Laughter in Darkness
A suspense, romantic and psychological thriller
By
Kotra Siva Rama Krishna
“What I have to remember?” Anand knitted his brows together.
“Last time when we have visited this house, that Sameera and Aravind were trapped in this room just like ours because of the heavy downpour.” Sunanda said. “It is morning and that was evening.”
“And that bastard took advantage of beautiful Sameera.” Anand angrily said.
“No. It did not happen like that. That Samerea made him do that so. She prompted and instigated him to do that to her. I know for it sure.” Sunanda laughed and said.
“How you can say it like that?” Anand asked her.
Both of them have to raise their voices because of the sound of the down pouring rain.
“Come near to me. I cannot yell to you to make you hear my voice in this rain sound.” Sunanda said.
Then Anand also transported himself onto the bed beside Sunanda and looked into her face. “Now tell me.” He asked her.
Then Sunanda explained to him what suggestion she gave to Sameera to make Aravind his man as Aravind was not hearing whatever Sameera said while she was so desperately wishing to make him away from that shadow world. She just waited for an opportunity all the time to do that and that rain gave it to her.
“So she seduced poor Aravind towards her so.” After hearing everything Sunanda said, Anand said thoughtfully.
“But it is to his advantage. What a beautiful girl Sameera is! Anyone would happily agree to marry her. That Aravind is so lucky that Sameera loved him so.” Sunanda said.
“That Aravind also is quite handsome! He is intelligent and educated also.” Went near to the wall there and leaning himself on it, Anand said.
“I agree.” Sunanda nodded her head. “But marrying Sameera like that made the things quite easy to him. His parents in law are quite wealthy! His father in law has a hospital also.” When she mentioned about the hospital there has come a worrying look on her face and it did not go without being noticed by Anand.
“It seems that you remember your mom again.” Placing his right hand on her left shoulder, Anand said.
“To remember her particularly, I never forgot her.” Sunanda said. “But some moments like these make me particularly worry. I just don’t know from the moment I entered into this house, the memories of my mother have been making me emotional.”
“Alright dear. It is so natural. I also have particular respect for your mother. She is a perfect mother.” Anand said.
“You are right. No mother on the earth can understand her daughter as my mother did.” Sunanda said again. She too went near to the wall there and leaned onto that again and closed her eyes. Anand looked into her face and it appeared that Sunanda was thinking something deeply. He too closed his eyes and remained silent as he did not want to disturb her at that time.
“Anand” he suddenly opened his eyes hearing the voice of Sunanda. Sunanda was looking anxiously into the face of Anand. “Don’t you…don’t you hear anything?” she asked him vehemently.
“I am hearing the sound of heavy downpour. In that sound I cannot hear anything.” In that proximity also they have to raise their voices to be heard by the other.
“Just hear, hear carefully and then tell me. Are not you hearing anything?” the anxiousness in her face was increased even more.
Anand concentrated and tried to hear but nothing has come into his notice except that sound of heavy downpour. “No, I am sorry. I cannot hear anything except the sound of this rain.” With a surprising expression in his face, Anand said.
“My mother is calling me, Anand. My mother is calling me. Cannot you hear her voice?” with a shivering tone Sunanda asked him.
“What’s the bloody hell you are talking Sunanda, you are hearing your mother’s voice?” Anand got off from the bed and put his both hands on her shoulders and looked into her face.
“No Anand. Just try to hear carefully. Her voice is so clear and why cannot you hear it?” her voice was full of anxiety and excitement. “She is asking me to come to her Anand, she is saying my name so clearly and asking me to come to her.” Sunanda also got off from the bed.
“Stop it. Just stop it.” jerking her shoulders strongly with his hands there Anand said. “You are just imagining that. The sound of the rain itself is being heard by you like that.”
“No, you are just wrong. I can recognize my mom’s voice wherever I may have heard it. When she is calling me that passionately are you thinking that I cannot know about it? I am going Anand. Now I just go to my mother.” Sunanda tried to relieve herself from the hold of Anand and said.
Anand slapped strongly on her right cheek with his right hand and slumped her on the bed once again. “In this heavily pouring rain where you do go? Just use your brain and think rationally. How you can hear your mother’s voice who died more than five years back? How a dead person can talk with you?” looking straight into her face, Anand asked her.
“But Anand….” She clipped her lower lip between her teeth frames and concentrated. After few seconds she released her lip and said. “Now I am not hearing any voice.”
“You never heard any voice. That was just your imagination.” Relaxing himself beside her Anand said.
“No, Anand. That voice was so clear to me….” Sunanda tried to say something more.
“Please stop it for the present Sunanda. We may better talk about it later.” Holding her in his both hands, Anand said. “I am sorry that I have to slap you on your right cheek. I am very sorry.”
“Its alright. I want to take some rest.” She placed her head on his right shoulder and closed her eyes. Very soon she slipped herself into sleeping and by the time when she opened her eyes the rain was completely dwindled.
“Shall we go downstairs now darling?” looking into her face, Anand asked her.
Sunanda nodded her head silently agreeing to it. There was a smile on her lips making Anand completely relaxed.
&&&
From Rose’s room, Neeraja straight went into the middle room downstairs where she put her suit case. By the time she entered into it, there were Aravind, Arjun and Madhuri in it. The three sat on the carpet there and Aravind was entertaining them both with his talking.
“Any disturbance? I just want to take some of my clothing from my suitcase.” Looking at them three, Neeraja said.
“We have no objection whatsoever, do that.” Aravind said with a smile.
“What is the necessity of any clothing as you already have some on you?” looking at her Arjun asked her.
“You naughty. Do you need all the particulars?” looking little angrily at him, Neeraja said.
“Don’t mind his words much. He just needs a lesson in manners.” Looking at his son angrily, Aravind said.
Neeraja bent down, opened her suitcase, took a white towel and soap from it, closed it again and stood straight.
“So far I understood aunty wants a bath now. There is a soap in the bathroom and you need not take one there.” Madhuri said.
“I want to use my own soap there.” Readying herself to go from there Neeraja said.
“But you are taking only the towel from here. What about the other dress articles?” Arjun asked her again.
“Cannot you see? I already have my dress on my body.” Neeraja’s cheeks were blushed with same.
“Is it is not going to be drenched in the bathroom? Are not you going to take a bath with your dress on the body?” looking confusingly into her face, Arjun asked her.
Neeraja’s face became that much red as it could not become anymore red. “Mr.Aravind, your son not just little, he needs a big lesson of manners.” After saying so, Neeraja very fast moved away from that place.
&&&
Neeraja could not feel usual even after she entered into the bathroom. She was just remembering what Arjun has said while she was removing one after one the dress articles from her body. But there was no way as she took bath every time only after making herself completely naked. She started feeling bad as she has taken a decision to take bath then. Because of her thinking to take a bath, she has to face unnecessary embarrassment like this.
How Aravind would have felt when his son talked like that, quite involuntarily her mind started thinking about it. He might have instantly imagined her all nude. Her cheeks once again became crimson red. She opened the shower and the cold water started wetting her body completely. That cold water was ravenously cruising all over her body reaching every cranny and crevice in her body. Even there was hot water facility also, she just could not think much and started taking her bath in that cold water. After she satisfied her body was drenched enough, she started rubbing her body with the soap in her hand.
While she was rubbing the frontal parts of her body suddenly she felt a touch on the back of her. It was just like two hands below on her neck making her feel so clear their touch. Immediately she thought that she put her both hands on the back of her there even it was quite impossible to do so. She put her both hands before her face and there was soap in her right hand also. So, someone has put his hands on the back of her. She turned back angrily but could not find anyone at all and the touch experience also was disappeared immediately.
Her heart filled with lot of confusion and she could not understand how it has happened. How she has felt a touch like that on the back of her? She never has felt in such a way in her whole life before. If someone really has the audacity to touch her like that, how he could vanish that fast? ‘Is some paranormal really here?’ she questioned herself.
‘No,’ she said in herself strongly. Just because of some trivial experience, she should not have come to the opinion that there is paranormal. Even psychologists and psychiatrists are also not an exception to hallucinations and illusions. She was subject to just tactile hallucination. It was nothing more than that, she thought.
But after that she could not stay in that bathroom peacefully. Usually she took more time for bathing enjoying every moment of it. She like bathing a lot rather than eating also but the experience minutes before changed her mindset atleast for then. She completed her bathing as fast as possible and moved away from that place fast.
&&&
“Both of you devils go away from here. You made me enough embarrassed.” Looking at Arjun and Madhuri angrily, Aravind said.
“What wrong…what wrong we did?” looking confusingly into the face of Araavind, Arjun asked him.
“It is you who caused me lot of inconvenience. Go and eat away either your mom’s or grandmom’s mind. Don’t stay here anymore.” Pushing him away from there, Aravind said.
Arjun looked some more seconds confusingly into his father’s face and went away from that place. Madhuri also understood that the situation then was not as much amicable as before with him then. Anyhow this Aravind was not as much skillful as her father in entertaining children. Without saying anything she also retired 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.)
