Trembling Shadows
A romantic, psychological thriller
Kotra Siva Rama Krishna
Anyhow Sameera was feeling happy that Sunanda preferred to talk with her so. Considering the recent incident that took place between them, Sameera did not think that Sunanda would talk with her again.
No one talked for sometime. The wind rippling through across them was quite cold.
“How it would be if we go and examine our grandmother again?” Malathi suggested.
“I am not thinking there comes that much of a change just in one hour. As per Ratnam’s information she has been like that for the last four days or so. And his strong suggestion is not to go into her room often.” stifling a yawn Rajesh said.
The rain stopped, but the black clouds did not vacate the sky. The cold wind was whirling like an angered serpent. They were all feeling an uneasy coolness.
“That Ratnam promised to bring breakfast to all of us. Why did not he come yet?” Malathi’s daughter Sunanda said “I am feeling terribly hungry”
“Why did not you tell me about that yet? I would have gone out and get you something to eat.” Her husband Anand said. It surprised to himself. Why he asked her so, he thought. In fact for the last few months he was feeling lot of anger and hatred towards Sunanda.
“I know you as well are suffering like me. I did not want to bother you since the breakfast was promised by that Ratnam to us.” Sunanda as well did not expect this type of consideration from her husband and felt happy. Recently she was facing lot of torture in his hands and she was not at all in a position to oppose that either, just because there were serious wrongs on her part. The only way to her was to apologise to him for her wrongs and alleviate his anger but he was not at all giving her a chance. It was indeed after months that he said such a favorable thing to her.
Sunanda and Anand were married for more than a year. It did go quite well until four months back. Then Sunanda’s affairs with her boyfriends came out. That had happened because of her weakness of talking in her dreams. On that particular day she dreamt sexual scenes with her boyfriends and talked revealing everything. Unluckily Anand was by her side at that time awaked by her talking like that. After she woke up he made her said all that again and again until he came to clarity. From that moment onwards he was torturing her in different ways but taking care that it would not be known to his parents in law.
“Ratnam is a man of words. He appeared so to me. He will come soon. Just see.” Rajesh said. He just finished saying so, all they had heard a tapping sound on the front doors.
“It is certainly Ratnam. I shall go and open the doors.” Rajesh got off from the chair and went near to the doors there.
***
Making Rajesh’s guessing true, with big packets in his hands, Ratnam entered into that house with his assistant holding coffee flasks and cups. Ratnam made sufficient water facility in the house already. Ratnam was appearing as forty five years aged man while his assistant might be of twenty five or thirty years aged.
“Sorry, I have become little late” arranging the food which he brought there in paper plates and distributing them among those eight people there, Ratnam said.
“No problem at all. In fact you are doing us a great favor. We shall remember it all the time”. Rajesh taking one of the plates into his hands said. They all would have faced lot of un-comfortability if Ratnam had not brought the food then.
“Never say like that sir. Considering the help grandmother did to us, what I am doing now is quite incomparable.”
Then all the eyes were concentrated on Ratnam. The point that this man was serving the old woman for more than ten years created a peculiar interest in all of them on him.
“I think that it is your father… what is his name?” putting the tiffin into his mouth in tiny morsels Rajesh asked.
“Ratnakar” while continuing distributing the food plates among all of them Ratnam said.
“Yes … I very lightly remember him now. He was the person used to look after my grandmother’s affairs.” Rajesh said.
“Yes sir, upto ten years back my father Ratnakar used to look after grandmother. He knew grandmother from his very tender age and he was a relative to her too. He calls her as sister.” Ratnam and his assistant sat comfortably on the floor there.
“What he is doing now? Why he has entrusted his duties to you?” Rajesh knitted his brows making a furrow on his forehead.
“My father has become mad. Sometimes he is harming people as well. Most of the time we are locking him in a room.” There was no emotion or pain in the face Ratnam. He said that just as a matter of fact.
“What?” Rajesh startled “He has become mad? But why?” It was like a blow to Rajesh. He was not in touch with that village or his grandmother for more than twenty years. He could guess that Ratnam’s father was a considerably aged person by that time but madness in him was unexpected.
“It did not happen at once” looking into the expressions on the faces there Ratnam continued. “On one day my father came home from this house quite disturbed. We had tried to know about the reason to our level best but we could not. Then afterwards slowly and slowly he became completely mad” The interest in the faces around grew even more.
“You could not know the reason for his madness at all?” Sunanda adjusting herself in the chair she sat for more comfort but keeping her eyes steady on Ratnam asked.
Her asking so has given an opportunity to Ratnam to look at her directly. She was in her traditional wear that was sari, blouse and some more. But this outfit was accentuating her youth than covering it. Her enough tall figure with abundant youth was luring Ratnam to stick his eyes on her. Her unblemished gold color skin, not very straight nose, with her black hair made as a pony tail on the back, she was beautiful and attractive at the same time. Her big breasts which were thrusting upwards in her blouse were more titillating. The cleavage available to the eye under her silk sari was making Ratnam’s mouth dry. One could trace the outline of her bra beneath her transparent outer dress. Her nostrils were flaring in and out beautifully with her breathing exercises.
Just on the side of her, Malathi sat. Despite her fifty three years of age, Malathi as well was appearing strikingly attractive to Ratnam. Surprisingly there was not much resemblance between Malathi and Sunanda, so Ratnam could not understand that Sunanda was Malathi’s daughter.
“I have taken him to so many doctors. No one could diagnose him correctly not to say cure him” he said ruefully.
“Have you taken him to a psychiatrist?” Anand intervened. The matter appeared a little interesting to him
“Psychiatrist means who?”
Ratnam’s ignorance did not surprise the people there. This village guy indeed deserved an explanation for that term.
“He looks after mad people like your father and cures them. My father in law himself is a good psychiatrist” looking at Vinod, Anand said.
“I am not a psychiatrist but a psychologist. I cannot help people if they completely turn mad.” Vinod said “Anyhow bring your father to me. I shall try to see what is the problem with him. I know good psychiatrists also. If necessary you may take your father to them. I do see it goes at as low cost as possible.” keeping his face without any expression Vinod said.
“I am so happy to hear that. I shall try to bring my father with me when I take lunch to all you people” It appeared he rather made the happy expression on his face. It seemed the idea that his father could be cured did not make him much happier.
“You are so good to us. Helping us a lot. How we can do anything in return to you?” Rajesh indeed felt for the help Ratnam was doing to them. The fact that he was looking after his grandmother around ten years or so as well moved him a little.
“Sir, I am saying once again, considering the help grandma did to us, whatever I am doing is very little and quite incomparable” the gratitude shown in his face then appeared quite genuine.
“Is my grandma that much good? Then why she cannot be so with me?” Rajesh said in a low voice as if he were mumbling to himself but everyone there could hear it clearly.
“It means that you don’t know about your grandmother fully well. She loved everyone. She wanted good of everyone” a bit of emotion turned up in the tone of Ratnam.
“In fact no one can understand her fully well. No one knows about her fully either. Even her very close relatives too misunderstood her” as to give some leverage to what he was going to say Ratnam paused a moment. His ploy worked and the interest in the faces around there intensified even more except in Rajesh. It had become quite evident that he was going to say something more.
“What this man is going to say now?” Rajesh irritated in himself. He knew there were some disturbing incidents in his grandma’s life and it would be quite better that the other people there have not known about them under those circumstances. Rajesh’ mind was racing to find a solution to stop Ratnam but before he found one Ratnam started.
“If that incident had not happened some sixty years or so back, in which six persons were murdered including her parents and husband right in this house itself, she might be different on this day”
That was what Rajesh wanted most not to happen. It had its effect instantly. The exciting feeling reached its motto in all the people around but in Rajesh. “Let it happen whatever going to be” he leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes helplessly. It might be interesting to hear that story now but these people would definitely feel different at night. Especially the young girls! It was such a ghastly story.
“Why that many people were murdered? Is there such a horrifying past with grandma? Why my dad or mom never tried to say this to me?” Sameera’s eyes became wide in her sockets to their might.
Upto then Ratnam was trying to steal a glance at Sameera. But her posing a question like that gave an opportunity to him to bear his eyes fully on her. As his mouth dried by seeing Sunanda, it got watered looking at this girl. He remained staring at Sameera with opened mouth. Upto that moment she was not came into full view of him. The dress she wore … my God! His heart skipped a beat. He looked aside and found his assistant’s gaze as well fixed on her unmoving. None of his village girls ever could dare to wear such a dress even in their dreams! A tee-shirt and skirt! It was quite evident she wore nothing under her tee-shirt. Both of her big breasts were airtight under it. He could see the tits of her breasts jutted up under the tee-shirt. Below her neck the beautiful cleavage…. he had to make indeed an effort to avert his gaze from there. And the skirt was a little up on her kneecaps. Without such an outfit too it could be said that she would be a stunning beauty.
(I hope that you enjoyed upto here. I shall publish the next chapter as soon as possible. Please don’t forget to rate and review.)
