Laughter in Darkness
A suspense, romantic and psychological thriller
By
Kotra Siva Rama Krishna
“It is not something that you need to become this much upset, Rose.” Neeraja said. “I know Emily read the ebook ‘A Mansion of Illusions.’ It might have influenced her very much subconsciously and made her talk like that. It is nothing more than that.”
At that time only Neeraja and Rose were in that room. Emily once again went out of that room to spend her time with other people.
“No, Neeraja it is not appearing like that.” Neeraja nodded her head in negation. “I thought that her psychological disorder was cured completely but it revived again.” There was distress in her voice.
“Oh, Rose you are a famous, reputed and skilled psychiatrist. If the disorder really revived in Emily, we sure can cure that. Don’t worry too much about it.” Neeraja put her right hand on the left shoulder of Rose and squeezed there assuredly.
“You just don’t know how much we have suffered with Emily’s split personality, you just don’t know.” Rose nodded her head helplessly. There came a helpless expression in her face. “The thinking that Emily once again subjected to that disorder is creating tremors in my heart.”
“Even I am not as much experienced as you are as a psychiatrist I know about split-personalities. If really that problem in Emily revived, I shall be with you to cure it completely. Just feel relaxed.” Taking Rose’s both hands into her hands and looking into her face, Neeraja said.
“Oh, dear girl!” Rose released her hands from Neeraja’s hands, got up from the chair she sat, hugged her and kissed on her left cheek. “Your saying so really relaxed me a lot.” Now there was really relief in her face.
Neeraja made Rose sit in the chair and smiled.
“I don’t know how but you are having more maturity in you than ought to be at your age.” Adjusting herself in the chair, Rose said.
“The long suffering with my mom made me like this I think” Neeraja covered her face with her palms and said.
“You sure do become a more reputed and skilled psychiatrist than me also” Rose said again.
“Thank you very much. I am not expecting to become more reputed and skilled than you but I always wished to become as a skilled psychiatrist.” Neeraja said.
“What is really troubling me Neeraja” Rose paused a second and then said “That Tanuja and Rajesh have become too much upset after hearing Emily so. It seems that they are already having certain fears and illusions about this place and that old woman. Our Emily’s talking so made their fears even more.”
“What is the surprise? The story is like that. As you also have read that book ‘A Mansion of Illusions’, I need not say about it particularly.” Neeraja said.
“You are right.” Rose yawned heavily and said. “I promised to that Rajesh and Tanuja that I do explain to them why my daughter has behaved like that. I will go and do that. Then their uneasiness will be eased a little I think.” She got off from the chair.
“I think they are in their room now. May I also come with you?” Neeraja also got off from the chair.
“No, please. Stay here itself. I myself go and finish that business.” Saying so Rose went out of that room.
Neeraja did not feel too bad to be left all alone in that room. She was feeling terribly asleep and just waiting for an opportunity like that to go on to the bed and laid herself. Once she settled herself comfortably on the bed, she so easily slipped herself into sleep.
&&&
When Emily came out of the room, she could not find anyone in the hall. She went straight into the middle room of the upstairs in which Aravind and Sameera spent their time one hour or so back. At that time Aravind, Anand, Sunanda and Sameera were in that room. Madhuri, Arjun and Vinod were sleeping on the first room upstairs.
“Oh, Emily. Please come” the four of them invited her into that room.
At that time Aravind and Anand were on the bed while Sunanda and Sameera sat in the chairs opposite to them.
“Sit in this chair my dear girl.” Sameera transported herself onto the bed beside Aravind and invited Emily to sit in the chair freed by her.
With a shy expression in her face Emily came and sat in that chair.
“You have your own smart phone also” looking at the big smart phone in her hands, Sunanda said.
“It is my moms. I have asked many a time but my parents did not prefer to buy one for me yet. I have to use either my dad’s or my mom’s smart phones whenever I want.” Looking at the phone she took with her Emily said.
“Alright, what you mostly interested in doing in those smart phones.” Sunanda asked her.
“I read ebooks. Sometimes I see movies also. But my first preference is ebooks.” Emily said.
“So you enjoy ebooks. Tell me what ebooks you have read so far.” Sunanda asked her again.
Conversation with that young girl was so much enjoyable to the four of them also.
“Many. I cannot remember the names of them now. But I can say the ebook I am reading now.” Emily said.
“Tell then what it is.”
“It is Agatha Christie’s ‘And Then There Were None.’ I have completed it more than half. Just like us, ten people entered into a house in an island. People are being murdered one after one so mysteriously in that house. It is very much interesting!” with lot of thrill in her face Emily said.
“Why you say ‘just like us’? There is lot of difference to them and to us.” Sameera said little angrily. “We are twelve including the kids, not ten.”
“She said just casually so, do you need to become irritated like this for it?” looking into her face surprisingly, Anand said.
“I read that book. I know about that story. One among them started killing all of them and killed himself also in the end. The title suggests the same thing “And then there were none’.” Sighing heavily Sameera said.
“I hope none among us start killing the others” mocking fear in his face Anand said.
“How the bloody hell you can make a cruel joke like that?” taking the pillow on the bed and throwing it onto him Sunanda angrily said. Anand clutched that pillow and laughed.
“I also don’t like your joke Anand.” Aravind said and looked into the face of Emily. “So you cannot remember any of the ebooks you have read so far, it is surprising!” he wanted to make the environment light by diverting the topic.
“Oh, I remembered one other ebook I read.” Emily smiled.
“Do I need to ask you what it is?”
“No, of course.” Continuing the smile Emily said. “It is ‘A Mansion Of Illusions.”
“A Mansion Of Illusions! You read that book!” Sameera said while the four of them were looking into each other’s faces. “It is our story itself.”
“Yes, I read that book thoroughly. Really very much interesting!” Emily laughed and said. The fearful experiences in their faces were amusing to her.
“You understood that book also! You are just a kid!” Sameera said.
“I am no more a kid. I have written my ninth class final examinations and I will be tenth class in the coming year.” Emily said.
“Alright, alright.” Sunanda said. She did not want to continue the conversation with that girl about that book. The author took too much liberty while writing that book and she even suggested to her father to approach to court also against him but he did not agree to that. Her father and others as well has thought it was a sort of purgation of their wrongs. Anyhow without being told all about it the author could not be known about their lives that much. Once being known he could not be blamed too much for expressing so in that book
Suddenly the face of Emily has become serious. “We all did a mistake.” She said
“We all did a mistake! What is that?” with anxiousness in her face, Sameera asked her.
All the four of them there once again exchanged anxious glances.
“Coming here like this is that mistake. It is surprising that none of you could foresee the danger lurking here. One among us may not be turned out as the murderer of the other people here, but there is no surprise if the situation is just like that in the end of that book ‘And then there were none’.” With the same seriousness in her face, Emily said.
“You did not read that book completely yet” while her heart beat was increasing with anxiousness, Sameera said.
“But I have heard the story while you were saying that.” Emily smiled.
“You are talking too much, quite unnecessarily.” Looking irritatingly into her face, Sunanda said.
“She said like that just for fun, are not you?” taking her both shoulders into his hands and looking into her face, Aravind asked her.
“Did…did I talk something?...what I have talked?” looking confusingly Emily asked him.
Aravind immediately released her looked surprisingly into the faces of the people around there and then once again looked into the face of Emily.
“You just don’t remember what you have talked till now?” with gathered frowns on his forehead, he asked her.
“You people asked me what books I have read. I think I said that I am reading Agatha Christie’s ‘And then there were none’. Then I remember I said that I read ‘A Mansion of Illusions’. I don’t know much what I have talked afterwards.” Looking apologetically into all their faces, Emily said.
“It is really very much surprising! You don’t know what you have talked?” Sunanda asked her. “Why it is so?”
“I have suffered from a psychological disorder. Mom said it was split personality. I have been cured of that completely. But sometimes I talk and behave like this without my knowledge.” Tears started flowing down on the cheeks of Emily.
“Its alright dear. Don’t worry about it.” wiping her tears with his palm Aravind said.
“Please don’t say this to mom. She will get angry with me if she knows that I upset you people like this.” With a worrying expression in her face, Emily said.
Sameera got off from the bed, took Emily near to her and kissed on her right cheek. “We all have forgotten about this episode. There would be no mention of it anywhere. You just don’t worry about it.” then she looked into the faces of the other people there. “Emily and I go downstairs. I want to see what my dear son is doing downstairs at his grandparents.”
“As you wish. We are also not going to stay here more than another ten minutes or so.” Sunanda smiled and said. “But your dear son is not with your parents. My son and your daughter both are with my dad in the first room here.”
Sameera nodded her head in acknowledgment to that and then along with Emily went out of that room.
“What a pity that girl is facing such a problem!” Aravind said.
“You are right. No one can think that she is facing a problem like that. She is appearing so healthy. Moreover she is the daughter of a famous psychiatrist.” Sunanda said.
“That proves one thing here. No one is an exception to psychological problems. Even psychologists and psychiatrists also may suffer with them.” Anand said.
“You are right” Aravind laughed and said. “In fact Sameera is quite distraught with an unknown uneasy feeling in her. She is saying that we all did a mistake by coming here like this. Whether out of her psychological disorder or something else that girl talked like that, I don’t know how it is going to affect Sameera.”
(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.)
