🌆 ODD CITY
A Mystery–Drama Story
Chapter 1: 11:11 PM
It was exactly 11:11 PM when the bus suddenly stopped.
Naeem opened his eyes slowly. The inside of the bus was dim, most passengers half asleep. Outside the window, thick fog swallowed the highway.
The driver shouted,
"Roadblock ahead! We'll wait."
Naeem checked his watch.
11:11.
He sighed. He was traveling from Rangpur to Dhaka for his board exam coaching. His life felt heavy lately. His father had disappeared five years ago without a trace. No goodbye. No explanation.
Sometimes Naeem wondered —
Did his father really disappear… or did he choose to leave?
Something outside caught his attention.
Through the fog, he saw a rusty signboard glowing faintly:
"Welcome to Odd City."
His heart skipped a beat.
Strangely, no one else on the bus reacted. It was as if they couldn't see it.
Without thinking, Naeem stepped off the bus.
Across the road stood a city glowing with lights — tall buildings, street lamps, open shops.
But there was no sound.
No cars honking.
No people talking.
No wind.
Just silence.
A cold voice whispered behind him:
"You can still go back."
Naeem turned. An old man stood there, eyes hollow.
"In this city," the man said softly, "time does not move."
Naeem looked at his watch again.
11:11.
Even after several seconds.
Still 11:11.
Suddenly, all the city lights went out at once.
Chapter 2: The People Without Time
Darkness swallowed everything.
Then slowly, lights flickered back on.
Naeem realized he was no longer alone.
People stood around him. Dozens of them.
All staring.
Their faces were pale. Expressionless. Almost unfinished.
A girl stepped forward. She looked about his age. Her eyes were deep, sad, but strangely calm.
"My name is Ira," she said quietly.
"You are not supposed to be here."
"Where is this place?" Naeem asked.
"This is a city built from silence," she replied.
"A place where unspoken truths stay alive."
She led him through empty streets. Every clock he saw displayed 11:11. Every building looked real — but inside, there was nothing. No furniture. No life.
As they passed a tall wall covered with photographs, Naeem froze.
He saw his childhood picture.
His mother smiling.
And then—
His father.
The last photo taken before he disappeared.
Naeem's breath trembled.
"Why is my family here?" he whispered.
Ira looked at him carefully.
"Because your father came here too."
Chapter 3: The Hidden Guilt
Naeem felt the ground shift beneath him.
"What do you mean?"
Ira walked toward an old clock tower in the center of the city.
"This city is born from guilt," she explained.
"When someone hides a powerful truth… when fear silences them… their heart creates this place."
Naeem's memories rushed back.
His father arguing on the phone.
Secret documents.
Late nights.
Worried eyes.
Then suddenly — gone.
"He wanted to reveal something," Ira continued.
"But he stopped. And the truth trapped him."
Naeem spotted something lying near the clock tower.
A familiar wristwatch.
His father's watch.
It was frozen at 11:11.
With shaking hands, Naeem turned the crown.
Tick.
Tick.
Tick.
The sound echoed across the entire city.
The ground trembled.
Windows cracked.
The sky darkened.
Chapter 4: When Time Returns
As the seconds moved forward, the city began collapsing.
The people screamed — but their voices sounded distant, fading.
"You don't understand!" Ira cried.
"If time fully returns, we will disappear!"
"Who are you?" Naeem shouted.
Tears filled her eyes.
"We are regrets. We are memories. We are the words never spoken."
Naeem's heart pounded.
His father had discovered corruption — dangerous corruption. Powerful people were involved. To protect his family, he stayed silent.
But silence created this prison.
The clock tower rang once.
11:59.
The sky split open with blinding white light.
Ira's body slowly turned into mist.
"Truth sets us free," she whispered.
Naeem screamed,
"I will finish what he started!"
The clock struck 12:00.
Everything shattered.
Chapter 5: 11:12
Naeem opened his eyes suddenly.
He was back on the bus.
Passengers were chatting softly. The driver laughed.
He looked at his watch.
11:12.
Time had moved.
Was it just a dream?
Then he felt something in his hand.
His father's watch.
Cold. Real.
When he reached Dhaka, Naeem returned home and searched through his father's old belongings.
Inside a hidden drawer, he found a diary.
On the last page, it read:
"If you ever reach Odd City, do not choose silence.
Time stops for those who are afraid of truth."
Naeem made a decision.
He gathered documents.
He spoke to journalists.
He revealed the truth his father could not.
It was dangerous.
But he did not stop.
Months later, the corruption case exploded in the news. Justice began to unfold.
That night, Naeem dreamed of the city again.
But this time—
The clocks were moving.
The streets were bright.
People were smiling.
Ira stood at a distance.
She nodded.
And disappeared into light.
Final Line
Some cities do not exist on maps.
They live inside human hearts.
And only truth can set them free.