DriKshit TS: Fear | Divya Drishti |

FEAR

Part 01

She grumbled under her breath, cursing the moment in which she had proposed the idea of a honeymoon trip for her newly-wedded sister. Had she known she would be forced to hop on the bandwagon, she would have never opened her mouth. But here she was, in a fancy car with her husband, driving to their honeymoon destination. And the worst part was that her husband was least interested in spending time with her, and instead had scheduled a business meeting there.

The silence in the car was overbearing for her. She could hardly keep herself from yelling out at the awkwardness enveloping the atmosphere. Knowing that he would chew her out if she even attempted to turn on the radio, she leaned forward and questioned, “Aap please kuch bolenge Rakshit sir?”

“Kyun, tumse khamoshi bardaasht nahi hoti?”, he threw back at her, his eyes unwavering from the road ahead.

Grimacing at his remark, she turned her head away and stared out of the window, gazing intently at the passing trees. Drishti had realized long ago that arguing with him will lead her nowhere, it never did, so she chose to remain quiet. Hearing no response from her, Rakshit glanced at her in wonder. “Kya hua? Meri baat ka jawaab nahi dogi Mrs. Shergill?”

Yet again, he was answered with silence, something that almost never happened. And so he decided to try again, “Tum kuch bologi bhi? Main tumse baat kar raha hoon.”

“Kyun, ab aapse khamoshi bardaasht nahi ho rahi?”, she retorted instantly.

Now he was tongue-tied, unable to answer her with a witty comment. He had to admit, she got him good with that one. It was hard to make him speechless, but she seemed to do it effortlessly. However, being the egoistic man he was, he pretended that he didn’t hear her taunt and concentrated on reaching the resort safely.

Drishti - 1 || Rakshit - 0

The destination being around 3 hours away and Drishti being bored to death, she reminisced the reason why she landed up in this situation.

She had realized that Divya and Shikhar needed time and space to accept each other, and therefore, she had suggested they go on a honeymoon trip. After the initial hesitation, the couple had agreed to the plans. After all, it gave them a good opportunity to get to know one another. But the matters worsened when Lavanya insisted that even she would love to go on her honeymoon, with Sunny or Rakshit, she wasn’t sure. And if that was not all, Ojaswini, the chatterbox chachi, had volunteered the eldest Shergill couple and her own denials were drowned out by the shouts of approval of the excited Shergill family.

Her only two hopes, Rakshit and Mahima whom she was sure would object, had suddenly turned the tables and Mrs. Drishti Rakshit Shergill’s opinion was overruled unanimously. These were the times that made her question if even a four-leaved clover could fix her constant bad luck.

However, that was not the end of her plight. The decided vacation spot for the eldest Shergill couple was Maldives, a place she has been wanting to explore since she was a child. Just when she thought that maybe the idea wasn’t as bad as she originally assumed it to be, she was proven wrong yet again. According to the family, they were currently in the designated location but the truth was far from it. Rakshit had lied to his family, keeping them under the superstition that they were enjoying their holidays, while they were heading to Ooty for a business deal.

Sometimes she thinks that she had given him a suitable name; be-dil Shergill.

The jerking of the car broke her chain of thoughts. She looked up, startled, and realized that the car was parked in front of the resort building and he was standing by her door, waiting for her to get out. Gathering her composure, she unbuckled her seatbelt, walked out of the vehicle, and together the Shergill couple went to the reception.

Suddenly, Rakshit’s phone rang and he excused himself, ordering her to get the keys for their suite. All she could do was gawk at his retreating back. Mentally cursing him and his business associates, Drishti did as instructed and approached the lanky old man seated behind the desk. Although hesitant, she could feel the exhaustion from the long ride.

“Hi. Humne yahan ek room book kiya tha, Mr. and Mrs. Shergill ke-”, she couldn’t even complete her sentence before the old man interrupted very rudely.

“Tumhe yahan nahi aana chahiye tha.”, his croaky voice sent a shiver down her spine.

His statement perplexed her. She could almost hear an underlying warning in his words. “Kya matlab?”, she questioned him in genuine curiosity.

He laughed a high-pitched cackle, creeping her out even more. His eyes glinted in satisfaction as he continued, “Ab wo tumhe nahi chhodegi. Aaj uska shikaar tum aur tumhara pati banega. Galti kardi tumne yahan aake. Chandni tum dono ko maar daalegi.”

She had to know more, thanks to her nosy nature. And this old man certainly knew how to leave cliffhangers in the middle of a threat. Unsure of whether to be amused or scared, she leaned on the desk, “Kaun Chandni? Aap saaf-saaf bolenge ki aap kehna kya chahte hain?”

“Sunna chahti ho?”, seeing her nod her head in impatience, he continued, “Toh suno. Kayi saal pehle iss jagah pe ek gaav hota tha; Chandnagar. Bohot hasta khelta, khushali se susajit tha Chandnagar. Sab ek parivaar ki tarah rehte the. Kaha jaata tha ki iss gaav pe Shiv ka aashirwaad hai, isiliye koi bhi samasya iss tak pohonch nahi sakti thi. Ussi gaav mein ek ladki thi, Chandni. Apne maa-baap, apne ghar, apne gaav se bohot pyaar karti thi. Sab kuch achha chal raha tha. Lekin…”

“Lekin kya?”, she had to refrain herself from yelling. Does he think leaving cliffhangers is funny? Because I’m not finding this amusing, she thought.

He turned his back to her, his eyes trained on the portrait of a beautiful woman who didn’t look a day older than 20 years. “Lekin ek din kuch be-imaan iraadon ki nazar Chandnagar par padh gayi. Ameer ghar ke bigde hue shehzaade keh sakte hain unhe. Gaav ki jagah ek mehel banana chahte the. Par gaav waale kaise apni duniya ko chhodte? Unn raees ladkon ke bohot dhamkaane par aur kuch masoom zindagiyon ko chheen ne ke baad, gaav waale sehem gaye the. Aur unhone gaav chhodne ka faisla kar liya. Sab gaav chhodke chale gaye. Bachi toh sirf Chandni. Use apne gaav ko chhod ke jaana gawara nahi tha. Unn raees ladkon ne Chandni ko dhamkaya, daraya lekin wo nahi maani. Achanak ek din gaav mein lag gayi aur poora gaav jalkar raakh ho gaya. Par Chandni uss aag se ek raat pehle hi gayab ho gayi thi. Kisi ko pata nahi chala ki Chandni kahan gayi aur uske saath kya hua. Aur uss jale gaav ki jagah yeh resort ban gaya.”, the old man finished.

Drishti, who was listening to the story with rapt attention, couldn’t stop herself from believing every word of his. The mystery of Chandni’s disappearance intrigued her. And she seemed to have momentarily forgotten the old man’s initial warning to her. However, her joy was short-lived because the man began speaking once again, his voice adopting the usual creepy tone.

“Kaha jaata hai ki Chandni ki aatma aaj bhi iss resort mein ghoomti hai. Kayi logon ne use dekha hai aur jitne bhi log iss resort mein ruke, unn sab Chandni ka shikaar ban gaye. Lekin kabhi yeh baat bahar nahi aayi. Kyunki unn sab ki maut iss resort se jaane ke 1 week ke andar ho gayi thi. Aur ab baari tumhari hai. Chandni ka 300th shikaar.”, and he began laughing maniacally.

If the story was terrifying enough, his croaky laugh most certainly was. She snatched the keys dangling from his lanky fingers and turned her back to him. Unable to decide whether he is crazy or not, she almost didn’t notice the sound of his cackle stop abruptly, almost. Stunned with the sudden change, she spun on her heels and realized that the old man was no longer standing behind the desk. In fact, he was nowhere to be found.

The environment conveniently set the horror mood. The chandelier dangled from the ceiling, staring mockingly at her. From the dark shadows of trees against the window to the flickering lights, from the howling wind to the creaking of the doors, from the eerie silence to the terrifying tone of his voice, everything worked in the favour of the story. And for the first time, Drishti believed that ghosts existed.

Beads of sweat marred her forehead as several scenarios of the unearthly entity draining her dry flashed in her mind. She was completely engrossed in her thoughts that she didn’t even realize someone walk up to her. A hand touched her shoulder, scaring her out of her wits, and she screamed. Whipping around to face what she expected to be the ghost, her petrified eyes met Rakshit’s puzzled ones.

“Tumne kya finally apna maansik santulan kho diya hai?”, he asked her in such a manner that she would have thought he was being genuine if she wasn’t aware of his true self.

Unaware of her actions, Drishti tightly embraced Rakshit, her shivering hands desperately clutching on the warm body of her husband. The recent events seemed to have taken a toll on her and all she craved for was a little comfort, a tiny feeling of familiarity and him.

Worried for her strange behaviour, he pushed her away gently and cupped her face between his large hands. It was then that he felt the sweat on her face and his concern escalated. “What’s wrong Mrs. Shergill?”, the gentle tone melted her heart. But then she remembered why she was shivering in the first place.

“We shouldn’t have come here Mr. Shergill. Yeh jagah bhooton ka ghar hai.”, she stuttered out as her shaking intensified.

He stared at her as if she had grown a second head. “What?!”, he yelled in disbelief. “Kya bakwaas kar rahi ho tum?”

“I’m not lying Rakshit sir. Abhi abhi yahan ke receptionist ne mujhe bataya ki yahan ek bhoot hai jo iss resort ke guests ki jaan le leti hai. Aur ab wo hume bhi maar daalegi. I don’t want to die.”, she cried out in helplessness and narrated the entire story to him.

He listened to the useless story with a bored expression on his face. It was a little shocking for him to see that she was a believer of such stupid ghost stories, but then again, she was supposed to be unpredictable. She’s scared of spirits but in my presence she turns into Jhansi ki rani. Am I not intimidating enough for her? Great!, he thought almost angrily. Having something else affect her more than him, irritated the life out of him.

“Aisi bachkani kahaaniyon se bacche darte hain Mrs. Shergill. Don’t you think you’re a little too old for that?”, he mocked her blatantly. And it was safe to say that she was tongue-tied.

Drishti - 1 || Rakshit - 1

In that instant, all other rational thoughts flew out of her head and she turned her hot glaring eyes in his direction. If looks could kill, Rakshit would have been turned into ash. She momentarily forgot about the reason for her fear, the warnings that were previously circulating in her mind.

Her lips pulled into a smirk and she asked, “Toh aapko kisi cheez se darr nahi lagta Mr. Shergill?”

“No Mrs. Shergill. I have no room of fear in my life.”, he commented arrogantly. She raised an eyebrow as if saying ‘are-you-kidding’ through her looks. He grinned, bending his head closer to hers and whispered in a challenging tone, “Chaho toh aazmalo!”

They stared at each other, a mischievous glint in his eyes and a stupid smile on her lips. Her hands wound around his neck and she pulled him closer. He knew he was playing with fire, but that merely excited him. Lips inches away and breaths mingling, she simply responded with three words.

“Oh, it’s on!”

Aquabutterfly

Part 02

The couple grabbed their luggage and moved to their room, exhausted from the long journey. The entire resort was beautifully decorated, flower petals gracing the path and chandeliers adorning the ceiling as they walked through the hall. Drishti was entranced by the enchanting scene her eyes were witnessing that she didn’t realize when her feet ceased in front of the double doors.

The door creaked open, and light filled the massive room. To say she was awed by the interior would be an understatement. Hailing from a middle-class family, the fanciest place she has visited was a holiday home. And this resort appeared to be heaven for her. Well, this resort is nothing less than Maldives, she praised the place mentally.

Rakshit, noticing the change in her expressions, smiled ever-so-slightly before shaking his head at her immaturity. He wondered why he was still surprised by her fascination of smallest things. But then he remembered that he was meant to be the rude boss turned husband and wiped his face clean of all emotions. She was meant to be unpredictable, but it didn’t mean he was supposed to be not.

“If you want to sleep in the doorway, I have no problem. Lekin kya mujhe bhi hall mein sulane ka iraada hai?”, his voice was laced with mirth, betraying the emotionless mask he was wearing.

Her eyes snapped to his and narrowed. She could easily detect the mock behind his words and it flared her temper. He was making fun of her, something she didn’t appreciate in the slightest. She had never backed down from an argument and she certainly wasn’t going to now. Gliding gracefully to the center of the room, she turned to look at him with mischievous eyes.

“Idea bura nahi hai Mr. Shergill. Waise bhi iss kamre mein ek hi bed hai aur main apne ghar mein couch pe sote-sote thak gayi hoon. It’s time for you to try the new cushions.”, she winked at him and settled in the middle of the bed. She refused to let him win this one.

Amused by her reply, he didn’t bother answering her verbally. Instead, he slowly advanced towards the bed, eyes unwavering from her still figure. He resembled a lion, preparing to attack his prey, who happened to be his wife. The intensity of his gaze sent a shiver down her spine, waiting with bated breath for his next move. She could almost read his intention, almost.

And he certainly didn’t disappoint her as his arms wound around her back, gently lifting her before placing her body on the other side of the mattress . She could only manage to stare at him in shock while he grabbed a comfortable position beside her.

“Yeh a-aap kya k-kar rahe hain Rakshit sir? Aap yahan nahi so sakte.”, she ended up stuttering out.

He merely spared a glance in her direction before smiling. “Kyun nahi so sakta? Yeh bed bahut bada hai and you, Mrs. Shergill, are tiny and incapable of covering the entire area. Maine decide kar liya hai ki main toh yahin sounga. Lekin tumhara couch tumhari rah dekh raha hai. You’re more than welcome to embrace them.”, he said tauntingly.

His words...those words...reminded her of the night they had first shared the closed quarters after their marriage. He had told her something similar and like a naive woman, she heeded to his command and made the couch her permanent sleeping spot. But, she was no longer the same obedient wife she once was. If he thinks he can kick me out of these warm sheets, he’s got another thing coming at him, she mused in her mind.

So, she did what she was naturally best at; argue. “Nahi Mr. Shergill. Main kyun bed se uthkar wahan jaaun? I’m going to sleep here. Good night!”, saying so she quickly turned her back to him and closed her eyes. She was too exhausted to hear his reply and wanted nothing more than to rest.

The last thing she heard was his muffled laugh as she drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

She paced the length of the grand hall, cursing her husband for confining her to the fancy resort until he returned from his meeting. She had expected him to desert her once they had reached their destination, but she hadn’t thought he would follow through with it religiously. If only she could have kept her mouth shut when her brain had spewed this stupid idea.

Sometimes she wondered why she obeyed his commands. But then her heart would produce a million reasons, disappointing her further.

Suddenly, a thought struck her and her lips curved up. He said I can’t step out of the resort. But he never said anything about not exploring the area, she chuckled and began her journey. However, she failed to realize that his order will prove to have been more suitable for her.

As she took several turns and passed various corridors, her feet ceased in front of mahogany double-doors. In her trance of successfully beating Rakshit in his own game of wordplay, she didn’t notice that she was walking deeper into the maze and had completely lost her old tracks. She couldn’t even trace back her steps. In short, she was lost in the haunted resort; it was not the best of situations, she admitted.

The encompassing darkness felt as if it was closing in, suffocating her. The old doors had no locks or chain. Curiosity enveloped her and her hands involuntarily twisted and pushed the doorknob. The doors creaked open, paving way for an abyss of oblivion. The phrase ‘curiosity killed the cat’ had evaded her mind and she, hypnotically, floated towards the giant portrait of Chandni.

Despite the lack of any light source, she could see the facial features of the painting. Chandni was indeed a beautiful woman and the mystery surrounding the woman intrigued her. Lifting her hand, she brushed it against the frame. Almost instantly, her third-eye appeared and flashes of the past crossed her mind.

A girl was screaming, crying, scuffling with a group of men. “Chhodiye hume.”, she was pleading.

Deep laughter rung out through the empty hut and the sound of a slap followed. A man’s voice sounded, “Baandh do ise. Aaj yeh khel khatam karne ka samay aa gaya hai.”

The entire village was in flames and the charred body of a woman was lying limp under a burning block of wood.

The group of men was standing at the far end of the forest, simply watching the scenario and guffawing menacingly. One of them was grasping a torch while another was holding a container.

“Tum sab ko apne kiye ki saza zaroor milegi. Hum tum mein se kisi ko nahi chhodenge.”

Drishti’s eyes flew open and she gasped breathlessly. Her mind was hazy. The horrendous crime had shaken her to the core. She couldn’t forget the helpless scream of the woman, nor could she unsee the horrifying condition of the body. Bewildered, she wondered what in the hell she had just foreseen. No, this was not a premonition. It was an event that had occurred in the past. But who was the girl?, she pondered in confusion.

However, what surprised her more was the fact that her powers had initiated her to witness a brutal tragedy that had already taken place. One thing was crystal clear. She saw someone’s goddam past! Wasn’t she only supposed to foresee the future in order to alter it? It was a question she had no answer to, but a question that she wanted to solve. She glanced at the portrait, hoping that it would give her more hints about the same.

“Chandni ne aakhir apni nazar tumhare upar daal hi di.”, a familiar croaky voice called from behind her. Startled, she shrieked in fear and spun on her heels. Her brown eyes met a pair of reds that belonged to the old man from the reception. Dread crawled in her heart when the man twisted into a sinister smirk.

She opened her mouth but words refused to form on her lips. Suddenly, she felt long, bony fingers holding her feet and she screamed, sound dying in her throat yet again. Petrified, she bent her head but emptiness answered her. Sighing in relief, she shifted her focus back to the old man, who had vanished into thin air. Eyes widened in horror, she scanned the room but couldn’t identify a single trace of the man.

Now, she was terrified. Something was amiss about the entire building, something grave had happened here, and she regretted her decision of leaving the four walls of her assigned room. Cold air fanned her earlobe as a voice whispered emotionlessly in her ear, “Hum tumhe nahi chhodenge.” Drishti didn’t possess the courage to turn so she chose the most logical option.

Without another thought, she fled from the room, the only thing on her mind was reaching the secure embrace of her husband. Just as she turned the corner, she could have sworn she heard a soft laughter as the doors of the room slammed shut.

The empty bedroom indicated that Rakshit has still not returned from his business meeting, but he probably was due in a couple of minutes. It gave her enough time to compose her emotions before he showered her with taunts. She hid behind the door, not having forgotten about the bet they had just the day before. It served the purpose of a good distraction from the recent events.

The doors opened and she jumped out from her hiding position, yelling, “Boo!”

Expecting a hilarious reaction from him, she waited in anticipation to hear him scream bloody murder. But nothing as such happened. He was staring at her with a bored expression, eyes twinkling in humour at her desperate attempts of proving that he too felt fear. He wanted to laugh, and laugh he did.

"Tumhara screw finally dheela ho gaya hai kya? Kids use these tricks to scare each other, Mrs. Shergill. And trust me, we are not kids.", he joked and left towards the washroom. He paused, "Try harder next time, will you?", before opening the door and disappearing.

Drishti - 1 || Rakshit - 2

She eyed his back in wonder, annoyed by the lack of surprise on his face. He wasn't an easy nut to crack, she'll admit. But she wasn't going to accept defeat just yet. Scaring him was a matter of pride for her. A plan formulated in her mind and she grinned. Oh you're so going down Mr. Shergill, she mentally chuckled, patting her own back in appreciation.

The night fell and the couple decided to retire for the day. The chiming of the clock and the whistling of the wind created an eerie atmosphere as the time passed. He was lying on his back, eyes closed and breaths even as sleep welcomed him with open arms. However, a shrill scream of terror broke through his semi-conscious state.

He sat up in the bed, wondering if the sound was just a fragment of his imagination, a product of the stories his wife has been feeding him. But as he turned to face his wife, who should have been sleeping beside him, his eyes widened in horror when he found her missing.

"Mrs. Shergill?", he called hoping she would respond back, erasing his irrational thoughts. But only silence answered.

The drumming of his heart echoed in his ears and he quickly got off the bed, desperately trying to find the whereabouts of Drishti but to no avail. His clammy hands rubbed against each other as the seconds rolled by. Another scream sounded, this time from just outside the closed doors of the room.

His heart stopped beating for a second and he yelled, "Drishti!"