Sun, Moon & Stars Volume I Horror Of The Musk

CHAPTER - 23

It wasn't a pleasant weather. The cool breeze had suddenly turned violent. The streetlights flickered while the trees were doing a wild dance. The darkness had started to engulf the city lights gradually. There was a heavy chance of power cut in some colonies.

Shomak's car reached at the address Sashidhar had provided. Stepping out of the vehicle they were hit by the wind, now blowing at a high speed making it impossible to keep their eyes open. They both shielded their eyes with their hands and quickly went towards the house.

Shomak rang the bell twice then heard a voice. A middle-aged woman opened the door. She adjusted her spectacles looking at them, "Yes?"

Shomak frowned; she oddly reminded him of someone, though he couldn't recall at that moment. Dismissing the thought he introduced himself as Nihar Moitra's son.

"You are Shomak?" the woman asked.

Shomak nodded as Ela stood silently witnessing the word exchange. The woman smiled welcoming them, "Come in, come in. Oh! I can't believe you are Nihar uncle's son! I mean the last time I saw you, you were just five-years-old and now you are one of the famous filmmakers."

She hugged Shomak and informed she was Rajan Dutta's daughter Priya. "We often visited your house when you were just a child." She also enquired about Shomak's mother and expressed how she admired her a lot.

Once the woman's excitement had started to settle down Shomak slowly revealed their real purpose of visiting. She listened with concentration but as soon as Shomak mentioned Bose Villa, Priya became enraged.

"Shomak," she now addressed him in a stern and disapproving tone. All affections were gone. "I respect your father very much and have known you since you were a child. I do not know why Sashidhar uncle sent you here but talking about that place and the people who lived there is as painful for me as it is for Sashidhar uncle." She stood up and turned away, "You need to leave. Now."

Ela, who was a silent audience, sprang up and stood in front of Priya blocking her way. "Please, try to understand, there are many lives depending on the information we get about Bose Villa. I beg you, please help us," she pleaded.

Shomak too requested but Priya was adamant. She didn't want to tell anything about Bose Villa. But Ela didn't give up, she tried harder, "the information is very important to us. It might save us from the terrible tortures we are suffering. You don't know what's inside the house, it is – "

"The half-burned monster with a forked tongue and blue protruding veins? I know. I know everything," Priya's voice was coated with pure rage and hatred. Shomak and Ela froze, she had just described the demon perfectly. As if she had seen it with her own eyes.

"You know?" Ela asked. "And still you don't want to help us?"

Priya grabbed her hand and took her to a room in the interiors of the bungalow. Shomak too followed them trying to stop Priya. "Look there!" Priya pointed at an old woman's fragile form resting on a wheelchair, her eyes staring at the night sky.

"That's my mother Hemani Dutta. You were talking about suffering? Well, she has suffered the most because of those people and that cursed house. Have you ever seen your beloved one being snatched away from you and given a dreadful death in front of your eyes?" Priya questioned Ela.

Ela was unable to answer. The old woman's silence was not only disturbing but it made Ela cringe from inside.

"She has seen it. Not just once but twice! She was witness to the death of her brother and her -," Priya abruptly paused. She was about to say something but didn't.

Shomak too looked closely at the lady. Hemani Dutta was a big name in the Bengali film industry that slow faded away. The woman who was regarded as one of the most popular personalities of the film industry being the producer's wife was now confined to a wheelchair, probably surviving on medications.