An untellable secret
(Some secrets may better remain secrets for ever)
Kotra Siva Rama Krishna
“Tomorrow itself.” Saying so Smaran looked at Menaka who sat there all the time without talking anything at all. “I think the old woman is being hypnotized so easily by you everyday?’
“You are right.” Menaka nodded her head.
“Then tomorrow also you put her under hypnosis. Tell her when she is under hypnosis that she would listen to a male voice and obey it. Then I would interfere and get the truth out from her.”
“Is it is that easy?” Menaka frowned.
“If everything goes as I am thinking it is that much easy.” Smaran said and slumped himself in his chair again. Ranganath also followed the suit.
“You also must be there on tomorrow. We both do enter into the scene only after Nirmala is put under hypnosis.”
“As you say. I cannot understand anything at all.” Ranganath was still under confusion.
“Don’t feel too much confusion.” Smaran said. “I am going to get the truth out on tomorrow for you.”
***
“Ranga dear.”
Hearing his wife’s voice like that Ranganath startled. It was after a very long time she called him so.
“Tell. What is the matter?” looking into the eyes of his wife Ranganath asked. There was sorrow in those eyes with unfathomable depths. Ranganath always thought ever he could understand his wife full.
“Can we talk for sometime?” there was pleading in her voice.
“Sure. Why not? Come we do sit in the sofa there and talk?” he put his hand around her shoulder and slowly led her to the sofa. First he made her sit in the sofa and then he placed himself gently beside her. There was change in his wife which he could not understand. Is she coming out of her madness and realizing the truth?’ he wondered.
“What you really want to talk?” looking into the eyes of his wife again Ranganath asked her.
“A lot. A lot in fact.” Nirmala mumbled.
“You need not hesitate for anything. Just ask whatever you want.” In a smooth tone Ranganath said to her.
“Why do people feel fear to death?” she asked him straight.
“What?” he startled again. Why she had asked such a question? What she really wanted to know.
“Yes. Why all feel fear to death?” she asked him again.
“Why do you want to ask me this question?” without showing his surprise out he asked her.
“First let me know. Why people feel fear to death?” she was persistent.
“I don’t know. I cannot answer this question.” With a helpless expression feeling fear inside, Ranganagh said.
“Do you feel fear to death?” she asked him.
He breathed deeply and hissed out wearily. “No, I don’t feel fear to death.”
“I too don’t feel fear to death.” Nirmala said. “As long as you are alive to look after the welfare of our child.”
“What do you mean?” Ranganath shocked again. ‘Does she still believe in full that Nirupama is alive? Did not she come out of her illusions yet?’ he wondered.
“Yes. Nirupama loves you more than she loves me. She does not need me if you are with her.”
“What type of talking this is? Our daughter wants you and me also. Both parents are important and necessary to any child.” Ranganath said feeling a strange fear in himself.
“No our daughter is special Ranga. She can manage herself with a single parent. Especially if it is you, there is no problem at all.”
“Will you stop this nonsense? I don’t want to hear this type of talking anymore.” Ranganath angrily said
Nirmala remained silent for sometime. “How much love you are having on me?” she suddenly asked.
“A lot and lot and lot. Do you need to ask? Don’t you know?”
Nirmala looked into his face and smiled. “I know Ranga dear, I know how much you do love me. You do love me now as much as you have loved me on the first day of our marriage.”
“Why you are talking like this now? Take rest. Don’t worry for anything at all.” Once again putting his hand around her shoulders Ranganath said.
“Who said I am worrying now? I am not worrying at all. I am so happy. If Niru comes to home in one or two days, I do feel even more happy.”
“Did you talk with Niru on this day?” a chill ran through his spine.
“We have been talking everyday over phone Ranga. Many a time she asked for you to talk. But you are not around at all at that time.”
“Why did not she call to my cell phone?” he asked her and waited eagerly to hear her answer.
“I don’t know. I ask her about this. Yes, she is having your phone number with her and she knows very well how much you are interested to talk with her. But still….” She paused for a moment before continuing. “……why she is phoning only to me I cannot understand!”
“Alright. Now don’t strain yourself much. Take rest. Do you want any help? May I call Menaka down?”
“No, Ranga dear. No. That Menaka is a guest in our house. We should not disturb or trouble her unnecessarily.”
“Did Nirupama came to our house in the last one or two days?” remembering his wife’s strange behavior with the imagined Nirupama, Ranganath asked her.
“No. How she could come? You know now she is very far from us. Aunt Srividya’s house is not near to come here for once and then go there again. Once she comes to home I don’t let her to go anywhere else.”
Ranganath did not say anything at all. He still could remember how she talked with imagined Nirupama in the home. Now she was saying that Nirupama did not come to home at all in the last one or two days. ‘From what she is really suffering?’ Ranganath surprised.
Then he suddenly remembered Smaran’s words. “Your wife knows why your daughter committed suicide.”
“I do take you into your room. Take some rest there. After you wake up again, we discuss all the matters. First get out of this sofa and walk with me into your room.” Getting off from the sofa holding her right hand Ranganath said.
Without any argument or resistance Nirmala took that hand into hers. Ranganath slowly led her into her bedroom and gently laid her on the bed there.
‘Anyhow I am going to know the truth on tomorrow’ while his wife was slowly and slowly dropping herself into sleep, he thought.
***
“I just cannot understand my wife at all. What might have happened to her?” Ranganath asked. He was in the office of Smaran. Smaran sat in the opposite chair to him. Sukanya and Menaka also were present in that room at that time.
“We discussed this thing many a time before. You are asking the same thing again. Your wife saw her daughter hanging from the ceiling. Does she need anything else than that to become mad?”
“You are absolutely right.” Ranganath nodded his head. “Anyhow we are going to know that secret on tomorrow. Are you positive that this would work out?” he said.
“Yes, I am confident. I can manage the truth out from your wife once she is under hypnosis.”
“However many number of us can present in that room along with Menaka and Nirmala?” Ranganath asked him again.
“Four or five. It is better as few people as possible present in the place where hypnotism is going on. It is only to ensure that there would be no disturbance.”
“I too want to present while Menaka and you do hypnotize and ask questions to aunty.” Sukanya said.
“I have no objection whatsoever if Ranganath agrees to it.” Looking into the face of Ranganath, Smaran said.
“I have no objection. Sukanya is also like a daughter to me. She and Nurupama used to be great friends. I sure like Sukanya present at the place.”
“Alright then.” Smaran nodded his head. “All set for final step.”
“What about Niranjan? Why should not we invite him also?” Suddenly Ranganath asked him.
“I did not get this idea until now. You are right, why should not we invite Niranjan also? He is a psychologist and he can be useful in extracting information from Nirmala.” Smaran said.
“But are you hundred percent positive that it works? What if Nirmala would be unnecessarily disturbed by all this?” Ranganath diverted from Niranjan’s topic.
“No, Nirmala is not going to be disturbed. It is not going to have any negative effect on her. I do see to that. I am hundred percent positive that we can get the necessary information by using this technique. If we cannot then we shall think what to do.” Smaran said.
“Hypnotism. My daughter used to hypnotize my wife. I thought it was just for fun. Everyday seeing my wife being hypnotized by this girl, I am really feeling that this is something useful. In fact I am also confident that we can get the information we want by using this if my wife knows the truth as you are suspecting.” Ranganath said.
“I am not suspecting anything Ranganath, I am confirmed. Unless I am confirmed I would not have asked you to permit us to get the information from your wife under hypnosis.”
“How did you have confirmed that my wife knows that secret?” Ranganath asked surprisingly.
“We have our methods and manners to know about truths.” Smaran said. “We are not going to reveal them out. We just let our customers know what they want.”
There was few seconds silence in between them then.
“I have forgotten to tell.” Then Ranganath explained to them his recent episode with his wife.
“Strange! Why she has asked such a question?” Sukanya said.
“Why people feel fear to death? I too want to know the answer to this question. Uncle can you tell me?” Looking at Smaran, Menaka asked him.
“In our opinion and firm belief we are the body. There is no existence to us, as per our consideration, if there is no body. After death our body would be taken to burial ground and buried deep into the earth or incinerated into ashes. So we do feel fear to death.” Smaran explained.
“Are we really not the body? Then what we are?” Menaka 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.)
