Ishan, the wealthiest man in the village, was sitting outside his house in the morning, sipping tea while reading the newspaper. A short while later, his son, Ivan, returned home from tuition on his bike. When Ivan took off his helmet, Ishan was gripped by a deep, internal terror. The boy standing before him looked exactly like the young man he had killed ten years ago.
At first, Ishan thought it might be a misunderstanding or an optical illusion. He rubbed his eyes and looked again, but it was no mistake. Ivan walked past him and went inside the house. Ishan wanted to say something, but not a single word could escape his lips; it was as if his blood had frozen.
After a few moments, he composed himself and thought of his friends, Vikas and Arya. On the night they had killed that boy, Vikas and Arya were with him. Aside from the three of them, no one in the world knew this secret. Ishan's phone was on the bed. He immediately rushed inside and placed a conference call to both of them.
The panic in Ishan's voice was evident. He told them everything—that the boy they killed 10 years ago now looks exactly like his son. He had only noticed the uncanny resemblance today. Hearing this, Vikas didn't believe him and said, "Ishan, have you gone mad? When you killed that boy 10 years ago, Ivan was already 8 years old. How could that dead boy return as your son?"
Suddenly, Arya interrupted Vikas and asked Ishan to show them Ivan on a video call. Ishan immediately switched to video and walked toward Ivan's room. The door was half-open. Ivan was lying on the bed, using his phone. As soon as Vikas saw Ivan's face, a terrifying scream escaped his mouth. Hearing that sound, Ishan's fear grew even more.
Ivan looked at Ishan in surprise and asked, "Oh dad, what was that noise?" Ishan handled the situation by lying, "Nothing, son, it's just Vikas and Arya Uncle." Ishan turned the phone toward Ivan. Vikas asked tremulously, "How are you, Ivan? You've grown up so much." Ivan replied, "I'm fine, Uncle. How are you?" Then, in a state of nervousness, Vikas asked, "What do you eat? I mean, are you a vegetarian or a non-vegetarian?" Ivan smiled and replied, "I eat both, Uncle."
Hearing Ivan's answer, Vikas began to laugh like a madman. Then Arya said to Ivan, "Ivan, give the phone to your dad." Arya then told Ishan, "Vikas and I are coming to your house today at 2:00 PM." He asked Vikas if he was coming, and Vikas agreed. Arya disconnected the call. Silence filled the room, and Ishan walked out without saying a word.
Later, Ivan took a shower, got ready for school, and came downstairs where his mother, Myra, was serving breakfast. Myra knew nothing about the secret those three men shared. Ivan finished his breakfast, grabbed his bike keys, and left for school.
After the first period ended at school, Ivan was standing outside when his girlfriend, Zoya, approached him with her friend, Twinkle. Twinkle was stunned to see Ivan. She said, "I had an elder brother who was 18 years old ten years ago. One night, he suddenly left the house and never returned. We went to the police, but nothing was ever found. I am shocked to see you today because your face looks exactly like his."
Ivan asked, "What was his name?"
Twinkle replied, "Amardeep."