside the building, which – to his surprise and glee, he could open with ease!
Then he stepped into a weird room, where a young girl was kept captivated – her mouth, arms and legs tied with white clothes. Sayantan understood that she was the one making the knocking sound by banging her strapped legs to the floor!
He rushed to the aid of the girl. After being freed from the straps, she said her name is Aruna. She revealed that she has been kidnapped several days ago because she got to know about a priceless manuscript.
Her kidnappers were looking for this manuscript and had been trying to force Aruna to give up the information for the past one month. They abducted her and brought her here when she repeatedly did not comply and threatened them to go to the police.
While they were leaving the mysterious building, Sayantan understood that something more serious than just a manuscript is at play. It could be a big conspiracy, and he received Aruna’s help to proceed with. They went to the police station, where the lawkeepers immediately started investigation.
After a few days, the police finally got a tip where the gang was hiding. The police operation was successful; 12 crooks were caught, although their leader committed suicide just before being caught. The others were forced to assist the police, which was keenly followed by Sayantan and Aruna.
Certain responses from the criminals led Sayantan to notice something stunning in the end! He realized that the manuscript is really a complex code, which is a significant part of a dangerous plan. Sayantan and Aruna discussed this with the police, and the dangerous ploy came forward right away. It was about a political assassination that would have stormed the entire country!
Together with the police, the duo broke the code and destroyed the manuscript in a way that it could not be used by any other person again for any accomplishment. Several others linked to the ploy were caught right after. The police and the government congratulated Sayantan’s intelligence and Aruna’s bravery.
Then, what else! Aruna and Sayantan started growing a deep bond. Sayantan’s monotonous lifestyle was finally over, and was replaced by a new thrill to keep living. Sayantan realized that every moment of life keeps new mysteries that only wait to be uncovered.
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