An untellable secret
(Some secrets may better remain secrets for ever)
Kotra Siva Rama Krishna
“You are right.” Sukanya nodded her head. “In how many days you can make the truth out?”
“Just two or three days at the most. My uncle is quite confident about that. He is just making some plan in himself to implement.”
“I see.” Sukanya said and remained silent. It became obvious to Menaka that Sukanya did not like the truth out. But Menaka did not say anything at all. Just because Sukanya was opposing, it could not be stopped. Her uncle promised to that Ranganath that somehow or other that they do get the truth out. No matter whoever might oppose it, they would get the truth out.
“You are thinking so furiously about something. Why don’t you tell me about that?” Sukanya said.
“It is not at all an important matter. I am just thinking in a regular and routine manner.” Menaka said and got off from the chair, went near to the bed and sat beside Sukanya.
Menaka really did not notice how much time passed by the time she finished talking with Sukanya.
&&&
“Oh, Menaka, will you please come into our house for once.”
Hearing that Menaka stopped and looked at that direction. It was Bittoo’s mother standing at the entrance of her house and looking at Menaka.
“Why not?” Menaka said and went to that house. That woman led Menaka into her house.
“Just make comfortable yourself in that chair there.”
With a smile Menaka sat in it.
“Where is Bittoo? Did he go to school?”
“Yes, Bittoo went to school. And my husband went to the shop. I am all alone in the house now.”
“I see.” Menaka nodded her head.
“You are feeling surprise why I have invited you like this into my home.” That woman said.
Menaka smiled. She did not know what to say to that.
“You may not know but that Nirupama often used to come into our home. We used to talk a lot in between ourselves. She was like an own sister to me. After her death it is like a part of me went off.”
“Is it is so? She is that much intimated with you?” Menaka frowned.
“Yes. She is a girl of very friendly nature. It is difficult not to love and like her. Her presence is enjoyable to each and everyone.”
“I too have heard so about her.” Menaka said.
“You are also appearing just like her to me. I think I do have a feeling that I am talking with Nirupama while I am talking with you.” She paused for a moment and said “I really am having such a feeling.”
“I am flattered. I am really feeling very happy that you have given me such importance and feeling like that with me.”
There was silence between them both.
“How far you have come in your investigation? How long it takes to know about the truth?” Bittoo’s mother asked Nirupama.
“In two or three days I think that we can know about the truth for sure. My uncle and I are very furiously trying to finish the job as fast as possible but that Nirupama did not leave any clue to us.” Menaka paused for a moment and then said “Except two sentences.”
“Except two sentences? What are they?” Bittoo’s mother asked surprisingly.
Then Menaka explained to her the two sentences written by Nirupama.
“Very strange! I just cannot make either tail or head to it.” After thinking some time Bittoo’s mother said.
“We are all feeling just like that in fact.” Menaka said. “Just like we have been tied with a rope.” Menaka did not want to say to that woman how near she and her uncle came to the truth.
That woman did not say anything. Menaka herself asked again. “You said that Nirupama used to be so intimate with you. Did not she say anything at all about her troubling or suffering?”
“No, she did not.” Bittoo’s mother nodded her head in negation.
“Is it is not a surprise that she did not say anything about her suffering even to those who are so close and intimate to her?”
Bittoo’s mother said “Yes. She did not say anything even to her parents and to that Niranjan either. I was quite intimate to her but not as much intimate as those people. So there is no surprise that she did not tell about that to me.”
“Are you thinking that Niranjan used to be so intimate to Nirupama?”
“I must say yes.” That woman said. “He used to show special love and affection towards her as if she were his own daughter.”
Menaka did not say why but startled on hearing that.
“How can you say that? You know that Niranjan also well?” Menaka again frowned.
“Yes. My husband and I also know that Niranjan well. He is a good friend to my husband. He comes to our home whenever he comes to Ranganath’s house.” She said.
“How often he comes to Ranganath’s house?” Nirupama became inquisitive.
“Weekly once or twice. He is a relative to Nirmala. There is no surprise in his coming like that to their home.”
“I agree.” Menaka nodded her head. “So, Nirupama also used to treat him as if he were her father.”
“I cannot say it to be so. She respected him a lot. But she treated him as her uncle or friend rather than father. Because she loved her father also that much.” Bittoo’s mother said.
“Thank you.” They both talked some more time. Bittoo’s mother gave coffee and snacks to Menaka. After finishing them Manaka got off from the chair.
“Thank you aunty. I shall come to your house again.”
“Please come as often as possible. I am feeling quite happy talking with you. I am feeling just like I am talking with Nirupama.”
***
When Menaka entered into the home, Ranganath was on the sofa. She smiled at him and about to go upstairs, then Ranganath said.
“Menaka, one minute.” Ranganath said.
“Tell me uncle” she went near to him and asked him.
“Come with me. Don’t make any sound.” He said and led her slowly to the window of the kitchen. “Just look through the window he said.”
Menaka looked through the window into the kitchen. There Nirmala cutting the vegetables with a knife sitting on a mat. Menaka wanted to say something to Ranganath in low voice then she found that Nirmala was talking in herself.
“Niru, its not right. I don’t like your saying so.”
Then Menaka understood that the old woman was not talking in herself but she was talking with imagined Nirupama there. She felt a chill through her spine.
“Its already too late Niru. You must be got married in this year itself. I am not going to give much chance at all to you.”
Ranganath and Menaka looked into each other’s faces.
“No. I am not going to hear your father in this regard. No recommendations work out. You must be got married within this year itself. If you want to study do that after marriage.”
There was some silence as if Nirmala was listening to her daughter.
“Did you like that girl? She is indeed very good. I know that you do like her a lot.”
There was silence again.
“If you are not feeling comfortable with that girl in that upstairs room, I ask her to change into the downstairs room.”
After few seconds she said again. “There is no problem to you? Alright then. She stays in that room itself.”
“Come uncle.” Menaka said with a small voice and took Ranganath into the upstairs room.
“What is this?” Ranganath hold his head in both of his hands. “I just cannot understand her. Until one week or so back she behaved as if Nirupama was in a faraway place in her aunt’s home. Now she is talking as if Nirupama is in this house itself.”
“Yes. It is appearing typical to me also.”Menaka said.
“How she is responding to your hypnotism?” he asked her.
Then Menaka said to him how her hypnotism was going on with her.
“When your uncle would manage the truth out I cannot understand. Everything is linked with that it seems.”
“Why are you saying like that?”
“I don’t know. My daughter committed suicide with an unknown and peculiar reason and my wife turned out mad like this. I am thinking that there may be a link between my wife’s madness and that reason.”
“Not at all so. I am not thinking like that at all.” Menaka said.
“Any how I do want to talk with your uncle immediately. We both shall go to him now, come.” Getting off from the chair he said.
***
“So you want that truth out as fast as possible.” Looking into the eyes of Ranganath Smaran said.
“Yes, if you really can manage it out, do that now. I am thinking that there is a connection with the reason of my daughter’s committing suicide and my wife’s becoming mad.”
“Your wife was mentally shocked on seeing your daughter committing suicide like that. It led to her present madness. There is no link I think between the reason for your daughter’s committing suicide and your wife’s madness.”
“I don’t want to argue more. But I want to know the truth.”
“Alright then. I will let you know the truth.” Smaran said.
“But when? I don’t want delay any more. Already a lot of time has passed.”
“But still there is time as per our agreement.” Smaran reminded to him.
“May be there is. I don’t know. But… if possible…..” Ranganath mumbled.
“Its possible.” Smaran said with such firmness in his voice and Ranganath immediately looked into his face. “I let you know the truth day after tomorrow itself.”
“It would be so good then.” Ranganath excitingly said. “But how you are going to let me know the truth?”
“I let you know the truth through your wife herself.”
“What do you mean? I just cannot understand what you are saying?” on hearing that Ranganath startled and said
“I am saying what I mean.” The same firmness was in his voice. “I let you know the truth through your wife. Because your wife knows the truth.”
“What the hell you are talking about? Still I cannot understand at all.”Ranganath angrily said.
“Your wife pretty well knows why your daughter committed suicide.”
“Look” Ranganath got off from the chair and thumped the table in between them with his hands. “There is no problem if you cannot manage the truth forever. But don’t say disturbing things like these. Because of the shock she received finding her daughter died so, my wife became mad. How can my wife know the reason that compelled my daughter to commit suicide?”
“I cannot argue with you on this more sir. But I can manage the truth out from your wife if you give the permission to me.”
“For what I have to give the permission to you?’ Ranganath was still in quite irritating mood.
“To hypnotize your wife to a deeper level. To make her to tell the truth.”
Ranganath hissed out heavily. He was blazing with anger.
Smaran also stood up from the chair and put his right hand on the left shoulder of Ranganath and looked into his face.
“I know how you are feeling about this. It is indeed hard. But it is true that your wife knows the truth pretty well. At the same time….” Smaran paused for a moment and then said. “………..this truth is not going to be pleasant at all. Even to the least.”
“So, you have come to know the truth already, are not you?” Ranganath calmed himself and said. “Why don’t you tell me that straight?”
“No, I don’t know the truth yet.” Smaran nodded his head in negation. “But I can say that your wife hundred percent knows the truth. If you give me the permission, I sure get the truth out by hypnotizing her.”
“Menaka is already hypnotizing her everyday. What is there to take my permission particularly in this?”
“No. We have to take her into deeper hypnosis and make her tell us the bitter truth. We have to take permission of yours before venturing ourselves to this experiment. Unless you permit us, we cannot proceed further.”
“Alright, when you are going to do it?”
(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.)
