Life`s Mysteries Part 2 - Charu`s Mystified Mind

Why did she call me SHERRY? Charu wondered. What's MY real name? She had more questions than answers in her mind. She ran out of the house and immediately searched for the woman she had seen – SHERYL VERGHESE. She knew that that lady had already died long ago. After all, the grave said it all. Could the maid be lying? And why the hell did Martha shriek hysterically? Well, being the spitting image of that woman could seriously make people faint! Charu plugged in her headphones and searched for a detailed video explaining the history of Mount Verghese, but there were none. She knew that that woman was dead, long dead. There was no chance Google had the answer, because unless Sheryl`s husband was a famous revered celeb or something, he wouldn't be known. She gave up searching and instead called up Vincent uncle. If he knew the history, he could help her solve the mystery! Suddenly, her grandmother called to her in a frail voice. As she came into the room, her gram wept until her crystal tears were dry.

Then, she explained to Charu, "My dear grand-daughter, soon I am going to leave you, leave everyone, your dad, your family, everyone! So listen to my words carefully. I know you have found a book. I know who Sheryl is. In fact, Sheryl`s husband is my uncle! I can tell you all, only if you promise to stay here, at Fort Kochi, until your death. Please, promise me.", she pleaded. Charu thought about this. She hated this horrendous place. She DESPISED it! But she needed to uncover the mystery. The mystery of Sheryl Verghese. Now, Sherlock Homes was Charu`s idol. His ways of solving cases, she loved. So she had to follow his lead. Eliminate the impossible. Research what remains. If she was lucky and had a sense, she could solve it. She told her grandmother that she accepted that and promised to stay there forever. Suddenly, Charu had an idea. Using her GPS, she tracked down the Mall which was originally Mount Verghese. Then she clicked on a link and checked the history of the renowned place. She was right! Antonio, Sheryl`s spouse, had been holding a vintage sword. It had golden and black marking on it, the same one`s on Grandma`s secret trunk. Her grandmother had told her earlier in the afternoon that the trunk belonged to Antonio. Charu remembered the times when her mother used to feed her, while telling her about her family, "My Charu, you know that we have several people in our family.

My mother's uncle, my grandfather, was a grand and distinguished man. He was also very prosperous and wealthy. His name was Antonio." BANG, THAT`S IT!, thought Charu. I am the mirror image of my great-grandmother, Sheryl Verghese! She was ecstatic. So that why that woman was acting like she knew me for years, she thought. But Charu still didn`t know – was Sheryl dead or alive? If she was alive, why was there a grave with her name on it? If dead, how could she say and recognize Charu, being lifeless? It was time to ask her know-it-all grandmother. She ran down the hallway to her loving grandma and hugged her. Charu was determined to make her happy, help her relive those sweet moments, and live. She held her soft, wrinkled hand, and told the helping hand, a nurse, "You can go now, miss." The nurse nodded and left the room for the hospital. Gran said, "C-Charu! What are y-you doing here, d-dear?", she couldn`t speak properly and was stammering, being in terrible condition.

Charu grinned and sat down on the leather seat, "I am here to ask you something, Grandma. Remember when mom used to tell me that your uncle, my great-grandfather? I want to know, is Sheryl still alive? Your name is Edith, right? So like, we are Christians? All of us? Please tell me, grandma. How the heck did Sheryl die? "Charu knew she was a mess. She had asked her grandmother some rubbish which her gram wouldn`t know. But she so desperately wanted those answers that. . . that she was going crazy for them! Her grandmother said in a funky tone, "Hey, slow your roll, sweetie. First, no. Sheryl is so not alive. Hey, I am 78 years old and she is 20 years older to me. You think she can be alive? She died a decade ago, honey. And well, if you want to know those answers, better follow me." She tried to get up but she was stuck to a machine. "Shit! It's just a stupid disease, people. What`s up with THESE?" Charu giggled. Her 78 yrs old grandmother talked like a teenager, not an oldie. Charu called up the nearest hospital and requested for a nurse. When she arrived, Charu asked her to remove the machines, to which the nurse shyly said, "I am afraid it`s a no, ma`am. I don`t have expertise in this subject. I am sorry." Thankfully, the hospital`s head nurse helped and soon grandma was walking, but with difficulty.

Charu thanked the hospital staff and followed grandma, who led her to a small space in the attic. She whipped out an iron key, which had tiny slivers of gold on it, and shoved it into the lock. It opened with an eerie "click". Charu gazed around the tiny room, which had a beautiful carving of flamingos and tigers. Grandma pointed to the trunk, "Well, there it is. I guess you`ll find your answers in it, sweetheart." Handing her a silver key, she turned to leave, but suddenly yelled, "Charu, hel-Ahhhhhhhhh!!!" And suddenly her spirit vanished, leaving behind some dust. Charu was mystified. Suddenly, realizing the gravity of the situation, she shouted in fear, "GRANDMA!!! GRANDMA! WHERE ARE YOU? GRANDMA!" After shouting this continuously for 2-3 minutes, she gave up and opened the door to go to her room. She was scared. How she wished her loving sister, 14 yrs old Zara, was there to give her a shoulder to cry on. She had no idea where she was. She went insane and started weeping like there was nothing left and everyone was dead. Then . . .

To be continued . . .