“Nirbhay,” Samir called out, noticing his friend's absence in the compound or the visible doorway.
“We are here, you can come out now,” Sushant shouted.
The silence was unperturbed.
“He must be inside. Should we go in?” Sushant said, turning towards the fence.
“Not too sure about that. The place does not give me the right vibes and I would think twice before stepping on it,” Samir said in an under-tone.
“It's morning now, Samir and what if Nirbhay is in some sort of trouble,” Sushant said.
“I doubt that but I guess we must check inside,” Samir agreed and both of them somehow hoisted themselves over the fence.
“Nirbhay,” they shouted again as soon as their feet touched the unkempt ground. A cat mewed in response but they could not quite point out where the sound came from. Taking hurried steps towards the door, they kept looking around, hoping they wouldn't have to enter inside the mansion. Their hope was in place as they could make out Nirbhay's form slouched in a corner near the verandah.
“Looks like he slept outside. See I had told you he wouldn't go inside. After all…” Samir was saying but stopped immediately on seeing Nirbhay stir.
“Hey, old man. Looks like you slept well throughout the night. Mosquitoes would have been a problem if not the 'evil spirit,'” Sushant joked, kicking Nirbhay playfully on his backside.
Nirbhay suddenly shot up and grabbed Samir's leg in a steel grip. Samir struggled after noticing the disheveled hair and the blank, almost maniacal look in their friend's eyes that were shining like enormous white globes of luminescence.
“Let go, let go,” Samir said signaling for a shocked Sushant to come to his aid.
“Help me, he's coming… he's going to kill me,” Nirbhay begged, his mouth contorting in pain. The laughter that followed echoed across the valley.
“I do not love men: I love what devours them.” ¯André Gide
Strangers In The Night
Savio drove his car down the familiar road. He was not in a hurry to get back to his lonely bungalow situated on the fringes of Old Goa. He hummed a popular chartbuster as he pressed down on the accelerator and the powerful engine responded with a surge of raw power. The headlights cut a bright swathe of light through the dark as he sped westwards, enjoying the lonely drive. As he approached the British Cemetery, the headlight lit up the solitary figure of a woman coming out of the gate. As the headlights caught her, she looked up and waved at him frantically. He was driving too fast and his car whizzed by the lady before he could react. He braked hard and the car came to a screeching halt some twenty meters from her. He carefully reversed the car and lowered the window once he was alongside her. He gawked at her beautiful face as she walked towards the car. She was dressed in a short white sleeveless dress with just a hint of cleavage teasing her admirer. The lonely streetlight shone from behind giving her hair a shiny, almost ethereal appearance.
“Thanks!” She had a musical twang to her voice. “I really thought you wouldn't stop when you whizzed past.”
“Actually, I was going too fast. Is there anything I can do for you?” “Today is my grandparents' marriage anniversary. I always come to the cemetery to put roses on their graves and pray for their souls on this particular day. I got late this time and suddenly it became dark. I was wondering how I would make it back home. I'm scared,” she shuddered in the cold.
“Where do you live?” Savio asked.
“I live in Panaji,” she replied.
“Well, you should hop in. I am going that way,” he grinned,
leaning over to the left and unlocking the door.
The woman looked at him for a moment, gave a grateful smile, walked over to the other side of the car and eased herself into the front seat. Savio put the car in gear and resumed his driving. They whizzed past the cemetery and the woman gave a little shiver. “Thanks again for stopping. It is a dark and lonely road and I was beginning to get scared.”
Savio laughed and asked, “But you were not scared to visit the cemetery alone.”
“No. I have been a denizen of that place since a long long time,” she said and paused to look at him. Savio raised an eyebrow.
The Other Side
99 “I was just scared that I'll have to walk all the way to Panaji,” she added.
Savio smiled, “You don't have to feel scared now. Now that you are in my car, let's get acquainted. I am Savio D'souza from Old Goa.”
“Annie. I work as a receptionist at Dona Paula Resort,” she said, “If you were not driving I would shake your hands. You sure saved me a lot of trouble tonight.”
“Never miss a chance to offer lift to a beautiful lady!” Savio laughed.