Trembling Shadows
A romantic, psychological thriller
Kotra Siva Rama Krishna
“Nagaraju and Semanthakam” Vinod said. “Both those characters are appearing quite strange to me. As per the people saying your grandmother and Nagaraju loved each other. But when it comes to marriage, grandmother preferred Semanthakam instead of Nagaraju. Why it had happened so?”
“I think you did not hear clearly what Ratnakar said” with an irritating tone Rajesh said. “He said why it happened like that”
“Of course, I listened. But it appears to me that might not be true” closed his eyes Vinod thoughtfully said.
“I am not thinking that my grandmother loved Nagaraju at all. She might be under some awe towards him and acted as if she were loving him as otherwise he would get angry. She and her parents might be waiting for an opportunity like Nagaraju go out of station. When it came the marriage of grandmother with Semanthakam was performed whom she loved in fact.” Rajesh said.
“So in your opinion grandma loved Semanthakam but not Nagaraju. She was never in love with Nagaraju, is it is not?” Looking at Rajesh straightly Vinod said.
“Yes, that is my opinion.” Rajesh said nodding his head in affirmation.
“As you are her own grandson we have to give some credit to your opinion. Still I am thinking that might not be true” Vinod said.
“There is nothing that we can doubt in it. It is not unusual that murders happen for beautiful women. Grandma was a beautiful woman. This Nagaraju wanted to marry her and he might have threatened her with some dire consequences if she did not agree to marry him. As there was no other way our grandmother might have agreed to do in the way Nagaraju asked. Her parents also have to agree with him. But all the time they were just waiting for an opportunity. When Nagaraju went out of station they made Semanthakam marry grandma. They might have thought once the marriage was over, Nagaraju could not do anything at all. But Nagaraju reacted in such a way.” Malathi said.
“What a wonderful analization! But it might not have happened in the way you are thinking about.” Vinod said.
“One thing can be said here mom, that Nagaraju is not appearing as a good person. That was why he killed such many people on that day.” Sunanda said. Still she was quite near to Anand and Anand was observing her with a happy expression on his face. The joy he had got with her in their room still lingering in his heart. Forgetting her flirting with boys before the marriage, he was feeling happier that he could get such a beautiful wife.
“What made him that mad as well need to be taken into consideration. If the love whom the lover loved so much married someone else, lovers generally get angry and do bad things. That exact thing happened here.” Vinod said.
“That Nagaraju was a warlock. We cannot say warlocks are good people. The people who adore bad angels never can do any good to the world. So I cannot support him at all.” Anand said.
“The person who killed that many innocent people can get no one’s love and affection. He certainly must face the consequences of his wrong doing.” Rajesh said a little bit emotionally.
“I am not supporting anyone particularly. I am just saying what I am thinking. Why grandma shifted her love from Nagaraju to Semanthakam need to be answered. In the process of discovering the truth, so many other things as well would be come into light.” Vinod said again anticipating a reaction from Rajesh as what he said was against Rajesh’s views.
“You did not hear him clearly it seems. In my opinion grandma was never loved that rogue Nagaraju.” Rajesh sighed heavily and said “Anyhow more than seventy years or so have passed after Nagaraju and Semanthakam killed each other. No one can give the correct and full particulars on what happened.” Rajesh said.
“Still if we try, we may know” Vinod said.
“How can we know about that? Even we try to know we hear only half-truths. That Ratnakar might be known most of the information but he was not ready to part with it to us.” Malathi said. “Moreover he is appearing partly mad.”
“I am thinking that there is no necessity to dig that deep into those matters.” The conversation there was irritating to Tanuja. Why all these people wanted to talk only about the old woman, her husband and lover? “A long time has passed and we may better leave those matters like that. We cannot do anything even we know the facts.”
Vinod nodded his head and he could understand the frustration of Tanuja. Then he looked at Rajesh. It seemed to him that Rajesh also was struggling in himself. He could understand why that wife and husband were struggling like that then. The heavy rain and Aravind and Sameera’s stuck up in upstairs was bothering them.
What Vinod guessed was right. Rajesh and Tanuja’s minds were in turmoil. Aravind and Sameera’s stuck up in upstairs was creating new apprehensions in them. Sameera was like a rose flower. If she was handy to any boy and she liked him also, there was a chance of something unwanted to be happened. He knew Aravind. He was a good boy but if a beautiful girl like Sameera offered herself, he too would be tempted.
“What you are thinking Rajesh? Why you have stopped putting your real feelings before us?” looking at Rajesh with narrowed eyes Malathi asked. She did not listen clearly what Tanuja said and she did not much notice about the turmoin in that wife and husband.
“I have poured out all my feelings. What would be the use? However much we may discuss we cannot come to any opinion. What is even more surprising to me is grandmother left nothing on the walls or somewhere else in the house related to her husband and parents. There is no chance at all to us to know how they look like by looking at their photographs” Rajesh said irritatingly. He had to talk only that which he did not like much.“It seems that grandmother purposefully did that. She did not want anyone know about them”
No one had talked anything but it seemed that there was some truth in his saying so. Why grandma did not leave any of the portraits of her husband and parents in the house? She was indeed a peculiar woman.
“What you have said is absolutely right. For specific reasons that we cannot know, she did not intend that anyone learn how her husband and parents look like.” Malathi said.
“So it seems that there are lot many things here that we cannot understand.” Anand said.
“How it would be if we search the whole house carefully? We may have found something interesting relating to grandma’ life” Sunanda said
“We cannot participate in this search at all. If you are really that much interested you may go and see” Malathi said wearily.
“Sometime before I have taken a decision not to remain anywhere alone. I cannot do the search all by myself however much I am interested to do so.” Sunanda disappointedly said.
“If you want I shall be with you in this Sunanda” Observing his wife’s enthusiasm Anand said.
“Oh, Anand what a nice thing you have said! The rain as well turned into a small drizzle again. Tell how and where we have to look for to know whether anything interesting is lying here.” considering Anand with love filled eyes, Sunanda said. The love he was showering on her was appearing quite genuine. But she was feeling fear what it would be if that love turnout as fake.
“From anywhere we think fit. There is no problem from wherever we may start” Anand said.
“Then we shall start now itself.” They both stood up. The couple moved forward with equal enthusiasm.
&&&
Aravind did not try to move away from the chair he had been seated. The elation he had felt until the sexual act was over and few minutes afterwards had gone. Suddenly it struck to him what a big wrong he had committed. He spoiled the daughter of the very people who loved and liked him very much. How they would react once they came to know about it? His heart was filled with agony and guilty feeling. How he did such type of a thing to her he could not understand.
But there was a happy feeling in Sameera. It was not just she got Aravind into her hold but took revenge on her parents also. The thought how they both would feel once they came to know about it was amusing to her. But she felt pity looking at Aravind. She could know what type of feeling he was subjected then. By his facial expression she understood what type of turmoil was going inside him.
“What you are thinking that seriously?” coming near to him and sat beside him in the other chair Sameera asked. He was suddenly appearing like a child to her. He was feeling that he betrayed the trust that her parents put on him by spoiling their daughter and in a way she knew that was quite justifiable as well. She moved even more close to him and took his face into her hands and turned it towards her. The expression in his face was one of deep regret.
The same feeling of regret she had seen in his eyes too when he opened them and looked at her. He did not say anything at all and she knew he was not able to talk or express anything then and his heart was full of distress.
“There is no necessity to feel this much Aravind. I like you, so I have given myself to you. It is I who compelled you to do that to me. If there is any mistake in this, it is mine but not yours” looking into his eyes she said.
He released himself from her hands, stood up from the chair and went near to the doorpost. By that time the heavy rain slackened and once again turned into a small one. She clutched his arm and dragged him towards the bed again and made him sit on that. “Why cannot you understand? Why are you worrying yourself so even after I have said like that to you?” she could not control the raising anger in her.
“Can you understand what happened between us just moments before? It should happen only after marriage. We did a big mistake.” there was lot of anguish in his voice.
His weak and pathetic voice in fact evoked lot of surprise in her. She could not think of there were these type of boys as well since she knew only such boys around who would jump at once even by a small invitation of sex from any girl without bothering about any morals. “Oh, my God! Do you know how you are appearing to me? You are appearing like a small child. These are quite casual things between male and female once they liked each other. In fact it is reversal of roles. You are doing what should I do and I am doing what you have to. Generally only girls feel in this way if they lost their virginity before marriage.” she burst into a small laughter.
He considered her face for a moment surprisingly before he said “How you are feeling like this? Are you thinking how your parents would feel if they know what happened between us here?”
“Oh, for that you are worrying!” she sighed heavily. “They both are not that much purified. I know about them very well. They have no moral right to show a finger towards me.” She surprised herself as she could not feel any at all for what she had done then. In fact she was feeling happy and she wanted to see her parents’ faces after they discovered what happened between her and Aravind.
(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.)
