Chapter 1: The Diary on the Rooftop
On the broken rooftop of an old three-storey house in Shyambazar, Kolkata, Arif's life had come to a standstill.
His father had died six years ago. His mother even earlier. And his little sister Maya… last night, she took her final breath on a hospital bed.
In Arif's hands was an old leather-bound diary. His father's handwriting. Inside, a hand-drawn map — of a hidden river beneath the Ganges. He had called it "The Dark River." He wrote that it only reveals itself on a full-moon night, when the shadow of Kash flowers falls on the water.
Arif had laughed it off. Madness.
But that night, when sleep refused to come, he opened the diary again. And for the first time he saw it — a black, oil-slick shadow flowing beneath the Ganges surface. From that shadow came a song. Maya's song.
"Brother… I'm here."
Chapter 2: Four Strangers
Arif didn't want to go alone. But who could he ask?
First he found Riya.
A young woman diver who retrieved bodies from the Ganges for money. But really, she was searching for her father, who had disappeared into the river fifteen years earlier.
Second — Kalu Da.
Over fifty, one eye blind. He claimed he had once entered the Dark River and come out alive — but the light in his eye never returned.
Third — Tanmay.
A nineteen-year-old blind boy whose ears were so sharp he could hear the depth of water, the direction of current, even the flutter of a fish's fins.
Four people. One small dinghy. One ancient map. And one full-moon night.
Chapter 3: The Mouth of the River
Midnight.
The moment the Kash-flower shadows touched the water, a crack opened in the river — black like spilled ink.
They dove in.
At first everything seemed normal. But deeper down the water changed.
It was no longer ordinary water. It was thick like memory. The more fear you felt, the harder it pulled you. The more love you carried, the more viciously it tore you apart.
Chapter 4: First Sacrifice — Kalu Da
Kalu Da suddenly screamed.
"Ma! My Ma!"
His mother's face appeared in the water. Arms outstretched. Kalu Da lunged toward her.
The Dark River swallowed him whole. Only a black silhouette remained, fading slowly.
Chapter 5: Riya's Ashes
Riya saw her father.
Standing in the water, smiling, reaching out.
Tears streaming, she whispered, "Baba… I've come."
But when she grasped his hand — it crumbled into ash and drifted away.
Riya screamed. Her body melted into the water like wax.
Chapter 6: The Blind Boy's Words and the Heart's Final War
Now only two remained.
Arif and Tanmay.
The darkness around them was no longer just black — it was breathing. Each heartbeat echoed with the river's pulse.
Tanmay's hand gripped Arif's shoulder tightly. His voice was soft, almost a whisper.
"Da… if you cry now, the river wins. But if you can cry and still smile — then it loses."
Arif's throat was dry. Words wouldn't come. Closing his eyes only made Maya's face clearer.
Suddenly a faint light appeared in the water.
Maya.
This time she was the little Maya — four years old. The night their mother left forever. Maya had climbed into his lap and asked with tiny hands on his cheeks,
"Brother, where did Ma go?"
He had said, "Ma became a star. Look in the sky."
She smiled and said, "Then show me stars, brother."
That night he carried her to the rooftop and pointed at the sky until she fell asleep against his chest. He stayed awake all night so she wouldn't be afraid.
Now that little Maya stood in the water. Tears in her eyes.
"Brother… you promised to show me stars. But you left me in the dark. I'm scared. So scared."
Arif's chest was breaking. His hand reached out, trembling.
"Maya… I didn't leave you. I tried. Doctors, money, nights without sleep… but I failed. I couldn't save you. I couldn't be your brother."
The image came closer. She wore the tiny locket he had bought her with ten rupees.
"Then come with me. No pain here. No hospitals. No needles. Just you and me. Forever."
Arif took one step forward.
Tanmay shouted —
"Da! That's not Maya! That's your guilt! If you take that hand, you'll never forgive yourself. And if you never forgive yourself, you'll never love anyone again!"
Arif froze. His hand hung in mid-air.
Suddenly the image shifted. Now Maya was on the hospital bed. Final moments. Her hand in his. She whispered through cracked lips,
"Brother… let me go. I'm not waiting for you. I want you to live. To smile. To sing my song again."
A raw cry tore from Arif's throat.
"But how can I live without you? You were everything!"
The shadow-Maya smiled — a real smile this time.
"I'm inside you. In your song. In your memories. You don't have to hold me tight. Let me go… so you can love again."
Arif closed his eyes. His lips trembled. He began to sing — very softly, broken voice:
"The moon has risen in the sky…
My brother can't fall asleep…
Show him the stars…
So his heart may be at peace…"
Tanmay joined in. Two voices in the dark water.
The shadow trembled. Her tears dried. She whispered — no longer Maya's voice, but the cold, metallic voice of the river:
"You're letting go? You're forgetting?"
Arif didn't open his eyes. The song continued.
"I'm not forgetting. I'll never forget. But I won't hold you prisoner anymore. You'll live in my song. In my breath. But you can't drag me down."
The shadow screamed. The water cracked open. A shaft of light appeared in the distance — the surface, the morning sun on the Ganges.
Tanmay said, "Now swim, Da. Let's go home."
Arif opened his eyes. Tears on his cheeks, but peace in them.
"I let her go."
They held hands and swam toward the light.
Chapter 7: Surfacing and the Eternal Song
The moment their heads broke the surface, Arif felt the wind — the cool morning breeze of the Ganges brushing his wet face like a long-lost embrace. Dawn was spreading gold across the eastern sky. The river mirrored it like glass.
His body shook — not from cold, but from release.
Tanmay floated beside him, eyes closed, a quiet smile on his face.
"Da… I can hear everything again. Birds. Bells. Water. Your heartbeat. It's alive now. Not afraid."
Arif pulled Tanmay close. They clung to each other — exhausted, shivering, but fiercely alive.
"You saved me, brother. Kalu Da and Riya… they showed the way. But you held me here. Thank you."
Tanmay's lips trembled.
"I heard your song, Da. Maya's song. Now it's mine too."
They reached the dinghy. Arif's eyes fell on two small relics floating nearby: a piece of Kalu Da's walking-stick handle, and part of Riya's diving glove. He gathered them gently. His voice cracked.
"You both stayed behind for us. I'll remember you every morning. Every sunrise."
In his other hand — the soaked diary. He opened it to the last page. His father's words swam before his tear-filled eyes:
"He who can release returns. Because memories held too tight become heavy. Released, they become light — and stay with you forever."
Arif pressed the diary to his chest. Then slowly let it go into the water. It drifted, then sank. The river accepted it with a soft ripple.
"Father… Mother… Maya… rest now. I've released you. But you live inside me. In every breath. In every note I sing. I was never alone. I'll never be alone again."
Tanmay reached out and took his hand.
"Sing it now, Da. Right here. So they can hear."
Arif closed his eyes. His voice was hoarse, but steady.
"The moon has risen in the sky…
My little sister can't fall asleep…
Show her the stars…
So her heart may find peace…"
Tanmay joined, their two voices rising over the water. Kash flowers swayed in the breeze as if dancing to the melody. In the distance, someone on a boat waved — as if they too were listening.
Tears streamed down Arif's face, but he was smiling — a light, free smile.
"Maya… can you hear me? I'm singing. For you. For us."
They rowed to the shore. Kolkata was waking — horns, tea-sellers calling, laughter. Life beginning again.
This time, for Arif, it was a true beginning.
He placed a hand on Tanmay's shoulder.
"Let's go home. From today, every morning we'll sing. So they know — we're alive. And we're okay."
They walked into the narrow lanes.
Behind them, the Ganges. The sun fully risen. Kash flowers drifting like white whispers.
And the song continued — in Arif's heart, in Tanmay's ears, in the river's memory.
A song that would never stop.
Because it wasn't just a song.
It was love.
Forever.
The End
NITISH....🖋️