Trembling Shadows
A romantic, psychological thriller
Kotra Siva Rama Krishna
There was no answer immediately from Rajesh. But he fall into deep thinking. It seemed that he had become completely oblivious of the surroundings.
“Oh, he is suffering. I don’t like this” looking at the deep frowns on his forehead Tanuja muttered under her breath.
“Vinod, is it is good to stress him to such an extent?” Malathi asked him with a slow voice.
“We have come a long way. It works out. Just be patient” looking at Rajesh, Vinod said.
“Relax Rajesh, Relax. You can do that easily. You need not put that much of effort. Everything has been recorded somewhere in your mind. First tell me how your grandmother appeared on that day?”
“In a white sari. She appeared beautiful. There was kindness in her eyes and face. But she was not happy” Rajesh said in one gulp.
“Excellent! He is remembering.” There was joy in the voice of Malathi.
“What you did then?”
“As far as I can remember I was in my mother’s hands some time and some time in the hands of a middle aged person there. I have observed keenly whatever happened around me.” There was no struggle in Rajesh then. The sentences were coming out just like a flow.
“What you have observed? Was anyone talking among them?” Vinod with increasing enthusiasm asked.
“It was first my grandmother.” Rajesh remained silent after saying that.
“Now you are saying what your grandmother has said. You can remember it and say that. You cannot remain without saying that.” While the other people there were looking at them both eagerly, Vinod said.
There was struggle in Rajesh’s face and everyone understood that some process was going under him. Tanuja could not see her husband was suffering like that and so desperately wanted to stop that all.
“Now you are telling what your grandmother has talked. You remembered that and you can say it.” still looking into the face of Rajesh, Vinod said.
‘ “Why did you have come here? I have told you not to come here at all, was not I?” making everyone there stunned, these words have come out of the mouth of Rajesh.
They all have looked into each other’s faces again. Thrill and fear playing equal parts in them.
“Then who else talked? Tell me. You just cannot remain without giving me the answer” making an effort to maintain his voice smooth Vinod said.
“Then some other person there talked. Yes it was Ratnakar. He said ‘I too told him not to come here however much compelling the circumstances may be.’ What he said more I cannot remember.” This time there was not much struggle in him and words came out easily.
“All right then. What happened next?” Vinod asked him again.
The painful silence visited again. Rajesh’s forehead creased with wrinkles. His both palms turned into fists. It seemed the struggle started in him again.
“Easy Rajesh. Just Easy. Your perceptive ability at that time was quite little. But your mind could have recorded whatever you have heard just like a tape recorder. Give it freedom. Let it pour out.”
Outside a small drizzle started again and except the sound of it there was no disturbance whatsoever. Who were present in that room were watching that with bated breath.
“Now it comes out what happened next…...You cannot remain without telling that to me….. I shall count one, two, three and it just pour out by the time I reach three” saying so Vinod started counting the numbers. “One… Two … Three”
“Why should not I come here? I am your flesh and blood. Is there any surprise that a son visits his mother?” everyone there once again stunned hearing that from Rajesh’s mouth. Once again they looked into each other’s faces.
“Excellent!” Malathi could not remain without saying that.
“Is that what your father said?” excitement started in Vinod too.
“Yes” Rajesh said
“What your grandmother said to that?” Vinod asked him again. “If you can remember what your father had said, you can remember what your grandmother had said as well”
Then the lips of Rajesh curved into movement forming the following words. “In our matter it is different my son. Either this house or I would not do good to you. Please try to understand your mother” but it seemed he was making an effort to remember and saying that so.
“What your father had said to that” all of them staring at Rajesh dumbfounded. It was quite unbelievable to them.
“Why we are different? Why either this house or you would not do good to me? You must explain to me” the agony his father felt was appearing in the voice of Rajesh as well.
“Next … what happened?......... don’t stop. You can tell”
‘You don’t know how much I am longing to see you, to speak to you, to get your love and affection’ My mother was not talking anything. She remained silent like a statue.”
“Very good… next…what happened next?” Vinod continued his asking and the excitement around reached its motto.
There was silence. Rajesh started taking breaths with gasps. Cold fear crept into the spine of Tanuja. “Vinod please stop all this. He cannot bear it anymore” she said with a shivering tone.
“Just a few minutes Tanuja. A few minutes. Nothing dangerous would happen.” Saying so he looked at Rajesh. “Relax. Please relax. You are doing wonderfully.” Vinod said. “Keep your mind calm. You can do this very easily. Everything is ready in your mind. Let it pour out. What happened next?”
“You are a warlock. You practice witchcraft. This house is full of evil. My father’s and that Nagaraju’s souls are still here. That is why you don’t want me to come here. Is it is not?”
The silence there was complete. Automatically they looked into each other’s faces again. They could clearly see the fear in other’s faces.
“Are you still keeping the dead bodies of my father and that Nagaraju in the upstairs room?” the words came out from Rajesh without Vinod’s prompting.
There was an ear shuttering thunder nearby and heavy downpour started. They had forgotten even to blink. The very idea there might be dead bodies in the next room itself was creating tremors in their hearts.
Rajesh stopped again. “Rajesh please continue. What happened then? What your grandmother said to that?” Vinod prompted him. But there was enough shock in him too.
Rajesh suddenly started taking his breath in heavy gasps. Vinod instantly came to his senses and started saying “Relax Rajesh. Relax. Feel easy. No problem at all”
“Stop… Stop everything at once. It appears Rajesh may get heart attack. He is struggling to breath” Malathi hurriedly came forward.
Tanuja started weeping. “This is why I have opposed it from the beginning. What would happen to my husband now?”
“Relax Rajesh … Relax… Take it easy. You need not remember anything. You just hear and follow what I say…. You are feeling quite easy….You are becoming relaxed.” Vinod continued saying so. He also had become anxious. The sudden change in Rajesh made him as well fear stricken. His first priority then was making Rajesh normal again.
Not just he, everyone else around as well started feeling anxious. Tanuja was becoming hysteric. It had become difficult to Malathi to control her.
Gradually change had come into Rajesh. After few more gasps his breathing became normal. Vinod continued his instructions in the same soothing and relaxing tone. It had taken two minutes or so of time to Rajesh to become completely normal.
Vinod continued his saying looking straight into Rajesh’s eyes. “Rajesh you are becoming completely relaxed. You will come out of your hypnosis. Slowly and slowly you come out of your hypnosis. I shall start counting three. By the time I reach three … You come out of hypnosis completely” saying so he started counting. “One …” he paused observing Rajesh. The wrinkles in the forehead of Rajesh were clearing slowly. “Two…” Rajesh had taken a deep breath. “Three…” observing Rajesh minutely Vinod said.
Rajesh opened his eyes, smiled little and looked into the face of Vinod.
“Four, five and six. What a wonderful experience!” coming out of the chair Rajesh said.
Tanuja immediately ran towards him and hugged him strongly. “You idiot. You don’t know how much fear I have felt” putting her head on his shoulder and weeping slowly she said.
“Oh, dear. What is this? You are not a small baby. Anyhow Vinod performed this quite well.” Looking at Vinod with surprise Rajesh said “I never have thought that hypnotism works this wonderfully!”
Sameera as well came near to him and took his right hand into her hands and squeezed it. “Stop it dad. I too did not think of this process would make you struggle that much. If I could be known that it would happen like this I would not have allowed this at all” She herself did not know why and how she was feeling that much of love and affection towards her father whom she always hate. She was wondering herself how she had forgotten her hate on him then.
“What is in it to worry about? Anyhow I have gone through this hypnotism episode quite successfully. I cannot remember well now what I have talked. Will you people tell me about that?” making himself comfortable again in the chair he sat before Rajesh asked.
“You could not say completely what happened on that day. But you have given us some vital information. Whether it is true or not need to be known” Vinod said looking into Rajesh’s face. “It is half failure and half success Rajesh”
“What is that vital information and why it is only half success?” knitting his brows together Rajesh asked with a seriousness in his tone.
“You have started struggling a lot when it reached its climax. I have to stop it abruptly and take you out of hypnosis” Then Vinod told him about his taking breath with heavy gasps and how Tanuja and Malathi reacted.
“It seems reasonable. There is no surprise that you people feared like that but I think nothing would have happened to me even if it was continued” Rajesh said thoughtfully. “May we start all that again?” with a smile on his lips he asked.
“I kill you on the spot if you say that again. Not ever in the whole future that I allow you to undergo that again” slapping him on his shoulder heavily Tanuja said. All those around there burst into laughter while Tanuja tightened her mouth.
“I support my mother in this. I don’t think that it is good that my father ever undergo this again” Sameera said.
“All right. We are not going to experiment with that hypnotism atleast for the present.” Vinod said.
“Now tell me what is that vital information you have got” Rajesh asked.
All of them remembered that piece of terrifying information. Fear crept into their faces at once and expressions changed immediately.
“It seems that it is some dangerous information. What it is? Don’t put me in suspense.” with mounting irritation Rajesh asked.
“Dangerous and terrifying” nodding his head in agreement Vinod said what information they had got.
“My God! Is it can be true?” there was fear in the voice of Rajesh as well.
“That is what not confirmed. We could not hear what grandmother has said. We have to take you out abruptly from hypnosis” Vinod said. “Anyhow there is a rumor like that in circulation. That Ratnam as well said so to us.”
“But there is no concrete proof to it. It is still a rumor in my opinion.” Tanuja said. “Rajesh did not say what grandma has said.”
Rajesh breathed deeply and exhaled “Even you people hear what grandmother said then there would not be much use. What is the guarantee that she had said the truth to her son?”
“You are right. So there is no necessity to worry about that we could not hear what grandmother had said to that question” Vinod said.
(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.)
