I wrapped my final draft and looked it one last time. It had been long time since I had this level of satisfaction.
I had packed my bag already and my lap was the last one to pack. It was already late night. Time for me to say goodbye to this mansion. It served my purpose well and enough. I hoped to see Madhi once more, but I never had any luck. I returned the key to Sukumaaran. As usual, he took the key without even looking at me.
For the first in a long time, I step foot on the solid ground. Since it’s a rainy season at this time of year in India, the dark clouds covered the sky above. It didn’t start raining but it might. So, I booked a taxi to drop me at the airport. I was waiting outside when I saw him.
“Madhi”
He didn’t look at me. I chased him. I screamed his name on the top of my lungs and he didn’t even budge.
Then I caught him. He turned and I was shocked. It was not Madhi.
“Sorry! I thought you were someone else.”
The guy looked at me with confusion and strode away. Suddenly, my cell phone rang. I picked it up.
“Hello”
“Sir! I am at your location.”
Shit! I forgot about the taxi. I ran as fast as I could. As I was running, I was shocked that I chased this unknown guy for this huge distance. I can see a taxi waiting in front of the mansion. It was probably waiting for me.
I took the luggage I left inside the mansion while I was waiting and opened the car door. I sat and assembled my bags. Then I closed my eyes and relaxed. I brushed my face with both my hands. I should’ve shaved.
The car started moving.
“So, did you enjoy your stay, Sir?”
I opened my eyes and looked at the driver. Something about him reminded about someone I know. And that voice. The only three persons I knew in this whole country were the 2 brothers and the mysterious lady. The latter might be excluded but I know her enough by her singing and the music taste she had. So, who might he be? I saw Sukumaaran when I went inside and picked my bags. So, the leaves us to his bro…
“Madhi?”
Madhi turned and smiled at me. I laughed hard both in surprise and excitement. We both had met only one day, and he was the only friend I made in the last six months.
“Where have you been, Madhi?” – was the first questioned that popped in my mind.
“It’s a long story, Sir”
“Just call me Ed!” – I wanted to ask him about a lot of question. But where should I start. Should I ask him about where the hell he had been for the past 6 months? Or Should I ask him about his weird brother and his constant missing? Then something clicked. Yes! I need to ask him the one most mysterious question that I have been planning to ask him since the day two of my life in that mansion.
“Madhi?”
He turned back with a questioning look for a second and faced the road ahead.
“It’s weird that I never saw anyone but me in the mansion. Sometimes I saw one or two persons, but they never been open to any conversation.”
Madhi nodded acknowledging the fact.
“And you think it’s weird?” – Madhi asked me.
“Well, it’s beyond weird. I mean, I have been staying there for 6 months and I can tell it.”
"What's weird according to you?"
"What?"
"What's your definition for the word weirddd Ed..Haha see the ending sound of the weirdd sounds Edd..haha"
Oh man, now he is acting weird, I thought
You know what’s weird, Ed? It’s you!”
“…”
“You have been staying in a mansion that no one would afford to stay and yet you call the ‘vacant effect’ of that mansion weird?” – he made quotes sign in air when he said Vacant Effect.
“Okay just leave it, I said this to you to ask you another question that had been creeping me since the Day two.”
Now Madhi didn’t nod or anything. He just kept driving and driving.
“Madhi?”
“Yeah… We were nearing the Airport. What were you saying?” He turned the car in a U turn. At the end of the road was the entrance to the airport.
“I said I have a question for you.”
He slowed the car. He turned right on the parking lot of the airport and pulled the parking brake.
“Here we are, Ed”
I checked my bags and dragged it hard as I dragged myself out of the car. In the meantime, Madhi went out of the car and came near me to help me. With his help I lifted and hooked the bags on my shoulders.
That’s it. I going to go home. Going to meet Helena.
And then I saw Madhi smiling at me. That reminded me of that haunting question.
“I still haven’t asked you the question, Madhi”
“Then Ask!” – His smile became wider.
This is it! This is the moment I have been waiting for long. Besides righting my novel, I always wanted to know about this mysterious lady and her haunting music. I hope Madhi could give me an answer. If he doesn’t know anything then that would be a huge disappoint. And here goes nothing.
“You said I was the weirder one and no one other than me would afford to stay in that mansion for 6 months, right?”
Madhi nodded in acknowledgement.
“Well. You’d be damned when I say there was someone else who was staying as long as I stayed, maybe more than that.”
"Is there someone else staying in the hotel as long as I stayed or may be more than that."
Madhi’s smile evaporated and changed to confusion.
Madhi's face looked blank.
“What?”
So, he doesn’t know the mystery lady after all.
“I guess you were not aware of her. Just leave it.” – I tightened my bags and shook my shoulder to check the grip. It was time to finally depart
“You mean about the woman who stayed in the room next to you?”
Stayed?
“Umm! Yes! I think she’s still staying there. I heard her song last night too. Man! That’s one hell of a haunting tune!” – I laughed but Madhi was shaking.
“What else did you hear?”
“Well! I didn’t hear anything other than that. But if you promise to keep this as a secret between us, I can tell you what I saw” – I winked at Madhi with a grin.
Now I can literally see the confusion on his face.
“What did you see?”
“I didn’t see anything to be precise, but I peeked inside the room through the keyhole”
“And?”
“Well! That’s what I have been thinking for a long time. Every time I see through the keyhole, all I could see was Red. Capeesh?”
“That’s weird. I know this for a fact that the room next to you was not for rent.”
What?
Sensing my confused look, Madhi sighed and continued.
“I guess I owe you an explanation. My brother owns that mansion and he never liked me. He never liked anyone for that matter. So, he never allowed me in that mansion.”
I listened without interrupting him.
“After that incident, people started spreading mindless rumour about the mansion. That stopped people to rent rooms in that mansion”
What incident? What is he even talking about? I must interrupt him now.
“What incident? And what do you mean by you brother never allowed you in that mansion? Madhi just explain me what was going on here.”
Madhi looked at me and stiffened his face.
“I am not Madhi. I am Sukumaaran.”
Even before I try to process the sentence he had just said, he continued.
“My brother Madhimaaran was a weirdo” – he spiralled his finger near the right side of his head.
“He wanted your money so badly that he didn’t tell you what happened in that apartment.”
That did it. I couldn’t handle it anymore. “Just stop! You were saying your brother Madhimaaran was acting as you. I thought Sukumaaran was deaf and dumb.”
“Well. I should to correct you right there. He is deaf and dumb all right, but his name is Madhimaaran. And I am Sukumaaran.”
“So, you are saying that you never met me before and you just met me when I coincidently hired your taxi?”
“I am the only person available tonight to drive a taxi. You can call and ask the rental office if you want. And yes. It was my first time seeing you and I’ve never seen you before. People who vacate the mansion sometimes hire my taxi. They would get confused and call me Madhi. I would just play along with them.”
What the fuck is happening here?
“But on my first day, I saw you brought the food and I fucking saw you speak.”
“That’s odd! I never went inside the mansion for the past 5 years. After that incident, my brother and I had a huge fight. We both were serving the mansion for generations and I wanted out. After that fight, I got out and never stepped my foot on the mansion.”
Something is wrong here. What was the incident he keeps talking about?
“What the fuck was the incident you were talking about?” – I started losing my cool.
He kept silent.
“You owe me an explanation!” – I nearly shouted.
He sighed – “The daughter of that mansion’s owner committed suicide on the room…” – He struggled to find the words “Number 12.”
A chill ran down my spine.
“She was addicted to drugs and when her parents found out about it, they tortured her. One night, escaping from her parents, she came to the mansion. Rented room number 12 and she injected the drug DTD on her veins. She was an amazing singer and before she hung herself, people who rented the rooms near her said that she sang all night. It was one of the men who wanted to warn her to stop found her body”
As he was saying this, I felt my legs go numb and my tongue had gone dry. He continued one last time.
“Police reported that he injected the drug straight in her eyes so that it’ll hit the brain quickly. Instead, it made her crazy and hung herself up. Due to that, her pupils rolled up and blood veins in her eyes were burst open.”
“…”
“It was when I say the body our owner’s beautiful daughter, I wanted to leave the mansion.” – I can see the moist that later turned to tears in his eyes.
“I could never able to forget that gruesome body. It haunted me for ages. When I close my eyes, all I could see were the blood busted reddish eyes of her.”
Sukumaaran’s words were slowly started registering in my mind.
EYES
BLOOD
RED
It was her eyes!
Sukumaran interrupted me ."Was my explanation convinced to you?"
"What"
"No,that's a joke leave it"
"Which part of the thing is joke"
"Don't expect answers for every questions Mr.Edmond..You had a question, I gave an answer.You seem satisfied.. Okay, Its getting late..The plane must be waiting for you.."
He came near and whispered "and Your Helena too.."
"Have a nice journey..You are one of the sweetest guests we ever had..You stayed for a little time without creating much problem to us..Thank You"
Sukumaran smiled,he shaked my hands and showed the way into airport.Before I can process things in my brain, A dog with airport security guard came near us and barked loudly.
THE END
Great work man
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Thank you Dude!
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