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

"How can you say that? You know that Niranjan also well?" Menaka again frowned.

"Yes. My husband and I also know that Niranjan well. He is a good friend to my husband. He comes to our home whenever he comes to Ranganath's house." She said.

"How often he comes to Ranganath's house?" Nirupama became inquisitive.

"Weekly once or twice. He is a relative to Nirmala. There is no surprise in his coming like that to their home."

"I agree." Menaka nodded her head. "So, Nirupama also used to treat him as if he were her father."

"I cannot say it to be so. She respected him a lot. But she treated him as her uncle or friend rather than father. Because she loved her father also that much." Bittoo's mother said.

"Thank you." They both talked some more time. Bittoo's mother gave coffee and snacks to Menaka. After finishing them Manaka got off from the chair.

"Thank you aunty. I shall come to your house again."

"Please come as often as possible. I am feeling quite happy talking with you. I am feeling just like I am talking with Nirupama."

***

When Menaka entered into the home, Ranganath was on the sofa. She smiled at him and about to go upstairs, then Ranganath said.

"Menaka, one minute." Ranganath said.

"Tell me uncle" she went near to him and asked him.

"Come with me. Don't make any sound." He said and led her slowly to the window of the kitchen. "Just look through the window he said."

Menaka looked through the window into the kitchen. There Nirmala cutting the vegetables with a knife sitting on a mat. Menaka wanted to say something to Ranganath in low voice then she found that Nirmala was talking in herself.

"Niru, its not right. I don't like your saying so."

Then Menaka understood that the old woman was not talking in herself but she was talking with imagined Nirupama there. She felt a chill through her spine.

"Its already too late Niru. You must be got married in this year itself. I am not going to give much chance at all to you."

Ranganath and Menaka looked into each other's faces.

"No. I am not going to hear your father in this regard. No recommendations work out. You must be got married within this year itself. If you want to study do that after marriage."

There was some silence as if Nirmala was listening to her daughter.

"Did you like that girl? She is indeed very good. I know that you do like her a lot."

There was silence again.

"If you are not feeling comfortable with that girl in that upstairs room, I ask her to change into the downstairs room."

After few seconds she said again. "There is no problem to you? Alright then. She stays in that room itself."

"Come uncle." Menaka said with a small voice and took Ranganath into the upstairs room.

"What is this?" Ranganath hold his head in both of his hands. "I just cannot understand her. Until one week or so back she behaved as if Nirupama was in a faraway place in her aunt's home. Now she is talking as if Nirupama is in this house itself."

"Yes. It is appearing typical to me also."Menaka said.

"How she is responding to your hypnotism?" he asked her.

Then Menaka said to him how her hypnotism was going on with her.

"When your uncle would manage the truth out I cannot understand. Everything is linked with that it seems."

"Why are you saying like that?"

"I don't know. My daughter committed suicide with an unknown and peculiar reason and my wife turned out mad like this. I am thinking that there may be a link between my wife's madness and that reason."

"Not at all so. I am not thinking like that at all." Menaka said.

"Any how I do want to talk with your uncle immediately. We both shall go to him now, come." Getting off from the chair he said.

***

"So you want that truth out as fast as possible." Looking into the eyes of Ranganath Smaran said.

"Yes, if you really can manage it out, do that now. I am thinking that there is a connection with the reason of my daughter's committing suicide and my wife's becoming mad."

"Your wife was mentally shocked on seeing your daughter committing suicide like that. It led to her present madness. There is no link I think between the reason for your daughter's committing suicide and your wife's madness."

"I don't want to argue more. But I want to know the truth."

"Alright then. I will let you know the truth." Smaran said.

"But when? I don't want delay any more. Already a lot of time has passed."

"But still there is time as per our agreement." Smaran reminded to him.

"May be there is. I don't know. But... if possible....." Ranganath mumbled.

"Its possible." Smaran said with such firmness in his voice and Ranganath immediately looked into his face. "I let you know the truth day after tomorrow itself."

"It would be so good then." Ranganath excitingly said. "But how you are going to let me know the truth?"

"I let you know the truth through your wife herself."

"What do you mean? I just cannot understand what you are saying?" on hearing that Ranganath startled and said

"I am saying what I mean." The same firmness was in his voice. "I let you know the truth through your wife. Because your wife knows the truth."

"What the hell you are talking about? Still I cannot understand at all."Ranganath angrily said.

"Your wife pretty well knows why your daughter committed suicide."

"Look" Ranganath got off from the chair and thumped the table in between them with his hands. "There is no problem if you cannot manage the truth forever. But don't say disturbing things like these. Because of the shock she received finding her daughter died so, my wife became mad. How can my wife know the reason that compelled my daughter to commit suicide?"

"I cannot argue with you on this more sir. But I can manage the truth out from your wife if you give the permission to me."

"For what I have to give the permission to you?' Ranganath was still in quite irritating mood.

"To hypnotize your wife to a deeper level. To make her to tell the truth."

Ranganath hissed out heavily. He was blazing with anger.

Smaran also stood up from the chair and put his right hand on the left shoulder of Ranganath and looked into his face.

"I know how you are feeling about this. It is indeed hard. But it is true that your wife knows the truth pretty well. At the same time...." Smaran paused for a moment and then said. "...........this truth is not going to be pleasant at all. Even to the least."

"So, you have come to know the truth already, are not you?" Ranganath calmed himself and said. "Why don't you tell me that straight?"

"No, I don't know the truth yet." Smaran nodded his head in negation. "But I can say that your wife hundred percent knows the truth. If you give me the permission, I sure get the truth out by hypnotizing her."

"Menaka is already hypnotizing her everyday. What is there to take my permission particularly in this?"

"No. We have to take her into deeper hypnosis and make her tell us the bitter truth. We have to take permission of yours before venturing ourselves to this experiment. Unless you permit us, we cannot proceed further."

"Alright, when you are going to do it?"

"Tomorrow itself." Saying so Smaran looked at Menaka who sat there all the time without talking anything at all. "I think the old woman is being hypnotized so easily by you everyday?'

"You are right." Menaka nodded her head.

"Then tomorrow also you put her under hypnosis. Tell her when she is under hypnosis that she would listen to a male voice and obey it. Then I would interfere and get the truth out from her."

"Is it is that easy?" Menaka frowned.

"If everything goes as I am thinking it is that much easy." Smaran said and slumped himself in his chair again. Ranganath also followed the suit.

"You also must be there on tomorrow. We both do enter into the scene only after Nirmala is put under hypnosis."

"As you say. I cannot understand anything at all." Ranganath was still under confusion.

"Don't feel too much confusion." Smaran said. "I am going to get the truth out on tomorrow for you."

***

"Ranga dear."

Hearing his wife's voice like that Ranganath startled. It was after a very long time she called him so.

"Tell. What is the matter?" looking into the eyes of his wife Ranganath asked. There was sorrow in those eyes with unfathomable depths. Ranganath always thought ever he could understand his wife full.

"Can we talk for sometime?" there was pleading in her voice.

"Sure. Why not? Come we do sit in the sofa there and talk?" he put his hand around her shoulder and slowly led her to the sofa. First he made her sit in the sofa and then he placed himself gently beside her. There was change in his wife which he could not understand. Is she coming out of her madness and realizing the truth?' he wondered.

"What you really want to talk?" looking into the eyes of his wife again Ranganath asked her.

"A lot. A lot in fact." Nirmala mumbled.

"You need not hesitate for anything. Just ask whatever you want." In a smooth tone Ranganath said to her.

"Why do people feel fear to death?" she asked him straight.

"What?" he startled again. Why she had asked such a question? What she really wanted to know.

"Yes. Why all feel fear to death?" she asked him again.

"Why do you want to ask me this question?" without showing his surprise out he asked her.

"First let me know. Why people feel fear to death?" she was persistent.

"I don't know. I cannot answer this question." With a helpless expression feeling fear inside, Ranganagh said.

"Do you feel fear to death?" she asked him.

He breathed deeply and hissed out wearily. "No, I don't feel fear to death."

"I too don't feel fear to death." Nirmala said. "As long as you are alive to look after the welfare of our child."

"What do you mean?" Ranganath shocked again. 'Does she still believe in full that Nirupama is alive? Did not she come out of her illusions yet?' he wondered.

"Yes. Nirupama loves you more than she loves me. She does not need me if you are with her."

"What type of talking this is? Our daughter wants you and me also. Both parents are important and necessary to any child." Ranganath said feeling a strange fear in himself.

"No our daughter is special Ranga. She can manage herself with a single parent. Especially if it is you, there is no problem at all."

"Will you stop this nonsense? I don't want to hear this type of talking anymore." Ranganath angrily said

Nirmala remained silent for sometime. "How much love you are having on me?" she suddenly asked.

"A lot and lot and lot. Do you need to ask? Don't you know?"

Nirmala looked into his face and smiled. "I know Ranga dear, I know how much you do love me. You do love me now as much as you have loved me on the first day of our marriage."

"Why you are talking like this now? Take rest. Don't worry for anything at all." Once again putting his hand around her shoulders Ranganath said.

"Who said I am worrying now? I am not worrying at all. I am so happy. If Niru comes to home in one or two days, I do feel even more happy."

(..........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