HAUNTING DOPPELGANGER - Part 1

I woke up with a jolt and realized that I was crying. A shiver went down my spine when I recollected the reason. It was a dream, and I saw myself bleeding to death. People were gathering all around me, somebody slapped me, may be to keep me from going unconscious. That’s when I opened my eyes.
It was only 2 A.M, I tried to go back to sleep, after lots of tossing and turning I slipped in to a deep sleep.
Morning was as usual…started my day with a hot cup of coffee and newspaper in hand. Mom was complaining about maid taking leave again. I wanted to tell Mom about my dream, but shut my mouth; I knew her reaction “yeah…keep on watching Ghost Busters and Ghost hunters in TV till late night”. I got ready for another hectic Monday and started towards college. I walked towards my bike and started driving. I got a strange feeling, that somebody was giving me company, I felt eyes on my back and glanced at rear view mirror…there was nobody in sight. I stopped my bike near the stationery store to buy something, and started speaking to the store owner. It was just a small shop, on the road, no steps, no elevation nothing to separate it from the road.
Suddenly I heard loud screeches and a car was zooming right towards me, seeing the drivers shocked expression, I was sure that the next time I open my eyes I will be in Hospital bed , if lucky. I was paralyzed with shock, I couldn’t move, is my dream going to come true? Will I bleed to death now? The shopkeeper pulled me aside at the right moment, and the car crashed in to the shop. I turned around to thank him, but he was not there. He was in his shop and had moved back to the wall to step out of the way from the zooming car. Oh!! Then who had pulled me…I couldn’t see anybody else nearby. I felt a tingling sensation on my hand, as if it was just plunged in to a bucket full of ice. People started gathering around us….just like in my dream.

I couldn’t bear the anxiety and fear in the air. I slowly snaked away from the crowd…started my bike and reached college without any further ado. College was filled with the usual crowd and I tried to bury my morning adventure in my mind. After the first few classes, we had electrical machines lab. Feeling tired and fatigued due to improper sleep and my undue adventure, I decided to skip the lab. I told my friends that I would be joining in few minutes and urged them to move on. Later I started taking a nap on the table. I realized somebody nudging me and woke up,
“How did you reach before us? Anyways, give me your lab readings; I need to make a copy of them”
That was Sri, My best friend and my lab mate. I stared at her not grasping what she was blabbering. She picked up my book which was on table and started grumbling
“God know what has happened to you. Staring at me like I have grown horns. Behaved the same way in lab. You did not utter one word for the entire 2 hours. Are you alright?”
I was dumbfounded. She was diligently copying something from my book. I snatched it and saw that, there were readings on today’s date, today’s experiment. I looked at her in the eye and “Now enough Sri, Stop your pranks and thanks for completing my readings also”. She stared at me for a moment and said “Look mani, just because you have got the most accurate readings, just because the instructor praised you doesn’t mean that you have to turn so arrogant. I am taking your book, come back and speak to me when you are sane again”
I thought she was stretching her prank a bit too much and went to canteen for a hot cup of coffee. It will cheer me up at least. The coffee was hot and strong; I was enjoying my coffee and saw Nitya coming towards me, Damn… I forgot to meet her for lunch….she is going to argue with me now.
Nitya sat with me, ordered a coffee for herself and started speaking about a movie she saw yesterday. I opened my mouth to apologize when she said “need to go now Mani, catch you tomorrow and yeah thanks for the lunch treat” .My heart skipped a beat. Oh no….not again. “Nitya, about the lunch…I am sorry I couldn’t ….”
“SORRY!! For what!! That was the most wonderful lunch I ever had, and that restaurant was sooooo good”
Now this was the limit, she need not be so sarcastic for that, we could go for lunch another day
“Nitya, Stop being rude, I will definitely take you out for lunch tomorrow”
“Rude!! Me!! I am so happy….oh yes I don’t mind if you want to treat me to lunch tomorrow also, let’s try a different restaurant”, she went away, seeming genuinely happy.
I am going home, enough of these ridiculous people today. Finally …sweet home…abode of peace….oh...Why is mom crying…?
“Mom, what’s the matter, why are you crying?”
“Mani, I have to tell you something….. Be brave dear…..I have a secret from you…You…You have a twin, we gave her away for adoption to my best friend….you see she was childless…and…and…she died yesterday. Oh Mani…. Your sister died yesterday….”
I was dumbstruck. I was sad for never knowing I had a sister, hurt for losing her and then I was afraid…..My dream….was it about her…..and my friends….were they serious?
I tried not to scream and ran in to my room…….And then I knew it….Don’t ask me how…I just knew it…I took out my book and tried to see if it was my handwriting…it was…but there was a slight difference, the calculations were done on left side …few letters were slanting towards left….
I went down and asked my Mom “Mom, Is there any physical difference between me and her”
She told me with a tear stained face “I saw her only in photos, both of you look exactly same, but my friend mentioned that she is a leftie… and you are a right handed person …I guess that is the only difference”
At that moment I knew……this is not going to stop here….there is more to come…..


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