Anju prasad

Abstract Horror Inspirational

3  

Anju prasad

Abstract Horror Inspirational

Midsummer Holiday

Midsummer Holiday

9 mins
163


It was the beginning of summer holidays. The paddy field extended through large acres of land. There was water running through channels in between and red and white water lillies bloomed in it.

They remain closed off in day time and bloom at night.

The man carrying her bags told "Shreya kutty, it's is getting late never knew you would arrive this late. ..it is not good to cross the kavu and reach the tharavadu, ancestral home at odd times."


She laughed and asked "uncle do you believe in all this these days too?"She could feel the fear of old man in his voice 

"Kutty, "he told "there are things science can't explain and such phenomenon are better laid off like that " .She said "okay okay train was late uncle. "

She was walking , trying to be steady on the slender clay built paths in the field and her anklets made a particular noise. 

"You are like that from childhood stubborn". The old man said. "No body is there in that home since years and your Great maternal uncle never wanted it open, it is your share so he keeps silence. "

"Good for him". Shreya told bit displeased she inherited that property from her mother's side.


"I have arranged an old woman she helps in the temple near by 

She may come at night and bring food too. You just need to not wander around the house and be safe" old man told.

Shreya showed a way like she is hearing it, a mannerism old servants shows to master.

She was a woman with innocence of a child, she smiled and laughed and played. Shreya was like an ocean many of her friends would say so bubbly, wave forms are out side inside is deep silence, mysteries and pain, pain atleast some know from the repercussions of failures in life when she was a capable woman.


Shreya never was like this, now it is trauma induced stress that is eating her.

She wrote to her friend Sindhu

"Siddharth is in to another affair. "

"Sindhu asked her in message didn't you both break up four years back ".


Shreya wrote, it is a disease him and his presence, it relapses and remission too happens. .it never ends. I am not able to stop that one individual from hurting me time after time. ..I need to get it off and this time my vacation I did not tell him, I want to be away.


A thirty year old abusive relationship with an opportunistic individual who never lived his life nor let many others live their own including her was a matter of guilt and shame. She thought, but where is my relationship with him, Me and him don't exist for society, he made her a shadow, not even available to her family and even a normal life.

"Shreyakutty we reached ".

The man's voice woke her from thoughts. 

She asked him" did we cross the kavu the dense forest of tropical climbers, where people say a woman lives on the big tree. .

Where she hanged herself ?"


He said "oh yes, you were in to your self and I did not want to scare you, but kutty you were never scared of 

that place, you played there talking to some one and people thought many things those days. "


"Uncle Nangeli won't trouble me she told 

"Oh yes he told. .that's what you always said..you don't know the stories, she has taken many lives."

Shreya asked "don't we want to take life of some one who puts his hand on our modesty, our chastity?" and she added", a woman's body is her property no body has the right to invade and conquer it. ..like a commodity ".


Old man said keeping her bags inside the inner courtyard,

"You did not change a bit "

"Do you see Ghosts in America too he asked.

Uncle I am one. .she told and they both laughed

Old man took the 1000 rupees she gave and told, "I have made the workers clean the place, the roof leaked at places it is rectified yet be careful on steps."

It was a huge mansion..

Wait for the old woman, the man lighted lamps while he left and he told her so while climbing down the stony pavement.

Shreya sat on the swinging bed made of teak. She could feel the fragrance of the soil, holy basil and sandal wood. She thought she would have her bath, but she did not know  when she fell asleep on the swing 

She was remembering, this time she would not allow Siddharth to come back and walk in to her life. She did not want to shoulder the mess he creates nor tidy up the mess he leaves nor wanted the share of unwanted burdens, his confessions and Explanation of his love ordeals.

She did want it to cease, the scandal that killed her soul many times and her inability to leave him on his own.


"Hey kutty. "..she got up hearing a voice , all she thought was, I have heard this voice before..

She looked at the lady before, she had a lunch carrier and a plantain leaf and another plantain leaf with prasada, the Offering from temple Shreya could feel an intoxicating familiar fragrance near her.

The fragrance of the flower that blooms and intoxicate of the giant tree near the lake side of the kavu.

"Are you the woman uncle Ravi told 

Amma ?" she asked the woman 

Yes, woman smiled and said.

"Come here kutty let me give you a hugg, it is fourty years and more I saw you. .."

Shreya smiled and remembered her grandmother and ran in to her arms 

She did not know why she felt a sigh of pain caught up in her throat came out and she cried.

Woman told her" it is okay, it is okay don't think of past kutty. .live here in this moment and be happy. "


"How is Shekar and your daughter kutty ?" woman asked 

"Fine they are fine. .."Shreya told freeing herself.

The old woman was so beautiful, beautiful for her age and the kind of aura she had was so pleasant and striking.

"Shreya kutty, sit there let me put some oil on your head, have a bath it is not too late for that then you can have dinner, you look like a mess. "woman told her 

"Have I seen you before. ..?"

She asked the woman, woman asked "don't you remember,  did you lose the amulet I gave you. "

"No Shreya showed the black thread on her neck, never !...and paused.

"I told grandmother you lived near the kavu, she told just temple of yakshiyamma exist and nothing. "

"No she was wrong, she was forgetful even those days. .."

Woman replied..

The woman put oil on Shreya s head. ..she told" your rights may be others wrong that's their problem kutty, live your life, exist for what is truth and trust yourself ".

Yes. .Amma Shreya told as in a spell.

Shreya felt like sleeping and that she never required the pills that came as package with Siddharth in to her life, just putting her in illusion of his love. .and destroying everything she tried to achieve 

She bathed in the pond inside home she swam to and forth and old woman sat their looking at her with lamp 


Shreya chanted for a while and did her short meditation.

While She had the dinner, she asked "Amma are you not eating ?"

Woman told ", I had child, From the temple. "

Woman put sandal wood paste on her forehead and some vibuthi on her head and told ", don't you catch any cold. "

Shreya wanted to cry. ..

She never could enjoy a mother's love, She lost her dad when he remarried and had another child.

Shekhar was always a tough guy who never believed woman had no right to joy love and pleasure. Her daughter was her treasure.

Having an affair with a womanizer was never her dream..but Siddharth was her reality she could not push off and run. .run in to the abyss


Shreya asked the woman while they lay on near by beds.

"Do you believe in that woman Nangeli village legends said ?"

"What would you do if someone put hand on your chastity. ..?!"

Woman replied

Shreya looked at her in surprise 

Yet told" kill...them "

Woman told "Nangeli was brave and if a woman is brave enough to protect herself, today and

 yesterday's men could never tolerate it they wanted to tame her to enslave her and objectify her."


Shreya told "yes right from birth. And men do this through women... "do not make a sound when you walk, do not laugh loudly, learn to be a good wife, preparing a girl and breeding and grooming her like a cow to slaughter house. Custom made for men!!"

Old woman. ..laughed and Shreya felt it reverberated in the whole house"If she stand up for her rights then she is bad, bad to everyone and anything 

Nangeli cut the hands that tried take off the clothe off Her chest and molest her, but child that very night after the strike for covering breast. ..women led in those days they raped her infront of her old dad."old woman told in a voice full.of hatred, pain.and anguish "

Both women went in to silence 


"Don't tell me she hanged herself" Shreya told, such a woman won't do that take her life.

"You have fire you, she too had lots of fire in her, now sleep "

Old woman told. ..."you should have your life's control in your hand, don't crave for the love that is not written in your Fate, love yourself, be there for you. ..try to over come and not let someone, any one play with your emotions, if you fall at some ones feet for love, they would never value you and that will be your place for ever, you have to stand up for yourself .you are precious and much more for all this. "

Old woman continued..


"You should go to your uncle tomorrow and see him he is worried for you. you can come back here anytime child "

Shreya told yes. .

"This place , this world is still not safe for any woman not even a six month old."old woman said 

The morning Shreya found the the other bed made and she did not see Old woman, she saw the tea flask on the table and a cup.

She took some tea with cardamom which tasted so good.

Only the intoxicating fragrance of flowers remained 

She heard the old man's sound 

"Shreya kutty "

She came out asking "uncle did the woman leave ?"

"Oh that's what, the old man said. ".I am sorry child the lady I arranged is sick down with fever, I do not know how you managed.."

She stood their frozen..and then she remembered that old song she used to hear sitting under the tree with those flowers. .she tried to Humm it

Shreya kutty. .man repeated" I apologize.."

Shreya while packing her bag to her uncles house, told "it is okay uncle ghosts don't attack ghost "

That was a beautiful holiday for her most memorable one 

She told old man while they reached kavu 

"Such woman don't give up uncle easily. .they don't fail even death won't stop them...".



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