Once Upon A Time In Madikeri

Kushal and Meghana chalked out a plan for a Madikeri trip in the monsoon season. Their cute little daughter Aradhya 

was pretty much excited ever since she knew the trip schedule. The dynamic trio boarded a travels bus and reached Madikeri bus station in the wee hours on Sunday morning. The trembling cold clung to their body trying to rip their bones apart. Despite protection via warm clothes, they felt it difficult to deal with the morning cold weather that conspired to shake the place with its power. Sun had hidden beneath the cloaks of colossal clouds. Kushal hired an auto that securely transported them to their booked homestay. Meghana pushed open the door after unlocking and they strode in. As soon as they flicked on the switch, the entire hall bathed in light. It had been accustomed to darkness for a year as tourists refused their urge to visit the place owing to the covid pandemic. With lockdown restrictions lifted, tourist lovers thronged to their favourite places as if they had been musing over it for a long time.

The trio quickly got themselves ready and hired a taxi for sightseeing purposes. The temperature increased a bit compared to the early morning much to the relief of the tourist lovers. Kushal had donned blue jeans and a yellow t-shirt. Meghana wore a sleeveless black t-shirt complemented by blue jeans. Aradhya looked gorgeous with a pink frock. They climbed into the taxi to visit as many places as possible for the day. Since the car moved, rain drizzles peppered over the roof of the car as if they were assigned the task of cleaning the car. The little girl complained to her mother as she was unable to view outside sight through the window owing to rain. Kushal diverted her attention by placing a mobile phone in her hand which played rhymes. They had darshan of Omkareshawar and Anjaneya God amidst slight drizzles. They captured some amazing pics so that they could get nostalgic about the place in the future. Upon arriving, the taxi driver was missing. They scanned around and a new taxi driver welcomed them with a smile. The taxi was the same but the driver was different. They were pretty confused as to why the driver got changed but refused to spend time on their confusion as they had planned to visit many places for the day.

The next place which welcomed them with open arms was Abbey falls. The mesmerizing scenery manufactured high voltage smiles on their faces. The falling sound of water echoed around and the droplets of water kissing them rendered goosebumps. Aradhya was so immersed and tempted by the beauty offered by Abbey falls she refused to leave. The couple had to dig deep and finally come up with a plan to coax her into believing that they would come back again the next day. Eventually, the little girl gave in. They slipped back to the taxi and this time the rain God refused to budge and he unleashed heavily on Madikeri. The taxi driver now relied on windscreen wipers to get visibility into the road. As the taxi accelerated its way through the road, suddenly the unthinkable materialized. The ominous landslide yet again attacked Madikeri. Unfortunately, the debris falling at bullet speed swept the taxi deep down into the forest area. Kushal, Aradhya and the driver were dead on spot. They had no chance against the raging landslide. Luckily or unluckily Meghana survived the catastrophe. She was the sole survivor among hundreds of people who got swept by the dangerous landslide. She crawled her way out of the car only to see the motionless dead bodies engulf her with scare. She screamed unable to come to terms with the death of her husband and daughter. She had never even in her dreams predicted this destruction on a large scale. Tragedy had indeed befallen her. Tears threatened to bathe her in dread as she had to now accept the fearful and painful reality.

The first taxi driver who was missing before turned up all of a sudden. He promised Meghana that her husband and daughter were safe and they hadn't been the victims of perilous landslides. With an onslaught of thoughts exploding in her mind, she followed the driver. The driver took her to the homestay and disappeared out of her sight. She rang the bell of the room with her heartbeats going berserk. Can you believe it? Her husband Kushal opened the door. She jerked back the moment she saw her husband. Her daughter Aradhya was dancing to the rhymes played on her mobile phone. Everything looked surreal. 

"Didn't you die?" she asked.

"Are you planning to kill me? " Kushal raised his voice.

"I saw you being swept away by the landslides. How did you survive? How come you appear here?" she asked in distress.

Her husband broke into laughter as if he had the answer to her question.

"It's my master plan to make you insane, " he said. "It is just a first dose, my dear wife. I will trick your mind again and again until you turn insane permanently." 

His wicked laughter pierced her heart. She trusted her husband immensely and the latter is planning to turn her insane.

"I am your wife. Why are you playing such tricks with me?" she cried

"Oh, my dear! This is just the beginning. You are already showing signs of insanity. I believe it wouldn't take much time for me to put you into NIMHANS."

"Please have some mercy on me. Look at my daughter. At least for her sake, can't you revoke your wicked plan?"

Kushal continued to laugh like a ghost penetrating doses of pain and dread through his wife's body.

"Rest in peace," he widened his eyes and swallowed her in one gulp.

Meghana jerked as she got jolted out of her sleep. She darted her eyes to the side at her husband who looked innocent with his eyes closed. How can this innocent man be such a monster capable of swallowing her? Her daughter had fallen into a deep sleep. She pinched herself to verify the place and to come to grips with the reality. She wasn't in Madikeri either. She heaved a sigh of relief. She folded her hands and recited the Durga mantra and slipped back to sleep.