Trembling Shadows
A romantic, psychological thriller
Kotra Siva Rama Krishna
“If you were alive I would have married only you. But you were dead. So I had to marry this man. Please leave me. Leave me with my husband and daughter. Go away from here” Tanuja started weeping with a low voice.
“No. This time I would not go without taking you with me” Sasank clutched her right arm with his right hand.
“Leave me. Go away from here” yelling so Tanuja sat up.
“Why mom, what happened? Why did you have yelled like that?” Sameera as well woke up and looking into her mother’s face asked.
Tanuja’s face filled with lot of anxiety. “Oh, all this is just a dream!” She relieved a little. But she could not be relaxed fully. Why she had got such a dream? It was the second time that Sasank coerced her so. Was Sasank really somewhere in devil form? She could not understand. More than twenty years back Sasank was dead. It was impossible that he remained as a devil all these years. If it was so why did not he come to her all these days? she wondered as she wondered before.
“What happened Tanoo? Why did you have yelled like that?” coming near to her Rajesh asked in an exciting tone. Rajesh and Vinod just came down from upstairs.
Tanuja explained the dream to them. “So you have got feared just to a dream? Why you people are feeling fear even to dreams I cannot understand” smiling a little Rajesh said. But this time he had to force that smile. He had felt a lot of irritation because of their feeling fear even to very small incidents as well.
“You never can understand how much I have feared. It is a dream only after I woke up. Until then it has been so real and life like. That Sasank is compelling me to come with him.” She had relaxed a lot on seeing her husband and Vinod beside her so.
“If you agree where he would take you then?” looking into her face Sameera asked.
“He did not say anything about that. All the time he has been asking me to come with him. He is just as he was twenty five years or so before. There is no change in him at all”
“I see” Rajesh nodded his head. Rajesh and Vinod sat near to her.
“Now Mr.Vinod going to tell me that there is no necessity to fear about. It is just a dream and sometimes people dream the dead like this” looking into the face of Vinod, Tanuja said.
“If you were a psychologist and in my place you would have said the same” Vinod said with a smile.
“If you were in my place and got that dream you would have felt even more fear” Tanuja said.
“I am not going to gainsay. But unless and until I am asked, I would not say anything at all from now onwards” Vinod said and remained silent.
“It seems that our great psychologist got angry” Malathi said. “Who will answer our questions then?”
“You did not hear him properly. He is ready to answer our questions if we ask. Only he would not say anything unless we ask” Sunanda looking at her father said.
“My wife has got this experience twice, that too, only after coming into this house Vinod” without bothering with what was going around Rajesh said.
“I have already said to you Rajesh. Human mind is most complicated thing. In places like these our minds would be subjected to several illusions and dreams. Sometimes they appear life like.”
“What should we do now?”
“Just forget about the whole thing. Don’t care about this at all. She has to just tell herself that it is all a dream and no danger would happen to her”
“Would this remedy works?” with a little suspicion in his eyes Rajesh asked.
“How strongly and confidently you say that to yourself would decide the matter” Vinod said. “It depends upon our will power, courage, etc. qualities as well. Just take your case. You have heard sounds from upstairs. A man’s laughter as well. But you did not feel fear. You have decided to go into the upstairs room and look at there. What happened once you have entered into that room? There was nothing at all. Why it happened like that? Because you won over your fear. Hence your mind cannot play tricks on you as it has been doing in your wife’s case.” He explained.
“Yes. Now I remember. You both have come into this room from outside. You both have gone upstairs, is it is not?” looking at them angrily Tanuja asked.
Rajesh and Vinod looked into each other’s faces. “It is Rajesh who first had gone upstairs. As I could not find him beside me I went into upstairs room and found him there.” Vinod said.
“Rajesh why did you go into upstairs room? We thought it was most dangerous place and decided ourselves not to go there” there was anger in the voice of Tanuja.
“Why it is a dangerous place? I cannot see any wrong with it. Just because….” Rajesh tried to say something.
“I don’t want to hear anything. I asked you people not to go there.” Tanuja was still angry.
“But Tanoo. I was in my care. I had gone very cautiously…”
“Shut up. Don’t try to explain anything to me. You did not at all do a great thing by going upstairs so. What we would do if something happened to you there” Tanuja raged even more.
‘How anything would happen to me, as there is nothing at all’ Rajesh wanted to say but he did not. He knew very well that type of argument would not work at all at that time with her.
“Alright I am promising you I would not go upstairs at all from now on. Please forgive me for this time” he pleaded in the usual way as every time he would do after such an incident.
“It is difficult dad, I cannot believe you. Once we have slept, you will go into that upstairs room again” Sameera said.
“No, I would not go at all like that, believe me” Rajesh said leaning onto the wall there nearby.
“Okay for this time, only for this time I believe your words and excuse you. You should not go to upstairs at all again. At the same time you should not allow anyone go there either” Tanuja passed the ultimatum.
“Agreeable to me” Rajesh said.
“We want the same assurance from you too” looking at Vinod, Tanuja said.
“I am not as much courageous as your husband. I would not go into there all alone at all” Vinod said.
“I do not agree. You must give me the assurance as Rajesh did” Tanuja said.
“As you are adamant like that I am giving my assurance to you. I would not go upstairs at all. At the same time I would not at all allow anyone to go upstairs. Is it is alright now?”
“Good boy” Tanuja smiled and said “Yes, it is alright now”
“If you don’t mind, may I ask you a small question?” slitting his eyes Vinod said.
“Ask.” Tanuja said while the smile continuing on her lips.
“Why you people are fearing that much to that upstairs now? It is a place like as any other place in this house. At the same time we have enjoyed most of our time in the upstairs room”
“It is not so” Tanuja nodded her head in negation. “It is a different place comparing to the downstairs. The well arranged bed and the cleanliness and neatness with witch that room maintained creating suspicion and fear in me. Moreover the rumor that the dead bodies are kept in the other room there” Tanuja said again. “Day time it was not noticed much”
“What is wrong in keeping a room clean and neat?” Rajesh asked her surprisingly.
“It is just like prepared so for some particular person” Tanuja said. “Otherwise there is no necessity to keep that room like that. And Sunanda got such a bad dream in that room. And later she behaved quite peculiarly there.”
“For whom the bed and room prepared like that?” Vinod said as to himself.
“We can do only guessing work. It may be for Nagaraju or Semanthakam” Tanuja said.
“You are too much getting obsessed with your imagination” Rajesh said. “Your imaginations are becoming quite unrealistic.”
“May be I am. But I don’t want to change my way of thinking at all” Tanuja said.
Rajesh tried to say something then but all of them heard heavy thumping sound on the front doors.
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“It seems someone has come here on some job. May I go and open the doors?” Vinod asked.
“Who it would be in the midnight time? No, don’t go and open those doors. What we can do if they are thieves?” Tanuja expressed fear.
“You are going too much with your imagination as I have already said” Rajesh said. “Surely it is not like that. In my opinion it is that Ratnakar again. When he came into the house in the afternoon he thumped the doors just like now”
“What Rajesh said is true. Undoubtedly it is Ratnakar” Vinod said.
“Then both of you go together there and open the doors. In such a way there would be more safety” Tanuja said.
“Why don’t you all come with us then? It would be even more safe like that” Rajesh said.
Without bothering what they have said Vinod went near to the doors and opened them wide. As expected Ratnakar entered into the house at once.
“Close the doors behind me. Don’t keep them open like that” moving himself into the house Ratnakar said.
Closed the doors and a little irritating Vinod followed him.
He entered into the room straight and looked at the people there. “Why you are all still staying here? I have told you to leave this place without much delay at all” looking straightly at Rajesh, Ratnakar asked.
“Why should we vacate this house? It is our own. I don’t want to go out of this house.”
“It is your own house I agree. But it is quite dangerous to stay like this here” there was lot of fear in the voice of Ratnakar then.
“I want to know the reason why it is so” looking at him sternly Rajesh asked.
“This house is full of evil power. That is why I am advising you people to go away from here. Otherwise why do I say like this?” making himself comfortable on the floor near to Rajesh, Ratnakar said.
“I must be known the real reason to leave this house. Until you tell me it, we stay in this house like this. Your saying that there is evil power here doesn’t enough.” Rajesh firmly said.
“Now I am helpless” holding up his hands in submission Ratnakar said. “I have tried to avert the danger which is ready to fall upon you. I could not save your father and mother. I am trying to save at least you people. But you are not at all listening to me.”
This made the uneasiness and fear in the people there to the maximum.
“There is no necessity to listen the reasons or causes. Early morning tomorrow we all leave this place and go to our town.” Trying to calm herself, Tanuja said.
“It would be a very nice thing. At the same time don’t try to come here again. That would not be safe to any of you” Ratnakar said.
“As we are going, Ratnakar, why don’t you open your heart and talk with us?” Rajesh asked him. “I know you are a very nice man. If I have behaved rudely in the afternoon please pardon me.”
“It is not at all so Rajesh.” There was a sudden change in the voice of Ratnakar. “I like you so much. You are like a son to me. I always want good of you.” He paused for a moment and then said “that is why I have come here in the midnight”
“Why did not you have come a little early?” Rajesh asked him.
(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.)
