That Eerie Night

Not far away from the beach at Gokarna town was this multi-storeyed cottage designed like a castle. Manickam was tossing and turning in his bed in the room on the top floor with a small balcony facing the Arabian sea. The weather forecast had warned of an impending storm a few days ago. For Manickam there was something more sinister in the making. It was eerie that night in spite of it being a full moon night. The moon was hiding behind the clouds as if he did not want to witness what was going to happen sometime from now. The strong waves were lashing at the rocks. There was an occasional rumbling and streaks of lightning. If you were to look down from the balcony, you could see all rocks extending up to the sea which was perhaps 50 meters away. A fall from the balcony would ensure certain death.

That was how it happened that night, Manickam thought. The last few days the depression was uncontrollable, especially within his mind. He had been on medication for nearly a month and upon doctor’s advice had stopped consuming alcohol. Since the last few days, something was definitely wrong. The apparitions of the man and woman have started coming daily especially in the evenings extending up to late nights. His sleep had gone for a toss. He was now having a double dose of the medication without consulting the doctor.

His thoughts drifted to that eventful night a few months ago. Manickam and his mistress Rajalakshmi had a serious bout of quarrel. The quarrel began soon after the death of Sekharan, Rajalakshmi’s husband. Only they both knew it was a planned murder and well executed. Sekharan was an ailing man in his mid-sixties and he had married Rajalakshmi some twenty years younger so that he could be taken care in his old age with a promise of transfer of property upon his death. Rajalakshmi had been working as a cook and a care taker at Sekharan’s home. Sekharan had taken a liking to her as she did her work quite sincerely. Manickam had joined two years after their marriage so that he could take care of the garden, do the shopping and other odd duties. Manickam was given a small room inside the cottage. To cut a long story short, Manickam and Rajalakshmi had begun an affair. Manickam then suggested the planned murder and the idea came upon him after a story he had read. The plot was simple enough. Upon Sekharan’s murder Rajalakshmi and he would get married and Rajalakshmi would inherit the property. Sekharan succumbed to slow poison as his health gradually deteriorated and the doctor treating him didn’t suspect anything fishy as he was aware of Sekharan’s failing health.

Two days after Sekharan’s death a courier arrived for Rajalakshmi and from that time on-wards she had started behaving strangely. Then the quarrel began. Rajalakshmi had been avoiding responding to both the issue of inheritance and their marriage. Manickam suspected her sudden change in her behaviour was due to the courier she had received. Yet again she refused to disclose anything about the courier too. Then in that fateful night in a drunken brawl, Manickam had pushed her from the balcony to her death. He had managed to convince, Kumari, the maid who was doing a cleaning job at the castle since Sekharan’s death to vouch that she was with him that night as an alibi. He had escaped police enquiry. The case was concluded that it was a suicide on account of depression as traces of alcohol and some drug was found in her blood as well.

Yet again a courier arrived this time for Manickam. He was shocked to tears. The Trust to which Sekharan had willed his property had written to him to say that Manickam could stay on till his death at the cottage and he was being provided a good enough living allowance till his death. The letter was being issued as per the will of deceased Sekharan.

Manickam could never get over the fact that he had wilfully murdered two innocent people. Guilt was eating him day in and day out. Then the depression had started.

As the night proceeded the apparitions, in turn, seemed to mock him. He reached out for the prohibited drink and took it neatly at one gulp. The momentary warmth wore off and he again reached out for the second helping. He had a large one this time. The drink knocked him off temporarily. He felt someone nudging him to wake up. Rajalakshmi was calling him to come with her. The storm had gathered by then. The strong wind seemed strong enough to lift a human. Manickam staggered in his drug and alcohol stupor down the staircase. He held the hand extended by Rajalakshmi and felt himself being led towards the sea.

Nobody could explain how his blood smeared the body with a cracked skull was found near the seashore next day.