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

"Yes. I am the librarian here. My name is Sudarshan." When Smaran introduced himself and said the purpose why he came there, Sudarshan said.

"Now a day very few people are interested in reading paper backs and hard covers. She too interested in studying e-books in her smart phone. But she preferred mostly to read hard covers and paperbacks especially in this library. Sometimes we both used to talk also." He further said

"Was she used to talk with you? Did you know much about her?"

"We were friendly. She used to treat me like her brother, I know her and her family also. We sometimes talked matters related to our families also. But I cannot say I know much about her. I can say one thing. She is very interesting, intelligent and clever."

Smaran hissed heavily. "So it can be said that she did not share anything with you that made her suffer that much."

"No." Sudarshan nodded his head. "She did not. But if she did not share that even with her parents and close friends also, there was no chance that she could share that with me."

Smaran nodded his head.

"I really pity her parents. Why did not she atleast think about them?" he nodded his head helplessly.

"That is what many of us cannot understand." Smaran hissed out heavily. "What type of books she was interested in reading?"

"Mostly books related to psychology. No surprise that she was interested in reading those books as she was studying post graduation with psychology."

"Are people still interested in reading hard covers and paperbacks? Even after having the facility to read all these books in tablets, smart-phones,"

"Reading habit of hard covers and paperback reduced a lot." Sudarshan said. "But government is adamant in running libraries offering hard covers and paper backs in some places. In fact this is something very good government is doing."

Smaran nodded his head. He went along the book cases and observed some of them. Not very much useful information. But he was not disappointed. He was accustomed to this type of trying. The main quality a detective must possess was patience. He has to search everything, try everything even however hopeless it might appear.

"Thank you very much for your cooperation. Please call me if you come to know anything important." Making himself ready to move away from there Smaran said. He gave his visiting card to Sudarshan.

"Alright. Sure." Sudarshan said.

***

"These are her smart-phone and laptop. I searched them thorough. Nothing could be found. She has one gmail account, one facebook account, one twitter account and one LinkedIn profile. She used the same password for all these accounts and her father gave them to me. I have gone through thoroughly all these. Nothing, nothing important is known." Menaka said. "Prior to me Sukanya also did the same with the same result. Her father said to me."

"Did she maintain strong relations with anyone in those social accounts?"

"No." Menaka nodded her head in negation. "Moreover she is not a regular user of these accounts. Only occasional posts and tweets. Those too maximum related to her psychological studies."

"Alright then." Smaran nodded his head. "Good. You have made thorough search of everything."

"But so far found out nothing." She irritatingly said. "That Nirupama is appearing very secretive type."

"Don't get upset. Be patient. Go on like this. Don't become depressing and be optimistic. This is the main quality a detective should have."

"But I don't want to become a detective. I am just helping you. I said it many times to you"

Smaran patted on Menaka's cheek. "Still patience is the best virtue. Even you don't want to become a detective, you have got loads of patience. I like it."

Menaka smiled. "I go to my usual place again. The most ironical thing is....." she paused for a moment and then said. "That Ranganath and Nirmala are loving me a lot. They are looking their daughter in me."

"That is troubling you. You are feeling guilty." Smaran smiled.

"You are right." Menaka too smiled.

"I can understand your problem. But.... Just try to tolerate all this. I do try to finish it as soon as possible."

Menaka nodded her head. "I am going now." She said and left that place.

***

"My daughter always helps me in the kitchen. Why don't you come into the kitchen and help me in preparing the dishes?" Nirmala asked Menaka.

Menaka laughed. "I am just waiting for this. Sure I do help you."

"Does Nirupama like to work in kitchen?" it was difficult to Menaka to use present tense with respect to Nirupama. But as Nirmala was thinking that Nirupama was still alive she forced herself to talk like that.

"Yes, she liked working in kitchen. She is even more interested in preparing new dishes." Nirmala said.

"Are you interested in preparing dishes, working in the kitchen?" Nirmala asked after a pause.

"Not much." Menaka said. "I don't dislike kitchen experience but not very much interested either. The main reason for it....."Menaka mopped her forehead with the back of her right hand "My mother does all the kitchen work herself. Not often she gives me the opportunity to work in the kitchen."

"I cannot say whether you are lucky or unlucky." Nirmala said. "As a girl you must know all kitchen work very well. But you are quite fortunate that you have got a mother who would not bother you to do work."

"You are right. I like my mother a lot." Menaka said.

"All girls like their mother a lot just like my Nirupama does."

Menaka's heart once again became heavier.

"Do you know what my daughter likes a lot than anything else?" Nirmala suddenly asked her.

"What that is?"Menaka stood behind Nirmala while she was busy in preparing dishes in the kitchen. Menaka did not know what to do.

"Hypnotizing me. She always likes hypnotizing me. I really liked being hypnotized by her."

Menaka laughed. "I too know hypnotizing. If you want I sure can hypnotize you."

"Really! Then once we have finished with our work here, you are going to hypnotize me into sleep." Nirmala said.

"I love it" Menaka said.

With difficulty Menaka managed to help Nirmala in cutting vegetables and other simple works in the kitchen. Menaka found out that Nirmala was very much skilled in preparing dishes. In half an hour or so, the cooking work was completed.

By then Nirmala was exhausted and went onto the sofa and laid herself on it and without any necessity of hypnotizing she fall asleep.

Menaka smiled and went upstairs.

***

Menaka stood in front of their house and a boy in the opposite house was looking at her strangely. He might be aged fifteen or so and Menka felt that he wanted to speak something. She beckoned to him to come to her.

"Why are you looking at me so?" she asked him straight suppressing a smile.

"Why are you in this house? Are you a relative to these people?" instead of answering her question he asked her.

"Yes, I am" Menaka nodded her head.

"Then why did not I see you ever before in this house?"

"I am living in a very faraway place. So I could not come here for all these days." Looking into his face straight Menaka said.

"Do you know Nirupama well?" he asked her.

"Yes, I know Nirupama well." Menaka knitted her brows. What this boy wanted to say after all?

His face grimaced. "I still cannot understand why she committed suiside." He said.

"None of us could understand." Menaka said. "Do you know Nirupama well?"

"Yes. She is very intelligent. She used to help me in my maths and other subjects." He said "It is indeed a big loss that she died like that."

"Will you come into my home? We talk in our home. I am feeling like talking with Nirupama while talking with you." That boy said again.

"Sure, why not?" then they both went into the house of that boy.

"Sit. My parents went out. They don't come back until one hour or so."

Menaka nodded her head and slumped herself in the chair there. That boy dragged a stool near to the chair and sat on that.

"What is your name?" looking at him interestingly Menaka asked him.

"Nagesh" he said. "But my pet name is Bittoo. I am having a feeling looking at you that I am looking at Nirupama. She was like my own sister. My parents also loved her a lot."

"Many people loved her a lot." Her heart cringed on hearing that. "I don't know if you want to say anything to me or not but I want to say something to you."

"What it is?" there was surprise in his eyes.

Then Menaka explained to him why she was there.

"Is it is so? Ranganath uncle really wants to know why she has committed suicide?" He knitted his brows together.

"Yes. To assist my uncle in his assignment I am staying here." Menaka said. "So far I have not got much success in this."

He remained silent. It appeared that the whole thing was still unbelievable to him.

"If you can say anything unusual in her before she committed suicide, you are welcome. I am here to hear that."

He closed his eyes for some seconds and then opened them. "I don't know whether it is significant or not. But it happened seven months or so back. That means fifteen days or so before she committed suicide."

"Go on. I decide whether it is significant or not." Suddenly interest picked up in Menaka.

"She came home on that day at eleven a.m. or so. I sat just here. I was suffering from fever so I took leave on that day. I was doing some maths anyhow. She greeted me jovially and went inside. Half an hour or so passed. She came out." He stopped for a moment.

"Tell me. What happened then?"

"She was so different. I called her. I wanted to get cleared some of my maths doubts by her. But she did not look at me at all. She walked so fast and went away. I never have seen her walked fast like that."

"I see." Menaka nodded her head. "When she returned to her home then?'

"I don't know. After half an hour or so I went inside. I did not think about that much but it appeared a little odd then. Nirupama never behaved in such a way before."

"Have you talked with her after that day and before she committed suicide?"

"I think two or three times." He knitted his brows and said.

"Have you found any difference in her then?"

"No. I could not see any difference."

"Did you ask her why she has gone like that on that day?"

"No I did not ask her about that. Even it appeared a little odd I have forgotten about that day until you asked."

Menaka nodded her head again. "Did you look into her face while she was going like that?"

""I think I did." He said with a small voice. "Her face was cloudy. I cannot say for sure but she might be weeping. I am not sure but I have seen tears flowing down. Completely distraught! I thought about that a lot on that day but I have forgotten everything from the next moment I found her in her usual way. She solved my maths doubts and talked with me cheerfully without any difference from the next day itself. It may be surprising but I did not remember about that until you ask now."

(..........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.)

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