Two months and six days back Amit regained consciousness in a hospital in Haridwar. He woke up with a sharp pain in his arm. When he opened his eyes he found himself in a hospital bed wearing a patient uniform and a nurse has just injected him with something. “So you have finally risen from your sleep?” Asked the nurse smilingly. “Where am I?” Asked Amit, his arm still given him minor pain. Suddenly he realized he was in a hospital which is not usual for him. He also realized that his whole body is feeling exhausted if not pained. “You are in a hospital in Haridwar.” Answer the nurse. “How did I arrive here?” Trying to sit on the bed. “You don’t remember?” Seeing his face she could tell he was sincere in his question. “You really do not remember?” Now it was the nurse’s turn to be astonished. “I do not remember.” After a brief moment he again asked “What is the date?” “19th March 2012.” Was the reply. “What?” Amit froze. His face became unrecognizable. The nurse thought he had a fit. She rushed out of the room to call the doctor on duty. She came in with the doctor where they found Amit out of his bed trying to go near the calendar which was hung at far side of the wall. “You can lie down on your bed young man.” Said an old but good natured doctor. And he put Amit on the bed with some resistance from the patient.
“I just anted to see the date” innocently said Amit. “I think I have told you today’s date Mr.” came the nurse’s reply “Is there a problem young man?” doctor asked suddenly troubled by a thought that the new comer may not be at best of his own faculties. “Yes doctor. The problem is that yesterday when I crossed Haridwar it was 3rd February and the nurse is telling that instead of 4th of February its 19th of March. I am at least happy that it is 2012 and not some other year in the future other wise I would have missed 21/12/2012 which I am curiously waiting to arrive.” Sincerely answered Amit “Well Mr. Amit Sharma it is 19th of March and the nurse here is correct in this regard.” Replied the doctor who was nearly 60 years old by his looks. “Can you please bring all the today’s news paper”? asked the doctor to the nurse. She promptly went out to bring the daily newspapers so that the new patient can be made to look at the reality.As the nurse went out the doctor had look at the eyes of Amit. “You don’t look like under influence of drugs”. “I don’t do drugs doctor” annoyingly said Amit. Suddenly he remembered something. “How did you know my name?” “It was mentioned in your driver’s license and your employee id card” said the doctor. “Oh” seeing his wallet on the table near the bed. The nurse came with assorted new papers of both Hindi and English editions. As Amit took them from her he was afraid to find the date as exactly told by the nurse. “But doctor it cannot be possible” suddenly his face turned to that of pure terror.The old doctor shook him by his shoulders gently and bring him to this present day. “Do you remember how you came here?” “He asked the same question to me doctor” said the nurse before Amit could reply. Doctor looked at the nurse and she finally spoke “You were admitted by some pilgrims who found you on the road to Haridwar” He remembered. He was running, running and shouting “No….No….” Some one was after him and he fell down loosing his consciousness. “Do you remember how you got there on the road?” asked the doctor softly. “Doctor I am not able to remember anything which happened to me the time I was in my car. My car! Where is it doctor? Have they also found my car?” asked Amit in a low but impatient voice. “I don’t think they told anything about any car, did they?” asked the doctor turning towards the nurse.
“No doctor, nothing about any car” was her reply. “But there ought to be the car by which I was going up in the mountains” said Amit nearly fighting off the fear which was engulfing him as he had started to feel that someone was after him. “Which car are you talking about?” asked the doctor who was getting nervous about this new patient. He feared he might have lost his memory and would become a burden upon the hospital to track his family. “I was in my car a Tata Safari, black” said Amit absent mindedly. His eyes were seeking something far far away. His mind was racing with the car. He was driving alone in his car. He had crossed Haridwar and was tracing the serpentine road up towards the mountains. He was feeling relaxed and his heart was warming up the vacation he wanted in the woods for so long and was now finally going to enjoy every minute in the solitude. Suddenly a bike coming from the opposite direction came in his view. “Oh God! What the hell?” He swerved to his left to avoid hitting the bike. Doctor was looking intently in his face when he saw the face of the nurse. It had started turning white. “What happened to you” asked the doctor to the nurse. “Have you seen a ghost”?“He is a ghost” She declared, almost shouting and horrified. “What?” Doctor and Amit asked at the same time both surprised. “Doctor he is a ghost” said the nurse now panicking. Her face turning to almost white with fear as if blood has been drained from her by some force. “I am no ghost” said Amit. His voice also showing signs of panic and looking at the doctor for reassurance. Doctor looked at the nurse and the Amit. He was sure about the ability of his nurse and he had seen at situations working tirelessly and fearlessly when even his capacity had sometimes failed him. He knew she was not someone to be frightened easily. Then why was she afraid and what was the reason?
“Doctor, have you forgotten the wrecked Tata Safari they fished out of the river sometimes back?” asked the nurse, her face still white with fear. Doctor tried hard to remember and then it flashed. Yes there was a wreck of a car fished out of the river sometimes back and it had really been astonishing as no body was ever found, not even after days of searching. And there had been people searching for the body who had come from distant place and the locals believed that they were the relatives of the person driving the car. They were very well connected as not only they brought their own men to search but the administration was also taking interest in the matter. The driver of the car, thought to be deceased at that time was the son of a well known political family of Varanasi and was working in a company which had offices all over the world. Due to these reasons there had been many theories circulated in the daily news papers local as well as national. People were putting forward different types of stories about the person. He was killed by rival family or by someone who wanted to settle score with his family. Or he committed suicide as he had an affair with such and such. Or the girl with whom he had an affair or her family members had him killed. All kind of nonsense people could think off in a small town was going rounds and had also found favors with the daily news papers as well as the news channels.
“Did you had an accident” asked the concerned doctor. He was sure that the person was very much alive even though he may be the same man who went missing and after few days everyone forgot about him except his family members who may be waiting in hope of his return. The news hounds got something better to talk about so they moved on or they themselves got bored about splitting every minute aspect of his life and trying to create a monster out of him as they had tried. Now the doctor clearly remembered the talk shows trying to make some sort of an introvert sociopath which he disgusted as during his long service in medical field he never came across a single man who can be dubbed as one. “It seems so doctor. But even then how can you explain me missing so many days of my life?” asked Amit with serious concern. Doctor himself was trying to resolve this mystery but he new he was not good at anything mysterious. He told the nurse to go and check the pulse and temperature of Amit. She reluctantly started to move in his direction very slowly and cautiously which seen by the doctor was asked to hurry up. His mind was trying to thing about someone who might help this miserable person now lying on the bed of the hospital where he worked.
“I don’t think he is a ghost nurse and even if he is one then also it is your duty to give him all the care you can give him.” Said the doctor very impatiently. Nurse looked at him not knowing whether he was joking or out of his mind as she was sure that he cannot be serious. The look on the face of the doctor made her hurry up things. She took the wrist of Amit in her hand and aga
inst her fears it felt very human to her touch. She was relieved but even then she had her apprehensions. His pulse was normal and the temperature was also normal. Nothing was looking out of context and this had her worried again as under such circumstances it would be normal to have high pulse rate!
“Do you remember anything about the mishap” asked the doctor again. “None” was the short reply by Amit. Then his eyes suddenly lit up. “My family does not know I am here. I want to call them. Where is my cell phone?” He looked around him in search of his cell phone which was not there. “You had just your wallet on you when you were brought here” said the nurse now feeling secure enough to give a faint smile to Amit.“Then it must be lost some how” said Amit trying to figure phone was stolen or it just went missing as the days from his live are missing. “May be when you had that accident it must have fell some where. Do you know the number where you want to call?” asked the doctor? “Yes. Do you think I would forget the phone numbers of my family members? Doctor I don’t know if you know me but I seldom forget numbers even though I may or may not remember the names or faces.” “Then you must be good at Mathematics?” said the doctor smilingly Good then most of them out there doctor as I did not became part of coaching brigade while I cleared IIT entrance.” Said Amit with pride in his eyes which doctor thought may be of a self centered egoist but he let this idea pass off quickly as the person sitting on the bed till now does not showed any hint of being a egoist and therefore he did not have to think like that off him. Doctor gave Amit his cell phone and asked to call his family and tell them he is safe and in a hospital in Haridwar.