VIBGYOR

by Keerthana Jayaraj

  “Don’t make such a ‘what’s funny’ face.” Goldy laughed. “The good bit is just coming.”

  “Really?”

  “Now…I heard something interesting at the hospital. Danny boy wouldn’t live in his family home. Even though he’s the true heir and has every right to be there.” “Maybe he just wants to stay with Jacob.” I said slowly. “No…No…No…” Goldy shook her head dramatically. “It’s because they died…his whole family…in a car crash. The owner of the car that crashed into them was driving drunk. Dead drunk. You should have heard the servant cursing the man…Particularly after Danny boy told her that he was never returning home. The owner of the car was…”

  I didn’t hear the tail end of Goldy’s sentence. My whole body had frozen - slowly and painfully, like water in a refrigerator. Family killed in a car crash crash…Driver of the other car dead drunk…I stared at Goldy, trying to ignore the beginning of pain in my temples.

  “Yes Shakti…It was Jacob. The family that died in the car crash Jacob caused was Dan’s family. His Dad, Mom and little sister. She was much younger than him. Just Dan’s family. His Dad, Mom and little sister. She was much younger than him. Just

  VIBGYOR twelve years old.”

  “Oh dear god!” I sighed.

  “Pah! Why do people have to go all wimpy and forgiving?” A voice, cold and merciless spoke from behind Goldy. “ Takes the fun out of the proceedings, doesn’t it?”

  ‘

  CHAPTER 22

  Goldy screamed. Her terrified eyes shifted from the distorted figure standing before her to me. Was she kind of expecting me to help? If so…She was a total bungling idiot. Couldn’t she see that I was even more scared of that thing than she was? That I was trying to hold myself together?

  “Shakti…” She trembled and moved closer, as though she was expecting me to play superhero and chase that Red away. Heck! At least she could move. My legs felt as if they were made of stone. As for my voice…It was lost somewhere in the region of my throat.

  “Some humans are just weaklings…” The Red continued matter-of-factly. “I mean… come on! Forgiving a person who murdered your whole family…What the! Shouldn’t he be hating that wheelchair prince and secretly planing to poison him?”

  “Let them be…” The words somehow made it past my wall of fear. “They have nothing to do with your fucked up ideas so…”

  The Red let out several peals of childlike laugher and stretched it’s tiny hands. “But they have everything to do with my fucked up ideas.” She said slowly. “Pesky roadblocks.” “Roadblocks…” Goldy repeated. Her eyes looked even more terrified. “I could of course send a message…The same way you two messed with Nandan…” “Don’t you dare!” I spat. “I told you. Leave Dan and Jacob alone!”

  The red grinned from ear to ear. It’s little eyes became slits.

  “What’s with you, my dear? Have you become a little too human…Haven’t those headaches and stuff taught you anything?”

  “That’s none…” My voice trailed away as I realized what was really happening. The next moment, the blinding headache came back. It was as if my whole head had split in half. The world blacked out.

  When I awoke, I was being held by Goldy. She was crying loudly. I kind of wished she wouldn’t. It was making my headache worse.

  “You were annoying.” I heard the babyish voice coming from above. “I only wanted you to stop and do your job.” “You!” Goldy yelled. “Stop! Leave her alone…”

  “If I do…will you two be good little spirits and do what you have to do?”

  There was silence. I could feel Goldy looking at me. Make out her face although the rest of the world was a huge blur. “We are not murderers…”

  “Tit for tat, idiot…An eye for an eye…murder for murder…”

  “No…” Goldy said feebly. “No…”

  All too suddenly, I was down on the floor. Goldy was screaming…Calling out for help…I tried getting up several times but I fell down almost immediately, my headache getting worse with each fall. The helpless wails continued and continued, while I lay there like a helpless rag doll, accompanied by the Red’s giggles and snorts. Suddenly it stopped.

  “Had it gone?” I whispered to no one in particular while trying to lift my head a little. Something moved as if in reply. A bright yellow something.

  “Goldy…” I called softly but no reply came. Silence…Horrible, horrible silence…I felt as though I was bleeding from a stab wound. All of a sudden my head weighed a ton.

  It was almost twenty minutes later that I managed to sit up. The first thing that my newly alert ears heard was mealtime babble. I briefly glanced at the three carefree souls stuffing their faces with food. How good it would have felt to be unaware…To not know about the Red…To not be caught in a snare trap…

  “Shakti…Shakti…” I couldn’t bring myself to look at Goldy. I couldn’t bear to see her pain. The pain I had dragged her into. If I had said no… If I had had told her to keep out of my business…

  “Are you okay?” A hand touched my shoulder, warm and kind. I turned, my eyes half closed. Could I blame Goldy if she wanted to get out of this mess? No…I would be nothing but a selfish jerk if I persuaded her to stay.

  “Go, Goldy…” I said softly, still not looking at her. “This is not your…your… business…” My voice shook. I might even have sobbed a little.

  Silence…It went on for so long that I thought she left. Left without even saying goodbye…

  “You really love to play tortured martyr, don’t you?”

  I almost jumped at her cheerful voice. Slowly, I turned around trying hard not to meet her eyes.

  “I’m sorry…”

  To my surprise, Goldy laughed. When she finally stop, she smacked me right across my face. “It’s not just you who cares…” She said firmly, while I was staring at her open mouthed. “Others besides you have no problem facing a bit of…you know…evil. Others besides you think its cowardly to run away.”

  “Goldy…” “If you want me to leave, I’ll go. But you’d better not give me some half-baked reason like, ‘I already caused you so much pain.’” She laughed. “I don’t mind pain anymore than you do.”

  “Do you really want to get mixed up in this?”

  “Can you walk away this instant and forget you ever met these people?” She pointed at Jacob, Shivani and Dan. “Neither can I.”

  I looked at her incredulously, resisting the temptation to believe that my ears were malfunctioning. Her smile grew wider. Her eyes twinkled in a true Goldy fashion. “So…Do you want me with you or shall I…”

  Ok…I may have gone a bit insane at the point. Why else did I throw myself on her and nearly crush her into pulp with a hug?

  “Thank you…Thank you…” A sob crept into my smile. It became a full blown wail. It was with the greatest sense of dread that we followed Shivani back home. Try as I might I couldn’t get the Red out of my head. Couldn’t shake the eerie feeling that it would be there, right at the front door, waiting to dish out another round of torture treatment. The pain…The pain…I shook myself. Am I really turning into some kind of a wimp?

  “Do you think it’ll be inside?” Goldy peeked through the window just as Shivani went in. “I don’t think it’ll show itself except when…”

  Except when it wants to torture us, I completed the sentence in my head. Fear gripped me hard in the chest.

  “Reds can’t kill, can they?”

  “Of course not!” I exclaimed, as fear tightened tightened its grip. “We are spirits for heaven’s sake!” “Good…”Goldy murmured, peeking inside again.

  “Is it?”

  I don’t know why I said that…The question just came out as if it had a will of its own. As if it knew this was the place it belonged. Goldy turned around swiftly and stared at me.

  “What?”

  “Nothing…” I said mechanically.

  It will never end, a voice inside my head whispered. As much as you want it. As m
uch as you beg for it. I shuddered. Memories of the pain came flooding back into my head.

  “How dare you!” I started at the angry voice. Turned a full 360° all the while looking for any sign of the Red. It was only when I came to my senses that I realized…It was a man’s voice. And of course…There was only one man in this particular house who liked amplifying his voice for the silliest reasons. The very thought made me me feel tired and drained. One look at Goldy told me she felt the same.

  “Here we go again…” Goldy muttered.

  We went inside, only to see Shiva and her father standing barely an inch apart in the living room.

  “How dare I what?” Her eyes dripped hatred. I could hear her grinding her teeth. “Leave your sick mother alone and run off to meet that…” Mr. Raghunath bit his lip, taking a threatening step towards her. “Worthless cripple!” He spat.

  Shiva’s face turned the deepest shade of red. Fire blazed in her eyes. “Cripple… She said, clenching her fists. “It was an accident. A simple car crash…” Her voice trailed away, leaving behind an omnious silence. An accident…I thought of the broken bike…blood and tears…The loud wails of ambulance.

  For one fleeting moment fear flickered in the man’s eyes. When he resumed his For one fleeting moment fear flickered in the man’s eyes. When he resumed his composure, he spoke in a tight, curt voice.

  “What if I had needed to go out Shivani? What if I had been called to an urgent meeting?”

  “Do I have to spell out the obvious?” Shiva said quietly, her fiery eyes fixed on her father. “Guess so…Because what’s obvious to me is not obvious to you.” Mr. Raghunath flinched. It was as if each word struck him like a whip. “Poor guy…”

  “What?” I stared first at Goldy and then at Mr. Raghunath. For some reason Goldy looked supremely embarrassed.

  “Guess I never told you…” She said. “About the flower girl…

  “Flower girl…” I asked as the man muttered something angrily. “Sounds like the name of a bad cartoon to me…”

  Goldy shook her head and laughed. “The letters, dummy! The were all…” She paused. “Ok…They were all love letters…” “What!”

  “All written to Dear Raghu by a person who signs herself…”

  “No way!”

  “Flower girl.” Goldy smirked.

  “Are you serious?” I stared at her. “Please…Are you telling me Mr. Raghunath has been moaning over old love letters? Please…”

  “If you’d rather see and believe…” They were all there, yellow and falling apart, shoved unceremoniously into a corner of the clothes cabinet. The smell of corpses overpowered me as I poked my hand through Raghunath’s shirt and touched them. I retched and moved away. Goldy nodded understandingly.

  “Horrible…aren’t they?” she asked.

  I bit my lips and touched them again. Should not think of the smell. The writing not the smell…The writing not the smell…

  Dear Raghu,

  You don’t know how happy I was to see you today. I…I had wanted to speak to you You don’t know how happy I was to see you today. I…I had wanted to speak to you

  VIBGYOR too. It’s odd, isn’t it? We had been seeing each other for god knows how long. Yet… We had never spoken a single word till today. I couldn’t believe my own eyes when I saw you at the gate of my house. And when you said it was me you wanted to talk to not my Aunt…You can’t imagine how great my shock was. I didn’t know what to say. My cheeks must have gone bright red.

  Did you know how strange you sounded? Saying that you loved a girl who was almost a stranger to you? Who was just a face in the village flower shop? Whose name you didn’t even know? If it had been any other person…any other person who wasn’t special to me…my reply would have been entirely different.

  Yet…I wonder what you saw in this village girl. I am not as educated as you. Not as rich or sophisticated. But I do love you. Perhaps more than you love me. Always yours,

  Flower Girl

  PS: Would you come into the garden tomorrow? I have something special for you.

  The words dripped sweetness and innocence. Just what had happened to this flower girl?

  Dear Raghu, Thank you…You are the sweetest person in the world. I honestly thought you’d laugh. I mean…My present was just some roses. When you said they were beautiful…I…my face must have been as red as them.

  I don’t know why I am writing you letters. I know I should just tell you these things… To your face…looking right into your eyes. But I can’t. When I stand before you I lose my voice. It’s funny. A chatterbox like going silent. And that too before the person I..before the person who is most special to me.

  I don’t know if you’d find me boring as time goes by. Would you enjoy being with a person who just looks at you with a beetroot red face, without saying a single word? I don’t know. But please…It’s just because I love you so much. Because I am so lost in you.

  You are my world.

  Ever yours,

  Flower Girl

  I don’t know why I decided to do it, but I stroked the letter absently feeling the million tears shed onto them, the piercing grief and again the horrible sensation of wanting something that had long since gone away…

  Dear Raghu,

  Your father was here. He talked to my Aunt for a really long time. Then he said he wanted to talk to me. I was nervous at the time. Really, really nervous. But he was really nice. Didn’t shout at me. Didn’t accuse me of enchanting his son or anything. But…He was uneasy about us getting married. He told me that there are some relationships that just aren’t meant to last. I have no doubts about us being together…Never…But the way he said it is making me uneasy. Like…I’m sort of waiting for something awful to happen.

  Please Raghu…Please be with me.

  Yours forever

  Flower Girl

  My hands trembled a little. Something awful…There were tears on that be with me part. As if the girl was scared to death of something.

  Dear Raghu, Just five more days. I suppose I must get rid of the uneasy feeling now that your father has agreed. But…I don’t know. He said it again, you know. The same words.I wish you’d rethink this. Some relationships are not meant to last.I don’t know if he means to but its getting on my nerves.

  Today, when I went out to deliver some flowers, I felt as if someone was behind me. I quickly turned around but…but there was no one. I’m scared Raghu. It’s rather foolish of me to freak myself out with such thoughts, I know. But I’m scared. I just…I just can’t help the feeling that something awful might happen.

  Promise me you’ll…you’ll always be there for me. Please Raghu. I’m scared. Flower Girl

  Supposing it wasn’t paranoia? Supposing…I shivered a little at the thought. Dear Raghu,

  That man I told you about…I saw him again on the street with two others. They nearly cornered me on in an alley when I returned home tonight. If I hadn’t run quickly…God knows what might have happened. I’m scared. I’m really scared.

  My aunt doesn’t believe me. She thinks I’m being paranoid. But I’m not. I swear they were there…And they wanted to kill me. Raghu…I’m not going out alone anymore. Not till our wedding.

  The only bright spot in this twisted mess is that it’s just two more days… I want to be with you.

  Flower Girl

  “Good Lord!” Goldy exclaimed. “What could have happened to her?” “Why are you so surprised?” I asked incredulously. “Didn’t you read this stuff?” “I kind of only read the ones that were…you know love lettery?”

  I chuckled. “Sunshine and rainbows for the Yellow, huh?”

  Goldy gave me a playful punch. “Not exactly. I only read a few…Besides…I think you should check the last letter. Something important is sure to come up.” The letter at the very end. It looked as if it had been crumpled up.

  Raghu,

  I don’t know how to get this to you. My house is full of people and I’m sure your’s is too.
Last night, I woke up hearing sudden noises. Someone was in the kitchen, speaking to my Aunt and…later I heard footsteps starting towards my door. I quickly got up and locked my room. Whoever it was turned the handle several times and then just left. I was terrified Raghu. I threw the blanket over my head and lay awake the whole night. And I can swear I heard angry whispers from the kitchen.

  In the morning I told my Aunt about it(leaving out the fact that I heard her voice, of course). You should have seen how nervous she was. That confirmed it for me. She was in with the people who wanted to kill me.

  Someone doesn’t want us to be together. Someone doesn’t want you to be with me. If something happens to me tonight…

  Promise me Raghu…That you’d never forget me. If something happens to me tonight…

  Flower Girl

  “Are you kidding me!” Goldy exclaimed. “She must have died the night before their wedding.”

  “And then Mr. Raghunath ended up with Devi…” I said slowly.

  Goldy sighed, averting her eyes from the cabinet. I followed suit. We talked only after we were out of the room.

  “Could he have actually…” I nodded grimly. It was easy assumption. “Mr. Raghunath’s father is responsible for I nodded grimly. It was easy assumption. “Mr. Raghunath’s father is responsible forVIBGYOR Flower Girl’s death.”

  CHAPTER 23

  I know there wasn’t any reason to dwell over that particular flashback. Particularly as it meant nothing to what I had to do. Yet something about the Flower Girl made me uneasy. Without even trying I had the letters memorized. They played over and over in my head - the initial sweet innocence giving way to pure terror. Why the heck didn’t Raghu get the hint and call the police? More importantly…Why didn’t the Flower Girl herself go to the police? Surely it would have served her better than writing ‘I’m so scared letters’ to her boyfriend? It was ‘Mr. Vaishnav Sachidanand’s wife’ all over again…Is the human justice system this messed up? I imagined her lying lifeless in her garden, blood pouring out of her head. Had that death been hushed up easily?