New SS: Ghosts of the Royal Family Updated Part 4 Pg 6 - Page 3

Priya could sense some sign of relief as she was almost at her home .. Her mom was standing near the gate , waiting for her.. Her dog leapt forward to her as he wanted to play with Priya and started licking all over her face

"Oh, no Captain not now , i'm really very tired "  said Priya ruffling his fur

Priya are you alright? how was your dinner date ? asked her mom.

" All is well mom " replied priya

I was really worried as the time is already 1 o clock now

" 1 o clock " quizzed priya

Yes priya

'Priya checked her watch and her mobile phone. Her mom was right

Priya was so confused as she left the restaurant at 10 o clock and it was just half an hour drive to her house ..

What took me so long to reach the home?? I started early since I know mom will be worried about me , I spent 15 minutes in the cemetery road but how did I reach so late , she thought in confusion ..

Ok mom , I"ll get some sleep .. See you tomorrow

priya sat on her bed and her eyes were full of sleep but she kept thinking of the strange things that happened to her tonight

suddenly her phone rang and it was Ram . She picked the call ..

"Honey I was expecting you to call me

" oh ya i'm really sorry " replied Priya

You reached home safely? I called your phone twice and heard a small girl you gave your phone to some one else or was it a prank played by your friends?

No Ram , my phone was with me and I did not give my phone to any one else ..

but a small girl attended the call questioned Ram

May be you dialled someone else by mistake ..

No no i'm pretty sure that it was your number

Ok forget it , what time did you reach home ?

1 o clock replied Priya calmly

1 o clock ???

" Holy Smokes!!!!, you left the restaurant at 10 and your house is not pretty far, what took you so long to reach the home ?

"Ram, that is enough ..stop questioning me like a cop .. Ram could sense her angry tone so he changed the topic

"I question you because I care for you , please don't get mad on me I love you...

Love you too Ram , please don't worry about me unnecessarily i'm fine...

"Ok babe it's late already, Speak to you tomorrow good night

Good night Ram , saying she hung up the phone . She was very sleepy but her mind was clouded with worries ..finally after tossing & turning for some time on the bed she slept peacefully.

"You woke up at last , now get ready priya

"Mom, " for what questioned priya

"Your in laws called me in the morning , they'll be here in half an hour .. All of us are going to visit our ancestral temple in Kerala

why suddenly? Ram never told me about it

Now don't ask me questions and get ready priya, her mom replied

Priya don't forget to wear the golden color zardosi saree which I have kept in your table

Sure mom, mom who will take care of Captain ?

Watchman is there so u don't worry about it ..

Sure mom replied Priya and hurried to the bathroom .. She turned the shower on , the warm water made her feel energetic

Priya came out of the shower and draped herself in the saree and wore the ornament kept by her mom in the dressing table .. She does not like using make up as she had a natural glow on the skin not requiring make up at all.

She lined her eyes with black kohl and got ready , as she was climbing down the stairs she could hear the voice of her in laws who were already waiting for her

" wow Priya you look astounding in this saree " commented her mom in law to be ..

"Thanks Aunty replied Priya with shyness on her face

" You look beautiful yourself " Aunty commented Priya

Don't call me Aunty call me mom I will be happy ..

Sure mom, replied Priya

"Whom are you searching for ? questioned her father in law

'No , nothing papa was just wondering where is Ram ?

Ram has an important board meeting so he couldn't make it today

"it's okay ", replied Priya with a sudden disappointment in her face

"Oh don't u dare make my daughter in law sad said her mother in law .. Look at her face suddenly it has gone dull ..

Priya darling Ram is outside on an important call , before she could complete the sentence Ram entered the hall ..

"Wow priya look at you , u look gorgeous commented Ram

Every one seated started laughing

" Ahem can I have some water interrupted Ram

"Priya dear just take Ram inside and give him some water

"Sure mom replied Priya and signalled Ram to follow her to the kitchen ..

"let's leave the love birds alone said both their patents and hurried to the car

"Priya , the idlis are as soft as your cheeks commented Ram pulling her by the waist for a kiss.

"is that a compliment or sarcasm questioned Priya

"it's a compliment of course!! you have any doubt?

"No , but Ram I think we better hurry, replied Priya

"You're such a spoilsport said Ram, making a sad face

" & you're such a drama queen, laughed Priya , sticking her tongue out.

Priya, you come with Ram in his car, we will come in ours.

'Yes mom , i'll come with Ram replied priya hurrying out.

"Oh gosh!! I didn't know that u would come in my car I forgot to stick the princess on board "sign in my car smiled Ram

Ram stop being dramatic , Priya smiled back at him .. she was busy speaking to his parents and Ram was very happy to have Priya on board.

It was the perfect family outing ..

"which route should I take dad ? The left or the right ? Take the cemetery road , there will be less traffic ..

"Okay dad , replied Ram ..

The cemetery road , Priya whispered ..

when they were crossing the cemetery road Priya involuntarily gazed out of the window, she was completely shocked by what she saw- it was the same girl who was sitting on the gravestone, this time accompanied by a woman who would be in her mid 30s .. The woman was holding a red rose in her hand

"Red rose "

Red stands for danger

"Is that a signal for me? why do I see this little girl very often and now who is this new person accompanying her? Priya had lots of queries run through her mind , all her happiness seemed to vanish in a moment ...

'Where did you buy this saree from ? It looks lovely on you .. There was a complete silence from Priya .. Ram 's mom Vdya asked her again but Priya did not hear her as she was preoccupied with fright and confusion ..

Priya darling are you okay?

"Yes mom, i'm fine .. Sorry was just thinking about something else ..

"I know what it is...said Ram's mom in a bold tone

"You do? Priya replied with her pounding heart beat ..

"Yes replied vidya

"What is it ? questioned priya ..

" Pre wedding jitters " smiled vidya

every one started laughing .. Priya laughed out too putting her mind at ease ..

Why don't we stop for a coffee at any nice restaurant? interrupted Ram 's dad ..

Ram 's dad is an ardent coffee lover he can live without his wife and not without coffee

"Ya sure dad, replied Ram ..

They parked the car in the French loaf restaurant parking

Mean while Priya 's parents also joined them and ordered their coffee.

Cappuccino or Hot chocolate ? Ram asked Priya

i'll have cappuccino, priya answered without any enthusiasm

"hey babe what's wrong with you i'm very sure that something's troubling you ,,

"No,nothing of that sort Ram i'm fine.. I need to go to the rest room

"Sure I'll come with you I'll wait outside ..

I'll be back in a minute said Priya and went inside the washroom ..

Priya splashed some water and washed her face ., she suddenly looked at the mirror and was horrified to see the letters

Please Help Me written in blood ..

RAM, shouted Priya, Ram please come here

Ram immediately came inside and she showed the mirror to him but there was nothing in it not even a single droplet of blood ..,

what's on the mirror Priya there is nothing on it ..

No Ram I swear I saw the sentence Please help me written on the mirror with blood I don't know how it disappeared .

Priya just relax

No Ram i'm not day dreaming

Okay Priya don't tell anything to our parents they'll be worried , let's hurry to the car.

Part 3

Ram and Priya are you guys ready?? lets start immediately it's already getting late said Ram 's dad

Yes dad, we are ready...

Ram took his Jaguar out..

It seems to be little windy today we should reach before it rains Vidya wondered aloud ..

They got into the car and started their journey again they crossed not even 500 meters and there was sudden jerking in the car ..

What's wrong?? asked Priya

Dunno, i'll just park the car in the corner of the road and check.

Ram what is it ?

it's a flat tyre

what is this Ram were you not supposed to check them before we start a journey? groaned Priya

I checked it and it was quite okay before we started, replied Ram, confused.

Its okay we will stay in the Windsor castle resort tonight and will start in the morning said Ram

That's a great idea replied Ram 's dad

Priya liked the idea too as she really needed a break and what happened today was really horrifying .. Ram called Priya's parents too and directed them to come to the hotel.

They reached the Windsor castle resort by cab in half an hours time ..

They booked two adjacent rooms ..

Priya you get refreshed and we will meet you and your parents for dinner by 9 said Vidya ..

Sure mom said Priya and rushed to her room

Priya took a quick shower and changed to a casual tee and blue Denim

Two moms where busy discussing about the jewellery and wedding preparations and dad's where engaged in topics ranging from politics to business .,

Ram and Priya sat opposite eying each other

Your order sir , would you like to begin with mocktails? asked the waiter

I'll have a Bloody Mary ordered Ram

I'll go for a dead woman walking said Priya 's dad

what's with these mocktail names they sound so creepy replied priya in a disgusting tone ..

Hey Priya is this you? You're the one who loves horror stuff...

No mom, not anymore replied Priya

I'll go for a steak, ordered Priya. Their orders came in some time and Priya started puking after having one bite of the steak

what is it Priya ? Asked Ram

Is this is a joke or something the steak is raw and uncooked . Ram had a spoon of it and said no Priya it's cooked, are you alright? asked Ram in a worried tone

Take her to the room she must be really tired replied both of their parents ..

Ram took her to the room and priya started weeping.

what's happening to me Ram ?

Nothing dear you must be little anxious about the wedding, nothing else.

Ram gave her a warm hug and kissed on her fire head .. You'll be fine I'll be with you forever...

Thanks Ram replied Priya and dozed off

Ram left the room as soon as Priya slept .. Priya's parents came to the room ten minutes after Ram left & slept next to her bed ..

Priya was in deep sleep when suddenly she woke up to find the shadow of a woman walking through the corridor , Priya gathered her strength woke up from the bed and followed the shadow of the woman

Priya began to follow the woman using her cell phone backlight .. The woman was walking in a night gown with her hair left open, the woman was walking straight unaware of priya following her, she passed through the restaurant lobby opened the main door of the hotel and was walking straight to the swimming pool

Hey you, watch your path there is a swimming pool ahead shouted priya .

the woman did not pay attention to what Priya said .. The woman was walking with her eyes wide open it looked as if she was caught in a trance ..

Hey you, one step more you will fall straight into the pool shouted Priya from a distance ...

there was sudden splash of water in the pool it was the woman she fell in the pool ignorant of priya 's warning

the woman was floating in the pool and was unconscious

help , help , somebody come quick there's a woman who fell in the pool

Two lifeguards hurried to the spot ..

The pool was almost 30 feet deep

They lifted the female out of pool .. Priya came closer to have a look of the woman to her astonishment it was Ram 's mom Vidya ., before she could react .. Ram and his dad came running

Mom , mom where did you go me and dad were searching for you...

Are you okay? Mom I warned you several times you did not seem to hear, why were you walking in the middle of the night ..

I don't remember anything replied Vidya ...

Ram let amma take some rest .. You accompany Priya till her room ..

Okay dad, replied Ram

Ram 's dad slowly took Vidya to their room holding her hands

Ram what is happening , why was your mom walking like that I did not know it was your mom I saw the shadow of a woman so I decided to follow her .. Inspite of me warning that there was a pool ahead she did not pay attention to me and fell into the pool.

Priya it's okay mom will be fine . i'll tell you everything in the morning it's already late now go and get some sleep

No Ram you are hiding something from me ..

There are strange things happening around me, you are quite aware of it but you are not willing to reveal the truth shouted priya ..

Priya , I will tell you everything in the morning i'm not hiding anything from you

.. Now go to sleep .. Good night priya

Good night Ram replied Priya in a reluctant tone and went to her room. She couldn't sleep the whole night, & was determined to ask Ram everything first thing in the morning ..

Priya darling it's 7 o clock already please wake up, it was her dad who was standing near her bed with a coffee mug in his hand ...

Good morning dad said Priya and sat reluctantly on her bed ..

Priya what happened to you? is everything okay between you and Ram? ..

Yeah dad we are cool, now don't worry unnecessarily .. Dad did u happen to hear any noise yesterday ?

How could he hear when his own snoring is way too loud teased her mom..

Hey I never snore replied his dad keeping his face seriously ..

You do dad but you never admit it smiled Priya ..

So you too have joined your mom's side can't trust even daughters these days Priya's dad pulled her leg ...

Priya 's cell phone rang suddenly .. She swiped her I phone screen to attend the call- it was Ram on the call .. Priya I will join you for breakfast at 9 I need to talk to you, ask your parents to have their breakfast in the room..

Okay Ram how is mom?

She is ok, we'll speak the rest during breakfast replied Ram and hung the call ...

Mom and dad why don't u guys order the food in the room itself you can take rest for some time until we start ..

So madam has a secret date with her boyfriend replied her mom smilingly..

No mom, Ram just wanted to say something about his business plans in the future and nothing else replied Priya ..

You guys have a nice time you don't have to feel guilty for lying to me, these days are never gonna come back you and Ram can be lovers only for a month, after marriage things are going to be different said her mother her dad too nodded his head in a approving tone ..

Priya took a quick shower to meet Ram for breakfast ..

Ram was was already waiting in the restaurant when Priya entered inside ..

You've been waiting for a long time ? questioned Priya

No, it's been only 10 minutes replied Ram .. He looked very handsome in his black tee and night pants ..

They ordered the food and Priya slowly started the topic about what she wanted to ask him

Is mom okay ? Yes she is okay but just running little temperate because of the cold water she fell into

Why did mom behave like that yesterday , I can be of some help if I know about it asked Priya very carefully sounding not to hurt him..

There was complete silence from Ram

She continued please don't take me wrong is she possessed or something because yesterday it looked like she was caught in some trance her eyes were wide opened her face was stone hard ..

Ram started laughing , Priya don't watch those damn horror movies you're educated abroad, please get rid of your weird imaginary world teased Ram.

but why ... .? Before she could complete the sentence he started replying to her question ..

Mom suffers from somnambulism

somna? What ? Priya sounded confused as she never heard of the term before ..

Its a technical term for sleep walking Priya replied Ram

Its a sleep disorder actually,she has the problem ever since her childhood ..

Is there any treatment for it asked Priya in a worried tone ..

Not actually, but she takes tricyclic antidepressants which helps her to sleep well

When she is deprived of sleep, the sleep walking episodes start .. .sleep walkers arise from the slow wave sleep stage in a state of consciousness and perform activities that are usually performed during a full state of consciousness that is like sitting up in the bed, walking to the bathroom, cleaning , cooking drive etc .. They usually have little memory or no memory of the incident as their consciousness has altered into a state where they can't remember or recall everything explained Ram clearly ..

Mom does not remember anything about what happened yesterday so you please don't ask anything about it said Ram ..

So that explains everything Priya sounded relieved ..

No Ram, I will definetly not ask about it and I will take good care of her after marriage replied Priya

Thanks for your support Priya, it means a lot to me said Ram holding her hands ..

Now close your eyes Priya I have a surprise for you

Priya did what he said

he gave her a cover in her Hand and asked her to open her eyes
she opened the cover and saw what is inside and was quite surprised by his gift

It was a beautiful Red, off shoulder gown from Roberto cavalli ..

Wow Ram, it looks beautiful replied Priya not knowing what to say in happiness ..

I bought it during my Paris trip last month was waiting for the best opportunity to give it to you replied Ram

Priya was very happy and all her worries seemed to vanish in a second ..