Footsteps

Footsteps

Now days I don’t feel like getting up early in the morning.The going out every morning for my ritual of four and half kilometers of walk around the lake is becoming an ordeal but still my mind commands the body to get up. So the routine is getting up, freshening and do some yoga and free hand , then head for lake.

After my walk I would sit at a designated bench by the side of lake when Babulal my side kick will come and give update about his activities. I have already introduced Babulal to the readers but let me once again give a short introduction. He is a short frail guy who had been assistant to a street magician in Delhi and a chela of a sadhu.By virtue of those experiences he knows a few magic tricks and is a street smart young man. Now a day he hangs around all the places of worships and earns money from worshipers by selling miracle pens. His morning beat is Lake Kali temple and thus he waits for me for any assignment. I pay him 500 bucks a month as retainer.

While we were talking a middle aged gentleman whom I see often and have nodding acquaintance came and sat next to me. He was looking pretty worried.

I smiled at him and enquired,” Any problem? I am samaranand”.

‘I am Pratul Banerjee” he introduced and then he said, “I have this strange feeling that as though someone is following me.’

“You mean now while you are taking a round of the lake?’’

“There is lot of surrounding noise here and also lots of people are here so even if someone follows me I will not be able to hear or distinguish that footstep.” He said.

“When do you feel someone is following you?”

“After dinner around 10 i go out for smoke to the corner shop then I hear the footsteps. I have  turned around but could not see anyone? The road is practically deserted at that time of night.”

“why someone will follow you? Do you own some land or old house then probably real state goons will be after you.”’

“Yes I stay in ancestral house with my wife and I have let out the ground floor to a businessman.”

“Has he offered to purchase off the house or any of his relatives?”

“No nothing like that happened?’

“May be you are having some affair and your wife is getting you followed.” I said jokingly to cheer him up.

For the first time he laughed and said, ‘” At this age?”
"When did you first felt someone was following you?'
"About 4 months back, just after my accident which i think someone staged to harm me."
"What really happened?"
"I was going by rickshaw to the market, i got down near the market when a motorbike hit me from the side. I fell down and my head started bleeding. The guy on the motorbike sped away. I was in hospital for 2 days for the injury , nothing abnormal was found on scanning. I was released after stitching."
"Oh,i see ,that is serious!"
"Can you help me to catch the fellow whose footsteps i hear?"

“Look I am no private detective but I love solving problems so if you don’t mind you can give me your address and I will try to solve the mystery of footsteps.”

He gave his address which is in Ballygaunge Place and asked me about my charges.

I told him to allow me to solve the problem and then I will tell. I asked for one-week time. While we were talking Babulal was keenly listening and when Mr.Banerjee left then Babulal with a big smile said, “ Now I know I will get an assignment from you.’”

I laughed out loud at his enthusiasm and said “Yes!” gave the paper on which Mr.Banerjee wrote his  address and mobile number.

“You stakeout his house during late evening till he goes to sleep. Also follow him from his house to lake or wherever he goes.”

He gave me a mock salute and said ‘Yes sir, and I am going to start my shadowing job right now !” He got up and ran towards the direction where Mr.Banerjee was headed.

After that day everyday Babulal would give his report at the lake where i would be sitting on my favorite bench. He did the shadowing job of Mr.Banerjee for 4 days. His report was thorough. He was keeping note like keeping a diary with date, time and place. He had not noticed anyone following Mr.Banerjee. It made me think whether Mr.Banerjee was paranoid, I know the modern life is stressful some don’t get proper sleep and start imagining things. I also thought it could be a paranormal case.I have read many stories about haunted house and mysterious footsteps.In the meanwhile I got hold of a book titled “The man who thought his wife is a hat” and it triggered me to think in different direction,

I rang up Mr.Banerjee and fixed up appointment at the same bench at the lake. That bench had become my virtual office. Me and Baulal were waiting for him. He was looking haggard and dragged himself to the bench. He looked at me and asked, “Could you find anything?”

"Yes and No. We are certain that no one is following you. But this information does not solve your problem.

“But I hear the footsteps and also I hear strange sounds.”

“ I was about to ask you whether you think you hear some strange sound and now you confirmed that. Will you mind visiting someone with me at 11AM today?”

“I don’t mind if my problem can be resolved by that gentleman.”
We took leave. I went back home and quickly took bath and breakfast.

At 11 i picked up  Babulal from the lake and headed for Mr.Banerjee's house. We picked him up in our cab. I had fixed up appointment with a Neurologist with whom i used to play golf in Royal Calcutta Golf Club.

Dr.Rajiv Ghose was waiting for us in his chamber in Lake Terrace. I had briefed him already about the symptoms.After some small talk he invited Mr.Banerjee to the patient’s chair in front of his table.

“Do you hear your own heartbeats or creaking sound of bones?”

“Yes, sometimes my ear gets jarred by my own heartbeat which I thought was because of my palpitating nerves as I have high blood pressure.”

Dr.Ghose took out a tuning fork and asked Mr.Banerjee to take off his shoes.

Dr.Ghose bent down and hit the tuning fork on the floor and then held it near Mr.Banerjee’s ankle. We were surprised to see Mr.Banerjee holding his ears with both hands and shouting , “Please stop that noise!”

We were not hearing any noise from the vibration of the tuning fork.

Dr.Ghose informed Mr.Banerjee that he has superior canal dehiscence syndrome and which is very rare. Because of thinning of temporal bone near our ear our hearing sensitivity increases many folds.He further explained as he was holding the vibrating tuning fork near his ankle bone the sound was travelling through the bone structure to his temporal bone near ear, thus whenever he was walking in the night when there was no other sound then he was hearing his own footsteps. This disorder was the reason of his hearing heartbeats and even creaking sound of his joints.Most likely this had been caused during that accident when he got the head injury.

Because I read that book "The man who thought his wife is a hat "which gives case histories of various such disorders hence I had the hunch that Mr.Banerjee was having one such problem and so I consulted Dr.Ghose. Of course most of the people are not aware of this disorder and treat the person as though he is paranoid.In villages such people are taken to tantriks or Ojhas or Oculists. 

We came out of Dr.Ghose's chamber and went to the nearest CCD for coffee. Mr.Banerjee was looking relieved and insisted for paying my fees. I advised him to pay whatever amount he wants to Babulal as  finding solution is my hobby and i don't accept anything for my hobby. He paid 10,000 to Babulal. 

Babulal got up and bowed at us and muttered something like as though he had some urgent work and left.
I advised Mr.Banerjee to get in touch with some multispeciality hospital for treatment.