Laughter in Darkness
A suspense, romantic and psychological thriller
By
Kotra Siva Rama Krishna
“You are an expert in knowing the inner feelings.” Rajesh sighed heavily.
“I have been your wife for more than twenty five years. Cannot I say what you are feeling inside by looking into your face? Do I need to be an expert for that?” she knitted her brows together.
“Alright, alright.” Rajesh nodded his head and said.
“Now tell me what happened.”
“That Emily talked once again oddly.”
Tanuja listened quite carefully while Rajesh was explaining that to her. “Now you are worrying this much for it?” once she convinced herself that Rajesh finished his saying, she said.
“When you have become this much courageous? Are not you feeling any fear for that girl talked like that?” looking surprisingly into her face, Rajesh asked her.
“What is there to feel fear in it? That Rose already said that her daughter has suffered from a psychological disorder. She might be subjected to another sort of psychological disorder. Don’t think about it that much. Anyhow we are going to vacate this house and go away from here tomorrow itself.” Tanuja said.
“Still I cannot feel comfortable after hearing her so.” With an uneasy feeling in his face Rajesh said. “She is just fifteen years or so old. But she can talk like that! How she can think like that and talk so? It is just like someone is making her talk so.”
“What is your opinion in saying so Rajesh? Are you thinking that someone trained her to talk like that? There is some conspiracy against us?” Tanuja knitted her brows together.
“No, I am not thinking like that. It is not so. But I am thinking that she has been possessed by some spirit and talked like that.”
“Rajesh, what is happening to you? Do you know what you are talking?” with a shocking expression in her face Tanuja said. “You never have believed in these types of things before.”
“I cannot say what is happening to me. I am forced to believe in these now.” Rajesh said with a helpless expression in his face.
“What that much happened to make you believe in them Rajesh? Why you are becoming that much emotional? It is just six hours or so that we have entered into this house and we go away from here in another sixteen hours or so. In this little period of time, do you need to become like this?” Tanuja asked him.
“You are right” Rajesh made himself straight in his chair. “I don’t know why I have become like that but your talking got a change in me.” He looked into the face of his wife with a smile.
Then they both were engaged themselves in talking without knowing the time until Sameera entered into it with Arjun.
“Oh, you! Where you have been until this moment?” looking into her daughter’s face, Tanuja asked her.
“In the upstairs room with my son. He is so much interested to see the snake I have seen in the kitchen. He has been disappointed a lot when I have said that I would have just imagined that snake there.” Sameera said with a smile.
“Yes, I have thought so much to see the snake. I never have thought that mommy would have imagined just like that.” With a disappointing expression in his face, Arjun said.
Sameera and her parents laughed on hearing that.
“When we are back to our residence, I do take you to the Zoo and show you a real big snake there.” Tanuja said.
“Can I take that snake into my hands also?” looking into the face of his grandmother, Arjun asked her.
“My god! That is what he wants to do when he finds the snake!” with a fear stricken face, Tanuja said. “Not just in the Zoo, anywhere else in the world also you must not even go near to a snake not to say touching it. Snakes bite and snake bites are very much dangerous. People die if they are bitten by a snake.” With fear in her face, Tanuja said.
“Really I don’t know about it.” with lot of fear in his face, Arjun said.
“What do you know then? It seems your mom did not say anything to you. Make your son understandable about some dangerous things Sameera.” Looking into her daughter’s face, Tanuja said.
“I too don’t know that my son is thinking that snakes are safe creatures. He may be thinking that he can play with them. Alright I tell him about the worldly matters from now on, you don’t feel worry unnecessarily.” Sameera paused for a moment and said again. “It seems that Madhuri also as much ignorant as my son about these things. Sunanda also has to be put into some caution.”
“Alright, alright. Do that without much delay.” Tanuja said. “Anyhow your dad was quite upset till now. I have to put lot of effort to make him normal again.”
“Tell me what happened?” looking curiously into her face, Sameera asked her slumping herself in the nearby chair while pulling her son into her lap.
Then Tanuja explained to her what Emily talked with Rajesh.
“My god! She talked like that! Her pranks are becoming more and more.” With an angry expression in her face, Sameera said.
“Did she talk like that with you also then?” Tanuja also looked curiously into the face of Sameera.
“Not with me.” Then she explained to her mother what Emily talked with Sunanda.
There came shocking expressions in the faces of Rajesh and Tanuja while they were hearing Sameera so.
“First thing, we don’t know that Sunanda felt so. We can understand that. She surely imagined it so. But what this Emily’s talking in such a way? Is she is suffering from some psychological disorder or does she want to make us unnecessarily panic?” Rajesh said with gathered frowns.
“I am thinking that the later is true here.” Sameera said. “She might have suffered from psychological disorder in the past but I am not thinking that she is suffering from any now. She is not appearing to me like that. She is talking like that only to make us panic.”
“But how? Her talking related to our story also.” With a confusing expression in his face, Rajesh said.
“Dad, she read that book ‘A Mansion Of Illusions’ thoroughly so she knew about everything. She listened to our conversation while Sunanda and I were talking in the verandah so she came to know about Sunanda’s imagination.” Sameera looked meaningfully into her father’s eyes.
“May be you are right.” Rajesh nodded his head and said.
“Certainly I am right. You need not doubt.” With firmness in her voice, Sameera said.
“What if we do say this to Rose?” looking into the face of Rajesh, Tanuja asked him.
“Rose is also feeling very much for the way of Emily’s talking. She becomes even more upset if we say this to her. Moreover….” Rajesh paused for a moment and said “We do go away from here tomorrow morning itself. What problem comes in the little time in between?”
“Dad is absolutely true.” Sameera said. “From now on even Emily talks oddly to us, we are not going to take it seriously. Once we know the reason for it, why do we feel unnecessarily?”
“You are right.” Rajesh nodded his head, leaned back in the chair and closed his eyes.
Tanuja did not say anything but laid her back on the bed again. Arjun relieved himself from the lap of Sameera and reached on the side of his grandmother. Sameera also slumped in the chair nearby to her father, made herself comfortable in it and closed her eyes. None of them knew when they fell asleep.
&&&
“Why Emily talked like that I still cannot understand.” Looking at her daughter who was sleeping peacefully on the bed, Rose said.
“Oh, Rose. You are still thinking about that!” Neeraja said.
“I cannot think it is a simple issue Neeraja” Rose hissed out heavily. “Emily is not a bad girl. She never wants to make anyone feel uncomfortable. In fact she has got a helping nature. She is very friendly and amiable.”
“Who contradicted now?” Neeraja knitted her brows.
“I am getting doubt. Why did she particularly talk like that at him? That was the second time she made them feel bad. She knew about the story. She is clever enough to talk like that. Is she talking like that only to make those people feel fear and get fun of it?” Rose said as if she was asking that question to herself.
“I am not thinking like that.” Neeraja got off from the chair, put her right hand on the right shoulder of Rose and squeezed it there. “As you said Emily is a good girl. She never does have such evil intentions in her.”
“I just don’t know what to say. She is the dearest to me and Williams also.” Rose hissed out heavily.
“Anyhow it seems that there is something different here.” Neeraja said with a low voice. “In my whole life I never have such an experience which I have in the bathroom here. I just cannot understand why it was so.” She paused again and said. “There may be something paranormal here that is making Emily to behave like that.”
“So, you also started believing in paranormal.” A small smile forced itself onto the lips of Rose.
Neeraja hissed out heavily. “I don’t completely disbelieve the paranormal. But just like you I too cannot believe every nonsense as paranormal.”
Rose did not say anything.
“Anyhow we don’t let Emily to go anywhere without us. We shall be careful that she does not talk like that with anyone as long as we stay here. We go away from here tomorrow in the morning itself and there would be no problem to us.” Neeraja said again.
“Are you thinking that the problem has started only because of our entering into this house?” Rose knitted her brows together.
“I am thinking like that.” Neeraja said.
“How good it would have been if we did not come here at all.” sighing heavily Rose said.
“No one can escape from fate. Coming here like this was not your intention. We three are going to be pawns in the dangerous game going to be played here.” Emily said and once again slipped herself into sleep.
Rose looked anxiously into the face of Neeraja and she was about to go and wake up Emily then but Neeraja cautioned her. “Don’t disturb her now. Let her sleep.”
&&&
“Oh, Anand. I am feeling bore already! How I can spend the remaining sixteen hours or so here?” with a fearful expression in her face, Sunanda said.
“Why you are feeling bore I cannot understand. You got your favorite friend here, your dad here and I am also here. What else you do want? The only entertainment which is available everywhere but not here is the signal and internet in your smart phone. Cannot you manage without that a single day atleast?” Anand asked her.
“In fact one hour or so back internet was available to us in this room. But it was lost soon. However hard I am trying I cannot find it again.” Sunanda said.
“Alright, alright. Shall we go into the village and see? It may be best entertainment to us.” He asked her.
“We have seen the village while coming into this house. I am not thinking it would be that much interesting to see.” Sunanda paused for a moment and said again. “In fact it is not boredom Anand. I am feeling a sort of uneasiness which I cannot bear. This house, the continuous gloominess in the environment, the alternative drizzle and downpour are making me feel mad.”
(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.)
