‘This toy speaks,’ Deepika told us. ‘What?’ Tara and I said in unison looking at each other and she had jumped over me hugging me. ‘Yes it speaks,’ Deepika said again and I moved back along with Tara and all of a sudden we screamed and ran away from there in a hurry. ‘Mumma! Mumma!’, I heard Deepika shout running behind us. ‘Deepika!’, I shouted back stopping in mid way and took her along with us running away as fast as we could. ‘Don’t worry, this toy won’t harm you,’ she said and we again stopped in a panic realizing that she was still carrying the toy. ‘Oh God Deepika just leave it and come,’ I said and took away the toy throwing it inside our room and locked it starting our runaway all over again hand in hand. We went to library to hide ourselves and sat on the floor with support of wall as our breathes were totally knocked out. ‘Tara, why can’t you just go? Please just go.’
‘But right now he’s there and he may harm you both,’ she said and I chuckled. ‘Look who’s talking, you were the one to put me in danger earlier, now you’re targeting Deepika, go vanish before he reaches here, I m telling you that staying here will do no good,’ I warned her and tried to get up, just then, the toy joker pounced in front of us and I screamed hugging Deepika tightly, I saw it was coming towards us. ‘Tara go!’ I shouted. Surprisingly the joker did nothing to me and Deepika but then his button eyes turned fully white and then turned back to normal. His eyes continued to change, he gave Tara an angry look pinning her to the floor. ‘Where will you go now? I warned you right? Once you’ve died in this world, you can’t stay here,’ it said in a robotic voice and I sat there rooted on my spot hugging Deepika really tight. She made me leave her and went to the joker toy. ‘No, Deepika it may harm you,’ I said worriedly as she tried to make it leave Tara. ‘No one can stop you from coming with me. Nothing,’ it said grasping Tara’s face.
She tried pushing him but it was of no use, I pulled Deepika back and it was as if I was paralyzed on my spot. Finally Tara pushed it off her and stood up. Just then I saw the door opening, I saw Deep and stood up and hugged him. He too reciprocated. ‘Who’s that?’ Deep asked pointing at Tara who had passed out seeing a random toy do such antics. ‘Twin of my past birth, she’s a ghost now,’ I told him still in the hug.
Deep and I broke the hug and he lifted Tara and took her from there but not to our room, to the locked room where I and Tara previously used to live. She woke up within seconds and muttered Deepta in her sleep. ‘You can’t get her,’ I said sternly. ‘Yes you can’t get her,’ said Deep. ‘I know I am long dead but I still get to meet my daughter Deepta, you forgot you too used to come to meet her,’ she said. ‘I didn’t used to trouble you people for heaven’s sake,’ I said narrowing my eyes at her.
‘Mumma,’ Deepika began to say but I cut her in between. ‘Not now, later,’ I said and took her from there to her room and made her busy in her homework. ‘Deepika, plead don’t come out of here and don’t you dare to play with that toy again, please I won’t be able to bear it if something happens to my doll,’ I said and hugged her.
She too reciprocated and soon we broke the hug. ‘But mumma it’s my favorite toy, that uncle is harmless, please don’t take my toy from me, I will agree to whatever you say,’ she pleaded and I kissed her forehead. ‘Baby please don’t be cross at mumma, I will bring you brand new stuffed toys,’ I said hugging her as I found her sad. ‘Mumma please,’ she said almost crying.
‘That toy is possessed, I can’t give it to you,’ I tried explaining her. ‘No no no! I want it!’ she whined and I sighed rolling my eyes. ‘Mumma is saying for your betterment, fine, if you say so I will agree, but for that you’ll have to choose between me and that toy, if you choose that toy, I will never talk to you again, but if you choose me, I m telling you I will bring you similar toys, tell me your answer soon, I will be waiting,’ I said and started leaving but she held my hand.
‘No mumma, I choose you, please don’t go,’ she said coming in front holding her ears and her eyes were all teary. I knelt down and hugged her. ‘Fine baby, who told you mumma will go leaving you for a stupid toy? Mumma loves you a lot, always remember,’ I said and kissed her forehead and cheeks and made her sit on bed and she got busy. I went from there to the room of twins. I saw Tara was again and again trying to go outside but was stopped by Deep. ‘But I want to meet her, she’s my sister’s daughter.’
‘OK fine, go meet her, but just on one condition, that you’ll go after meeting her today and also take Virat with you,’ I told her and she ran away without even agreeing and I ran after her. She was talking to Deepika and they both were so happy together. ‘Is there any way that you people come back to life?’ I asked out of nowhere and she looked at me in disbelief and then looked down. ‘We can but only by rebirth restarting our life all over again,’ she told me and continued playing with Deepika happily.
I went from there to the library to check on the toy joker. I roamed all over the place and saw that it was laying lifelessly. I picked it up talking to it. ‘Virat,’ I whispered and on getting no answer I just hugged it. ‘I love you Tara,’ said a robotic voice from inside the toy. I knew it was recorded and that it wasn’t Virat this time. I smiled getting a ray of hope and ran out of the library to my room. ‘Tara,’ I said and she turned and I gave her the toy joker and she was teary eyed looking at it and hugged it. ‘I love you Tara,’ it spoke making Tara surprised.