The Vacant House 

              (Please see my post of 29^th May for first part of story)

Govinda was to make the ransom call to P. Kumar. He had gone to a town fifty miles to the north for making this call. He called P. Kumar from a public phone. P. Kumar readily agreed to pay the ransom money. Govinda asked him to hang a red towel from a window facing the main road once money had been arranged.

Sambha and Govinda were pleased with themselves. They were excited with their planning and execution. Everything was going as per the script. But they were not aware that life has many twists and turns, that even on a sunny day one can get caught in a bad hailstorm. 

Now, all this time Sachiin had been thinking about the mystery of dead squirrels. He was sure he had seen dead squirrls but somehow they had vanished when Sambha had checked the cupboard.  

Sambha asked him, “Get me chocolates for the child. He may start crying if he gets hungry.”

Sachiin was reluctant to open the cupboard. But he didn’t want to admit that he was scared. Hesitantly he went to the cupboard and opened it. But the door would not open.

“What is happening here? It seems someone is holding the door from inside,” he thought and shuddered at the idea.  He pulled the door with all his strength. Door opened a bit. But suddenly two bony hands appeared from inside the cupboard and pulled the door back.

Sachiin almost screamed in fear. He could not believe what he had seen. He was sure he had seen two hands pulling the door back. But how could that be? Who could be inside the cupboard?

Sambha ran towards the cupboard and found Sachiin standing still as a statue.

“What has happened now? Why are you standing like a fool?” he shouted in anger and pushed Sachiin aside. He opened the cupboard, took out few chocolates and left. Sachiin was totally confused. He slowly touched the cupboard door and tried to open it. Door opened effortlessly. He looked inside the cupboard. There was nothing there except what they had kept in it. He was dumb founded and just did not know how to react.

In the evening Govinda brought a delightful news.

“Well, my friends, a red towel is hanging in one window of the beautiful house P. Kumar. Now I will make my second call. Make sure nothing goes wrong here.”

“How do you know he has not called the police?”

“Even if he has called the police they won’t be able to touch us. I have a fool proof plan to collect the ransom money. Just leave it to me. But you need to be careful and alert. No one should get even a whiff of suspicion that the kidnapped child is here in this house.”

He left to make the call and this time he went to a public telephone booth located in a place thirty miles to the south. He came back at about eleven in the night and, to his surprise, he found everyone in deep sleep

In the dim light of his torch he saw his friends enjoying their sleep. The kidnapped child was of course under sedation. He thought his friends were totally careless. At least one of them should have been keeping watch.

He was lost in these thoughts when something attracted his attention. And what he saw terrified him to his wit’s end.  Sachiin was holding a man’s skull in his hands.

Before he could even react the skull laughed.  He heard the skull saying, “Was it your brilliant idea to spread a rumour that this house is haunted?”

Govinda felt his legs going wobbly. He was totally bewildered. He wanted to switch off the torch but was too scared to do so. He wanted to run away but felt as if his feet had got rooted to the ground.

“Why are you keeping quiet? You have been here for many days; did you ever see any ghost here?” 

Govinda had lost both his voice and ability to move.

“I have been here for many years; I have never seen a ghost in this house. I am telling you, this house is not haunted.  You have just spread a false rumour.”

Govinda was not listening; he had become senseless and had collapsed on the floor.

When Govinda regained his consciousness it was early morning. His friends were still asleep. Kidnapped child was still unconscious. He looked at Sachiin; there was nothing in his hands. But when he recalled experience of the night he began to tremble in fear.

He could not control himself and he woke up his friends. When they were awake he said in an agitated and confused tone, “This is a haunted house, let us leave this place immediately.”

“Yes, he is right. It is a haunted house,” Sachiin babbled. He too was trembling in fear.

“What nonsense are you talking about?  It is not a haunted house; we had just spread a rumour. But it was a false rumour. You know it. We all know it. Now, stop being foolish and don’t behave like silly girls,” Sambha said.

“I am not staying here even for a minute; I am leaving right now.” Govinda said in fearful voice. Sachiin agreed with him.

Sambha was shocked but he could not stop them from leaving. He felt forlorn and helpless. He was apprehensive that someone may have seen his friends leaving the house. They were too agitated to take precautions and anyone could have noticed them leaving the vacant house. He knew that it was no longer safe to remain there. He had to ensure that his friends did nothing foolish.  Reluctantly he followed his friends.

 When he was about to cross the door his left foot hit something lying on the floor. Instinctively he looked down and shuddered at what he saw. He had kicked a man’s skull which was rolling over on the floor. The skull was crying as if in pain.

“Are you blind? Why did you kick me? Why can’t you let me sleep peacefully?” Sambha was dumb struck. He just could not comprehend what he had heard. He could not believe that the skull rolling on the floor had uttered those words. He was terrified and he ran away from that place not knowing where he was going.

 A phone call from an unknown number informed P. Kumar that his child was in the vacant house. P. Kumar promptly informed the police. Police traced the phone call. It had been made from a phone which was installed in the vacant house. But police was surprised to find that, months back, that phone had been disconnected for non-payment of bills. Everyone was, however, pleased to find the kidnapped child; he was safe. 

Police carried out a thorough search of the house but could find no clue as to the identity of the kidnappers. In one cupboard, however, they found fruit juice packets, chocolates, biscuits and headless chickens smeared with vermillion.

© i b arora