The Last Portrait

The story begins and ends at the outskirts of a small town Baripada, in northern Odisha. River Budhabalanga flows by the side of the town and spreads into a dense forest nearby. Ashok was a school teacher and staying with his family there. Often he goes on evening walk taking the road by the side of the river and crossing a wooden bridge that connects the forest other-side. He enjoys the natural scenery all around and strolls leisurely for an hour or two and returns home well before evening.

That was an evening never to forget, indeed something happened. The sun was shifting his position slowly below the horizon. He heard a sweet and charming voice coming out from the forest.

Hey..you are late today..

Ashok was surprised and tried to trace the origin of the voice and looked around. To his utter astonishment in the evening darkness that was about to descend, he noticed a beautiful figure at a distance, looking and smiling at him. He was enchanted and honestly admitted that he was indeed late by five minutes that day. But how she could possibly notice such a small deviation from the normal time of his visit. He greeted her without further mind-breaking.

So naturally they entered into a sweet conversation. She invited him to follow her home just nearby. As the evening was descending, Ashok was reluctant to proceed further into the dense forest. But he was just hypnotised and followed her. They together enjoyed their talk and laughed heartily as if they knew each other before. Somehow or other he was finding his way in the forest and following her slowly. After a short walk, the voice became low and the figure in front of him disappeared in darkness.

He found himself standing in front of an old abandoned building. He looked around to find her somewhere nearby, but he failed to trace a human being around. He was standing still when again a sweet voice entreated him to enter her home and greet her old father who is very much waiting for his arrival. Ashok was quite frightened, he didn’t know what to do, neither he could return from that place at that moment. He knocked at the door, and indeed an old man was standing in front of him with a smoky lantern in his hand. In dim-light Ashok could notice a small room with two chairs and a table in the middle of the room with some paintings scattered on the ground and one hanging from the wall.

The old man offered him a chair which Ashok took reluctantly. He decided to go to the end and reveal the mystery of the sweet voice that allured him to this strange place. All on a sudden the old man screamed and abused him calling him a traitor and threatened him for dire consequences for what he had done to her daughter. Ashok failed to understand the sudden change of mood of the old man. He stared at the wonderful painting fixed on the wall, it was rather a pathetic and frightening scene. To his utter surprise, his lady love with sweet voice was painted there in a quite disturbing pose. He failed to understand whether it was a painting or a reality.

The room resounded with a scream, “You scoundrel, that is what you have done to my daughter. You cheated her, left her pregnant before her marriage and that is the result of your treachery”. The beautiful lady hung herself to death from a tree, and that was the painting. Ashok failed to understand how he was responsible for such a miserable end of his daughter when he has never met his daughter before. The old man calmed down a little bit, lit a cigar, coughed and cleaned his throat and described a story.

Two years back, a gentleman came to my home to buy a painting. As I was a well known painter in the Raaj Darbaar, reputed for my wonderful romantic paintings. He used to come often and made friendship with my daughter and naturally I hoped for a happy ending of their affair by marriage between them but alas my hope was destined not to be fulfilled ever. The gentleman disappeared all on a sudden as he had appeared. We eagerly waited for his return, my daughter silently suffering as if hiding something from me. The secret unfolding itself by the hanging from a tree nearby.

The scene changed with reappearance of my lady love with a hot cup of tea in her hand, standing at the doorsteps and introducing herself.

Hi.. I am Nisa, hope you enjoyed chitchatting with my father. Indeed I was busy preparing a cup of tea for you and I am sorry I was bit late. Ashok looked at her thankfully when the sipped the hot cup of tea slowly-I am Ashok he told and thanked her for the tea which I badly needed at that time. The old man coughed again and again dragging my attention away from Nisa. He was confused about the old man’s story and the painting on the wall when actually Nisa was sitting by the side of her old father with the dimly-lit lantern emitting smoke all around.

Ashok thought that he should rather go back as it was already dark outside. He can again visit tomorrow to clear his doubts and confusion. Immediately he stood, thanked the old man and Nisa and was about to leave when the old man again coughed and screamed.

Hello Gentleman, you can’t leave my daughter like this. I will take revenge for what you have done, I would very much like to see in my eyes both of you leave this place gracefully as husband and wife. So that I can regain my prestige in society. Ashok tried hard to run away from the sight,but his legs too still and refused to move. Nisa stood up and told with sadness in her voice.

“Ashok babu..I am indeed ready to leave this place with you to fulfil the last wish of my father. He has given last touch to the painting. To my good luck, I also found you back. I am grateful to you that you still remember me and came back to my place. Let us move to our dream land of old romance, old days, old love in the morning and evening hours on the bank of river Budhabalanga which is the only mute witness to our romance and love.

All on a sudden a gust of cold wind from the outside put the lantern off and there was total darkness. My mind was whirling round and round The figures before me disappearing into the darkness and I feel like mesmerised to sleep, He didn’t remember what happened next as he became senseless and fell on the ground.

To his utter surprise, Ashok found himself standing on the old wooden bridge on the river with a stranger by his side holding him tight round his waist and supporting him to stand steadily. It was well beyond dusk and evening stars came out in full smiling and peeping around the sky. The soothing touch of cold wind from the river made him feel fresh, he thanked the stranger for his timely help and support. He kissed his hand, pressed his body and touched all around to check the stranger was indeed not an unearthly being like the old man or the beautiful lady that he had witnessed closely a short while ago.

“It is too late Sahib. This part is not safe for movement during late evening hours as there are wild animals in the forest and also it is believed that this area is hunted by ghosts, it is too late otherwise I would have told you an old story of a painter and his beautiful daughter prevalent in this area”, saying so the stranger disappeared into darkness. Ashok was shocked and surprised by the stranger’s words. His head was heavy and hanging like a pendulum, swinging and touching mortal world at one end and a dreamy ghostly world at the other, the beautiful lady and her father appearing and disappearing again and again in a never ending drama of life.