Laughter in Darkness
A suspense, romantic and psychological thriller
By
Kotra Siva Rama Krishna
In the other room Aravind was hearing sounds from the room in which Anand and Sunanda were in. He saw Anand and Sunanda were going into that room but they did not know that Anand’s was in that room. It was quite confusing to him as he could not know what was happening exactly in that room. He could hear talking and yelling also but because of the wall in between, that was not clear to him. Many a time he was prompted to go and see what was happening, but he thought it was not better to interfere in between the issues of a couple. After sometime he saw that Sunanda going angrily in front of his room and he thought that was the time to go into that room and ask Anand what happened because of the intimacy and friendship between them both.
“What happened? Why you are here like this?” Aravind stunned seeing the way Anand sat in the chair as soon as he entered into his room.
Anand was in the chair stooped forward holding his head in both his hands.
Hearing the voice of Aravind, Anand perched his head up and looked into his face. “I just don’t know. I just don’t know what to say.” Once again he put his head in both of his hands.
Aravind slumped himself in the other chair beside Anand and put his right hand on the left shoulder of Anand. “First tell me what happened. I never have seen you like this before.”
Anand leaned back in the chair and hissed out heavily. He still not opened his eyes.
“There would be no use whatsoever in your worrying like this. If you tell me what took place, I would try to help. You are my best friend and I cannot remain silent while you are worrying in this way.” Aravind said.
Anand opened his eyes and looked into the face of Aravind.
“I am sorry. It is an issue between wife and husband and may be sensitive. I am venturing like this only because you are my close friend. Pardon me if I am doing a mistake. If you don’t want, you need not tell me anything at all.” with an apologetic expression in his face, Aravind said.
“It is not so my friend. It is not at all like that.” Anand stooped forward in his chair and said. “In fact I want someone like you now to pour my heart.” Then he explained to him what happened between him and Sunanda.
“I am not thinking that is entirely your mistake” Aravind said with a measured tone once he confirmed that Anand said everything to him.
“What do you mean?” Anand startled on hearing that.
“Yes, I already said to you.” Aravind said, freed the chair he sat and went onto the bed nearby. “There are good and evil both in this house. It is that evil force in this house influencing us in this way.”
Anand did not say anything but reclined in the chair looking into the face of Aravind.
“Just try to remember. How you behaved on that day in this house? How transformation took place in you in the end? It is not just the evil force influencing us here. Both good and evil forces here are having enough influence on us.” Aravind said again.
“I just don’t know how to understand any of this. All this is very much confusing to me.” He said.
“None of it has come to an end. It has to be seen how the situation would be by the time we leave this place. It all depends which force overpowers which, good or evil.” Looking straight ahead with an expressionless face, Aravind said.
&&&
Suddenly they heard tapping sounds on the doors and the people there sat in the chairs looked into each other’s faces.
“It is not yet lunch time and I am not expecting anyone now” Rajesh said. “Who it can be? I don’t think anyone else in the village wants to meet us now.”
“I shall go and see.” Tanuja said and got off from the chair. She went near to the doors and opened them wide. It was Raju who came with Ratnam in the morning stood at the entrance.
“Come in” Tanuja gave him the way to come inside. With a troubling expression in his face, he entered into the house.
“What is the matter? Ask him to come here.” Rajesh said.
“Please come with me” Tanuja led him to the place where all the people sat in the chairs there. Then Tanuja slumped herself in the chair she sat before.
“Did Ratnam ask you to say anything to us?” looking into his face, Rajesh asked him.
“No, he did not ask me to say anything to you people.” The troubling expression was still so in his chair. “He did not even know that I am here now. I came here all by myself to say something important to you people.”
Rajesh and other people there looked into each other’s faces. “First make yourself comfortable in that chair and tell me whatever you want.” Rajesh said to him. Even more troublingly Raju placed himself in that chair and looked into the face of Rajesh.
“My name is Raju and I am a best friend to Ratnam’s family. I know about that family for a long time. I know about Ratnam’s father Ratnakar also very well.” Raju paused for a moment.
Rajesh remained silent looking into his face. Everyone there was very much interested in hearing whatever Raju was saying.
“I did not remember seeing you the last time we came into this house nine years back.” Tanuja said. “By that time Ratnakar was alive but his mental condition was not good. So this Ratnam looked after our needs then also.”
“I was not in this village then I think. Otherwise, I would have come here along with Ratnam then also.” Raju said.
“Alright Raju. Tell us whatever you want. We are all very much eager to hear it.” Rajesh prompted him.
“I think you people know that Ratnakar, Ratnam’s father became mad in his old age. No one knows about the reason for his madness.” Raju reminded them.
“Yes, I remember that. I suggested to Ratnam to take his father to me once we went away from here. But it seemed that Ratnakar did not live long after we left this village then.” Vinod said.
“Yes, Ratnakar did not live long after the death of the old woman. He also died after six or so months of her death.” Raju paused again. There came strange apprehension in his face and it surprised all of them there. None of them wanted to hasten him to say whatever he wanted to say but all of them were very much eager to listen whatever he was going to say.
“No one knows the reason how it has happened but Ratnam also became mad just like his father.” Raju said in one sentence and the troubling expression in his face was replaced with a fearful expression.
“What, what you are saying?” Rajesh asked him with anxious filled voice.
Raju was about to say something but then there was an ear-splitting thunderclap nearby once again and a drizzle started once more insinuating something sinister.
“Yes, what I have said is true.” With the same fearful expression in his face, Raju said. “Sometimes he behaves different, turns violent just like his father. The only difference is; Ratnakar has become mad in his old age and this Ratnam has become mad in his middle age itself.”
There came shocking expressions in the faces of the people there.
“I just cannot understand anything.” Rajesh said with that shocking expression in his face. “Morning he appeared so calm, talked so nice. No one can say that he is mad.”
“Sometimes he is behaving nicely but most of the time he is just mad.”
“It was he who looked after the repairing and renovation work of this house. How nicely he got it done! I just cannot believe whatever you are saying.” Suddenly with an angry expression in his face, Rajesh said.
“It is not your mistake. Sometimes he behaves so nice and no one does believe he is mad. In fact whatever work you have entrusted to Ratnam, he entrusted the same to me. I looked after the repairing and renovation work of this house.” Raju said.
“Thank you very much! You got it done indeed better. But still we cannot believe whatever you are saying. It is all quite unbelievable to us.” Vinod said.
“Ratnam is my best friend. I am feeling very bad to say like this about him. In the afternoon once again he comes here taking your lunch. He may behave and talk in a different way then. You people do become upset as you don’t know the reason. So I am saying this to you.”
The people there exchanged anxious glances but did not say anything.
“I tried to stop him in the morning from coming here. But he did not agree. He sure would come in the afternoon also taking lunch to you people. He is so obstinate and I cannot stop him. If he behaves nicely just like in the morning there is no problem whatsoever. But if he behaves in a different way, don’t become upset. Don’t try to argue with him. If we leave him like that he becomes calm gradually.”
“Alright, we do so.” Rajesh nodded his head and said.
“I am quite thankful to you all that you have heard patiently whatever I said. Let me go now.” Raju got off from the chair he sat.
“No one knows the reason why he has become mad?” As Raju was moving away from that place, Rajesh asked him.
“No one knows the reason. It is just like in his father’s case.” Moving away from that place fast, Raju said. Tanuja got off from the chair, went after him, closed the doors and latched them when he was out, came back, slumped herself in the chair she sat before.
“I cannot understand. I cannot understand anything he has said.” rubbing her sides with her fingers, she said.
“Did he appear anything like a mad person in the morning Vinod?” looking into the face of Vinod, Rajesh asked him.
“I did not observe him that clearly then, Rajesh.” Vinod said. “Anyhow he did not appear like mad to me.”
Then Rajesh looked into the faces of Rose and Neeraja as if requesting their opinion.
“To be frank he looked at me very ravenously in the morning and I felt troublesome while he was looking at me so. I found only lust and desire in him in the morning.” Rose said.
“I also have faced the same experience. Quite furtively he was enjoying the beauty of women here.” Neeraja said.
“I am very sorry that you both felt uncomfortable because of him.” With an apologetic expression in his face, Rajesh said.
“Its alright, it does not matter much. Some people do have a weakness like that and we have to understand. We need to consider the qualities of the people also besides weaknesses.” Rose said.
“This weakness in him is for a long time. When the last time we came here, he looked at us even more ferociously.” Samerea who was there said.
“That was just because he was even more young at that time and you girls were even more beautiful.” Tanuja said.
Hearing her so all there were laughed loudly.
“Mom, he is not limited in enjoying the beauty of the girls alone. He is enjoying the beauty of the old women also in the same way. Last time he looked at you also in the same way.”Sameera said with blushed cheeks.
(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.)
