Laughter in Darkness
A suspense, romantic and psychological thriller
By
Kotra Siva Rama Krishna
“I do look after them both until the séance is over. Anyhow I don’t have any belief in this séance.” Neeraja said.
All of them looked into each other’s face. “I think we have no option at all except this.” Anand said.
Then all of them once again talked in themselves about several things. Slowly Rose, Neeraja and Emily retired into their rooms.
&&&
“Neeraja, how much you are thinking it is better to conduct séance in the afternoon?” once they three were in the room, Rose settled herself on the bed while Emily and Neeraja slumped themselves in the chairs opposite to her.
“I don’t believe in these types of things at all. But I am not seeing any loss in it. As all the people are feeling that much enthusiastic, I just could not say no to that.” Neeraja said.
“But I am feeling fear about Emily. Already she is behaving oddly. I just cannot say how she does behave if she participates in that séance.” Sighing heavily Rose said.
“If you don’t like, I would not participate in that séance at all mom. I just watch it sitting a little away.” Emily said.
“Yes, as I am not participating in that séance at all, Emily also can be with me along with Arjun and Madhuri. Moreover she can be an additional help to me in handling those kids.” Neeraja said.
“What you are going to do Emily?” looking into her daughter’s face, Rose asked her.
“I just do in the way you ask me mom. If you don’t want me to participate in it, I surely would not.” Emily said.
After few seconds pause thinking deeply Rose said. “You are going to participate in that Emily. Why do we feel fear to each and everything? Anyhow just like Neeraja I also have no belief in this séance.”
“Alright mom, as you say.” Emily said.
There was silence between them three for sometime.
“Emily dear, you did not ask for my smart phone. Don’t you want to read or see anything in it now?’ breaking that silence, looking into her daughter’s face, Rose asked her.
“I cannot find anything interesting to read in it. If possible I want to talk with dad.” Emily said.
Rose looked at her smart phone and said. “As usual. No signal. In fact I too want to talk with Williams.” She sighed heavily.
“You can have it if you go outside. If the matter is urgent, we go outside the house and you talk with Williams” Neeraja said.
“Not necessary.” Rose said and smiled. “One or two days complete distance from us like this, make his love on us even more.”
Neeraja looked into the face of Emily but Emily also not appeared that much interested in going outside and talking with her father.
“Mom, if you don’t get angry I want to ask you something.” Emily said with a troubling look in her face.
“Ask dear. Why do you hesitate?” Rose put her right hand on the right shoulder of her daughter and squeezed there.
“I shall be in my care not to talk oddly. May I go and talk with the other people again?” with a requesting look in her face she asked.
Rose immediately looked into the face of Neeraja as if for a suggestion.
“Are you sure that you don’t behave oddly again Emily?” looking into her face, Neeraja asked her.
“Yes, I am confident that I don’t behave like that again.” With a confident look in her face, Emily said.
“Alright then, go. But be careful.” Neeraja said.
Then Emily looked into the face of her mother also as if seeking permission of her too.
“Be careful. Don’t make any of them feel fear by your absurd talking.” With a serious expression in her face Rose said.
Then Emily nodded her head and went out of that room.
“I am feeling fear that she may talk oddly again.” With an uneasy expression in her face Rose said.
“What happens if she talks? I am thinking that the people here would not take her seriously as you have given such an explanation about Emily. Anyhow I am feeling that she would not talk like that now.” Neeraja paused a moment and said again. “But are you thinking that it is alright permitting Emily to participate in séance?”
“As that many number of people are participating including myself, she does feel bad if she has been restricted. So I have agreed for her participation in it.”
“I t seems you are right.” Neeraja nodded her head.
There was silence once again there.
“A bath may get a change in my mood Neeraja. Just like you I also want to have a bath now.” Yawning heavily and getting off from the bed, Rose said.
“It is nearing lunch time. Do you want a bath now?” Neeraja asked her with a smile.
“What’s wrong? I can enjoy my lunch a lot if I am refreshed. Anyhow it has not come yet.” After saying so Rose went out of that room without saying.
&&&
After coming out of the room Emily looked four directions. There was a small drizzle and it was just like as if there was no one there. It seemed all the people settled in the rooms again. She decided to go into the upstairs.
“Oh, you” when Emily looked into the upstairs first room, there were Sameera and Sunanda along with Arjun and Madhuri. “Please come in.” they invited her inside.
With an embarrassing expression on her face Emily entered into the room. Sameera and Sunanda have come to a firm opinion not to take seriously whatever Emily may say.
“Do you know one thing? My mom imagined that snake. She did not see any snake in that kitchen.” As soon as Emily sat in the chair near to the bed there, Arjun came near to her, put his hands around her and said.
“Really? Really did not you see any snake in that kitchen?” looking surprisingly into the face of Sameera, Emily asked her.
“All the people here forced me to believe that it was just my imagination.” Sameera said suppressing her smile.
“Does it mean aunt that you might have seen a real snake in the kitchen?” Madhuri asked her.
She sat in the middle of Sunanda and Sameera on the bed.
“It could be a real snake. I never have imagined in such a way before.” Sameera said.
Madhuri and Arjun looked into each other’s faces. “We have stopped our search unnecessarily. Then the snake must be somewhere in the house itself.” Arjun said.
“Go and both of you put yourselves in that mission again leaving us here with peace.” Sameera said.
“Please don’t say it like that. I just don’t know what they would do if they go away from here.” with a pleading expression in her face Sunanda said.
“I remember one thing.” Sameera said suddenly. She made Madhuri come down on the bed and put her just opposite to her. “What do you want to do if you find that snake?”
“What else? I want to play with that snake holding it with my hands.” Madhuri said.
There came a shocking expression in the face of Sunanda and she looked into the face of Sameera.
“That is what these both want to do if that black cobra is here and is found by them.” Sameera said. “My son expressed the same opinion. He is very much interested in holding the snake. He is thinking that snake is a plaything. I have a doubt whether your daughter also thinking in the same way and you heard yourself.”
“That means….” Sunanda did not know what to say.
“That means both of our children did not know which are dangerous and which are not. They are thinking that they can play with snakes as they can play with other pets. We just don’t know how many other dangerous things they are thinking as safe and playthings.” Sameera said.
“So now it is our job to make them know about all the dangerous things on the earth.” Sunanda said and looked into the face of Emily. “Atleast I hope this girl does know what are dangerous and what are not?”
“I am not as small as your children.” Emily’s cheeks were blushed with shame. “I perfectly know what are dangerous.” She said.
Then both Arjun and Madhuri came to Emily and looked into her face. “Are you both still interested in seeing that snake?” looking into Madhuri’s face, Emily asked her.
“What is the problem? What a snake would do to me?” with an innocent expression on her face Madhuri asked.
Once again there came a horrifying expression in the face of Sunanda.
“What is the surprise? You did not tell her about snakes yet.” Sameera smiled. “I already told my son about snakes and now you do say to your daughter.”
“Madhuri dear” Sunanda pulled her daughter into her lap, kissed on her right cheek strongly and said. “A snake is a very dangerous thing. Not to say holding it in your hands, you should not even just go near to it because it bites. If it bites, we die immediately.”
“Why we die immediately if a snake bites?” Madhuri asked her.
“Because there would be lot of dangerous poison in its mouth. It injects it into our body through its fangs when it bites. What happens if we do take poison into us?” Sunanda asked.
“We die of course.” Madhuri said. “I heard about poison.”
“Thank god!” Sunanda sighed heavily. “Because of the dangerous poison it injects into our body, we die.”
“Why a snake does have poison in its mouth?” Madhuri asked her.
Sunanda looked helplessly into the face of Sameera. “How to answer these impossible questions!” Once again looking into the face of her daughter she said. “God does put poison like that in snakes’ mouths. Why God is that much interested in putting poison there, I don’t know”
“Why god does not put poison like that in our mouths?”
“You better go down.” Sunanda forcibly put her daughter down. “Don’t ask any more questions. If you go near to a snake it bites and you die. Just remember it that is all.” she angrily said.
“My son is a good boy. When I have explained that to him, he did not ask me this many number of questions.” Sameera said with a smile.
“You have put me in this predicament. If you did not imagine that snake in that kitchen, this situation would not have arisen at all.” Sunanda said angrily.
“It might not be my imagination. I might have seen the real snake there.” Sameera said.
“Enough. I just don’t want to say anything now.” Sunanda said went near to the wall there and leaned on that.
“Mommy, first of all, why snakes bite?” looking into his mother’s face, Arjun asked her.
“Your son started. Answer his question.” Looking happily into the face of Sameera, Sunanda said.
“If I stay here anymore, he eats my brain away. I am going downstairs.” Sameera said and got off from the bed.
“For the present it is appearing as the best thing to me also to do.” Sunanda also got off from the bed.
“But I am going to stay with Emily here itself. She answers my questions.” Arjun said putting his both hands around her neck.
“Emily is more wise than you both” taking Emily’s right hand into her hands Madhuri said. “We can have better time-pass with her.”
“You both go. I deal with these two, don’t worry.” Emily said with a smile.
Sunanda and Sameera looked into each other’s faces before moving away from that place.
(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.)
