Laughter in Darkness
A suspense, romantic and psychological thriller
By
Kotra Siva Rama Krishna
“Nine years back, in the year 2011 we came into this house for the first time. We have faced very strange experiences in this house at that time. Not just that my grandmother Rajeswari expired then.” Rajesh paused for a moment and then said again. “When we returned from this place, we have told our experiences to a writer. He wrote a book ‘A Mansion of Illusions’ which comprises not only about our stay in this house on that day but many more things also.”
“And it was published too. I have read that book a long time back itself. Really very much interesting! If I have not read that book, I would have asked you many questions about this house and your grandma.” Neeraja said. “To refresh myself, I read that book just before coming here also.”
“That book is indeed very much interesting! An apt title to the story of it. Whatever you people have gone through here on that day are nothing but your illusions.” Rose said. “I read that book sometime back and can remember most of it.”
“How you people came to know about that book?” with a surprising expression on his face, Rajesh asked them.
“Through Vinod. Have you forgotten that he is working in our mental care and one of us now? He said about that book and we read it.” Rose said.
“Now I understood. He did a nice thing.” Rajesh nodded his head “Vinod, you are not talking anything. I want to hear something from you.” Looking into the face of Vinod, Rajesh said.
“Last time I came here with my wife Malathi. More than five years have passed after my wife’s death and I made terms with it. But after entering into this house again, I am remembering once more how we all have spent time here with Malathi. I cannot say whether those memories are sweet or sour to me.” Vinod leaned back in the chair and closed his eyes.
“Oh, dad, please” Sunanda who sat beside him put her right hand on his right shoulder. “Mom is as much sweeter to me as she is to you. Her memories are invading me also now. I am feeling just like she is among us now.” Then she removed her hand and put her head on that shoulder.
“I am also feeling in the same way, just like Malathi is among us on this day.” Tanuja who sat beside Rajesh said. “I must say Sunanda your mom is a dearest person not just to you and your dad but to many other people also. Just because of her I married Rajesh.” Tanuja’s voice became heavy with emotion.
“I know about Malathi. I know how much Vinod was affected by the death of his wife. After her death he could not practice anymore individually as a psychologist and joined in our Black Ant Mental Care where he has become indispensable.” Rose who sat near to them, heard that conversation and said.
“Are psychologists that much important as psychiatrists in a mental care?” looking into the face of Rose, Sunanda once again settled in her chair and asked her.
“Every profession has its merits. If the patient is still under his control and in a position to listen and follow the instructions, only psychologists are preferable. We do treat all types of mental patients and in fact we need more psychologists in our mental care than we have now.” Rose said.
“I wish you to come to our mental care and see all of it. Your dad is working there now.” Neeraja said.
“I don’t think that I have a stomach to see mental patients and digest. Even I have not been to a mental hospital yet, I can understand how the mental patients would be.” With a horrifying expression on her face, Sunanda said.
“Despite being the daughter of a psychologist, your talking like this is shameful” Vinod angrily said. “It is as much natural to the mind to get diseases as it is to the body. Mental patients just need specific treatment to become normal again. Feeling fear or developing hate towards mental patients is very bad.”
“I am sorry dad, I should not have talked like that.” The expression in Sunanda’s face turned into one of regret. “I just forgot that I am a daughter of a very sincere psychologist. As reparation to the way of my thinking, I sure do come to that mental care and see all of that.”
“That’s a wise decision” Neeraja smiled and said.
Sameera who was silent all the time there, wanted to say something but then they heard tapping sounds on the doors there.
“I think it is Ratnam. He took our breakfast. I go and open the doors.” Sameera got off from the chair and went away from that place.
“I think I read this name somewhere in that book” with a beautifully gathered frown on her face, Rose said.
“He took breakfast, lunch and dinner to the people here. He is the son of Ratnakar who looked after the affairs of the old woman Rajeswari.” Neeraja said.
“Excellent! You remembered everything so perfect!” Vinod said with a smile on his lips.
As they both were talking like that first Sameera, after her Ratnam and another person entered into that place. There were big parcels in the hands of Ratnam and that another person hold tea pot and paper glasses. This person was not that person who accompanied Ratnam into this house in their last time visit to here.
“I am sorry that we have become late like this” opening the parcels and distributing the packets in it to the people there Ratnam said.
“Never mind, you have not become too late. It is the time we take our breakfast in our homes.” Taking a packet from his hands, Rajesh said.
“You people have come too early here by five in the morning itself. I did not expect you that early.” Ratnam said.
Rose, Neeraja, Emily and the rest also came to the house of Rajesh and they all started from there in Rajesh’s big van.
“We too did not” opening the packet which was put in his hands Vinod said. “We stopped only in one or two places after we have started from our place. So we came here early like that.” He paused for a moment and said again “But everything was arranged so neat and comfortable here. We started enjoying as soon as we entered into this house.”
“The whole credit must go to Ratnam himself.” Rajesh said with an appreciative expression in his face. “He all alone looked after renovating this house and made it comfortable and enjoyable like this.”
“I did not do it all alone” Ratnam smiled and said “You provided the means and I engaged skilled people.” He paused a moment and said again looking into the face of his assistant “Moreover this Raju as well helped me a lot in that work.”
Most of them looked into the face of Raju then and there came an embarrassed expression in his face.
“I go and intimate Anand and our children about breakfast. They all in upstairs room.” Trying to get away from the chair, Sunanda said.
“You need not go. Phone to him and ask him to come down” Rajesh said.
“You may not have noticed but there are no signals to our cell phones here.” Sunanda smiled and said.
“Is it is so? I did not notice.” Rajesh took out his cell phone and looked at the screen of it. There was no signal in it.
Many people there also took their cell phones out and looked at them. There were no signals in any of their phones.
“Is it is such a nook and corner village that none of our cell phones having signals? Is there no cell phone tower here?” with surprise in her voice, Neeraja asked.
“It is not so, we have cell phone signals in our village. It is like this only in this house.” Raju who came along with Ratnam said.
“Why it is so, I cannot understand!” with surprise in his face, Rajesh asked him.
“We have faced the same problem last time also, how did you forget?” Tanuja asked Rajesh.
“Cell networks did not reach this far nine years back. There was no surprise if our cell phones have no signals then. But I thought…..” Rajesh tried to say something more.
“This Raju said there will be signal to our phones in the village. If we want to talk with someone we can go out and do that. Don’t think too much about it.” Tanuja said.
Rajesh did not prefer to say anything to that.
“Not just that, the people who worked here have faced strange experiences. I have to put lot of effort to make them to work here.” Ratnam said while observing Sunanda and Sameera there with furtive looks. Nine years back he observed them so, in this house exactly at this place. It surprised him that long passage of time increased their glamour rather than diminishing it. When his roving looks settled on Neeraja, his heart missed a beat.
This girl was appearing completely different to him. She was a stunning beauty just like Sameera but was appearing considerably young. Surely she would not have been married yet. What was even more remarkable to him was that the woman sat beside this girl. She was appearing aged middle forties but was more beautiful than anyone else there. He did not see either this girl or that woman last time when these people came here. Not just that a woman who came here then was missing now, what would have happened to her?
“Mommy” suddenly a fourteen years or so aged girl came there and put her hands around that woman’s neck. “Why all you people are assembled here?”
“Are not you seeing that we are all taking our breakfast? Take one packet and start eating. Anyhow where are the other two little guys?” looking into the eyes of her daughter Emily, Rose asked her.
“We are here on the back of you now.”
On hearing Arjun’s voice Rose turned back and looked. Behind her Anand stood while Madhuri and Arjun clutching his either hands.
“Its time for breakfast. Each of you three pick a packet and do justice to it. I must say this breakfast is indeed good.” Tanuja said while consuming her breakfast.
“I cannot remain without doing that. I am feeling hungry like anything.” Taking a packet into his hands from the bundle there, Anand said.
“Sameera and Sunanda, you both better look after your wards breakfast. They may not do it better all by themselves.” Aravind said.
“You are right, come near to me my dear girl.” By then Sunanda finished her breakfast and put the waste in a dustbin nearby.
When Madhuri heard her so, she came to her mother promptly as she was also feeling hungry. Sunanda took a fresh packet from the bundle and started feeding it to her daughter. Sameera also followed her suit. The interested way of Arjun’s eating his breakfast insinuated to her that he was also famished a lot.
“The people who worked here faced strange experiences? What strange experiences they faced here?” looking into the face of Ratnam, Vinod asked him.
Being asked like that by Vinod startled Ratnam as he was completely involved in enjoying the beauty of the young girl and the woman sat beside her.
“They used to hear strange sounds. Just like someone was weeping, shouting. They had strange touch experiences on their bodies. They felt breathing on their necks but when they turned back they could not find anyone. Occasionally they could not breath. Just like this and some more.” Ratnam 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.)
