Convergence - Page 8

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Chapter 4:

Anjali let out a sigh of pleasure when the first sip of tea warmed her insides. She blushed when she realized all eyes were on her and bit her lip in embarrassment.

"Good tea?" Kanishk asked the girl kindly. Anjali nodded and stole a glance at Geet who was looking at her amused.

"What are you two girls planning to do for the rest of the evening?" He asked Geet.

"I'll show her around the house and if it doesn't get dark by the time we finish, maybe we will walk around the pond are too," Geet said. "I thought everyone is going to be here Uncle Kanishk, where are they?" She had noted that every member in her family was absent apart from her uncle. It was rarity in their household.

"Except for father, no one else is in town today. They are all'running'errands," Kanishk said halting at every syllable as if he was trying to string words on random. By the look on Geet's face, he knew that she didn't buy his explanation. He sighed in relief when she didn't question him any further.

Thirty minutes later, Anjali found herself lost in the grandness of the mansion questioning about origins and history of each trinket, furniture and painting. Geet replied patiently to her questions and answered everything she knew. Anjali easily chatted as they walked around the house their footfalls echoing in corridors and passages.

"This house itself must have a long history isn't it?" Anjali asked looking at a mural on ceiling. She didn't hide her awe whenever she encountered prolific piece of art and took a photograph for keepsake and probably research some more.

"The house was built in last century and has seen several generations before when the house was much smaller and definitely not this grand. My grandfather's grandfather extended the house years after his father found buried treasure," Geet said and waited for Anjali's reaction.

Anjali didn't disappoint her.

"Hidden treasure? Seriously?" Anjali's eyes widened and begged her to tell the story.

"Yes, seriously that's how money came into the family; in the beginning at least. As the legend goes, mid last century my ancestor found gold by the cave at the edge of our property. The treasure wasn't technically a treasure but only a big pouch full of coins buried in soil. However it was more than sufficient to buy lands around the house. With years the property expanded and the family became very prominent around these parts."

"Sounds like a fairy tale," Anjali replied honestly.

"Do you believe this story?" Geet asked astonished.

"It sounds plausible. You don't believe it?" Anjali asked raising an eyebrow. Geet looked thoughtful and little distracted at that.

"What is it Geet?" Anjali asked her friend softly.

"This house and its inhabitants harbor way too many secrets Anjali. There are many secret rooms, cupboards, staircases and attics which were built during wars to hide people, grain and gold. I think it has become almost customary for every generation patriarch to add something of their own to the house. There are no schools or colleges nearby, as you saw when we got down from the bus thus all of us are educated in boarding schools and we came home only during vacations. And the most favorite past time for all of us was exploring the house for secret rooms or hidden closets; we are very sure that we haven't found all of them yet." Geet replied softly. Anjali fathomed that Geet wasn't being entirely truthful and was hiding something.

"Why do you think that the house has secrets?" Anjali asked as they started walking again.

"We leave a part of ourselves behind wherever we live; markings on wall, odd writing on desks, letters to friends and relatives, postcards, music etc. Inhabitants of this house left signatures of their lives amidst these walls. Some chose to leave a part of their life itself ' like items they collected during their travels or photographs they had taken of themselves with great men and women. But some left things which were not to be even discovered in the first place; things that changed the balance of the universe." Geet replied.

Anjali couldn't fully understand where Geet was getting at. She had known Geet for few years now being her closest friend but once they were in Geet's house, her friend's repertoire had completely changed. She was more serene, little odd and extremely cryptic.

"What do you mean?" Anjali asked.

"Several rooms in this house have been closed for last seventy years for reasons known only to grandfather and probably uncle Kanishk given how he is going to be caretaker of house after grandfather," Geet replied.

Anjali didn't know how to absorb this fact. She didn't even know what to make out of it. Was Geet hinting at something sinister being locked inside the house?

"Are you scared?" Geet asked Anjali who was drowned in her own thoughts.

"Should I be?" Anjali asked frankly with an edge in her voice.

"No. There is nothing in this house that will physically harm you," Geet replied.

Anjali nodded in relief and smiled. To an extent, she felt relieved.

"How about we check out the house some more? I haven't toured the house this much in ages," Geet asked. Anjali nodded happily and started walking. Geet stood a moment watching Anjali walk in front with her signature happy attitude.

Geet hadn't lied to Anjali. The house would never physically harm any inhabitant of the house.

But mentally ' she couldn't guarantee that.

Like always, she was sure that the house had a life of its own. She didn't know if it was good or a bad thing.

-- o00o --

"'and I believe'Geet?" Anjali stopped mid-sentence once she realized that there was no response from her friend and the passage was eerily quiet with only her footsteps. She turned back to see Geet looking at a dimly lit staircase.

They had been walking around lazily for thirty minutes Anjali stopping at every pillar to admire the artwork and asking Geet to take a picture of her in front of them. They had spent good ten minutes admiring an old family portrait.

"Geet?" Anjali called again to catch Geet's attention. When there was no response from Geet, Anjali walked back to where Geet was standing. She shook her gently making Geet snap back to reality.

"What is it Geet?" Anjali asked looking at the staircase too.

"My mom's room is there," Geet said. Anjali looked at Geet sharply wondering how she could be calm about it. But then again Geet had been dealing with it since she was a kid so maybe she had compartmentalized very well.

"Do you want to visit her?" Anjali asked kindly.

"I don't see a point," Geet replied and started to walk. "It's not like she is going to recognize me anyway," she said, her back at Anjali conveniently hiding her expression from her close friend.

Had Anjali seen Geet's face at that moment, she would have seen a storm on her face laced with utter helplessness.

-- o00o --

"If you need anything then just yell okay?" Geet said as Anjali busied herself with chores she did before going to bed.

"I am going to be fine Geet. Beside between the two of us, am a heavy sleeper," Anjali said wryly. Geet grinned at her friend.

After talking to her friend for ten more minutes, she finally retired in her own room. Lately, her sleep had been filled with dreams and renditions of faces that she had only seen on paper had come to life.

Night fell fast and deep enveloping anything that was light in its womb and drinking the essence of it and turned it into grey. Uneasiness settled in her stomach and her heart beat several paces faster. She didn't know the reason for her restlessness and she blamed the house for it.

She fell into an uneasy sleep with a small light on. Minutes into her sleep, her breathing finally slowed and the pace of her heart fell into an old and familiar rhythm.

Two hours and thirty seven minutes later, the light died.

-- o00o --

In darkness, everything including sound gets accentuated to a higher density. Something wakes her up; it is so sudden that the images that had manifested in her mind seconds go create a hazy illusion in front of her. She gropes at those images trying very hard to make it tangible enough to know the reason for the sudden fear that blossoms in her heart.

It was fear that woke her up. She could feel it in her bones and taste it on her tongue; it tasted like fresh goat cheese mixed with pear. The tantalizing taste shook her palate while she threw back the covers and fixed her eyes on the sliver of light emitting from bathroom.

Tendrils of her curly hair stick on her neck due to sweat and she walks towards bathroom in guise of splashing cool water on her face. Her hands shake slightly when she pushes open the door in one swing. A sigh of relief escapes her as she finds the light above bathroom mirror left on. She must have forgotten to switch it off after brushing teeth.

She splashes water on her face for full three minutes till all the traces of dreams are washed out. She wipes her face and looks at her face in the mirror intently. Satisfied with her appearance, she turns around to walk out of bathroom and she stops.

Horror sweeps her face and her lungs catch an uninvited breath. She slowly turns around watching her reflection on the mirror.

The reflection hasn't moved since she last saw herself there seconds ago.

Her breath fast and short and she stumbles backwards.

"Hello darling," her reflection calls her out. The timber in voice sounds very much like hers but the huskiness is not.

"I'I'" Her lungs were malfunctioning making her breathless and stammer.

"Oh come on, don't be like this," her reflection pouted.

"Corinthian?" She blurted out.

"I am you darling. Can't you see?" Her face in the reflection looked incredulous.

"You are not me," she replied her breath coming back to her.

"Hmm'maybe I am and maybe I am not. I bet Maan would know that, wouldn't he?" Her reflection had no mercy.

She felt like crying.

"Please. I don't want to remember." She begged.

"But I love that story!" Her reflection is adamant; adamant on making her live the time of her life which she had neatly locked away in deep crevices of her mind and thrown away the key.

"Please. Don't do this to me." The fear returned tenfold. Memories of time spent locked away from civilization with nothing but his presence and drowned in complete darkness bombarded her mind.

Screams came when the presence of a man became clear and showed a clear image; wings of bat, charm of devil and called himself as Morningstar.

-- o00o --

"Geet! Geet!" Anjali shook her harshly.

Anjali had heard the scream coming from Geet's room and had broken to a run the very next second. Geet was known to have nightmares since child but it had escalated after her disappearing episode. It was getting worse and Geet refused to acknowledge it.

"Geet," Anjali called out once again as Geet thrashed around bunching the bed cover and her comforter in the process. Without thinking much, Anjali took the jug of water which was on the bed table and poured the contents on Geet's face. Geet spluttered at the sudden coldness and got up.

"What happened?" She said groggily wiping her face.

"You were having a nightmare. I heard you scream," Anjali replied peering at Geet.

Geet merely hummed in response.

"What did you see in your nightmare that had you screaming this long?" Anjali asked helping Geet out of bed.

"Corinthian; the worst of all nightmares," she replied and hopped out of bed and wait straight to bathroom leaving a flabbergasted Anjali behind.

To be continued.

Quote: "There is a madness needed to touch the gods, yes, this is true. Few mortals possess it, the willingness to step away from the protection of sanity. To wander into the wild wood of madness." ~ Loki (The Kindly Ones)

Further reading:

Corinthian (The Nightmare): Wiki Link