NIRUPAMA

(Some Secrets May Better Remain Secrets Forever)

'I cannot bear this', 'I want to pluck my eyes out' only these two sentences were the clues which the late girl Nirupama left in writing one on a wall and one in a book quite unintentionally and involuntarily to know about the reason for her committing suicide. Her father Ranganath, detective Smaran and his niece Menaka along with Nirupama's friend Sukanya pretty well understood that Nirupama did not want the said secret to be known to anyone else. But since her father Ranganath hell bent upon knowing about the said secret, detective Smaran and his niece Menaka ruthlessly investigated the matter only to unearth the said ghastly, shocking and astounding secret which the dead girl terribly wished to keep only with her in her grave forever.

x x x x x

"Are you thinking that Menaka can handle this all?" she asked in the end. "She is too young and I don't think that she has such expertise in hypnotism either."

"Sure she can. Those old people deserve as much help as we can do."

"I agree with you on that." Madhuri nodded her head. "I felt so much pitiful when I looked at that old woman. If you are thinking it is okay that Menaka involves in all this in this way I have no objection to it." She said.

"Thank you very much for the confidence you have got on me." Smaran said.

"How far your investigation has come? Are you confident that you can find out the reason?" she asked him

"I am confident. There is one week time to solve this mystery as per the agreement. I sure can find out the truth in this one week."

"Really very sad. I looked at the photograph of her in that room. She appeared so attractive and intelligent. I just cannot think of why she committed suicide."

"No one can. That is why her father hired my services to know about it."

There was silence between them both for sometime. "I want to talk to you about your life now."

"There is nothing new to talk about it. I am so happy in leading a life like this."

"But I am not happy looking at you like this." Madhuri said. "Listen to me. Still there is time if you want to marry. I agree you loved your wife a lot and you never can forget her. It should not have happened like this at all. If she were alive you both would have led a very happy life. But she is not alive on this day and you remain all alone like this. That girl also does not like this. Wherever she may be on this day, she too so strongly wishes that you should remarry."

"No sister. Marrying again is not possible to me. If it is possible I would have done that years before." There was slight irritation on his face.

"I know that you don't want this topic." Madhuri said "But you are my only brother. There is no one else to us except you to me and me to you. I just cannot bear the feeling your life has become like this."

"Nothing has happened to my life. Of course it is a great mishap that my wife predeceased me. But it happened years before and I adjusted to that truth."

Madhuri breathed deeply and remained silent. She could not think of what to say.

"How your life is then? Are you feeling happy and satisfied in leading a life like this?" he asked her.

"I am. It is indeed a big loss to me I lose my husband like that. But he gave Menaka to me. She is the meaning of my life. I don't need anything else. If she did not take birth...." She smiled "I might have preferred to remarry."

Smaran also smiled on hearing that.

***

"What you are doing pretty? Are you busy on anything?" looking at Menaka, Nirmala asked her.

"Not at all. In fact I am thinking what to do now." Menaka said.

"What about hypnotizing me now?" Nirmala was appearing enthusiastic and happy.

"We are doing it everyday after your lunch. We are going to do it in the same way on this day also."

Menaka surprised. 'Why this old woman is particularly happy and enthusiastic like this? Is it is right now that I do anything to make her realize that her daughter dead? Would it not spoil her happy mood?' she was thinking

"I am retiring into the kitchen. If you want to learn anything from me, you may come." While going into the kitchen Nirmala said.

"Sure I am" following just behind her Menaka said.

Inside the kitchen, Nirmala actively engaged herself in the task of cutting the vegetables, preparing utensils on the stove, etc. Usually she would give very little chance to Menaka to indulge herself in helping her.

"Did Niru call you in the last four or five days?" Menaka asked her.

Nirmala stopped her work suddenly and looked at Menaka. There was a slight change in the expression in her face "No, she did not. She is not in the habit of calling me often."

"How many times she called you after she went to her aunt?"

The expression in the face of Nirmala became very serious. "It is two months or so that she went to her aunt's home. May be some twenty times or so she called me." She paused for a moment and there was a deep frown on her forehead.

"Why are you asking me like this?"

Menaka felt fear on hearing that question. "Just I want to know. I did not see her talking with you even for once after I have come here."

"You were not with me while she was talking with me."

Menaka nodded her head. "When she possibly comes to home?" she asked her again.

"May be in one week or ten days. I am urging her to come home. But she is reluctant to come here. She liked it a lot to stay at her aunt's home."

There was some silence between them both then.

"Did you tell her about me?"

"Yes I did." Nirmala nodded her head.

"What she said?" observing carefully the expression in the face of Nirmala, Menaka asked her.

"She felt happy. She is really feeling very much enthusiastic to meet you and talk with you."

"Did not she get uncomfortable that I have been using her room?"

"Not even a little bit. In fact she felt happy. She wants you to continue in the same room even after her returning from her aunt's house also."

"That is indeed quite nice of her" Menaka commented.

She did not know what to say more then. She knew it was a very dangerous ground and she has to tread on it very carefully. They did not talk much while preparing the food. They talked little while taking their lunch also. Ranganath was not at home then.

"Now hypnotize time." After lunch Nirmala said. "Am I troubling you everyday asking for hypnotizing me?"

"It is not at all so. It is indeed a pleasure to me to hypnotize you like this." Menaka laughed.

As usual Menaka put the old woman under hypnosis quite easily. Then she remembered what Niranjan said to her.

'Don't let her fall into sleep. You have to keep her awaken. Give her the suggestions that she can withstand the reality that her daughter is no more if she is really imagining that her daughter is alive.'

Menaka prepared some suggestions so carefully to give her while she was under hypnosis.

"Now your heart and mind are ready to face the truth." Menaka said. "You are not going to hurt by any harsher news."

There was no change in the face of Nirmala. Menaka doubted whether she was listening to her not.

"You know that everyone has to die at one time or other. You take it casual. You are not going to become upset just because someone so close to you is dead."

The suggestions were appearing odd. They were not good. She was feeling odd while giving the suggestions so to her. She continued the hypnotic session for some more time with the same type of suggestions. All the time Nirmala appeared quite calm and peaceful. Menaka really doubted whether she was listening to her or not.

***

"You did it quite nice. There shall be result. You don't worry." Niranjan said.

"It appeared quite useless to me. She did not appear at all that she was listening to my hypnotic suggestions."

"No, she listened. They went deep into her psyche I think." Niranjan nodded his head. "don't worry too much about this."

"But she appeared unusually enthusiastic. Why she felt so happy I could not understand. In fact I spoiled her happiness unnecessarily by broaching about her daughter. It appeared to me that she did not like my questioning about her daughter so."

"That means deep inside her she knows the truth."

"But Ranga uncle found her behaving like that in the house?"

"That is what puzzling me also." Niranjan said. "Her madness may be changing time to time. She has to be observed carefully."

Menaka came to Niranjan's home at 10 in the morning to report him what she did and how it worked. Niranjan listened very patiently to whatever Menaka said to him.

"I cannot understand one thing here. Why suddenly she appeared that much happy?" Menaka knitted her brows together.

"For few seconds or so the imagination of her daughter has become reality to her. That means her whole mind thought that Nirupama came back to her and that made her happy. Madness takes several types of turns."

"May be you are right." Menaka nodded her head and said.

"You are doing it alright. Just go in the way you are doing."

"Okay then." Menaka nodded her head ocne again. "I think I have told you everything. I shall go now."

"In fact I want to say something to you." Niranjan suddenly said

"What is that?" Menaka frowned.

"Whether you want it or not I don't know." He said "But if you like you can become a good psychiatrist or psychologist."

Menaka laughed and said. "But psychology is not one of my subjects till now."

"No problem. You can do your post-graduation with psychology major."

"Alright. I think about that. Anyhow I am going now. I meet you again after one or two days when there is something to report."

"Please come as often as possible. It is indeed a pleasure talking with you like this." Niranjan said.

Then Menaka left that place.

***

"Bittoo, what you are doing? I did not see you recently at all. Where have you been?" really Menaka did not see Bittoo for the few days. She wanted to talk to him again about Nirupama and the particular day he had seen her different.

"I went to my uncle's place. I returned home only yesterday." Bittoo replied.

"Why don't you come into my home? We talk again for sometime." Bittoo said again.

"I have come to your home last time. Is it is not better that you do come to our home now?"

"Alright then. I am coming." He entered into her house.

"We both go into my room upstairs. There we can have a cool talk." She started leading him upstairs.

"Oh, Bittoo. It is indeed after a very long time you have come to our house." Looking at him Nirmala said. "You and Nirupama are such friends."

"Yes, aunty. Because of my heavy school work I could not manage to come to your home." There was a pathetic note in his voice.

"Never mind. Niru is asking about you sometimes."

Bittoo quickly looked into the face of Menaka and there was confusion in his face.

Menaka quickly closed and opened her eyes giving him an indication not to say anything on that.

Then Menaka and Bittoo entered into the upstairs room. Once they got into it he straight went to the photograph there.

"Oh, how pathetic! I never have expected that I do see Niru sister like this on the wall." Observing that photograph with the garland he said.

"No one expected to that matter. I did not see this girl while she was alive. But I have heard she was so intelligent and active."

"Beautiful too." Bittoo said. "What a nice girl she is! We used to have long discussions over many a thing in those days."

Menaka was listening. She did not say anything at all.

"I rather shocked on knowing that she committed suicide. Have you got even a vaguest idea why she had committed suicide? I think you were here particularly on that mission."

"No Bittoo...nothing so far." Menaka hissed out heavily. "There is only one week or so time left to us to solve this mystery. Twenty days passed without any progress at all. I am losing hope."

"Don't lose hope. You may get some lead and solve the mystery before time." Bittoo said.

(..........to be continued)

(I hope you enjoyed it so far. Please don't forget to rate and review it. I update the next chapter as early as possible.)

#investigation #detection #psychology #hypnosis#hypnotism #love #romance #romantic #suspense #thriller #sentiment #family#suicide #psychology #hypnosis #self-hypnosis #psychiatry #psychiatrist