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The Crimson Shawl

Discussion in 'Stories (Fiction)' started by Rajeni, Mar 15, 2018.

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  1. Rajeni

    Rajeni Moderator Platinum IL'ite

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    I sat in a window seat in the sub-urban train. The coach was almost empty with only one other man sitting a few seats away from mine. He had his ear-phones plugged in and was busy watching something on his phone screen. I took a deep breath as a gentle breeze brushed my face. The train had started moving.

    I took out my mobile phone and saw that there were multiple missed calls from my wife. There were also a couple of messages.

    “Viki! I will be coming late today. Its Sanjana’s birthday and my team are planning to go out for dinner. Tried calling u to inform this. Call me when u see my message”

    “Viki! Why are you not picking my calls? Are you angry? Please understand, I am the only female company for Sanju. She insists that I should come. I will start back as early as possible.”


    I clenched my teeth in response. “Slut” I muttered under my breath. So, these two women are going out for dinner with a bunch of men. Don’t they have any shame left? I felt my blood pressure rising. I myself was going to visit an old friend and would go home late, but I didn’t want to let her know about that. She might stay at the dinner for longer, if she knew!

    Priyanka, my wife, is a beautiful woman. I felt really proud when I married her, until I realized that her pretty looks and charming manners would attract a lot of unwanted attention. Those bunch of bachelor guys in her team kept calling her for one or other reason, as if she is the only SME out there! How many fights had happened because of those b*st*rds! And, of course her manager, that bloody baldy, often makes her work late. Don’t I know his intentions! Uff! I really want to make her resign that damn job and stay at home, but bloody hell! She earns twice as me. I have to wait for a couple of my own promotions before I could do that.

    My train of thoughts was interrupted as the train stopped at the next station. A movement near the train door caught my attention and as I saw a woman with her child board the train, my eyes popped a little. The woman was extremely beautiful. The other guy in the compartment was still immersed in his mobile. She came and sat in the seat diagonally opposite to me. I looked at her out of the corner of my eyes, to only realize she was much more beautiful than I saw at the first sight. She was fully dressed in black – long black kurthi and black pants and wore a crimson-red shawl wrapped around her head covering her hair. The red contrasted her complexion, which was close to ivory. From her huge eyes to fuller lips everything looked so perfect. She looked lost in her own thoughts and I let my eyes stealthily feast on her ample bosom and slender legs. She suddenly looked at me, right in the eye and I looked away as my breath quickened. After a few minutes, I slowly turned to see if she was still looking at me. She wasn’t. She was smiling looking at her daughter play. The little girl was a mini version of her mother with same ivory complexion and huge eyes. Suddenly a thought struck me. When almost the entire compartment was empty, why did she choose to sit here? I looked at her again and wondered whether I should start a conversation.

    As I was wondering how to start a conversation, the little girl looked at me. God! How could a child’s eyes be so powerful? I sat bewitched, unable to look away and as I watched, slowly tears started flowing from the child’s eyes. It no longer looked at me; instead it looked farther away at the other end of the compartment. Crying profusely it stretched its arms inviting someone into its arm. Just then I realized that the mother was not sitting there anymore. The child was still crying arms stretched out looking behind me. I immediately turned to look back and screamed the next minute. The woman stood near the entrance and as I turned and looked at her, she looked into my eyes and jumped out the same moment. I screamed and ran towards the entrance. The train was moving and without understanding what I was doing I held the door and peeped out, but of course I could see nothing. I was reminded of the child and looked back and shocked even further.

    The child was not there anymore. I ran back to see if it was in the seat. I, like a mad man, searched under the seats and ran to the opposite end of the compartment. The man with the ear-phones was now looking at me with curious eyes. He removed his ear-phones and came to me.

    “Sir! What happened? Why are running here and there?” he asked.

    I was sweating profusely by then and was breathing heavily as I spoke, “Sir! That lady jumped off the train. Didn’t you see? Now, that child is also missing. Am not sure whether it jumped too!” I panicked.

    The man gave me a weird look. “Which lady are you talking about?”

    “God! There was only one lady here! The one sitting there near me”

    “But, there was nobody sitting there!”

    “You were immersed in your mobile! You didn’t know!”
    I shouted.

    In a sympathetic tone, the man said, “Sir! Please relax. After I boarded you were the only person who boarded the train and there was nobody else! I am sure of it”

    “But, I saw! Dammit!”


    “Did you doze off? Maybe you dreamt! Or may be you are stressed out. Just relax and go home safe”

    I simply stood staring at him trying to digest what he was saying.

    Uncomfortable, the man asked, “Do you need any help to reach your place?”

    “Uhmm.. No! Thanks” I said and then added, “Sorry!”. He patted my shoulders and smiled.

    I got down at my station and stood there thinking. What had happened was too much for me to understand. I wanted to cancel the meeting with my friend and go back home. But Priyanka would not be there and I was afraid to be alone. I decided to go ahead with the plan. Maybe I could take him to a bar; I needed that to get this out of my mind.

    My friend, Ram, greeted me enthusiastically! He was one of my college-mates but we lost touch and recently got connected through Facebook. This was the first time I am visiting his place. He invited me in and I almost fell on his sofa drained.

    “What happened dude? You look pathetic!” he said

    “That’s a huge story bro! But you will only laugh at me” I was reluctant and even didn’t know how to tell my experience.

    “Now! You did kindle my curiosity! Tell me I won’t laugh” he said laughing.

    I sighed and looked away at the wall and sprang to my feet the next moment. There, on the wall, hung the picture of the lady who jumped off the train and the child. Ram looked up at me confused.

    “She?” I asked pointing my index finger to the picture on the wall.

    “She is my wife, Sarika! But why are you shocked? Do you know her?” he asked still confused.

    “Where’s she now?” I asked. I was even more confused as to what to tell him now. I myself did not know whether that woman was dead or it was some kind of a pre-monition. If so, would she die soon? I was much more afraid than before.

    “She has gone out, but why are you so shocked?” he asked.

    “Ram! Call her immediately and check her how she is! Or where she is! I cant explain anything now, but please check” I pleaded

    “Dei! relax first. I don’t understand head or tails here. Whats bothering you?”

    “Please Ram! Trust me! I.. I.. Your wife is in danger man!” I said

    Ram laughed hysterically in response.

    “Raaammmm!!!!!!!!!” I shouted.

    “Viki! My wife is here only. She is sleeping and she did not want me to disturb her. That’s why I told she is out. But! What has happened to you man!” he asked.

    I was confused. Seeing my confused expression, Ram said, “Ok, wait! Let me go and bring her. Will you be ok if you see her?” he asked and as I nodded he walked inside.

    I stood there impatient. I was too scared to even think of what I would see next. I peeped in. I heard a door open and then suddenly, I could smell something – a pungent metallic smell and the smell grew stronger. I went in to check where it was coming from.

    As I went into the dining room, there was a room door opened and without much effort I could sense that the smell was coming from that door. Without thinking, I went to the door to see the source of the smell and I stopped shocked at the door. At the farther end of the room, a crimson shawl hung struck between the closed wardrobe doors. I slowly walked in my eyes glued to the shawl and opened the wardrobe door.

    The next moment I found myself taking a couple of steps back in shock. I wanted to scream but I couldn’t find my voice. There inside the wardrobe the woman and the little child were stuffed in – dead! Crimson blood ran down the shelves and stained the floor. I then realized the stickiness under my feet. I had stepped on the pool of blood when I opened the wardrobe.

    Sensing something I looked back. Ram stood there with a stained dagger in his hand.

    “Ram no!” I said taking a step back.

    “Isn’t she beautiful?”
    he asked looking at the dead Sarika inside the wardrobe. “She is! Why were you so concerned about her? About her safety? Of course I know, any man would be concerned! Such is her beauty! Bewitching beauty! But she can’t bitch around with that! Can she? From the next door uncle to her office colleagues, everyone is interested in her, but I trusted her! All I wanted was to protect her from those men. That’s why I asked to resign that damn job of hers! But what did she do? She gave me reasons! Career, passion, goals, blah, blah, blah – all those stupid reasons! That’s when I understood her. She did not want to stay at home. She wanted to bitch around! Did she think that I am a fool not to see that? Did you know what she said today?! That I am torturing her and she will leave with the child if I continue! Not sure whom she had planned to elope with? So, I freed her from my torture forever!

    Now my friend! See, that Bitch refuses to go alone! Don’t you want to accompany that beautiful woman?”
    he gestured towards the wardrobe and slowly approached me.

    I moved backwards thinking what I should do but my brain refused to help me. I was in too much of a shock to even react. I didn’t even realize when I reached near the wardrobe and I stood my back pressed again a closed wardrobe door near the one in which Sarika was kept. As I watched him slowly covering the distance between us, suddenly the crimson shawl from Sarika flew and blocked Ram from my view. Instinctively I brushed it away and found Ram lying on the floor, fresh blood oozing out from his slit throat!

    The dagger stained with fresh blood stood mid-air and as I looked at it, it fell down on the floor. I screamed! I screamed with all my might and ran out of the house!

    I wanted to run back to my house but what if someone had seen me come out of the house. So, I went to the police station. No one is going to believe what had happened there that evening. So, I tweaked it a little and said that, when I reached Ram’s house, the door was opened and since no one responded to my calls, I went in to check and found all of them dead.

    After a few days, the case was closed saying Ram killed both his wife and child and committed suicide. A few houses in the neighborhood witnessed that Ram doubted his wife and tortured her and the same was mentioned as the murder motive.

    Priyanka came out of our room in a purple silk saree. She looked gorgeous but I did not say anything! These days I literally don’t say anything. As she came near, I smiled at her. She asked “How do I look?”

    “Gorgeous!” I said. She hugged me and kissed my cheek.

    “Viki! Today is ethinic day in office and we girls have planned to go out in the evening –early dinner! I should be back before 10 though!” she said as she picked her handbag.

    “No probs! Have a nice time!” I said and she smiled beautifully at me and walked out.

    Priyanka thinks that I have changed completely for good. She was skeptical about my behavior in the beginning but she had come to believe that I have changed and I love and trust her now. She believes that her prayers are answered.

    Honestly speaking, I don’t know whether I trust her or not. The fact is that am afraid to even think on those lines. Afraid to doubt Priyanka. Afraid of Sarika!

    By the way, did I mention that a week after that incident, Priyanka has received a ‘Crimson Shawl’ as a gift from a distant friend of hers?!

    (End)
     
    Sachini, periamma, Bhoonzee and 13 others like this.
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  2. sreeram

    sreeram IL Hall of Fame

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    Damn good.... nerve wrecking.... my hands have gone numb while typing this.... that was something more than fantastic write up....
     
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  3. peddadas

    peddadas Platinum IL'ite

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    OMG..Scary .. but too good Rajeni ..
     
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  4. GeetaKashyap

    GeetaKashyap IL Hall of Fame

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    @Rajeni,

    Fantastic thriller!:clap2::clap2::clap2: Loved the gripping narration. Well done!
     
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  5. meepre

    meepre Gold IL'ite

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    Amazing as ever dear :clap2:
     
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  6. Lata6

    Lata6 Gold IL'ite

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    omg, I am scared to death. I thought of working till midnight today for my 6.30 am meeting and since my other app was loading, I read this and now I am scared, can't work or can't go to sleep without work. You are one kind of an author, my God!! hats off to you, it looks so real.
     
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  7. Sinant

    Sinant Silver IL'ite

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    Amazing narration, nail biting thriller :clap2::clap2:
     
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  8. SakinaN

    SakinaN New IL'ite

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    Wow what a skill u got. Tats was a mind blowing write-up. A big salute to you :clap2: Please please do write more.
     
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  9. ammusatheesh

    ammusatheesh Gold IL'ite

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    Superb one....:)
     
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  10. Rajeni

    Rajeni Moderator Platinum IL'ite

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    Dear Priya! Thank you so much for the first and awesome Feedback!
     

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