One rainy night at Venkatapuram - Part 2 (last Part)

The cellar was quite wet and windy – the effect of incessant rains. But in spite of this I felt my hands were sweating. Like distant waterfall in the hills that flowed in some zigzag motion channeling through the trees and hillocks, sweat was dropping down flowing through the forest of hair onto my wrinkled and worried forehead, its course of direction disturbed by the over sized black haired twin caterpillars like eyebrows on either sides to my billowed blabber like cheeks. A slight shiver not because of the chillness but a shudder caused somewhere from the left side of my chest spread to all parts of my body like a wave. As I walked to move out as quickly as possible from this state of discomfort I just looked side ways. There was no one but just felt as if some shadow just crossed overtaking me. Before I could understand what was happening that was gone.

Coming out of the cellar of my apartment I was walking on the rain battered and water laden muddy roads of venkatapuram (that’s the name of my area) that had street lights at every step but rarely giving light to the walkers. Looks like the government at last has woken up to the hardships faced by us people that they have decided to lay the cement roads. But the work is still incomplete due to the heavy rains (As usual even if it doesn’t rain) which is also the cause for further hardships with stones and chunks of cements scattered everywhere. From far I could see the Kirana Shop beside one of the dimmed but blinking street light. By the time I reached that shop there was some lady talking to the shop keeper whose back was visible in the blinking light. May be she was the usual customer but quite unusual to find a lady at this place at this hour.

With out looking at the shop keeper, in my own thoughts I asked for my usual brand of marlbrando cigarettes. As I took the money out of my pockets of my T-shirt to pay for the cigarettes casually I just looked at the face of the women standing there. They were the same dug up staring eyes. Some liquid was flowing through her nose, may be that was blood!!! The blinking light made that face even scarier with the hair falling on her eyes. Out of nowhere a small beetle like bug came out of one eye and crawled in the other one in a jiffy. Horrified!!!! I jumped at that very place with a scream that was half shut even before it barely arrived out of my mouth. The words of the shop keeper bringing me back in to this world. He asked me if I needed something else. I looked at his face to give the money for the cigarettes. Where was the face???? That was only a headless body. My heart at once galloped into my mouth at that sight. I looked side ways to see if the lady was still there. She was not there. It looked as if she just vanished in the thin air.

I started running from there towards my apartment as fast as my legs (any athlete would have been ashamed of) could carry my not so lanky body; to be precise the 110 kg burly mass of wobbling flesh covered barely by skin stitched together with muscles laced with loads of fat and supported by the framework of bones (I never felt them). The lift was not working any more. With out even thinking how I would reach my home ascending those stairs (This would be a Guinness World record if I do so) situated on the 7^th floor, I ran towards the staircase. As I crossed the ground floor I heard some kind of a hauling sound coming from somewhere. May be it was from the terrace. No!!! That was a cry. Initially it could be hardly heard. But as I kept ascending the steps with descending energy levels the shrillness of the cry gradually increased until it reached unbearable limits.

There with her head bent on her knees on the way to 6^th floor with all her air falling from over her head the night gown clad sobbing lady sat on the steps with her hands clasped on her head. The same stink of the dead body could be felt. Blood like stream of liquid oozing from somewhere scattered on the steps. There was silence now with the cry just stopped. I could hear nothing else but my breathing. This was the final step after which my home could be reached. But I have to cross this hurdle. Out of a lot of difficulty I filled my mind with some courage and tried to bypass her in the narrow space between her and the staircase wall.

She suddenly lifted her head with her hair flying over to her back. With screeching sounds like some kind of a bat she caught hold of my leg. In the dim light of the staircase I saw her crusted teeth with some kind of green colored liquid squirting out. With all the strength in the world I kicked her on the shoulder to escape her grasp. She fell on the other side. As I tried to run, my feet fell on the scattered liquid and slipped. I fell with my face downwards. With all force my chin hit the sharp edge of the step and my rest of the body pushed my head in the forward direction to make it skid through the smooth flooring of the stair case only to come to a halt when my head banged in to the wall of the staircase. The whole world revolved around me for a few seconds. My chin now resembled that of a ripped apple slit into two pieces fallen just from a tree. My whole face was ruptured with blood all over. Turning over I saw at the lady. Screeching and squealing intermittently, crawling on the steps and over to my body she brought her scary face directly on to mine, with her snake like tongue hanging……

Suddenly woke up. My whole body was wet covered by sweat. I was more than happy to realize that it was just a dream. I was not on my bed but looked like I had fallen of it in struggle with that scary lady in my dream. It was 3:00 AM. I was alone in my apartment as my parents had left to Ananthapur to attend some occasion. Still with 4 hours to go for the Sun to rise I relaxed on to my bed again.

Triiiiiiiing!!! The calling bell rang. Who could come at this odd hour?? My parents cannot come. Even friends cannot disturb me. May be??? With fear I proceeded towards the main door of my house. I saw through the key hole. Same starring dug up eyes. Same face was looking through the keyhole!!!!!

(The result of a just seen Horror movie with little madness added to it)

One rainy night at Venkatapuram - Part 1

At 11:30 in the night I Pressed the Lift Button. The railing see through doors of the lift opened. After entering it I directed it to the cellar. Slowly and slowly the lift started moving down. The heavy rain looks like has not stopped at as it was quiet wet everywhere with the water flowing from terrace to all the floors. I was headed towards nearby Kirana shop to have a cigarette puff. This is my usual daily habit of relaxing and also I consider this to be one of the (in fact just one) daily exercises that I can give to my already bulky body with flab jutting out from my sides pushing the stretched T-shirt (Double XL) after a day of – Fevicol ki masboot jod to a chair- mentally exhausting and Physically relaxing (but back spraining) software job.

As the lift crossed 6^th floor through the railing door of the lift, very unclearly through the foggy atmosphere on the balcony of one of the flats I could see a vague lady figure standing out. It was as if she had a head bath and just came out to get her hair dry. It was strange though - who would have head bath and come out to dry hair, that too at this rainy hour?? As I had moved to this apartment complex very recently, I hardly knew anyone. Hence with out putting too much of stress on my brain went ahead with the flow of the lift. Now the lift crossed the 4^th floor. Outside someone just moved somewhat swiftly from left to right. It was difficult to digest what I just saw. It was the same lady who was there in the 6^th floor. Even if I were to think if she was playing running around, there was hardly anybody else apart from her. At this hour what was the fun I couldn’t understand.

In the ground floor again the same lady was standing to board the lift. This time she was staring at me directly. With mixed feelings – Little fear and little Shyness – I too looked at her. The face was half visible with the other half covered by her flowing brownish hair. Initially her skin seemed very fair but on deeper look I felt there was something in that color. It was as if the skin was half burnt and the fairness being the result of that. The eyes of her as if dug up in between the crater caused by the walls of her nose, cheeks and eyebrows. She also had grayish circles circling her eyes. Those eyes were searching something in my face. I do not know whether it was the proximity of the distance between her and me or my nostrils being over sensitive, I felt suffocated with the emanating stink from her that smelt like that of a dead body.

The lift stopped with a thud at the cellar. The watchman’s dog always slept beside the lift. As I kept my foot out opening the doors it looked at me and started barking instantly so loudly that it caught me unprepared. Usually fearful of dogs- because of the lesson learnt to never play with your friend’s pet even if it’s just a puppy after I was pierced 11 times round my bulging tummy as soft as a dough cake from a rabbit teethed sneering animal doctor, after the puppy dug its teeth onto my right leg. After barking continuously for few minutes the watch man’s dog ran away as if it suddenly realized the presence of my bulky frightening( to say the least) figure. I could not fathom whether the dog that hardly ever made its presence felt was barking at me or something else behind me. Was there really something behind me?????