Laughter in Darkness
A suspense, romantic and psychological thriller
By
Kotra Siva Rama Krishna
“Oh, Sunoo dear.” He hugged her and kissed on her left cheek. “Just bear with all this until tomorrow morning. If we express our feelings like this at that Rajesh and Tanuja, they feel bad.”
“I can understand that. I am not going to do so.” Sunanda said and looked into the face of Anand. “That means you are also feeling a sort of uneasiness here, are not you?”
Anand did not say anything but turned his head the other side.
“Be frank with me Anand. I shall appreciate that.” Turning his head towards her head with her hands, Sunanda said.
“Yes, I am also feeling a sort of uneasiness from the moment I entered into this house. I just cannot understand why I am feeling so. It is just like the last time.” Anand paused and said again. “You asked me to be frank with you and I am frank with you. Are you happy now?”
“My god, there may be something unwanted here. That is why our subconscious is creating a feeling like this in us. Otherwise why do you also feel like this? Moreover we just don’t know whether the other people in this house are also feeling just like us.” Sunanda said.
“Shall we conduct a survey and try to know whether they are also feeling like us or not?” Anand asked her with a smile.
“That would be the most unwise thing I can say.” Sunanda said. “We may make those people also uneasy who are feeling alright here by asking like that.”
Anand did not say anything. At that time Sunanda was on the bed, leaning on the nearby wall there closing her eyes. Anand was just beside her on the bed.
“Anand” Sunanda suddenly said opening her eyes as if she remembered something. “Do you remember that we have found on that day a big sword under the bed of old woman?”
“Of course, yes. I can remember that.” Anand nodded his head.
“Where is that sword?”
Anand laughed on hearing that. “How can I say anything about that? Nine years have passed from that day to this day. It might have been put somewhere carefully.”
“Are you thinking it is the same sword with which that Nagaraju killed that many people?” she became straight on the bed.
“It might be or it might not be. I don’t think we have seen any blood on it on that day.” Trying to remember that sword, Anand said.
“My god! That incident happened some seventy years or so back Anand. How can we expect still blood on that? It was completely rusted also.”
“I cannot say anything about that.” With a helpless expression in his face, Anand said. “What if that sword is the very sword with which Nagaraju killed those people? Why you are trying to particularly remember those things now?”
“I am not trying to remember anything in particular Anand. Those are just coming into my mind like that.” Sunanda said.
Anand got off from the bed and said “I am thinking we have spent enough time here Sunanda. We may better go down stairs now.”
&&&
By the time Anand and Sunanda went downstairs, in the verandah there were everyone except Sameera, Rajesh and Tanuja. It seemed they were talking in themselves.
“It seems you people are discussing something interesting in yourselves.” Occupying an empty chair there, Sunanda said.
Anand also dragged a chair nearby to the group there and put himself in it.
“We are thinking what we have to do here for the best time-pass.” Rose said.
“Talking in ourselves like this is very best time-pass in my opinion.” Vinod said. “After our entering into this house we have discussed so many interesting things.”
“That much is true” Rose said and smiled. “Anyhow your hypnotizing Rajesh last time here and taking him back fifty years or so is very much interesting.”
“Really it is!” Vinod laughed. “I think Neeraja also just expressed like this.”
“Everyone does feel just like that. That was indeed very much excellent! It just shows how much useful hypnotism is.” Neeraja said.
Vinod sighed heavily and said “Rajesh cooperated with me hundred percent. Otherwise, it would not have become possible like that.”
As they were talking like that Rajesh, Sameera and Tanuja also came there. They took some empty chairs there and placed themselves in them.
Madhuri and Arjun were with Emily in chairs at some distance and Emily was entertaining them with some stories.
“What you people are talking?” Rajesh asked them.
“We are talking about the hypnotism episode I have conducted on that day Rajesh. I am saying that you have cooperated so nicely otherwise it would not have become possible to me at all. That day hypnotism was a grand success!” Vinod said.
“Is subject’s cooperation is that much important?” Sameera asked him.
“Absolutely. Without subject’s complete cooperation, hypnotizing him or her is not possible at all.” Vinod said.
“We came to know about self-hypnotism from Neeraja. I know about it in before. But how to do it in a perfect way, I don’t know at all until I hear it from her.” Anand said.
“There are so many other ways also to self-hypnotize ourselves. The other ways may be even more simple.” Neeraja smiled and said.
“Anyhow I do want to try it only in the way you said.” Anand said and after few seconds he said again. “Uncle, how it is you do that hypnotism once again? It would be the best time-pass.”
“No, we already did it last time. I have no mood to hypnotize anyone.” He paused for a moment and said again. “Anyhow there are other capable people here to do it. Ask them to hypnotize one of you.”
Anand was about to say something but then Sunanda said suddenly. “I have got an idea!”
“Tell us what it is?” most of them asked that question at once.
“Do you people remember? Last time when we were here Aravind proposed to do some experiment. That is inviting the spirits and talking with them.” Sunanda said.
“Séance” Aravind smiled and said.
“How it is Aravind invite the spirits here and talk with them?” Sunanda said excitingly.
“I don’t believe in such type of trash even a little bit.” Neeraja said with firm voice.
“I am thinking there are many non-believers in it here.” Anand said.
“It has nothing to do with believing or non-believing it. Aravind do it for our time-pass. We are all suffering with boredom, what do you people say?” with a pleading expression in her face, Sunanda said.
“Not a very bad thing in my opinion also. But the main person has to agree to it.” looking into the face of Aravind, Anand said.
“For the last nine years I have not much honed my skills in that line Anand. I cannot do that experiment with perfection now.” Aravind said.
“You need not do it with perfection. You do it in the way you can for our time-pass.”
“The other thing” Aravind said. “Most people participation is necessary to conduct this séance. Most of the people here don’t agree to it at all.”
“I want to see how many people do agree here for this experiment. Please let me know your opinions.” Looking into the faces of the people there, Anand asked them.
“I am agreeing to this experiment hundred percent” Vinod said.
“My best friend is interested in it. So count me also in.” Sameera said.
“I also have no objection. I also do want something variety for our time-pass here.” Tanuja said.
“I am very much interested to see how it would be.” Rose smiled and said.
“I am a minor. I don’t know whether my opinion counts or not. But I am very much interested in it and want to participate in it also.” Emily said.
“I am on the side of the majority. As this many number of people are in favour of it, I cannot say ‘no’ to it.” Rajesh said.
All of them looked at Neeraja then. Among them only she was left without expressing any opinion.
“Of course I don’t believe in these types of things. But I am not thinking that there would be any danger just in participating in it. Alright, I do also participate in that séance.” With her charming smile on her lips, Neeraja said.
“Then what is the best time to us to do experiment with it?” with happiness and excitement in her face, Sunanda asked.
“We do it in the afternoon after taking a little nap after lunch.” Aravind said. “That would be the best time for it.”
“Anyhow please let us know what exactly it is and how you are going to conduct it then.” Anand asked Aravind.
“All you people listen carefully. Is there anyone who has come into this house not present here now?” looking around carefully Aravind asked.
“Everyone is present and very much eager to hear what you would say. It is complete assemblage.” Sunanda said.
“Alright” Aravind nodded his head and started. “Whoever is participating in séance sits in a circle holding the hands of the people on either side of him or her. While the séance is going on, no one should leave the hands of the other persons sit on the either side of him or her. Everyone in the circle closes his or her eyes and prays the spirit to contact him or her. Everyone in the circle should offer his or her body as a medium to the spirit. Then the spirit comes into the body of one of us and talk. The most important point, while the séance is going on no one either should open his or her eyes or tries to go out of the circle. One among us may request openly the spirits to come into any one of our bodies while the others in themselves are requesting the spirits to come onto them.”
“Is it is so in séance everywhere?” Sameera asked him.
“It changes. Circle and holding hands is general practice but different ways are followed at different places while conducting séances. But I know only this séance very well.” Aravind said.
“No problem. We are going to conduct our séance in this way.” Sunanda said.
“The other thing” Anand said suddenly as if he remembered something. “Which spirits we are going to invite in our séance?”
“We are going to invite any spirit that is ready to communicate with us.” Aravind said. “If there are more than one spirit here, all of them would communicate with us. Then the séance does take more time to come to an end. Whoever participates in séance must be ready to sit long time without disturbing it. If any of you think that he or she cannot manage to sit longer without disturbing the séance, it may better let us know about it in before itself.”
“If we don’t participate in this séance what else is there to us except sitting thinking something in ourselves? So sitting in the séance itself is the best thing in my opinion also.” Neeraja said.
“Once Neeraja herself who has no belief in these types of things said so” Rose said “there is no necessity to ask this question to anyone else.”
“One most important thing has been forgotten here. How we have forgotten about it like that I cannot understand.” Sameera said suddenly.
“Tell me what it is. People here remember things suddenly.” Anand said irritatingly.
“What about Arjun and Madhuri? As they are sleeping in the upstairs room, we don’t remember them at all. Who would look after them if we all participate in séance?” Sameera asked.
“Yes, how we have forgotten about it?” Sunanda said with a despairing look on her face. “There is no chance that they do participate in séance. They don’t sit still even ten minutes anywhere.”
(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.)
