Haunted By Unknown

27. odd

Vinamra acted as if she slept. Rupa came inside with tray of food. She placed it on the table bedside and sat near her daughter. Vinamra covered her face with blanket not at all wanting to eat.

"You have to eat my dear" rupa told her. Vinamra did not like the woman or her food. So she shook her head horizontally.

"Atleast for your mother's sake..." rupa was trying to convince her daughter. Instead she yelled at rupa.

"Can't you hear what I say? I don't want your stupid sucking food!" Her voice suddenly changed making rupa and the maid behind tremble in fear. They got shocked for her sudden change of behaviour. Vinamra placed her head on the pillow. She was so angry.....she wanted to hit the woman for irritating her.

Rupa and padma stared at each other not knowing how to respond to the girl who seems to be fuming for no reason. Gopal not knowing what happened came inside the room and saw the tray of food and the women hesitant to speak with his daughter. He placed his hand on his wife's shoulder. She turned around and saw gopal assuring he can handle her. Rupa wanted to warn him but he silenced her.

Gopal sat next to his daughter. Vinamra turned around to scream again but changed her mind seeing gopal sit next to her. She turned back and covered her face. She felt her cheeks turning hot.....

"My dear wise daughter....why do you want to hurt your old father? " gopal told her. Vinamra got puzzled hearing him. Then suddenly she remembered that she's in their daughter's body. And he is speaking with samyuktha not to her....

Vinamra turned around to see gopal after so many years.....she could see the dark circles under his cute eyes. His face is covered with tension that she wanted to embrace him and take away the worries from him.

Gopal did not understand why his daughter was staring at him as if she is seeing him for first time.

'Maybe she is staring at my overgrown beard' he thought. He took the tray and kept it in his lap.

"Atleast for my sake...." he pleaded her. Overhelmed by his words, she took the glass of orange juice....

"Only for you...." she said and sipped the juice. Gopal's eyes got covered in tears while both the women behind were surprised of the sudden change in samyuktha.
She ate some of the food in the tray. Gopal saw the dark circles which covered half of her face. The cheeks which he thought made his daughter cute are lost in starvation. And the bruise on her forehead made her look like she was badly abused. He suddenly remembered the accusations of their relatives on his daughter. They indirectly accused his daughter killing pooja with her curse. Few of his relatives had near death experiences on her birthday. They said the curse now has extended to her marriage and took away the life of pooja. It made him cry.....

Vinamra unable to see gopal crying, hugged him. He also embraced her in fatherly way. Rupa's eyes widened seeing both of them embracing each other. Vinamra winked at rupa which made her gasp in horror. Padma who did not miss all of this just stared in horror.

Gopal took the tray and stayed there till samyuktha slept. He silently walked with his worried wife and confused servant. After reaching the stairs he spoke with his wife.

"I don't want her to hear any of the accusations of our relatives. She's too sensitive to bear them" saying that he walked down the stairs. Rupa wondered about her daughter's odd behaviour. Vinamra heard gopal and swore to punish their relatives for making gopal cry.

......................................................

Jagadish was not in a mood to see samyuktha.....crying over her cancelled marriage. So he came in the evening even though he had no work in the station. Alex got to know that the relatives came out of the house as soon as the pooja's funeral ended. They all blamed the girl for unknown curse. He suddenly got interested as people generally say it is bad luck or karma or something else not a curse. So he thought of asking the residents about the curse.

Padma led them to samyuktha's room as she feared to walk alone. Rupa and gopal were told firmly not to interfere the police. They hesitantly allowed the inspectors to go to their daughter's room. Padma knocked the door and slowly opened the door. Both the police noticed her fear striken face.....

"The police have come to speak with you...." she said. Vinamra gestured them to come inside.

The inspectors went inside and saw samyuktha sit on the chair near the window. She did not turn back to see them approach her. Jagadish cleared his throat to get her attention. Vinamra turned back to surprise them.

Jagadish thought he was making samyuktha cry but now he realised she isn't hurt because of him...he sat down on his knees and asked her........

"Did pooja hurt you? Or arjun hurt you?" Jagadish asked her. Vinamra did not like him being nice to her but said nothing.

"Is it your parents?" He asked her. Vinamra shook her head vigorously not ready to imagine gopal being violent.

"Then who? " he asked her. She thought of saying 'me' and grin to frighten him but she remembered to follow manners in front of strangers.

Jagadish got up angrily. He never thought for a second if she was ready for the marriage. If she was forced into marrying arjun. Arjun had afterall tried to kill her! Jagadish knew her for five years.....he know what she is and even then he did not think if she did not like to marry. He felt happy as the marriage got cancelled and samyuktha got saved.

"Take care of yourself. And this is my number. Call me if you are in danger" saying that he left with alex. Padma heard everything so she went near them and said what actually happened....

"So you mean she hurt herself for her friend's death?" Jagadish asked sarcastically. Padma nodded yes and told about the doctor visiting her and prescribed her few medications and also referred to the psychiatrist. Jagadish got confused hearing that. He did not know what to do.

"Tell me if anything happens to her" he gave her the number and left the house. Alex too got confused knowing what happened to the bride.

"I want our men to know each and every single thing that goes on in that house" Jagadish ordered alex. He nodded his head and drove the jeep thinking what is happening at this time in that house.

......................................................

"Padma....call samyuktha downstairs" rupa said. She is scared to go near her own daughter.

"Madam, I am also scared to go near her" Padma confessed.

"Atleast she will not frighten you padma. Just call her from the door and come down" rupa advised her. She reluctantly went to her room. She knocked the door and opened it just to see something she would have never imagined even in her dream.

Vinamra sat on the wooden base of the windows while they hanged down swinging along with her legs. The grills are missing and a part of wall is missing below the window. It was like windows are swinging down in the air. She was sitting exactly opposite to padma.

"Well padma what changed your mind and led you here?" She asked the scared girl. Already padma stopped breathing and her words only made her run downstairs. Vinamra laughed loudly which rupa and other housekeeper gayatri heard clearly.

"What happened? " rupa asked the scared girl.

"She's sitting on the window!" Padma blurted. Not understanding what she said,  rupa ran upstairs just to witness her daughter standing on the window which is surprisingly hanging downwards and the grills are absent.

"Hi" she waved to rupa and stood facing outside. Rupa slowly went towards her daughter.....her heart beating violently in its place. Gayatri called the watchman to come with her. They both went into the room and heard a laugh which made everyone's heart beat violently against ribcage.

Author's note:

Hey guys....did you get confused about Vinamra and samyuktha? I am mentioning samyuktha as Vinamra as she is inside samyuktha's body now. So her thoughts will be different. If you are getting confused please message me.

Now tell me if Vinamra (samyuktha) jumps down or rupa will save her daughter? Have a happy weekend.....meet you soon with a new chapter. Bye....