by Gopal Raman

It was raining very heavily. Dark monstrous clouds had gathered and filled the sky.  Now and again lightning flashed across the sky illuminating the road ahead. Soon he was on the pathway leading to his bungalow. It was exactly then that the electricity went out plunging the entire area into darkness. As he got out of the car he became conscious of the eerie silence, but for the sound of the rain. He has been coming here for years but never had it been like this. The silence was broken then and again only by the howling of the unruly wind, which fiercely raged. He found it increasingly difficult to open and steady the umbrella.  As he started to walk he realized that he was knee deep in muddy water. Hauling himself, he slowly but steadily made his way to his house. He was shivering with cold as he felt that he was now fully wet and the wind made him feel chillier.

The door was ajar. This surprised him. Walking in he was unable to see anything in the darkness for a few minutes. Soon his eyes got accustomed to the dimness and as he stared he was stunned to see his house maid and cook lying unconscious on the floor. He immediately sat next to them and tried his best to awaken them. But it proved futile.  He then ran towards the bedroom. Riya, Riya he called out.  There was nobody in the bedroom.  He then ran from one room to the other looking for her, but to no avail.  Running back to the bedroom he rummaged for the torchlight.  It was then that he saw the note. Very curt it read “Be at Centre point Mall by 6 pm sharp, shop 3 if you wish to see her alive. No tricks or police …be warned”. He looked at his watch. It was now 5.40 pm. He had just 20 minutes.

Fear gripped him. Taking a huge breath he tried to calm himself. His mind was in a daze. Blindly he scrammed out of the house. Now the wind was really wild. Taking even few paces was a herculean task. But these things didn’t worry him. He got in and started the car, his mind running single track with the thoughts of reaching Centre Mall. After couple of minutes he realized that the car was not at all moving and was stuck in the mud and as he accelerated the tires had gone deeper and deeper into the slush. Cursing he got out of the car and strode towards the by lane. To his luck he saw a cab.

Reluctantly the driver agreed to come. They reached the mall in 12 minutes. He had just 8 more minutes. The mall looked deserted. There were just a few people standing for shelter under a roof. He saw a policeman amongst them. As he walked into the mall he had a creepy feeling that the police man was closely watching him. Nay, he thought, it must be my mind playing tricks. As he climbed the stairs, he heard somebody calling him from behind. “Hello Sir”. Can you come down?” He turned and found the police man standing down beckoning to him. His heart missed a beat. “You have dropped your wallet sir “.

“Oh My god” he heaved a sigh of relief, took the wallet and walked on.

By now he felt that he was not only fully drenched, but at same time he was feeling hot. His hands were trembling from the deep fear and anxiety. He kept pressing the button for the lift and then realized that there was no electricity.  He then started climbing the stairs. It was dark and so he used his torch.  Jumping two steps at a time he soon reached the first floor. Now he felt his mouth running dry. There was a long alley to both sides. Taking the right passage he started looking at the shop nos. Soon he found shop 3. But then he was taken aback to see the shutter down. O my heavens “what is happening “he wailed.  Not knowing what to do he walked aimlessly towards the staircase. As he walked, unknowingly his eyes noticed shop no. 29. Then it struck him that the shop he saw was possibly numbered thirty something and one of the number might have gone off.

With renewed vigor he ran towards the other passageway. The first shop was shop no.3. He saw that the door was wide open. As he walked in, he felt a chill running down his spine.  There was nobody around. His eyes scanned the entire place slowly familiarizing with the room. There were two other doors. He opened them one by one, his heart beating against his chest like a hammer. Both were empty. He then heard a sound. Yes, it was Riya. He could distinctly make out her familiar voice.  She was calling out to him and trying to tell him something. He couldn’t make out where the voice was coming from.  Feeling both disgusted at the same time renewed at the chance of finding her he yelled at the top of his voice “Riya…Riya …where are you? ”

……”Yes what do you want, why are you screaming “It was Riya standing with the morning cup of coffee. How many times should I call you to wake you up? I have been shouting from the kitchen.  Here take this coffee and get ready. You are already late to the office, she said, as she folded the bed sheet and closed the unfinished crime thriller book lying on the headboard.

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2 Comments »

1. My Wife Has Been Kidnapped |…

   Short story about a man who finds out his wife has been kidnapped. …

   Trackback by pligg.com — March 10, 2010 @ 5:28 am

2. Like it, very creative. I’m not much of a writer so I tend to use http://www.storyjoin.com It allows you to create short stories with other members. You start a story by writing 1 paragraph to as many as you want and any uncompleted paragraphs will be completed by other members. Once story is completed members can: share, rate and comment on your story

   Comment by inde909 — May 29, 2010 @ 9:28 am

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