Laughter in Darkness
A suspense, romantic and psychological thriller
By
Kotra Siva Rama Krishna
“Alright, alright. Don’t think about it much.” He said and paused a moment before saying again. “Have you got any other sensation which you have got in the grandmother’s room and kitchen before?”
“No, I just saw that black snake. Nothing more than that.” Nodding her head vigorously, Sameera said.
“I said to you not to stay all alone. Why did you prefer to sleep like this on the floor?” looking irritatingly into her Aravind asked her.
“I asked her to come and sleep with us but she did not listen to me.” Sunanda said.
“Yes, it is indeed my fault.” Sameera nodded her head. “But no damage has happened, why do you feel worry?” she has relieved a lot from the fear she felt until that moment.
“You should not stay alone anymore. You better go into your parents’ room and stay with them.” Aravind said.
“Just look at the downpour. We cannot go downstairs now.” Looking at the heavy falling rain, Sameera said.
“Yes, Aravind. Let her stay here now. There would be no problem to her with us.” Sunanda said.
“Alright for the present. But once the downpour is over you do go to your parents.” Aravind also was looking at the downpour now.
&&&
“Do you know how you have got onto me without bothering with my pleadings, requests. You just did not care.”
He was listening and remembering. Her pathetic face was quite clear before his eyes.
“You have got lot of pleasure but I was with only sorrow. I was doing mistake with someone I agree. But I just could not tolerate doing that with you.”
He still could remember how he had invaded on her and enjoyed her youth. The sorrow in her eyes and the pathetic expression in her face never went unnoticed by him. But all the time he just concentrated only on one thing. To get the maximum enjoyment from her.
“I could not tolerate that guilty feeling! I slept with the brother of my close friend, such a young boy. So I committed suicide.”
Anand sat straight on the bed. It was not like a dream. It was just like she was talking with him. Why, did she come all the way to here?
“Mallika.” His lips mumbled that word.
“Yes, I am Mallika. I am that Mallika who died because of you. Who suffered lot of mental agony because of you and committed suicide. You scoundrel, you have no remorse at all.” Mallika was weeping terribly.
“No, I am sorry. I did not want you to commit suicide. I never wanted you to die.” Anand was telling and weeping.
“You concentrated only on your enjoyment. You did not bother even a little about my feelings. You caused my death, you rascal you caused my death.” Mallika was still terribly weeping.
“Yes, I caused your death. You committed suicide because of me.” Anand covered his face with his hands and started weeping.
“Anand, what happened? why you are weeping like this?” Vinod put his right hand on the right shoulder of Anand and asked him.
He suddenly woke up hearing some sound. The other sound in the sound of heavy downpour he heard was weeping of Anand. Vinod was shocked when he found Anand weeping like that.
“You died because of me and I am feeling very much for that but what I can do now?” still weeping covering his face in his hands Anand asked.
“I kill your daughter and wife. I take them with me. You also have to suffer more than I have suffered.” Mallika was yelling angrily then.
“No, no, please don’t do any such type of thing. Don’t do anything to my wife and daughter. They are innocents.” Anand was yelling loudly. He just did not bother with Viond and his questioning.
“Anand with whom you are talking, there is no one here.” jerking his shoulder forcefully Vinod asked him.
Anand came to his sense and looked into the face of Vinod. “Did not you hear any voice?”
“There is no doubt that you have subjected to some auditory hallucination. Except your voice and mine, I did not hear any other voice at all.” Viond said and got off from the bed.
“Mallika, she is now here, she is talking with me.” While saying that Anand’s voice was shivered.
“Who is that Mallika and what type of relationship you are having with her? How can she be here invisible?” with an irritating expression in his face, Vinod asked him. From what he has heard so far then, he could understand some extent.
“That Mallika was a friend to my sister. I had to stay at their house for some days for my studies. In those days….” Anand paused.
Vinod once again came to the bed, slumped himself on it and put his hand around the shoulder of Anand. “Better you tell me what exactly took place. That makes you feel unburdened. You can get rid of your guilty feeling atleast to some extent.”
Then Anand told Vinod what happened while he stayed at the house of that Mallika.
“I agree that she did mistake. But you did even more big mistake taking advantage of her helpless situation. Even she was doing a mistake with some other person, it was quite clear to you then itself that she did not at all like doing it with you.” Vinod said
“I agree with that hundred percent. Just because of me she committed suicide. I am feeling very much guilty for a long time for that.” With a sorrowful expression in his face, Anand said.
“Alright, there are people in the world who did even more big mistakes but no remorse in them at all. That Mallika should have bluntly denied that with you. Even she has to agree to it, she need not have committed suicide like that. Why you are thinking that she did commit suicide like that only because she has to do that with you? Did she write any note like that?” Vinod asked him.
“Of course, no.” Anand nodded his head negation. “She expressed her disagreement for it many times while I was doing it to her. But she did not say she wanted to die because of that.”
“So it is only your assumption that she has committed suicide because she has to agree to you to do that with her.” Vinod said.
“No, morning also she said so to me. Now also she said so to me.” Anand said. “Not just that. She is so much angry with me. She wanted to take my daughter and wife with her.”
Vinod laughed loud and said. “Anand, how you can believe it? She is not here at all either as a spirit or in any other way. It is just your hallucination. Nothing more than that.”
Anand was trying to say something more but then Sameera, Aravind and Madhuri entered into that room.
“Where you were until this moment? I did not remember you until I see you.” Looking into the face of Aravind, Vinod said.
“Aravind uncle was in our room till now. Samee aunt imagined the black snake again and yelled loudly. So Aravind uncle came into our room.” Madhuri said.
“I just cannot understand why all the people here subjecting to hallucinations like these” nodding his head helplessly Vinod said. “Anyhow where is my daughter? Can she sleep peacefully in that room now?” looking into their faces, Vinod asked him.
Sameera and Aravind looked into each other faces. “I am thinking she has come just on the back of us.” Aravind said.
Without saying anything Sameera turned and went out of that room. All the others there also followed her instantly. When they entered into the first room, Sunanda stood in the middle of it and talking in herself.
“I don’t leave you now. No one can stop me from taking you with me now.” She said and started smiling in herself.
All of them there looked into each other’s faces.
“Mommy, why you are standing here like this?” Madhuri went near to her and hugged her with both of her hands.
“Who are you? Go away from me.” Sunanda with force relieved her daughter from her hug and threw her back. Madhuri would have fallen on the floor if Sameera did not come forward and hold her.
“Have you lost your mind? Do you know how you are behaving?” Anand came fast to her and slapped her on her right cheek with his right hand with all his might.
“You rascal! How dare you to beat me like this?” in return Sunanda also beat him on his right cheek with her right hand with the same force in it.
Everyone there were in shock. They could not understand what was happening to her.
“I came here for her now. I don’t go away from here without taking her with me.” Sunanda ran away from that place.
It was still raining very heavily and Sunanda did not bother with it at all.
“I think she is once again possessed by that Sasank. Atleast she is forced by her subconscious to behave like that.” Aravind said. “It is better that we too do go downstairs now. She sure does create havoc there.”
After that they did not bother with that heavy downpour and reached downstairs.
&&&
Rajesh and Tanuja abruptly came out of their sleep when they heard the huge thumping sounds on the doors of their room. Rajesh came fast to the doors, unlatched them and opened them wide. There was a bed light going on in their room.
“I came for her. Give me the way.” Sunanda threw him back forcibly and Rajesh almost fall on the floor there. Without bothering with it even a little bit, Sunanda came fast to Tanuja and put her both hands around her. “Now I take you with me. No one can stop me now.” After saying so she kissed on her left ear.
“You are Sasank. You kiss me always just like that.” Tanuja’s voice shivered while saying that.
“You are right. You remember everything so clear now also. Your love on me is quite intact now also just like my love on you.” Once again kissing on her left ear, Sunanda said.
By then Rajesh switched on the big light there and the whole room filled with huge lighting. Not just Sameera, Aravind, Vinod and Madhuri but Neeraja, Rose and Emily also came into that room. The commotion there disturbed Neeraja, Rose and Emily also. Arjun just woke up and got off from the bed. He could not understand anything that was happening before his eyes. He looked into the face of Madhuri there and there was as much confusion in her face as in Arjun’s face.
“It seems that a devil came into my mom’s body now.” When Arjun came near to her, Madhuri said.
“Do you know what is that devil?” Arjun knitted his brows.
“I don’t know about it.” Madhuri nodded her head in negation.
“How can you say that it is a devil?”
“I don’t know for sure. I am just supposing it to be so.”
“Have you seen a devil before?”
“Of course no.” Madhuri said and put her index finger on her lips “Shhh.Don’t talk listen carefully. Something interesting is going on.”
None of them there were in a position to hear what these kids were talking in themselves then.
“You hero. It was you exorcised that Sasank last time from that Sunanda’s body. Do that now also.” Pushing Aravind forward, Sameera 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.)
