I am Sheryl Varghese

With all questions rumbling inside her brain , Charu reached home. She went to see her grandmother. Her nurse was adjusting her intravenous saline drip while grandma was asleep. 

Something unusual happened to Charu.

" How are you Sheryl? " A voice echoed. Charu's mouth opened in a silent scream as she gasped for air.

"Who is this?" Her voice trembled. But no one answered.

"Am I hallucinating?" She thought. Charu felt wrapped in an unknown parallel world.

" Madam are you ok? " Grandma's nurse asked Charu. Charu jerked as she heard the voice. She was in the darkness of her oblivion.

"I wish to have a word in private with my grandmother. " Charu said to the nurse after regaining her consciousness.

As the nurse left the room silently, Charu collapsed on the chair. She held her grandmother's hand. Her hand was full with needles pricked inside her vein. This was the first time Charu felt close to her Grandma. She looked at her wrinkled face. She got a vague sensation that her grandma lured her to Kochi.

" I have a hunch that you want to tell me something. Speak up my dear grandma. What is it? The suspense is killing me. " Charu said. She was completely saturated with her emotions.

But her grandma was still sleeping. Dejected, Charu put her head down near her grandmother's hand. Tears started flowing from her eyes. Certainly, the phenomena of Sheryl Varghese was lethal. Charu felt the movements of her grandmother's hand. Her grandmother opened her eyes and lovingly ran her needle pricked hands over Charu's head.

" I am Sheryl Varghese. " Charu's grandma said with a shaky voice.

"What ??????????? Your name is Sudha." Charu yelled as she jerked her head back. A cold chill went through her.

" BUT MY MATERNAL NAME IS SHERYL VARGHESE. I AM SHERYL VARGHESE. " Her grandmother said again.

"But these vague voices which haunt my ears say that I am Sheryl Varghese. " Charu said and pressed her lips flat.

"I am going to die dear Charu. God has been very kind to me. I got some magnetic power from the divine. I used that power to call you. Charu I called you for a purpose. "

"What purpose? "Charu asked still shocked with what she was hearing.

"I am running out of time. But Uncle Vincent can answer all your questions." Her grandmother said.

"But Uncle Vincent is in Egypt. "

"No. He is........" Her grandma couldn't finish the sentence as she took her last breath.

Charu closed her grandmother's eyes and started crying profusely.

At the funeral, Charu waited for Uncle Vincent to come. But he didn't turn up.

Charu decided to ask her father. Mr. Mani Oomen was sitting in his study room. He was looking as pleasant as ever.

" Daddy can I come in?" Charu ask politely.

"Yes dear. What's the matter? Unable to sleep because of your Grandma's sad demise?" Mr. Mani Oomen asked with caring tone.

"You are kind man. Grandma was your mother in law. Still you took care of her." Charu said.

"It was my duty , dear. Your mother was detected cancer immediately after your birth. She needed care and attention. So your grandma decided to take her to her maternal home. I was left with a cute baby Charu in my arms. Unfortunately, your mother expired when you were a school kid. I felt devastated. You were still a child. So I decided to put you in Hostel. I am a bad father."

"No daddy you are the best. I don't remember my mom. I don't have her memories as we didn't have dwelling together. Do you have her photograph?" Charu asked her father curiously.

"Yes. I have her photograph." Mr. Mani went towards his chestnut cupboard. He came with some photos.

"Here look. She is your mom." He said as he handed some photos to Charu. Her jaws dropped down and her whole body started shivering. Her mother looked same as Sheryl Varghese. She too was a dead ringer of Sheryl Varghese.

"Doesn't she has striking resemblance with you?" Her father asked casually.

But it was not so easy-going for Charu. The mystery was gripping her and solving it seemed impossible .

"Who is the real Sheryl Varghese? Me , my mom or my grandmother?" She murmured.

"Daddy you really don't know who's Sheryl Varghese? "Charu asked .

"No dear. " Her father replied.

"And Hotel Mount Varghese?

"No."

"City mall?"

"Yes I know city mall." Her father replied.

"Daddy why didn't Uncle Vincent come for the funeral?"

"No idea child. " He said and kissed her goodnight.

Charu went in her bedroom still aghast with the episode. The voices that echoed inside her ears imposing that she was Sheryl Varghese stopped suddenly.

"Probably grandmother's magnetic power got buried with her. " Charu wondered. She took a cigar and started puffing it inordinately.

As the smoke engulfed the ambience, something striked Charu.

"Yes Uncle Vincent. I should know his whereabouts. Granny was so sure he is not in Egypt." She said to herself as she gave an impatient snort.

It was a sleepless night for Charu. As the clock struck six she rushed through her morning chores and reached Uncle Vincent's home. Just as last time, Ruth opened the main door.

"You have come again." Her asked Charu rudely.

"Yes. Do you know when Uncle Vincent will come from Egypt? " she asked Ruth.

" We have mentioned this earlier. We don't know anything about Uncle Vincent." He replied blankly.

"You are caretakers, Right?" Charu said raising her tone a bit.

"Yes . " Ruth replied.

"I must say you lack in good manners . This is not the way you speak with your Master's guests." Charu's voice raised more and she reddened with anger.

Ruth's face paled and he started biting his nails.

"Who is it? " Martha asked from kitchen.

"No one Mom." Ruth replied.

"What ????? How dare you? Why are you avoiding me?" Charu shouted at the top of her voice.

Martha rushed out of the kitchen and saw Charu standing at the door. The sight of Charu chilled her blood.

Martha screamed. "No......." as her horror - struck eyes stared at Charu.

"SHERRY....No it's impossible. This can't happen. " She stammered as she spoke. Martha panicked as though she had seen a ghost.

"Whats impossible Martha. Tell me. " Charu started moving towards Martha.

"Don't come near me. I swear...... Ruth help me. Please Ruth. Help. Help." Martha cried. She fainted the next moment.

Ruth ran towards his mom.

"Why do you always scare my mom?" Ruth asked Charu as he picked his mom.

"I am thinking in the same line. " Charu looked at Martha's face. She was gaining her consciousness.

"My name is Charu. Then why does she call me Sherry?" Charu asked Ruth. The drama at Uncle Vincent's home perplexed her.

"We have no answers for any of your questions. Kindly leave us alone." Ruth said as he gave his mother a glass of water.

Baffled, Charu left Uncle Vincent's home.

"Why are these servants acting weird? Strange. " Charu thought. Her mind was going berserk.

It started raining heavily. The gigantic thunders cracked and pierced Charu's ears violently.

Charu was so engrossed in her thoughts that she didn't realize that she was completely wet. She got in her car and started driving. After few minutes, Charu got a sneaking suspicion that someone was following her.

"Yes. That black color Omni car is following me. " She said and raced her car.

She started driving recklessly. She was turning the steering wheel thoughtlessly. The speed accelerated and the wipers went swish swash. She just wanted to sneak away from the Omni car. But that seemed impossible. The Omni car was professionally following her. She heard the screeching noise of her brakes. Charu's car stopped at the gate of the museum.

" Holy crap. I have reached the museum again." She said as drops of perspiration flowed across her face.

A stranger got out of the Omni car. He was wearing a black raincoat. Charu noticed that he was walking towards her. She decided to face him fearlessly.

"Probably he has keys to my mystery box of questions." She said to herself. She bravely came out of the car ready to face the danger ahead. The stranger came near her and handed a letter to her.

"This letter is from Uncle Vincent. " He said. Before Charu realized he vanished in the thick drops of rain.

Quickly, Charu got inside her car and opened the letter. She was actually shivering top to bottom.

The letter read as:

Dear Charu,

Don't try to find me because it's a dangerous game. My sister Sheryl Varghese is no more. What a magnetic personality she was!! But her vengeance is pending and you have to counter-strike . She desperately wished that you should punish the wrongdoer. The offenders for her life. Anthony Delsworth and Martha.

My sister (means your grandmother ) and Anthony Delsworth were married. But Anthony was having a secret affair with Martha . Anthony always ridiculed her wishes. Anthony felt Sheryl lived in her own fantasy world. He got irritated with her absurd wish of naming a mountain as Mount Varghese.

My sister was a fine lady but Anthony didn't like her. Still he continued his married life as he had a vested interest. My sister had inherited lots of property. You know we come from a family where the daughters inherit everything.

Sheryl got furious when she discovered the illicit affair of Anthony and Martha. She decided to keep the ownership of her inherited property. Her decision shattered the wicked dreams of Anthony and Martha. They decided to kill Sheryl. They slashed her body with the sword and put her in a car without brakes.

Miraculously, she survived. With great hardship she located me. We shifted secretly to Coimbatore. She decided to bury her horrifying past and embrace a beautiful future. In Coimbatore, she met your grandfather and fell in love. Your grandpa was a nice man. She was very happy with him. Then your mother came in their life. They enjoyed their blissful married life.

Howsoever , Sheryl tried to bury her past, the bruises haunted her. She confided her feelings to me after your mother's death. The death of your mother gave Sheryl some enigmatic powers. With the help of those powers, Sheryl pulled you to Kochi. Mr. Mani (your father) is a nice man. He doesn't know the buried secrets of your grandmother.

Ruth is the son of Martha and Anthony. Punish the wrongdoers. Give justice to your grandmother. I am fragile and old. My life is in danger so I can't come in public.

Maybe my letter will help you and untangle few questions.

Yours ,

Uncle Vincent..

A wave of helpless anger surrounded her. Charu's mind started questioning her again.

Why is Martha and Ruth the caretakers of Uncle Vincent? Why is Uncle Vincent's life in danger? Is Anthony Delsworth still alive? But , I still feel I am Sheryl Varghese.

Charu's mind was tore apart between the world of reality and world of illusion.

"You are at wrong place, Sheryl Varghese. Revolving around Hotel AB." A voice said. Some supernatural power pulled her hands towards the north direction.

"Your answers are hidden inside the City Mall. Do you believe in the daughter universe notion? " The same mysterious voice said.

The omnipresent threat of the parallel world continued to haunt Charu....