‘Professor Madhavi?’
‘Yes.’ Diya finally remembered the woman’s name.
‘What about her?’
‘She wanted to talk to me. She asked me to come along with her and then vanished behind the trees, so I followed her.’
‘Are you sure, Diya?’
‘Yes, I think something might have happened to her; maybe she was bitten by one of those nasty creatures you mentioned.’
‘That’s impossible. I saw her go home in her car.’
A shiver ran through Diya as she realized that the woman had not uttered a single word to her and had communicated only through gestures. Was the woman afraid that her voice might give her away? Had the Chakwa tried to trick her in the guise of her mother’s friend?
‘Diya, I think we’d better go back.’ Raghav glanced back into the trees.
She took Raghav’s proffered arm and let him guide her up the stairs and back towards the light.
‘Do you want me to go search for her in the woods?’ Raghav asked. ‘I mean, I didn’t see her, and as I told you, I saw her go home. Unless you are sure it was not someone else there in the woods with you.’
‘It’s all right, I am sure she has gone home,’ Diya said.
She had no intention of telling Raghav about the Chakwa, or her suspicions. For all his sentimentality, she knew he could be frivolous. Ronnie wasn’t really her cousin but Raghav did not know that; yet, he had picked up the vibes between Ronnie and her and hadn’t stopped calling him her boyfriend.
How could she have been tricked? She was sure the woman or whomever it was she had followed into the woods had normal feet. She had spent almost half an hour sneaking peeks at the watchful woman sitting alone in a group of empty chairs with her muddy feet pointing outwards. Why would the Chakwa have displayed its feet like that?
Maybe Professor Madhavi had thought of something and returned to tell her about it. Why else would she be waiting in the dark the whole evening wearing muddy shoes that she obviously found distasteful? Maybe Raghav was lying to her. Yet Diya did not dare suggest that they go back and search for the woman. It would mean returning to the depths of those dark woods.
‘Diya, there you are.’ Gowrish walked towards them.
‘Father will take care of you. I have some unfinished work.’ Raghav vanished down the same steps she had taken towards the woods.
Had Raghav just pretended disbelief and did he too suspect that something was wrong? Hadn’t her father warned her that the Chakwa lured its victims into the woods before devouring their flesh? What if the story of the Chakwa hadn’t been just about her grandfather? Diya felt herself inching closer to the dark abyss of fear.
The rest of the evening passed in a blur. A young maidservant took her to a huge, well-furnished bedroom. Diya found her phone but there were no calls or messages from Ronnie. She debated whether to call him and let him know what had happened, but decided to let it be. She was still angry with him.
Diya tossed and turned at night, wondering about the professor, trying to remember anything the woman had said to her that was out of the ordinary; anything that might give her a reason to invite her for a rendezvous in the dark woods. Diya could think of nothing. She had hardly spoken to the woman.
SLAYING DEMONS
‘A
kka, Akka.’
A young girl was standing at the foot of her bed.
‘Who are you?’
‘I am Sona. Babuji has asked me to look after you.’
‘What time is it?’ Diya asked.
‘Nine.’
Diya was surprised she had slept so heavily after the disturbing encounter with the professor the previous evening.
‘Bath?’ Sona enquired.
‘Sounds like a good idea,’ Diya concurred.
After she’d sent Sona away, Diya sent a WhatsApp message to Ronnie. She just hoped he had remembered to charge his phone. As she undressed, her phone pinged.
‘Stuck in a boring lecture, have a test later,’ Ronnie texted.
‘Tonnes of interesting things are happening. Want to talk to you about them.’
‘Are you fine?’
‘Yes, no need to worry. Will call you in the evening.’
‘Take care, I wish I could see you today,’ he typed, followed by three heart emojis.
‘Miss you,’ she responded with three kissing emojis.
Diya lay down in the bathtub with Ronnie on her mind and a smile on her lips.
She got out of the bath and checked her phone.
‘I miss you, too,’ Ronnie had replied with three kissing emojis.
Diya’s spirits soared and she felt ready to face the day.
The house was deserted; there was no sign of either the guests or the hosts. The previous day, the house had resonated with the low hum of conversations. Today, only a graveyard silence reigned.
Diya found the first signs of life on the porch. Gowrish was reading a newspaper. She couldn’t help but glance at his bare feet before making her presence known.
‘Ah, Diya! Good morning, I hope you had a good sleep.’
‘Yes, it is so quiet and peaceful here.’
‘This is a large estate and you hardly see or hear anyone in the morning, but wait till evening.’
‘Is it different in the evening?’
‘Just wait till the end of the day and you will find out.’ Gowrish laughed and went back into the house.
Diya walked into the yard with a steaming cup of coffee.
The ground was damp, and the dew from the previous night still clung to the springy grass underfoot. Though the sun was shining, it wasn’t hot. Diya hugged the coffee mug, letting its warmth seep through her chilled palms and into her body.
The mountains were alive with the cheerful twittering of birds, hopping from one sunny patch to the other in search of the elusive warmth.
The only other occupant of the yard was a middle-aged woman who was busy raking the carpet of coffee beans.
She paused and stared at Diya, shook her head and turned back.
The woman’s bare feet sank into the beans.
The feet and footprints were both normal.
When the woman came back, Diya smiled at her.
The woman smiled back.
She rested her chin on the rake handle and stared at Diya.
‘When I saw you yesterday I was reminded of your mother. She and I used to play together when we were young,’ the woman said. ‘She was beautiful inside and out.’ The woman dabbed her eyes. ‘She had the most beautiful hair.’
Diya could well imagine her mother jumping with her thick plaits swirling around her.
‘What is your name?’ Diya asked.
‘Venkatamma.’
‘I am glad I met you, Venkatamma. I came here to meet everyone who knew my mother before …’ she choked.
‘I am sorry she is dead.’
Diya nodded.
The woman nodded in silent sympathy and returned to her work.
Small moments of contact with her mother’s past like these were the reason she had come here. It would be all right; she would stay here for two more days and learn more about her mother.
The pensive morning calm was shattered when a group of men drove up in a van and got busy removing the marquee. Diya lingered, watching the dismantling of the marquee and other totems of the previous day’s celebrations. With the barrier of the marquee down, she had a clear view of the woods behind the house. The woods did not seem as menacing as they had felt in the fading twilight yesterday.
‘Why don’t we check for the professor by daylight?’
Diya had not noticed Raghav’s arrival.
‘I am sure you conducted a thorough search last night,’ she said.
‘Diya, I don’t mean to be intrusive, but last night I sensed that you were afraid of something. Am I right?’
‘I don’t like the dark, and having people suddenly disappear on you isn’t exactly pleasant.’
‘True, bu
t whatever be the case, I feel that you must confront your fears, else they will overpower you.’
She couldn’t argue with that.
‘Listen kiddo, I know what I am talking about. I am sure you remember my dogs?’
Diya shivered at the memory of the huge dogs. Their yellow fangs and drooling mouths were permanently etched on her mind.
‘Yes.’
‘I won’t call them pets because they do not fit the definition of warm cuddly creatures we like to call pets. They are more like their ancestors – fierce beasts that alert and protect man from his enemies. They are almost feral but I am not afraid of them.’
Diya wondered if there was a point to this discussion. The thought of those snarling beasts locked somewhere nearby wasn’t exactly comforting.
‘There was a time when even a cuddly puppy terrified me, but my mother cured me of my fear by gifting me the first of these feral beasts. She was a farsighted woman.’
Raghav looked sad and Diya wondered how he had lost his mother.
‘I got bitten the first time and had to go through a whole round of painful rabies injections, but I survived and emerged stronger. Now I control these beasts. They fear me because I am the alpha dog.’
‘So you want me to go into the woods and fight my demons?’ Diya smiled. Raghav was irritating but there was wisdom in what he was saying.
The only problem was that her demons were not as simple as his fears. She was sure being bitten by a dog was not pleasant, but it was still a creature you could see, lock up or even get rid of, but how could you get rid of something that you could not even see unless it was in a form that would trick you?
‘Fight your demons,’ Raghav doubled over with laughter.
Once again, Diya was irritated with him.
‘I can just imagine you going there with a couple of swords while the demons are running for their lives.’ Raghav dabbed at the tears of mirth gathering in his eyes.
‘Very funny …’ Diya said. ‘But I take your point. I should confront my fears.’
Even as she said it, she looked down at Raghav’s feet, just to make sure that she was not being tricked once again and lured back into the woods by a fake pep talk.
‘I am not going to throw you to the wolves alone, I promise. I will be with you all the way,’ Raghav said soberly.
Even in the daytime, the woods were dense enough to blot out the sunlight. Diya’s heart beat faster and her feet slowed down.
‘Scared?’ Raghav asked.
‘No,’ Diya lied.
‘Ready?’ He offered her his arm.
Diya couldn’t help but glance up at the steps where she had followed Madhavi. Raghav too followed her glance.
‘I saw you when you were almost at the top,’ he said.
‘Raghav, there is something I want to check. I am not afraid to go into the forest but I need to check this first.’
‘Sure,’ Raghav shrugged.
All through the evening, she had watched the professor seated in the shadows with her sari carefully held away from her muddy shoes. Maybe she had left footprints on the steps.
The footprint was on the fourth step from the bottom. Though it was not as clear as the other footprints that had dogged her, there was no mistaking the long toes ending in sharp claws. Diya recoiled in terror. There was no one around, but she couldn’t shake off the feeling that the evil presence was nearby.
‘What is the matter? You look like you have seen a ghost,’ Raghav said.
‘I think I have had enough of fighting demons for the day.’ She could sense the questions running through Raghav’s head.
‘I don’t think you are in any condition to go back alone.’ He once again offered her his arm and escorted her back to the house.
Back in the sunshine, away from those dark woods, the weight of fear lifted and Diya could breathe once again.
STENCH OF BLOOD AND GREED
T
he sun was shining brightly, spreading its warmth to the chilly corners of the estate, but Diya could not shake off the chill that had settled in her heart.
She hesitated on the threshold, afraid that something evil was lying in wait for her in one of the dark dusty corners of the labyrinthine house.
She took refuge on the sunbathed steps.
Maybe she was overreacting. What she needed to do was an Uncle Albert-like measured analysis of the evidence. The footprint was not clear and she had no way to tell if it belonged to the professor. Any one of the dozens of workers on the estate could have left the muddy footprint. It was just coincidence: It had to be. The woman must be eccentric; she must have lost patience and left when Diya did not follow her into the woods. The reason Madhavi did not return was because she had no intention of letting anyone know that she wanted to talk to her.
Her hammering heart slowed down to its regular beat.
It was almost 11 a.m; she had promised to call Ronnie during his morning break, but she had forgotten her mobile phone back in her room.
She had a choice, not just now, but for the rest of her life. She could either allow fear to cripple her and wait for someone to rescue her or she could slay her demons.
Diya strode into the house, watchful of shadows; her heart raced with fear, but she did not turn back.
Reach the room.
Get the phone.
Talk to Ronnie.
She kept repeating the mantra.
She walked past the deserted drawing and dining rooms…
…through the cluttered store room and
…down the long corridor that led to her room.
Diya was halfway down the corridor when she first became aware of the voices.
‘No, no, no. I will not listen to such nonsense.’ Gowrish’s booming voice was unmistakable.
‘How can you be sure she is Nana’s granddaughter?’ a woman said.
The voice belonged to Gowrish’s half-sister, Mangala. ‘She shows up here with an old photograph and you fall all over yourself. It sounds ridiculous to me that dear Geeta would have been alive all these years and never once contacted us.’
‘She must have had her reasons,’ Gowrish said.
‘What kind of reason could make her hide from her own family?’
‘I don’t know and I don’t care. All I care about is the child. She has gone through enough grief and I will not tolerate anyone hurting her.’
‘You have become senile,’ Mangala said. ‘A beautiful young girl walks into your life and you lose your sense.’
‘Even if I am senile, it does not change the fact that Diya is Nana’s granddaughter.’
‘I hope you are not foolish enough to waste money on her.’
‘I am meeting my lawyer on Saturday, and I am determined to make sure that Diya gets what is her right.’
‘What about my right? I will not stay quiet anymore. I am also a daughter of this house and have right to the property. More than anyone who comes out of nowhere.’
‘Fine, you can have whatever you want. When I talk to the lawyer, I will discuss your demands with him.’
Diya backed down the corridor, away from the suffocating stench of greed. She retreated to the porch and the cleansing sunshine.
Her mother’s childhood companion, Venkatamma, was still raking the coffee beans, the gardener was watering the plants, and the woman with the broom was busy sweeping the yard.
It was as if the last few moments had never happened. That she hadn’t overheard the conversation. That’s how it should be. She had not come here for wealth. She had come here to find those who loved her mother.
Arun, Gowrish, and even Mala were clearly fond of her mother. Their memories of her mother were the only wealth she sought.
‘Diya, here you are! I was looking for you.’
Gowrish was standing behind her.
‘I went for a walk with Raghav and then I was just enjoying the sunshine,’ she lied.
‘Yes, it’s a beautiful morning. Come with me, I’ll show you around the
estate.’
They headed down a terraced garden profuse with blooms. The trees that lined the path were also in full bloom, their boughs weighed down with orange blossoms. Their scent was mild but pleasant and earthy.
Gowrish took a deep breath and expelled it in a great rush, like wind rushing through a mountain pass. ‘This is much better,’ he said. ‘As if being inside the house isn’t punishment in itself, being cooped indoors with nagging relatives is beyond what a man should be expected to tolerate.’
Diya felt uncomfortable by Gowrish’s forthright declaration.
‘Money! Money! Money! That’s all they want to talk about. If there is one thing I don’t want to talk about, it’s money.’
‘Same here,’ Diya agreed hastily, hoping to close the subject.
‘There is one last point I want to say about this matter, Diya, and after that we can forget this detestable subject.’
‘But …’ Diya protested.
‘Hear me out Diya; this estate belonged to your grandfather and me. After me, it belongs to you and Raghav, equally. I am going to talk to my lawyers tomorrow and set that in motion.’
‘But …’
‘This estate is a burden on my soul. I know I am not going to be around for long and I would like to die a free man.’
‘I am sure nothing will happen to you.’ Diya was beginning to feel uneasy with the path their conversation was taking. First Mala and now Gowrish had brought up the topic of inheritance.
‘Life is unpredictable. After I am gone, I want you and Raghav to exist peacefully and be there for each other; money should not divide you.’
‘I don’t want anything. I did not come here for money.’
‘Even if you don’t want anything today, life can be cruel. You never know. I have seen many families destroyed by money. Sometimes, even parents take irrational decisions and give everything to one child. That is unfair. Equal, fair and square is the only solution. I will settle this with my lawyer tomorrow.’
‘I don’t think there is any hurry to do anything.’
‘It is not just you and Raghav; Mangala also wants a share. She threatened to go to court if I don’t give her a part of the estate. She knows she has no legal standing; she is our father’s illegitimate child, but she knows it will create a fuss. We have always treated her as our sister. When she was married, Nana gave her five acres of land, two houses, and two kilograms of gold and now she wants more. She will create trouble, and claim that you are an impostor, turning the situation ugly. No, I just want all this settled and behind us so we can get on with our lives.’
The Trickster Page 17
