The village of Boroitola is hard to find on a map, but once you enter it, it's impossible to forget. Because the people of this village were not quite what their thinking was. Here, people woke up before sunrise—but even they didn't know why. Some said it was habit, some blamed the cows calling out, and some said, "Too much sleep messes with your head."
The most talked-about person in the village was Pavitra Kumar Dey. But no one used that name. The entire village—even the school register—knew him as Papaya Sir. The name was born many years ago, the day he confidently declared in a science class, "Eating papaya regularly keeps the human mind cool." The students forgot the lesson that day, but never forgot the name.
Papaya Sir was a strange sort of man. He always thought about things no one else did. For example—does time ever hiccup? In the future, will people still argue, or will they just chat in groups? And the most important question—are samosas tastier in the morning or in the afternoon?
One morning, Papaya Sir woke up, stood in front of the mirror, and said to himself, "I need to do something today." Why it was necessary, even he didn't know. But every major incident in his life had begun with this sentence.
That day at school, he couldn't teach. As he tried to write math problems on the board with chalk, thoughts of time kept interrupting him. Finally, before the bell rang, he walked out of the classroom and announced, "Tomorrow I'll show you something that will change your lives."
The words spread through Boroitola like wildfire. By evening, discussions had begun at the tea stall. Bhola Kaku, who remembered everything perfectly except his own age, said, "I'm telling you, it must be some new scheme."
Nandu, making tea, replied, "No, Papaya Sir doesn't know schemes. He's a scientist."
The next morning, what appeared in the school field was something Boroitola had never seen before. In the middle of the field stood a strange object—something like an old refrigerator, attached to a sewing machine pedal, with a radio antenna on top and a red button in front.
Clearing his throat, Papaya Sir said, "This is a time machine."
The village fell silent for one second. Then voices burst out together.
"Time as in a clock?"
"Does the machine actually work?"
"What happens if the electricity goes out?"
Papaya Sir smiled without irritation. That smile always meant something big was coming. He said, "This machine can take people back and forth through time."
After this, the bravest boy in the village stepped forward—Badal. Though called brave, he was really just curious and a little foolish. He thought that if he could go to the future and see exam questions, life would be set.
"I'll go," Badal said.
No one stopped him. In Boroitola, no one stops anyone. Badal entered the machine. The door closed. Papaya Sir placed his hand on the button. Bhola Kaku shut his eyes. Nandu froze, tea spilling from his hand.
A loud noise erupted. Smoke rose. Lights flickered. And then—sudden silence.
Badal was gone.
Minutes passed. No one spoke. Just then, another sound—and Badal returned. But everyone was stunned at the sight of him. A crown on his head, royal clothes on his body, and a look on his face as if he were about to make an announcement.
"I am the king," Badal said.
The village fell silent again. Then some laughed, some were afraid. Badal explained that he had gone to the future, where he was a great leader. In his kingdom, there were holidays three days a week, and free jalebi every day.
After this, interest in the time machine crossed all limits. Everyone wanted to go. Some wanted to fix past mistakes, some wanted to learn lottery numbers. Even the village dog, Bhonda, tried to get inside the machine one day.
But problems began. No one returned the same. Some spoke backward, some believed they were their childhood selves, and some came back saying, "In the future, samosas are very expensive."
The biggest disaster came the day the time machine accidentally sent the entire village one day backward. The same day happened twice—two mornings, two afternoons. People ate twice, shopkeepers charged twice, and before evening, all the samosas in the village were gone.
That was the final blow.
Bhola Kaku burst into tears and said, "You can play with time, but not with samosas."
Papaya Sir understood then that science is not always good for people. That evening, he announced, "The time machine is closed."
Everyone agreed—on one condition: never again to play with time, unless it's for samosas.
The time machine was dismantled. The field became empty again. Boroitola returned to normal.
But the villagers still say that if Papaya Sir wanted, he could still change time. He chose not to. Because he had understood—changing time complicates life, and when life becomes complicated, the joy of tea and samosas disappears.
Papaya Sir is still alive in Boroitola. He goes for walks in the morning, sits at the tea stall in the afternoon. If anyone asks him anything, he simply says, "Time is very precious. So I don't waste it."
And Boroitola?
Samosas are still sold there.
But no one ever orders more than one plate.
Out of fear of time.