Bijoy Dasgupta was not from an ordinary family. He was the son of a thief and the brother of a priest. But he liked neither. He left his father when he was sixteen, eventually finding a job at a local dhaba. His brother Aurobindo left them both long before when Bijoy was just nine. But that was not the reason for disliking him. Bijoy has been deep into science and technology since childhood. So much so, that he was just about to become a thief himself. A thief who stole books. But thanks to his generous neighbors who noticed his interest in science, they would give him all the old books of their children.

He never believed in a higher power like God. When he found out that Aurobindo had become a priest, he couldn't believe that his brother was so much different from him. Although he was still in contact with his brother, he never spoke to his father since he left him.

All of this, his past, and how he had come to this point, becoming a lecturer of Physics at Collegiate School was like a mystery to him. He sat on the bed of his single-bedroom flat and wondered how different the three of them were. His brother was a man who saw the world as a holy place, the creation of God. His father, saw the world as just another wallet to pull out money from. And he himself, saw the world as a mere arrangement of atoms and nothing else.

While he wondered about all this, the telephone on the desk rang. Who would call him? Those days phone calls were expensive, especially during the day. He knew there could be only one man who would spend so much on him.

He lifted the phone and said, "Dada".

"Bijoy, I have bad news", his brother, who was on the other side said. Bijoy noticed a hint of fear in his brother's voice.

"What happened?"

"Baba… baba has disappeared", Aurobindo said.

"He might be looting another house. I'm not surprised", Bijoy replied sarcastically.

"No, Bijoy"

"Did you check the neighborhood homes?"

"Bijoy… it… it is on his desk"

As soon as Aurobindo said that, Bijoy's eyes dilated. Now he was also trembling.
"Are you at his place?" He asked his brother.

"Yes… yes"

"Be right there. I'm coming. And don't call the police."
Bijoy immediately hung up and ran outside looking for a taxi.

***

The taxi driver switched through frequencies on the FM radio in his taxi until he was tuned in to the local news.

A female voice on the radio spoke, "We are reporting live from Uluberia where the last known disappearance occurred. The house we are in now belonged to a family of four. The locals here claim that the owner showed them the cursed pearl the night before the whole family disappeared. While there has been no...