An Indian Princess - A Modern Day Fairytale (Completed)

Chapter 12

Dedicated to ashni_forever.

One year ago.

“Raj?”  A voice wrapped in darkness called out.

“Yes?”  Raj looked in the direction the voice came from, but all he could see was darkness.  “Who is out there?”  Raj waited for a response but there was nothing.  Raj walked on but could shake the feeling that someone was following him.  He was on his way home from a friends’ house and the streets were abandoned.  Raj didn’t take notice of his surroundings he was too engrossed in his own thoughts.  He was happy and he couldn’t wait for the next day.  Tomorrow was the day tomorrow he would ask the girl of his dreams to marry him.

“Raj?”  The voice sang again.

Raj looked but still nothing.  His body had goose bumps all over.  He didn’t scare easily, he had never been afraid of anything, but this, this dark voice had him shaking in terror.  “What do you want, show yourself?”

“You are in love, but if you don’t do what I say, you will never be with her.”  The voice said and Raj turned ice cold. 

“I don’t do things for bad people and you can’t be anything good.  You cannot keep love apart.”  Raj said with a brave voice.  He wasn’t going to let anyone bully him into doing something he didn’t.

“O but that is where you are wrong.  I can do anything I can make you the most miserable man on this earth.  I have that power and if you don’t do what I tell you, you will suffer the consequences.  You do what I tell you and nothing in your life will change.”  The dark terrifying voice said. 

Raj looked in the direction of the voice.  He hated when someone forced him to do something.  He had always been a good child to his parents, they were proud of him and he was popular amongst his friends.  Raj was a happy guy that had many friends and got more every day.  His friends and family trusted him and everyone loved him.  “I don’t like it when I am bullied into doing something I don’t want to.”

The voice in the darkness gave an evil laugh.  “Is that your final answer?”

“Yes.”  Raj said and meant it.  He walked away from the voice in the darkness, determined to get home as soon as possible.  As he neared his house he started to run until he was safely by his front door.  He opened it with his key and closed it quickly behind him and leaned against it out of breath.

“Mamma, papa, I am home.”  Raj called out as he walked from room to room looking for his parents.  The house was empty.  He checked his cell but there were no messages.  He checked the fridge for a note but that too was empty.  ‘Strange?’  Raj thought when he saw that the fridge was empty, the pictures were gone, there was no family photos’ or his mother’s grocery list on the fridge.  It was all gone.

Raj walked from one room to the next, nothing, just the furniture and nothing else.  No family photos or anything that would show the existence of his parents or proof that they lived here in this house.  ‘Did they leave without me?’  Raj thought, tears threatening to spill from his eyes.

He entered their room last, because their room would give him the answer he wanted and feared.  The room looked dead and dust had settled on the covers and furniture.  He opened the squeaky closet doors and found it empty, completely empty.  Raj didn’t understand that, they were here this afternoon before he went to his friend.  They slept in their bed last night and now it looked like no one has slept in it for years.

Raj walked to his room, his feet dragging, and his heart heavy from sadness.  He flipped the light switch but it didn’t work, his bedroom was still dark.  He flipped it again and again, nothing but darkness.  Raj opened the curtain in the hope that the moonlight might shine a little light into his room and once again just complete and utter darkness filled the room.  There was no moon and even the starts were fading away.  For the first time Raj felt completely alone.