What: Entry for Edition 8 of the Indian Fiction Workshop.
Plot Synopsis: There is a dilapidated old fort in a forest bordering an Indian village. The villagers believe that inside the fort is a chamber, locked shut by an ancient King, and guarded by spirits invoked and trapped inside the chamber by that king.
Plot Synopsis: There is a dilapidated old fort in a forest bordering an Indian village. The villagers believe that inside the fort is a chamber, locked shut by an ancient King, and guarded by spirits invoked and trapped inside the chamber by that king.
Unknowing of the folklore, two thieves who have escaped from a nearby prison take shelter in the fort. Thinking that there might be treasure inside, they break open the door.
Narrate the events up to and after this point, in FIRST PERSON POV of the thieves. You can choose to do it from POV of one thief, or alternating between the POVs of both.
Plot Credits: Jayashree Srivatsan
Judges: Leo, Jayashree, Rajrupa Gupta
Genre being explored: HORROR
My entry:
Tears of Blood
‘Hurry up, Raju! Run or those dogs will be upon us in
minutes!’
I watched as Raju struggled to move with his pot belly
impending him, wheezing and coughing on the way. I was a hundred meters ahead
of him and before me stood the mighty trees of the Chiranjeevi forest. We were
being chased by a group of policemen for escaping from prison and had just been
able to lose them through some really quick thinking on my part. I knew they
would never follow us into the forest, at least not at night. They were a bunch
of superstitious fools who believed it to be haunted. Well, haunted or not, it was the only place
for us to escape from the jaws of prison life.
The forest was cold, dark and damp. The flashlights we were
holding were of little use, scarcely illuminating the space around us, thick
with foliage as it was. The sound of leaves crumpling below our feet hung in
the night air like a lone beacon of light on a stranded shore. And I was afraid
that it would attract the wrath of wild animals.
‘Raju, I believe we’ve made a grave mistake, we can’t spend
the night in this place…it may be full of wild animals!’
He looked at me with a grim expression, before turning away
and regarding the darkness, ‘There is a way, Shyam…I’ve been in this forest
before and I know of an old fort, I’ve seen it as a child, I think I can lead
us to it…we’ll be safe from the animals there…’
‘Alright, is it far?’, I asked him.
‘It is in a clearing at the heart of the forest. But it is
our best chance’.
‘Hmm. Let’s go then’.
Raju nodded and studied our surroundings for five minutes
before starting down a path…
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
It has been years since I’ve seen the fort of Rudrapratapa.
It used to be our favorite spot for playing hide-and-seek as children, with its
plethora of rooms of all shapes and sizes and the passages set out like a maze.
One could easily get lost there. Our elders would often warn us against going
to the fort. Apparently, it had been cursed by a witch. They would try and
scare us with various stories but it never deterred our free, adventurous
spirits.
‘Where is your god-damned fort Raju? I’m exhausted from all
this trekking in the forest…’
‘Here, here; just beyond these trees…Can you make out the
outline from here? Look there…’
And there it was, looking melancholy and desolate against
the silver moonlight. All its past glory turned into just bricks and stones. How
time ruins things! Not a sound to be heard except the chirping of the crickets.
I could see an own perched atop a tree near its boundary wall. Its yellow eyes
shone at us menacingly. I flinched.
‘How do we get in?’
‘Look for an opening in the wall…there should be a crevice
wide enough to let us get in…’
‘Bats! Yikes!’, Shyam shouted, ducking and waving his arms
around. Ah, the perils of spending a night in the wilderness. I thought we had
had enough of crazy nights in the prison.
Fifteen minutes later, we are inside the fort. It’s much
cooler than outside and we are shivering slightly. I feel uneasy, I have a
feeling we’re not alone in this place. But then, the fort is huge enough to
grant refuge to an army of hundreds.
‘Shyam, let us just find a nice spot and hide till the
morning. I’m very tired.’
But Shyam would not pay any attention to me; he was like a
man possessed! He ran from room to room, admiring the splendor of the place
while the thief inside him looked for items to pick up.
‘A couple of rare antique items from this place, Raju, and
we’ll be millionaires! Just think about it!’
‘Don’t be stupid! If there was anything of value here, it
wouldn’t be laying open for scavengers like us!’
‘Hey! Look! Look here!’
Shyam turned my attention to a heavily ornamented door. It
was studded with gems arranged in an intricate design. I couldn’t recall having
seen anything like this here before.
‘I’m sure there’s something of value inside! But this big,
fat lock! Do something about it, Raju, my mastermind!’
Wordlessly, I got down on my knees and examined the lock. It
looked simple enough; just some careful ministrations with my master key and it
would give away. Yet, my hands trembled as I inserted the key in the hole. It
felt as if there was someone on the other side of the door, waiting to be set
free…
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
‘Holy Cow! Look at the size of this room! And it’s loaded
with stuff! We’ve hit the jackpot, my friend!’
The room was impressive! It was full of caskets and
cupboards and drawers. The walls were adorned with paintings. There were desks,
chairs and a huge bed. All made of expensive mahogany, I presumed. We were
going to be rich! No more petty thievery for the rest of our lives! The only
problem was, Raju wasn’t willing to share any of my enthusiasm. He was silent
and subdued, transfixed to a spot near the door. Maybe, he’s scared, foraging
in the dark like this. Hah! What a child!
‘Oi, come over here, you go and check out the other side of
the room, I’ll look here…’
‘Okay…alright…’
I looked on as Raju gingerly walked to an almirah, stumbling
over a couple of caskets on his way.
I sigh and turn my attention towards a painting on the wall.
The frame seems to be made of gold. It is a huge piece of art, a life-sized
portrait of a reclining woman. I trace her figure with the light of my torch.
She’s draped in a blood red saree, snugly fitted to her voluptuous figure,
curly black tresses, full lips, pierced nose, eyes…eyes? I froze in shock as I
realized that her eyes were missing! Their place was marked by two blotches of
red, as if the eyes had been slashed off. What a weird painting! Those kings
must have been crazy!
‘Shyam…’ somebody whispers.
‘What, Raju?’ I turned to speak, but he wasn’t there. ‘Raju?’
I swung around to the other side but there was no one. I turned back to the
painting and was immersed in complete darkness. The batteries had died. Shit.
Okay, calm down, just walk towards the entrance. There was a still a glimmer of
moonlight coming through. I could just focus on it and it would guide me to the
door. I start walking, carefully. I realized that I was sweating. The darkness
that surrounded me was oppressive. It felt like it was suffocating me. Somehow,
I could not get the image of that blood stained face out of my mind.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
People
say that when you are deprived of the use of one or more senses, the other
remaining ones become sharper. Standing in this room with only a dim source of
illumination, I became aware of my surroundings in a most unique manner. I
observed the smells and the variations of temperature. My mind was just not
burglary today. I felt myself being drawn to a cold corner that smelled, quite
unmistakably, of blood. The metallic, nauseating smell of congealed human
blood. Could somebody have dumped a dead body here? I wonder as I walk towards
the source of the odor. I'm very close to the spot, the smell is so strong that
it makes me want to throw up. The air surrounding me is perfectly still and
chilly. I can feel goosebumps on my flesh. Footsteps! I hear footsteps. Thud
thud thud thud thud. A dull, rhythmic motion. We are not alone here. Someone is
coming to get me. Maybe its the murderer! What should I do? I take a confused
step forward and feel my foot strike against something coarse and ice-cold. I
freeze. Oh my god, its flesh! It’s human flesh! 'Shyaaam! SHYAAM! Where are
you? Get the fuck here immediately!' Trembling, I move my flashlight to get a
look at the body but there is nothing there. I glance around, move back and
forth but there's no sign of a body. Cold fear grips my spine and I turn away,
ready to run just as a hand shoots out of nowhere and grabs my foot.
'SHYAAM!!Help me! SHYAAMMM!'. I can feel its rugged claws biting into my skin.
I can't free myself from its grip. I scream as another hand grabs the other
foot, completely immobilizing me. It’s dragging me towards itself.
Suddenly,
I receive a slap to my face and the hands that gripped my feet disappear.
'What
on earth is wrong with you Raju? You're screaming like a madman!'
'Oh
Shyam! Thank god you are here! Lets get out of here. I beg you. Please, let’s
just go.'
'Why?
Why should we go?'
'Because
this place is haunted Shyam! There is a ghost here! I felt it! It was gripping
me! I couldn't move! It was gripping my feet! Both my feet!'
'What
nonsense, Raju! There is no such thing as ghosts! You must have been dreaming!
Now give me your flashlight and let us see what is there to take!'
I
had never felt so angry with Shyam before. How could he disregard my opinions
this way? Does he take me to be a fool? I fumed.
'Shyam,
I want to go. You have no right to talk to me in this manner. What do you think
of yourself? '
'Raju,
please just calm down. There are no ghosts here, its just your mind playing
tricks.'
........................................................................................................................................................................
I
could not understand why Raju was being so irrational. Sure, the place is
scary, but then, any place would be so in the darkness. And ghosts? He couldn't
be this foolish. And then it struck me! Raju is playing a game with me. He
wants me out of here so that all the goods can be his! That old fox! I knew I
could never trust a man like him!
'Shyam,
will you listen to me?!' Raju shouted, grabbing my arm.
'No,
you listen to me, Raju! You leave if you want to! I'm not moving!'. I pushed
him away.
'I
will not leave you alone to die and you will listen to me!', he was grabbing me
again.
'Is
that what it is, huh? I can see right through your stupid plans, Raju. You want
all the riches to yourself and so you're inventing all this nonsense! You can
easily trace this place in the morning and can come conveniently to claim the
stuff for yourself!' It was my turn to
grab him by the collar.
'How
dare you! You insolent, greedy man! How dare you!' His knee meets my stomach
and I double up in pain. My hands immediately fly to his neck. I wanted to
squeeze the air out of the slimy bastard but he had his hands on my arms,
restraining me. Damn, he was strong. I fly into a rage and attack his face with
my hands. I dig my nails in his eyeballs and scratch; I scratch and claw at
them till I can feel his blood dripping down my fingers. He had started
howling. Haha! No one messes with me! I step back to let him moan in agony. Before
I knew it, he came charging at me like a bull, head first, right into my gut. I
stumble backwards with the force of the blow and fall, from the feel of it, in
an open casket. I grab the sides and try to get up but this monster placed the
lid over me. I could barely move my arms but used all my strength to beat
against the top. It would not budge. It was too heavy. I'm going to die here. God
please. I don't want to die. I was beating on the lid with everything I had. My
breath came in gasps and shudders. I was using whatever air there was in my
lungs to shout to Raju to open this thing. But it just wouldn't move. Darkness,
the darkness is coming to get me. It has won. I could hear the mad laughter of
a woman and I knew it is her.
........................................................................................................................................................................
The
pain in my eyes is unbearable. I am bleeding tears of blood. I could barely
move so I settled myself on the casket. Beneath me I could still hear the mad
screams and knocks of Shyam, asking me to let him out. I ignored them. He could
die there and be eaten up by rats and rot in hell forever as far as I was
concerned. How could he do this to me? He is a sick man! My eyes! Oh my eyes! I
sit there nursing my precious eyes, blood all over my face. I try opening them
as the pain subsides but can hardly see anything. Everything is red. I weep
more tears.
And
then I see her. An apparition, a ghost, a ghoul, a witch or a goddess. I do not
know what she is. Skin a sickly green color; she is standing in front of me,
wearing a red saree over an emaciated frame. She smells of rotting flesh and
blood. Her hair hangs down loose over
her bosom and her face is as bloodshot as mine. But the most horrific part, she
had had her eyes gouged out! And in spite of it all, she bared her bloody teeth
at me and laughed. I had never seen or heard anything this horrible and
vindictive. Her laughter shredded my soul in pieces and suddenly I wish I
hadn't ever hurt Shyam. She kneels forward and grabs both my feet with her claw
like hands, pulling me down slowly from the casket. Despite her skeletal frame,
she is stronger than me. I fall on my back and my head hits against the edge of
the casket. I feel dizzy and light-headed. I didn't have the power to scream or struggle,
fear had stupefied me. I just stare at her terrible form, waiting for the
torture that I knew was coming but she just laughed and laughed. Her voice
echoed and the walls laughed with her. I could not take it any more and let
myself drift away into oblivion...
