It was the size that struck them first. The figure was huge. It seemed to take up all the place near the staircase. It seemed to be holding what looked like a whip in one hand and it started walking towards Ahem and Medha. No one was sure how the kids ended up near the staircase. The red light made everything look more eerie. Gopi remembered the twins playing with Nayya's son and she had turned away to talk to her family thinking Nayya would keep an eye on them. Now the kids were near the stairs and walking towards danger.
Dharam wanted to rush towards them but he was concerned about Meera. But just as Shravan and Jaggi moved forward, the lights changed to normal and on top of the stairs stood..A CLOWN. With a huge red nose and big hair and a balloon snake in his hand. Dharam remembered Meera arranging for a children's entertainer but this was more shocking than funny. Medha started clapping her hands and Ahem started jumping up and down. Dharam sighed in relief. He would have a word with the clown for the stunt he pulled but right now his priority was Meera. She had fallen unconscious. He quickly moved her to the couch and phoned the doctor.
...
" Come quickly Baaji. We only have a few minutes. Any minute now someone will start looking for me" . Nayya hurried Gaura inside the house and took her to her room. She knew the clown's entry had bought her some time. She had to pay him a lot of extra cash to make the entry with the special effects and she had to make sure that the twins would be nearby . She wanted to shock Meera and scare her. Which is why she had reluctantly agreed to keep an eye on the kids and had gently pushed them towards the stairs when Gopi's attention was diverted. Her idea had paid off. Everyone was either taken up with the clown or attending to Meera and she could smuggle her Baaji back inside the house. She hoped Meera had suffered terribly and lost her baby. That would teach her ..
" Beta , I am really hungry. Can you get me something to eat?"
" Baaji, just wait. If I bring food here , everyone will be suspicious. Here, have this biscuit. I always keep some in the room."
Gaura was famished. She also wondered what had happened to Bhavani who had gone to get her some tea from the cafe in the park. Actually, she was glad to be rid of her as she was proving to be too clingy and a general nuisance. Now she could get on with what she wanted to do.
" Baaji , I am so glad you are here. Now I can really show that Meera how out of order she was to come into our lives. All I want to do is destroy her"
" And your dad. My Mahan beta. Meera ka Mohan. ". Gaura smirked
They both looked at each other and thought about that day and smiled
...
Vidhya opened her eyes slowly. Where was she? She could feel her head throbbing and when she gingerly touched her head she was surprised to feel the stickiness. She looked at her hands and it took her a while to realise that it was blood. She looked around in panic. She seemed to be in some sort of a rest room, she could see the cubicles and the sink and the gently swaying door. How ? She tried to think back. Everything was a haze. They were in a hotel and Baaji, Maaji and even Bhavani were with them. She had gone out after Bhavani one day. Where were Di and Papaji? They had come to find them in London. Vidhya let the tears flow.
She was scared, she knew something terrible had happened.
It took her a while to notice the shadow on the floor. She looked up .
" Didn't expect to see me did you? My darling daughter in law!"
Bhavani's voice just added to her head ache. Vidhya just closed her eyes and hoped that she was hallucinating. What would Bhavani be doing here?
" you know, I had the best chance now to kill you a few minutes ago. But I didnt. Want to know why? "
Oh, God! It was no hallucination. She was definitely there.
" I want to torture you. When I become you mother in law again, I will make your life so miserable that you will wish to join your sister in hell." Bhavani was hissing in her ear
Meera Di! Did something happen to her?
" Don't worry, she is still alive. But only till get back in the house. Then your Papaji will have to decide whose life he wants to save." It was almost as if Bhavani could hear her thoughts
Vidhya tried to speak but Bhavani closed her mouth and continued. " from now onwards, you will only be seen, not heard. Open your mouth against me and it is not just your sister who will die."
Vidhya saw the wild crazy look in Bhavani's eyes and all she could think was how inhuman she looked before a darkness spread across her eyes. Her last thought before her black out was
- I am looking at a ghost.
...
Chanda looked at Vidhya's prone figure on the floor and started laughing. It already felt much better to be in Bhavani's body. When she followed Nayya to the park she was not sure that she would be able to make the switch, but luck seemed to be with her today. When Gaura had sent Bhavani to get some tea from the cafe , it didn't take long for Chanda/Vidhya to follow her and when she got a chance, she had put a knife against Bhavani's throat and made her walk to the rest room. . Bhavani was petrified for a few seconds and that was all the window she needed to make the jump. She had then pushed Vidhya against the sink, watched her faint and had waited for her to come around. Now Vidhya was her key to getting back inside Suryavanshi house.
...
Dharam sat with his head in his hands. Why was this happening again? Just when they thought that every danger was averted, a new one had popped up. Meera and the baby were extremely lucky, the doctor had told him, to survive such a shock. But what he didn't understand was - who had paid off the clown to make such a shocking entry? The company that was hired had said that a they had received a phone call from his house and that the payment was made in cash, droppehd off in their office. The only person Dharam could think of was Nayya but would she be so cruel- again?
" Dharamji"
He came back to the present when he heard Meera's voice. She was sitting up, looking terrified and Dharam moved to her side . He took her hands in his and leaning forward, kissed her tenderly on her forehead. He knew what was on her mind. " The baby is safe"
Meera burst into tears and Dharam held her close to him. " Meera, no. You can't stress yourself any more. That was a close call. You have to take bed rest now for as long as needed and no worrying thoughts. Do you hear me?"
She nodded, unable to say anything. Just relieved. Dharam rested his chin on her head and gently stroked her hair. There was a lot that he wanted to say but that will have to wait. For now all he said was' " I love you Meera. You are my life. So next time you start doing crazy things and put yourself in danger just remember this. If anything happens to you, Medha and Ahem will lose both their parents,"
Meera pulled her head back and looked at him in surprise. " what do you mean, Dharamji?"
" Do you think I would be alive after anything happens to you?"
Meera couldn't watch the pain in his eyes. After all that she had put him through, he stilled loved her - more than anything, more than anyone. " I love you too Dharamji. And I promise, Medha and Ahem will grow up with both their parents. Understand, you better understand" . Her voice faltered when she said that, and her tears soaked Dharam's shirt but they were happy to stay like that forever.
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