‘Can you find out about Meera?’ Ronnie asked.
‘Yes, I will ask my grandmother. She might know,’ the girl promised.
GUESSING GAMES
S
till rattled by their encounter with Dolly, Ronnie and Diya decided not to return home immediately.
‘I can’t function on an empty stomach,’ Ronnie said. ‘Let’s eat something.’
Ronnie drove to a new café near the golf course. It served coffee, sandwiches and packaged food that Diya would be able to eat without the risk of falling sick. When they reached, the parking lot was full.
‘We can wait or go elsewhere,’ Ronnie said.
A car behind them honked.
‘We are blocking the way. Let’s go somewhere else.’
Diya turned back and signalled that the parking lot was full; the man behind the wheel backed off with a wave.
‘Let me take you to my favourite restaurant,’ Ronnie said. ‘I must warn you: It is very simple.’
‘Your mother has promised me something good for lunch, so I don’t want to eat anything.’
Ronnie’s favourite restaurant was small and crowded. It buzzed with the chatter of its clientele, mostly students from colleges in the neighbourhood.
‘Give us a table inside,’ Ronnie requested the waiter.
‘Nothing inside,’ the waiter shrugged.
They followed the waiter to the garden where tables were discreetly placed among the trees and bushes.
‘Do you think she will be fine?’
Diya could not forget Dolly’s distressed cries.
‘I hope so,’ Ronnie said.
‘Maybe I should not have told her about my mother’s death and those flames …’
Diya trailed off as she realized that she had not mentioned the manner of her parents’ death to Dolly.
When she looked up, Ronnie was watching her. She was afraid he would ask her about the flames, but he just looked at her with a slight frown between his brows. Then she remembered that Ronnie was the one who had found out about her parents’ death. Every news item had mentioned that her parents’ car had caught fire and they had perished in the flames.
‘What did she mean by the Chakwa?’ Ronnie asked.
‘Don’t you know?’ Diya was surprised by Ronnie’s question. ‘I mean, surely your father has told you about it.’
‘No, I don’t remember him mentioning it. Who is it?’
‘When my father and Uncle Sunny were ten …’
Diya recounted the story of how their fathers had discovered Mrs Mishra’s decaying body in the blue bungalow rumoured to be the Chakwa’s abode.
‘I am surprised my father never told us this story.’ Ronnie looked puzzled.
‘Maybe it was just a childhood tale, something my dad told to scare me,’ Diya said.
Diya shivered as she remembered strange footprints in the snow in her backyard and the terror of that wintry night. The cops had believed a dope-head had broken into the seemingly empty house in the hopes of scoring medicines or drugs, but that did not explain the half-human, half-animal footprints.
She told Ronnie about the terrifying incident and the curious long footprints entering the basement of her home.
‘So you think those footprints in the snow were the Chakwa’s?’ Ronnie asked.
‘I don’t believe in ghosts. It came back to me only because Dolly mentioned the Chakwa. I have a feeling it might be something from one of her movies.’
‘Let’s ask my father about the Chakwa. If nothing else, it will give him the opportunity to tell tall tales.’
Sunshine filtered through the trees and the shadows grew longer as they spoke.
Ronnie finished his snacks and ordered coffee.
‘If it was the trickster, why would it drink tea?’ Ronnie laughed. ‘I mean, whoever heard of a spirit that is partial to a food item? Humans, animals and blood, I can understand, but tea?’ They both burst into laughter at the absurdity.
When they reached home, Rini was waiting at the gate.
‘Where were you? I must have called at least a hundred times. Why can’t you answer your phone?’ She punched Ronnie on the arm.
‘Hey, no need to get violent,’ Ronnie said holding Rini’s hands and trying to balance the bike both at the same time.
‘Sorry, we got some information and were checking out; we did not hear the phone ring,’ Diya said.
‘I know my brother. As usual, he must have forgotten to charge his phone.’
‘I didn’t get any calls; see for yourself.’ Ronnie handed Rini his phone. As she looked at the phone, he sped past and they reached the house laughing.
‘Why did you not answer the phone?’ Diya asked.
‘I really forgot to charge it,’ he admitted sheepishly.
They waved to Mrs Bhat who was at her usual vantage point behind the wall.
The white gloves waved back.
NIGHT CRAWLER
‘L
et’s sit outside.’ Sunny invited Diya after dinner. ‘We have not spoken at all since you came.’
Zorro jumped out of his box and followed them.
‘It’s a beautiful night, isn’t it?’ Sunny looked up at the star-studded sky.
‘Yes, it’s very serene here.’
‘We must go up into the mountains. The view is splendid, but there are too many tourists,’ Sunny grumbled.
The half-moon was hidden behind a thin veil of lazily drifting clouds. The night was fragrant with scents, a blend of rain and night blooms. Zorro jumped out of Diya’s arms, impatient to explore. As soon as Sunny opened the grille door, Zorro hurtled outside on stubby legs. He ran around in a circle and came back, barking and wagging his tail.
‘I think the little fellow needs a walk.’ Sunny laughed. ‘Come to think of it, I can do with some exercise too.’
The torch-beam probed the darkness. Zorro led the way staying firmly within the perimeter of the wobbly beam. He sniffed at the ground, excited by the smorgasbord of night smells.
The house was built on just one corner of the land. They stayed on the side with the garden and the tennis court and avoided the path through the trees.
They were just a few steps away from the spot where the mountain sloped steeply when Diya felt something rustle in the undergrowth. Startled, she screamed. As she stepped back, she bumped into Sunny who was just behind her. The torch fell out of Sunny’s hand and rolled down the slope, crazily stabbing at the sooty dark night.
So close. So close. He could just reach out and pull her into the darkness. He must have patience, but not too much.
Diya thought she heard something move among the trees.
‘What happened? Are you all right?’ Ronnie was next to them. He was panting a bit as if he had been running.
‘I think Diya saw a snake and got scared.’
‘I think it was something bigger. I felt it brush against my leg.’ Diya could still feel the cold wet touch against her skin.
Ronnie escorted them back to the lighted island of the house.
‘What happened? Diya, are you Ok?” Grandma Elizabeth asked.
‘Nothing to worry about, it was just a snake,’ Sunny said flopping into a chair. ‘My heart is beating so hard, I don’t think I need to exercise for one month.’
‘What were you doing outside in the dark?’
‘Walking. Exercise,’ Sunny panted.
‘I don’t know when you will get some sense. Whoever heard of exercising at night?’ Elizabeth said.
‘Actually, Zorro wanted to go for a walk, so Uncle Sunny and I thought …’ Diya hugged Zorro close; all through the episode, the tiny creature had not left her side.
‘Manu and I always went for a walk after dinner, it’s …’ Sunny’s voice trailed as he looked at Diya. His eyes filled with tears as Manu’s loss hit him with renewed force.
‘Ronnie, you got the torch?’ Sunny changed the topic, his voice still husky with emotion. ‘I was so startled I dropped it. Is it still worki
ng?’
Ronnie pointed the torch towards the yard and flicked the switch.
On … Off.
On … Off.
The light sliced through the night. Other than Mrs Bhat’s gloved hands clinging to the wall, there was no other sign of life.
‘If not a snake, maybe it was a branch,’ Ronnie whispered to Diya. ‘I am quite sure it was not the Chakwa.’
‘Until you reminded me, I had not thought of the Chakwa. Now thanks to you, I won’t be able to sleep tonight.’ She made a face at him.
‘What are you two whispering about? What does Chakwa mean?’ Rini was standing behind them.
‘Mind your own business,’ Ronnie said.
‘What does Chakwa mean?’ Rini repeated her question loud enough for everyone to hear.
‘Why don’t you ask Daddy?’ Ronnie suggested.
‘Ronnie!’ Sunny thundered. ‘Stop troubling your sister.’
‘Diya, what is the Chakwa?’ Rini persisted.
‘My father once told me of an encounter that he and Uncle Sunny had with a supernatural creature called Chakwa,’ Diya said. ‘This afternoon, when we met someone who knew my mother, she also mentioned the Chakwa. Ronnie and I were just discussing that.’
‘Daddy, who is this Chakwa, and why have you never told us about it?’ Rini turned back to her father.
‘It was nothing, just some childhood nonsense,’ Sunny said.
‘Please tell us the story, Daddy,’ Rini hopped with excitement.
‘Some other time, it’s very late.’
‘Your father is tired, Rini. You better sleep now, else you will be too tired for your tennis finals,’ said Grandma Elizabeth.
‘You just tell us a part of it today and the rest later. You remember? Like that bank robbery story when the manager robbed the bank. Please Daddy, please,’ Rini pleaded.
‘It’s not an interesting story, and it is short. I don’t have time to sit up late and talk. If I make any mistakes in the audit tomorrow, they will put me behind bars, and then where would you be?’ With that dire warning, Sunny escaped into the house.
One by one, the others too went inside until only Diya, Zorro and Ronnie remained. Silver grey clouds obscured the sky; but for the light on the porch, everything was dark, even the nearest street lamp was too far for its light to reach the house. Dark shadows crouched around the house, waiting to pounce. Diya shivered and turned her back to the yard.
‘Are you Ok?’ Ronnie asked.
‘Yes,’ she lied.
Her heart still thumped at the memory of that cold wet touch on her leg.
Ronnie held her cold hands between his big warm palms.
‘Don’t worry,’ he said, rubbing her hands. ‘It was nothing.’
‘Yes, probably just a branch,’ Diya lied. ‘I am going to bed.’
Diya lifted the puppy but Zorro jumped out of her arms and snuggled back in the box.
‘Looks like Zorro has finally found a place he likes.’
‘I doubt that. He is just waiting for us to fall asleep before he starts his night raid.’
Ronnie accompanied Diya to her room. ‘Good night, Diya!’
‘Good night, Ronnie.’
Diya tried to sleep, but Dolly’s terror-contorted face and her screams echoed in her ear. Was it a coincidence that the old woman too had lost her mother to fire? She felt a kinship with Dolly, both of them haunted by terrible flames that had devoured their parents alive.
Like Dolly, was she too destined to be haunted by fire and grief to her dying day?
The stench of smoke and burning flesh filled Diya’s nostrils; she tried to get up and run, but her body refused to co-operate. Diya heard voices, but they were too far and indistinct. There was an unmistakable urgency and horror to the voices, maybe they were urging her to escape.
Finally, after what seemed like hours, Diya managed to open her eyes. Somewhere, she could hear the shrill cry of a raven. She sat up in bed trying to make sense of the nightmare but the voices were still talking in the same muted, urgent tones.
THE MASSACRE
T
he morning was cold and crisp with a distant hint of wood smoke in the air. Sunny and Ronnie, dressed in shorts and sneakers, were talking in the garden. Diya took a step back from the parapet wall unwilling to intrude on the father-son communion. As she moved back, she caught sight of the broken laundry line with its train of crumpled clothes covered with feathers, blood, and half-eaten chickens. Diya hurried through the silent house into the yard.
‘Diya!’ Sunny exclaimed as she walked towards them. ‘Go back into the house; the whole place is a mess.’
‘Some animal got to the chickens last night,’ Ronnie said. ‘I think you better stay inside.’
‘We need to clean this up quickly, else the whole house will stink to high heaven,’ Sunny grumbled.
‘Cr-r-ruck! Cr-r-ruck! Cr-r-ruck!’
A pair of ravens descended on the garden and began to caw.
Ronnie started picking up the clothes and putting them in a big basket. He hesitated as he picked up a white shirt.
‘What is that Ronnie?’
‘Nothing.’
‘Show me.’
‘Please Diya, it’s just …’ Ronnie tried to hide the shirt behind his back.
‘Then show me.’
An elongated footprint with six stubby toes tipped with sharp claws was planted squarely on the back of the shirt.
‘That’s my shirt,’ Diya said.
‘It’s just a blood stain, it is kind of blurry,’ Ronnie said.
‘Yes, it’s just a smear,’ Diya said, but a cold hand gripped her heart.
‘I mean, why would a junkie who broke into your house in Boston follow you here and why would he kill our chickens?’ Ronnie said.
‘It was a pack of wolves,’ Mrs Bhat said.
‘What was what?’ Sunny whirled towards the wall and asked.
‘A pack of wolves killed your chickens.’
‘How do you know?’ Sunny asked.
‘I know because I saw them last night. I was just looking out of my window when I saw the wolves over there.’ Mrs Bhat pointed to a spot on the mountainside.
‘How did you see them from so far, that too in the dark?’ Sunny was incredulous.
‘I don’t know, it wasn’t very dark there. The moon had come out and I think their fur was shining. I don’t know. I was able to see them as clearly as I can see you.’
‘Madam, as far as anyone knows, there are no wolves in this part of the country.’ Sunny sounded exasperated.
‘But I saw them, they were wolves.’
‘I am sure the forest department will be grateful to you for letting them know that a pack of wolves is roaming the mountains. It might even come in the newspaper,’ Sunny said.
‘Really?’ Mrs Bhat looked pleased.
Sunny’s sarcasm was lost on her.
‘Are you sure? I have always wanted to have my picture in the newspaper. I must call them immediately,’ Mrs Bhat’s face lit up at the hint of fame.
They collected branches and heaped the massacred chickens on the makeshift fire. Diya stood back with Zorro in her arms, watching Ronnie feed dry leaves and twigs to the pyre.
‘May not be a wolf but some other animal,’ Ronnie said without looking at Diya.
‘Yes, just like back home,’ she agreed.
Unless …
Diya refused to believe the idiotic possibility.
‘Is there something you have not told me?’ Ronnie asked.
‘No,’ she lied again.
ZORRO THE WARRIOR
A
pall of gloom hung over the house. It was obvious that the loss of chickens had dealt a significant financial blow to the family. There was no proof, other than a weird bloodstain on her shirt, but Diya felt responsible for the loss.
Ronnie was paying her extra attention. Diya knew he was only trying to make her feel better, but she did not want anyone to misunderstand.
When tears threatened to spill over, Diya excused herself. She picked up Zorro, who had not left her side since morning, and ran upstairs.
Zorro scampered around the room as Diya got ready for bed.
‘I should have called you Shadow instead of Zorro,’ Diya told the pup as he stood outside the closed bathroom door begging to be allowed inside.
‘Would you like to come home with me?’ Zorro licked her hand with his tiny wet tongue in response. ‘I am going to find out what the process to take you back home with me is.’
The puppy barked with joy.
‘I have no idea if you really understand what I am saying, but you certainly know how to respond on cue,’ Diya laughed.
She crumpled a page from the newspaper lying on her bed, and tossed a makeshift ball in the air. Zorro leapt, paws extended, in an attempt to catch the ball. Contrary to Diya’s expectations, he succeeded. Having tasted success, Zorro whimpered until Diya tossed the paper ball again. In an instant, Zorro caught the ball and laid it down at her feet.
‘Ewww! It’s wet, you disgusting little tyke.’
Zorro whimpered urging her to continue their play. Diya made balls from the newspaper, but soon ran out.
‘I don’t have more newspaper baby,’ she told Zorro. ‘Let’s rest for a while. I am tired.’
Diya picked up Zorro and sat on the windowsill looking out at the dark grounds. Light filtered in from an open window of Mrs Bhat’s house. Diya caught a glimpse of the woman pacing the room. A light flickered in the corner; presumably, Mrs Bhat was watching television without sitting down. Diya had never seen the woman seated. She was either walking in the garden or standing behind the fence, peeking into her neighbour’s lives, trying to fill the void in her life.
Like Mrs Bhat, was she too destined to be a lonely voyeur, living on scraps of other people’s lives?
ZORRO AND THE GLOVES
N
ight was still shying away from dawn when Diya woke up. She felt refreshed; terror had not stalked her dreams. It was time she stopped wallowing in grief and took charge of her life. Self-pity was a luxury she could not afford. Her body ached for exercise; she could join Ronnie.
The Trickster Page 7
