Level Cross (2024)

[bunniefuu]

Well,

I didn't want to leave you out there in

the sun.

Can you please get me some water?

Huh?

Can I get some water to drink?

Thank you.

Why did you jump off the train?

I didn't jump off the train.

I was washing my hands near the door.

Suddenly, two people started fighting

with each other.

I don't remember what happened after

that.

I'll get you some tea.

Don't get up.

I have to go.

My husband was with me in that train.

He must be looking for me now.

But...

you won't get any transportation from

here.

I will walk.

In this condition?

I am all right.

Thank you.

Unlike what you think,

you will have to walk quite a lot.

Let her do as she pleases.

You drink this.

I'll go and get some more water.

We have work to do.

It's done.

You may lie down.

I am Raghu.

I am the...

Railway Gateman here.

This is "Signal".

Your husband will come.

Don't worry.

He will be here in the morning.

He will definitely come.

But I hope he comes today itself.

Come. Have this.

No, I'm not hungry.

You don't have to be hungry to have

gruel.

I carry rice and other items from a

village 80 miles away, all the way here.

So, don't waste the gruel.

You must have it.

I was wondering if my husband will be

able to find this place.

We'll see.

If not,

we will find some other way.

Have it now.

Lie down.

I told you, right?

I won't be able to sleep.

You don't have to sleep.

You can lie down, right?

Does it still hurt?

No.

Or... I will sleep outside.

No, no.

In that case, I will sleep outside.

It's really cold outside.

Well, that's okay.

You can sleep here itself.

Then,

I will keep the door open.

Let the light stay on.

Okay?

Don't be scared. Lie down.

I...

I will be outside.

Are you also unable to sleep?

Even she hasn't slept.

Well, I...

I feel...

I feel...

It feels good, right?

I think she's a naive girl.

When I heard you talking, I thought

someone has come.

I was just chatting with Signal.

Go, lie down.

I don't get much sleep.

Did you sleep well?

I like black tea without sugar.

That's Holy Basil.

It's my medicine for all ailments.

All your pain will be gone now.

Wait and watch.

I am all alone here, right?

So,

when I got someone to chat with...

Don't be mad at me.

I didn't tell you this yesterday.

Here...

There's a Railway telephone here.

But...

we can't make outgoing calls from it.

When the train comes from the adjacent

station,

an incoming call comes here.

When the next call comes,

I will inform them about you.

Okay?

[telephone rings]

You are very lucky!

This one is a goods train.

It's time to leave.

That's why the call came now.

I will inform them.

Hello.

Okay, Sir.

And, Sir...

I lied to you because I didn't know what

kind of person you were.

I didn't fall off from the train.

I jumped off the train.

Why?

To escape from my husband!

What is...

your name?

Chaitali.

I am a doctor.

Psychiatrist.

How about your husband?

Excuse me!

Hi.

I'm Dr. Chaitali.

Yes. Hi!

I'm Zincho.

Nice to meet you, Zincho.

Please come in.

His beloved wife committed suicide for a

trivial reason.

That really exhausted him, mentally.

When Zincho came to see me, he was going

through severe depression.

Mostly, we're able to vocalize only 10%

of what's in our minds.

The remaining 90% will stay in our

minds.

And that's what is affecting your mind

badly, Zincho.

Everything you've left unsaid...

We can bring them out.

I don't have anything to tell you.

I can't say anything.

I am in complete darkness.

I feel nothingness.

I'm in the worst situation of my life.

Rock-bottom level of my life.

Then there is only one way to go now.

And that's upwards.

Nothingness is the best phase for a

fresh start.

So, let's have a fresh start.

Since he was my first patient,

this case was very close to my heart.

And eventually, he also became really

special.

O butterfly gaze, softly making its

descent

O pearly lips, slowly speaking what's

meant

Nights of pulsing pause, my heartbeat

off the chart

Answers softly said, that I've

searched for from the start

Habits fade away, down diverse roads

they dart

May I?

Of course!

Is this the whispered woe, someone

lends from heart to heart?

Silences within me, hum a line so fine



Is this the sacred union, I've dreamt

would one day be mine?

Has someone entered my mind, an

uninvited guest?

Wrapping my soul in yearning, in

quietude's soft nest

Like a thousand blossoms, in full

spring's display

Like colours everlasting, that refuse

to fade away

Is this love's season, k*lling me

gently, right before my eyes?

Is this how doctors treat their

patients?

Maybe,

the depth of my caring

helped him a lot to open up his mind.

And he started improving a lot.

And he had turned into a good friend of

mine.

You keep asking me to share all my

thoughts, right?

Shall I tell you something?

Yes.

I am really happy now.

And I think you are the reason for it.

So...

I don't want to let go of that happiness

, in my life hereafter.

So...

will you marry me?

Wasn't he mad?

Zincho was completely cured of his

illness by then.

Zincho!

Sounds like the name of a medicine!

It's said that love is the strongest

medicine, right?

Were you really in love with him?

I don't know whether it was love.

But I liked him a lot.

His way of talking, his behaviour, his

presence...

I used to enjoy his company a lot.

That's why I didn't think it through

when he proposed to me suddenly.

Did your parents allow you to marry such

a person?

They also asked the same question you

did.

"Isn't he mad?"

"Didn't his former wife commit suicide?"

"We don't know anything about him", and

so on.

But for some reason,

I was very sure about us.

I couldn't convince my parents.

And I became adamant.

Without my parents knowing, I got

married to him.

My family disowned me.

Everything was going alright.

But it didn't last too long.

Zincho began revealing a new face of his

,

getting angry for anything and

everything.

And soon enough,

I started to see glimpses of madness in

his eyes when he got angry.

Why are you doing this to me?

Huh?

Don't interfere in my matters!

Okay! Okay! Listen!

Why are you doing this to me?

After that, he started to get really

violent.

And it was not a situation that I could

control.

If he didn't get drugs,

he would brutally...

What your parents said turned out to be

true.

Isn't it?

There's water over there.

You can wash your face.

- Does it hurt? - No, it's fine.

There are some medicines in my suitcase.

Let me check.

That's a bathing setup.

Where do you bring this water from?

Don't you see a hill over there?

There's a well beyond that.

It's a long walk.

You can use the water in that bucket.

I'll go and fetch some water later.

You are a good person.

Since you are a good person,

you think everyone is good.

You even felt that the mad man was a

good guy, right?

What was that?

Nothing.

Nothing.

Hey!

Yes?

Can I get a towel?

Yes. I will get you a towel.

Here you go.

Hey!

Do you have any clothes that I could

wear?

Clothes...

You don't have any, right?

It's all right.

Let me check.

Is my shirt really this beautiful?

You've changed your clothes too?

You can wear these.

Where is your house, actually?

House...

Here itself.

Well, what about your family?

I don't have any.

I had a mother.

She passed away.

I...

I have been here for many years now.

How many years?

Around...

Five...

Five to ten years.

Is it five or ten?

Five and ten are all the same here.

I don't feel time and years passing by,

here.

You don't feel time and years passing by

, here?

Yes.

It just rushes past like a swiftly

moving train.

What do you do here from the morning?

I wake up at 4:15 a.m.

Gomathy comes at 4:45 a.m.

Who's that?

Gomathy Express.

It's always running late.

Once, it came 16 hours late.

But I wake up at 4:15 a.m.,

take a bath, get ready and put on my

uniform.

Once Gomathy leaves,

I won't be so busy.

Once in a while, a goods train passes

by.

Then, what do you do during the rest of

the day?

I do some farming.

Some vegetables.

Just a little bit.

It's nearby.

I will show it to you.

And...

I have...

three goats...

and six hens.

You have goats and hens here?

Yes.

So,

I get plenty of milk and eggs.

I had already set the milk for

fermentation.

That's why I gave you black tea.

For me,

if there's curd to go along with rice,

I don't need anything else.

Good!

Even though you live alone,

you lead a very systematic life, right?

Hey!

Apply that medicine.

Oh!

It's been years past its expiry date!

So what?

Medicines don't decompose, right?

Oh.

You are very knowledgeable!

Though you are a doctor,

I am more knowledgeable about this.

Though it's old, it's still a good

medicine.

And since I never really needed it,

I haven't used it yet.

Here...

there's plenty of water, by the way.

You can bathe as much as you want.

Do you have turmeric here?

It's a good antiseptic.

Yes.

Turmeric is good for wounds.

I will give it.

Aren't you married?

No.

Mom always used to tell me.

"You must get married"

"Or else, you will be alone after I

die."

I never listened to her then.

But...

I realized it after she died.

I became really lonely.

How long has it been since your Mom

passed away?

I told you, right?

You won't notice the passage of time

here.

Here you go.

You can get married even now, right?

Here, it's only me, Signal...

and the goats and hens.

You can't marry goats or hens, right?

So, go ahead and find a girl.

Where will I go to find a girl?

Search and you shall find!

Do your part and God will take care of

the rest. That's how it is, right?

Do you...

believe in God?

I used to,

long ago.

I think he is not too keen about us

humans now.

Why so?

He must be bored of this place.

He must be busy creating some new

universe.

But...

wasn't it God who brought us together,

though we were miles apart?

Brought us together?

I mean...

did you land right in front of me, on

purpose?

No, right?

All these...

are done by someone above us, right?

Isn't it God who creates mates on earth

and ends up uniting them?

All that was a long time ago.

He has quit that job now.

Isn't that why couples who were not

meant to be together...

end up getting together and later get

separated?

Actually, it's good that you didn't get

married.

No one should get married.

The joy of living alone.

That's something else altogether!

Your life here...

This is the peaceful life.

No need to fear any one.

No one to disturb you.

All that is true.

But...

What?

Nothing.

What's that big scar on your back? What

happened?

How did you see that?

Well,

when you turned now...

But I am wearing this shirt, right?

Those are stamps of cruelty.

If you want to gauge his madness,

you just have to count the scars on my

body.

You could have just left him, right?

Why did you have to suffer so much?

That wasn't very easy.

His situation was such that he couldn't

survive without me.

If I had also abandoned him...

I don't know.

I didn't feel like doing it.

Based on Dr. Rathore's diagnosis,

he was admitted at the mental asylum for

a while.

He would often turn very violent during

those days.

Psychotic.

Did I scare you?

It's true.

I k*lled her!

But you know what's the cliche here?

I shouldn't have written it on a diary.

I won't write it, hereafter.

But...

I just k*lled the matron.

Shouldn't I write that down?

If I k*ll someone again,

shouldn't I write that too?

Do you know why I k*lled my wife?

Sorry.

My first wife!

She used to say that I am mad.

Shouldn't I k*ll her?

I was sure that he would k*ll me as

well.

I did try to escape.

But in front of his brute strength,

I couldn't do anything.

He was sure that the Police would come.

So, he dragged me to the railway

station...

and boarded a random train, hastily.

If I hadn't jumped from that train,

I would never have escaped.

Just like how he k*lled his former wife,

he would have k*lled me, as well.

Otherwise,

he would have let me live like an animal

, just to t*rture me.

A slow and painful death!

From now on, I want to live...

free from fear,

free from pain,

and without him appearing before my eyes

, ever.

Did he see you jumping off the train?

No.

He was lying down.

I said I'm going to the wash room.

In a way,

what both of us did...

was the same mistake.

Even after your parents forbid you,

you got married, Chaitali.

My mother asked me to get married,

but I didn't.

In many ways,

we are similar.

Isn't it?

Both of us like...

black tea without sugar.

Don't worry, Chaitali.

No one will come here.

And in case someone comes here,

they'd never feel like leaving!

Are you hungry?

Shall I cook something?

I will cook.

Just get me whatever is necessary.

In that case, let's make Chapati and egg

curry.

Here's the dough.

For the egg curry,

let's boil the eggs and potato together.

Then we will remove the egg shells,

and saute it in oil along with sliced

onions.

Peel off the potato skin. Okay?

There are some good tomatoes.

Here.

These are from my farm.

This...

It's time for Mythili.

I lost track of time while talking.

Hello.

Okay, Sir.

This is the first time...

that I've forgotten the timing of a

train.

While we were talking,

I forgot everything else.

My...

It feels as if my entire world has

changed.

Actually,

nothing has changed.

This house,

the things in here,

my job.

Everything is the same.

Only you are new here, Chaitali.

But...

I feel like everything is new.

Who's here to check if you are wearing

the uniform while on duty?

I check it myself as there's no one else

to check.

Have you won all those medals, for

working efficiently like this?

Since there is no one to give me medals,

I myself...

[Mass m*rder at Meppur]

[Family of four k*lled with their heads

being smashed]

[Four people k*lled with their skulls

being smashed]

[Dead bodies mutilated beyond

recognition]

I am Raghu.

I am a Gateman for the Railways.

Mythili has come right on time after so

long, you know.

I told you, right?

Ever since you came,

everything has changed here.

This is the first time...

someone has come here.

Though there are roads,

no vehicle comes here.

You know how long it's been since I saw

another person?

What happened?

When I was alone,

I yearned for someone to talk to.

But Chaitali,

when I saw you yesterday,

I couldn't say anything,

maybe because I got scared.

Now that my fears have subsided,

are you feeling scared, Chaitali?

You don't have to fear anything,

Chaitali.

If he had to come,

he would have come yesterday.

If he comes now,

I will smash his skull!

But...

Here,

there are not many amenities.

But...

you can stay here as long as you...

So, this is the reason for your fear.

I won't blame you.

Anyone would get scared seeing this.

Chaitali...

Don't come near me!

I said, don't come near me!

Don't be scared.

And don't try to scare me!

This is the old Raghu.

Now, the Raghu of this place...

is me.

You kept the rest of it inside, right?

You have your reasons to fear.

I agree.

However,

things are not like what you have

imagined.

I told you, right?

My wedding.

It was my mother's greatest wish.

For that,

she even found a girl from the nearby

village.

I was in love with a girl, since

childhood.

But...

when she found someone wealthier than me

,

she dumped me and went away with him.

I had decided that I'd never get

married.

But now...

this is only because my mother forced

me.

But...

now, I feel...

it's good that I came here.

Have you ever loved anyone?

Well..

In case you have someone,

don't betray him.

The pain of heartbreak...

is unbearable!

I have experienced it.

I don't have anyone in my heart.

Not even me?

But...

one week after the wedding,

as if she was waiting for someone to

come, take care of me;

my mother passed away.

During that time,

the one who stood by me...

and gave me strength...

was my wife.

To support me,

she arranged for her aunt's son to come

and stay with us.

He was an innocent fellow.

He stayed with us, helping me at my

farm.

After a year,

we had a son.

We were very happy.

We...

began searching for a bride for her

cousin.

He didn't like any of the prospective

brides.

And if he liked a girl,

my wife wouldn't approve of her.

Two years went by, like that.

In the meanwhile, we had a daughter too.

It was a period of famine.

Our crops got destroyed.

We lost all our savings.

In such a situation,

I decided not to have any more children.

But...

She's not ready to stop having children.

That's why...

I decided to get this surgery done.

According to this report,

you can never be a father.

Sir!

I have two children!

I felt like my world just turned upside

down.

The son and daughter who I raised with

much love and care...

were not my own!

The four of them were a family.

I was not part of it.

I was the outsider.

I k*lled them.

I k*lled them.

All of them.

One by one.

I fled from that place, on that day.

I didn't know where I was going.

I boarded several vehicles.

Back then,

the news about this incident came out on

the newspapers.

I travelled during the night to evade

the police.

I stayed hidden during the day.

It was an aimless journey.

Somehow, I ended up here.

I met Mr. Raghu.

He was a good man.

But...

I didn't tell him the truth.

He let me stay with him.

All I knew was farming, right?

We did some farming here.

He really liked me.

And? You k*lled him as well?

Some time back,

he collapsed and died.

I didn't take him to the hospital.

That's true.

Where do I take him from here?

How do I take him?

I buried him over there.

I didn't perform any funeral rites.

When man dies,

he returns to dust.

That itself is the funeral rite.

Moreover,

to k*ll everyone I come across,

I am not a m*rder*r...

or a psychopath.

It just happened that day.

Anyone in my situation would have done

the same, right?

Wouldn't you have done the same?

If my mother had been alive,

none of this would have happened.

To make her lover stay there,

she k*lled my mother.

I told you, right?

My mother was really healthy.

One day,

she didn't wake up from her sleep.

She poisoned my mother.

My mother was the only one I had in this

world!

What you said is true, Raghu.

Our lives are similar.

The people whom we loved...

betrayed us.

What she did to me...

was not a mere betrayal.

After sharing everything that was

haunting my mind to someone,

my heart feels light.

Right now,

I feel excited about living.

But how long can you...

live using another person's identity?

I don't know.

Two people...

who had lost all hopes in life...

meeting each other.

It won't be for nothing.

Right?

Oh no!

Shucks!

We've run out of water.

There is no water?

- I'll go and fetch it. - No.

I'll bring it.

From now on, you don't have to do

everything alone.

I will also help you.

I will show you the well.

You see that hill over there?

The well is on the other side.

Long ago, there was a village there.

One day, the villagers just left the

place for good.

After that, no human has been sighted

there.

The entire village left, one fine

morning?

There was a ghost that walks upside down on his hands in that village, apparently.

It was Mr. Raghu who told me this.

It was much before Mr. Raghu came here.

Anyway, don't go there alone, Chaitali.

I will also come with you.

I am not afraid of ghosts.

It's humans that I am afraid of.

I will go alone.

You don't get scared staying alone here,

Raghu!

Did anyone come here?

Someone who fell from the train...

Did anyone come here asking for help?

No.

I've come in search of a person.

That person fell off the train,

somewhere around here.

I had come here yesterday, in search of

that person.

And while returning on the train today,

I saw some activity here.

That's why I came again.

Did anyone come here seeking your help?

No.

Didn't you understand what I told you?

No woman came here. Just leave!

But I didn't say that it was a woman!

Man or woman... No one has come here!

Don't bother me.

Get going!

I've come in search of my wife.

I will only leave from here with her.

Get going!

Leave!

Understand what I am telling you.

Understand what I am telling you!

I have no interest in harming you!

I've come in search of her!

My wife.

Tell me where she is.

I will take her with me.

I...

I am the only one here.

There is no one else with me.

Where do I look for her now?

We were travelling together for a

treatment.

That's when she jumped off the train.

So...

So, she was trying to escape from you!

That's the nature of her illness.

What illness?

Schizophrenia.

What's that?

It's a kind of mental disorder.

Is it madness?

Can't say that.

They behave normally most of the time.

They won't show any signs of the

illness.

But when they become violent, we can't

say what they would do.

On top of that, she is a drug addict.

I am the Psychiatrist who's treating her

, as well.

Dr. Zincho Philip.

Dr. Zincho?

Yes!

Please come.

Mostly, we show or say only 10% of

what's there in our minds.

And we hold the remaining 90% within our

minds.

And those emotions that we hold back,

are the ones that give us trouble.

But there's nothing inside me.

What I feel is... nothingness.

It's like the darkest phase of my life.

I've hit rock-bottom.

So, there is only one way to go.

And that's... upwards!

Nothingness is always good for a better

start.

So, let's have a fresh start.

Haven't you asked me to share all my

thoughts with you, Zincho?

Yes!

I want to tell you something.

Tell me.

I feel the happiest when I am with you.

I want to be with you for the rest of my

life.

However, she started using drugs again.

And when she didn't get them,

she would turn violent.

She was losing her mental stability yet

again.

Finally, I admitted her into a hospital.

In an incident that took place over

there,

she k*lled the hospital warden.

And I kept her hidden from the police.

Then I arranged for her treatment at my

friend's hospital, that was quite far.

And she jumped off the train while we

were going there.

She still thinks that I am her enemy.

She's living under the belief that I

would k*ll her.

If you happened to see her,

she must have told you a different

story.

Right?

Believe me.

I am telling the truth.

She will attack anyone who comes in

front of her.

Sometimes, she even inflicts wounds upon

herself.

I walked all around this place.

Since she's injured, she wouldn't have

gone too far.

Please.

If you have seen her,

if you have hidden her somewhere,

your life is also in danger!

I understand what you're telling me.

But...

your wife is not here.

Search somewhere else.

I need some water.

There's no water here.

Where is she?

Where is she?

Where is she?

Where is she?

Tell me the truth. What did you do to

her?

Tell me!

Shikha!

What did you call her?

Shikha.

What name did she tell you?

Chaitali.

Chaitali was the name of the warden she

k*lled.

She needs help.

Please.

Please.

What happened?

Your name is Shikha, right?

He came, right?

He came and...

told me everything, as well.

Why did you lie to me?

You were also deceiving me, right?

I was deceiving you?

Raghu,

I haven't told you even a single lie.

I am Chaitali,

not Shikha!

Shikha is the name of his wife whom he

k*lled.

He is mad.

He thinks I am Shikha, his wife.

I don't trust anyone.

I don't believe anyone.

You don't have to believe me any more.

It was my mistake.

I thought you would save me.

I thought I could live peacefully, at

least from now on.

It's not meant for me!

Let him k*ll me if he wants to!

I will leave.

You don't have to save me.

But before I leave,

I will prove that I haven't done

anything wrong.

I will inform the police using your

railway phone.

Let them come and arrest the m*rder*r.

Then you will understand that what I

said was true.

No!

Don't call the police.

Oh!

You will also be caught if the cops come

, right?

You just want to save yourself, right?

You're just another mean and selfish

man.

Why are you doing this to me?

Huh?

It's all right.

Forget it.

Let's go.

Let's go somewhere far away.

No one will harm you there.

Okay? You will be better.

Okay?

Shut up, Zincho!

This drama is unnecessary!

No one will stop you from taking me away

from here.

He is not capable of that.

Shikha...

Don't call me that!

I'm not your dead wife!

Okay, okay.

Let's go. Okay?

Okay? Let's go. Come on.

Sir!

Oh!

Hey, keep this.

For my sake.

It would make me happy.

Sir, if it's for happiness,

can't you give her to me and go?

I know...

that you're taking her away to k*ll her.

Aren't you?

Leave her here and go, Sir.

We will live here without causing any

trouble to anyone.

Don't you understand what I'm saying?

Hey!

Hey!

What other option did we have?

If you hadn't done it,

I would have.

No! Don't say anything more!

You believed what he said...

and you left me with this madman to die,

right?

I won't believe you any more.

I... I...

It happened by mistake.

But now, I realize the truth.

I've realized the truth.

I... I want you, Chaitali.

We have to dig a pit.

Chaitali?

Shikha!

[Former lover fled after k*lling a young

couple and their two children]

I was in love with a girl.

But when she found someone wealthier

than me,

she dumped me and went away with him.

The pain of heartbreak...

is unbearable!

As the form behind me spreads like

fear

Follows me everywhere, Like a shadow

near

Like pitch-dark dreams, My vision

fades

As the scent of blood Blends with the

wind's shades

I turn back, shocked to find

The form I saw was mine, intertwined

Was I wandering a secret path so far?



Was my mind weaving stories, bizarre?



Many towns, many fields

Where is the shelter my heart feels?

Many people, many memories

Among them, where lies my true

stories?

Am I a puppet on a string?

Or the hands that make it swing?

Am I the God who protects from above?



Or the Demon who slays without love?

Like pitch-dark dreams, My vision

fades

As the scent of blood Blends with the

wind's shades