How to Escape from your Stalker

The story begins with a beautiful girl named Zoya, still an ugly past, as she needs to live in a mental asylum. After her husband left her, the mental asylum became her home. Her mother also died a long time ago. The father just wanted to give her some space from his frustrating, stressful life after his business loss. Sounds like a lot, isn't it? But this story is not an emotional or tragic life journey of Zoya Hossain. Rather, it is about a failed, sick girl on one thought about in life who started to assume she had a stalker when everyone else felt it must be her hallucinations. No one will have the trust to give her, how would Zoya try to save herself from her possible stalker or her mind tricking her? Zoya acts normal with everybody after six years of constant meditation and consultation. She doesn't have memories of her past life because of her illness, she still has a great memory of the past six years of living in the asylum, the asylum is different from others: a calmer and sweeter environment where she can play with kids and talk with the old ones. In this asylum, mental patients who are more harmless to the public come and try to do different activities by picking up a hobby of cooking, writing, drawing, singing, dancing, etc. Zoya also tried many of them for years, but her favorite one is drawing. One day, Zoya's personal assistant told her to sketch strangers for her better communication skills. Who knew that better communication skills would lead her to change her whole life forever? She agreed, and an old lady came to her and asked for a sketch. The girl started to draw but something was odd. The girl has a history of roaming outside in the small village where the asylum takes place. Still it's been a few days. Going out feels like absolute horror to her now, like someone is watching her, turning back immediately but failing to notice anyone. Completing the sketch, a kid came to her and again she just saw a sunglasses-wearing man when the sky was so cloudy that day it was odd to wear sunglasses in a cloudy day. She tried to notice his face in curiosity but couldn't notice the whole face and hair because maybe of his hoodie and mask. She fainted, and her assistant took her to the doctor. Her assistant told her to rest, but she refused, thinking it was maybe her mind tricking her after trying to communicate with strangers for a long time, and Zoya started to draw for strangers again. One week later, everything was going fine. Zoya had just finished a sketch of a pregnant woman and the woman gave her the money in return for the sketch. A thief came and stole her money and started to run, but a strong punch came to his face. Coincidentally a sunglasses-wearing man looking similar to the man who was looking suspicious a few days ago (now in a shirt) appeared. But every man wearing sunglasses can't be suspicious. But she thought it must be a confusion, as if he was so suspicious, why would he help her? Zoya tried to look at him carefully. There was no mask or cap, just sunglasses. Today was kinda sunny, so it must be normal. Zoya thanked him and started to feel a kind of Deja Vu she can't explain to anyone. The man cleaned his eyes with a handkerchief and said, "Hi! My name is Saad." "Hello Saad," Zoya replied uncomfortably. Saad desperately said with a smile, "Handshake?" She thought why he wanted a handshake out of the blue but still agreed out of politeness. The smile on his face when she agreed must be the biggest one she ever saw someone give in her life just for a handshake. He shook her hand in a way that he wanted to touch her hand for such a long time. It's now a minute, he was still holding her hand, looking at her eyes, smiling like meeting a celebrity. She tried to pull her hand and he felt wrong. Not trying to make him feel it was getting awkward and he left immediately and said, "Sorry, sorry, sorry, really really sorry if I made you uncomfortable. That was definitely not my intention at all. It's just that I live alone after the pandemic, feeling human. I would be really ashamed if you felt uncomfortable with me. I should go, I am really sorry again." She processed his situation and said, "It's absolutely fine. I can understand your situation. I am also living without a family for years. I can behave the same as you often. I am not uncomfortable, it's okay. You don't need to go. Can I help you with something if you want, as you helped me to get my money back from the thief?" He felt overwhelmed, kinda blushing at her sweetness, and asking, "Can you draw me?" That's not such a big thing to ask, and Zoya sits here every day anyway, but something in her mind felt odd. Still, she agreed anyway, as she didn't have anything to explain for the odd feeling, and said, "Sure, sit down." Zoya started to sketch him and noticed Saad's face reminded her of somebody she recently met or saw. Zoya spoke, having trouble seeing his face. "Umm! Can you remove your glasses?" Saad asked nervously with curiosity. "Why?" Zoya spoke without hesitation. "It would look better with your eyes on," Saad spoke again, being nervous, "Yeah! I would love to, but I have an eye infection," Maybe because of the handshake incident he was awkward, she thought not to doubt him anymore, feeling quite sympathetic for his health, and said, "Oh. I can understand." Saad started to wipe his eyes as a normal eye infection patient would do. Zoya started to draw his whole face, and in an hour, when both were focusing on each other's face. As Zoya needed to draw Saad and he maybe because he didn't have anything else to look at. After an hour, when she just going to finish the drawing saying this, As she looked at his eyes when he was wiping them, she thought that she had seen that face so many times somewhere. It could be if he was an actor or a popular model. "Sorry to ask this question out of the blue, but did we meet before, or is your face known by many, like you are a model or actor?" Saad spoke like someone in a courtroom who tries to defend himself from murder, "No, no, never. I am a private person. I don't think we've ever met before." "Excuse me if that matters to you so much! But I think I met you at least 3 to 4 times in my life. I think you forgot. It's okay. Your sketch is finished." Saying this, Zoya gave the sketch. "Thanks," he said, opening his glasses to see the sketch properly. She was so focused on seeing his eyes feeling this eye is not a stranger’s eyes for her it's someone she saw for so close, trying to stand Zoya started feeling dizzy while trying to stand. He didn't notice at that time as his eyes were looking at his sketch. Looking at the sketch with a smile and pride, Saad said, "How much do I have to pay you?" "It's umm umm...." Before Zoya could answer, Everything became black in front of her eyes.