The Chime Of The Bell- Chapter 5

(Sampreeti’s narration)

The sun had set. The commotion which filled the shore a while ago had now ceased, all the boats that had been anchored there were now gone leaving us alone to feel the eeriness of this place. Not quite alone though, Farheen had her bodyguard, a cook and a stylist along (yes she needed a stylist in a haunted, isolated island). We were to be left alone on the island for a week. The next week they would return to take us out of here (if we survive).

We all had assembled in the large hall of the cottage. Through the enormous window, I could see in the faintest sunlight of the dusk the plague fields. It’s like any ordinary field until you know its terrible history. From somewhere down the woods there came the cry of an eastern screech. There was something sinister in its whinnying voice. In the darkness that we were surrounded by; I couldn’t help noticing its similarity to the ghost-incoming music of some horror movie I had watched as a child. There was no moon, no stars in the sky. As if the sky had drawn a veil of mist to cut itself off from our forlorn condition, letting us realize we were lonely, very lonely. The only source of light on the island was a small gas lamp placed in the middle of the hall. It spread dim light on the faces of the people leaving the rest of their bodies in darkness. It’s kind of metaphorical to the inner darkness every person bears. How much do we think we know ourselves? No matter how much we say we know ourselves there is always a shadow self, a dark part of the mind we ourselves are unaware of. The darkness is a part of our unconscious mind that’s formed by repressed ideas, instincts, impulses, weaknesses, desires, perversions and embarrassing fears. Who knows, deep down there may be some mean-spirited, bloodthirsty, belligerence lingering within us.

Darkness had prevailed. The dried vines on the window had now taken a ghostly figure. It looked like a skeleton arm which was coming to grab us. Maybe I had read way too many ghost stories about Poveglia. The gloomy atmosphere had cast its dark shadow on my soul; as if there was a heavy stone held over my heart. I always wanted to be in a place cut-off from the rest of the world, where the hubbubs of the city do not reach, where time seems to go slow, where it’s just me and the stars but even though everything was perfect here something didn’t seem alright. I did not understand what it was. I was not the type of person who believed in omens yet I had this feeling something ill was about to happen.

We drank as we discussed the gruesome past of the place we were inhibiting. Like the person who has recently had a breakup I drank, as if that was my way of revelation. I felt desolate and bereft. With each gulp I expected the gloominess to be evaporated like all my other sorrows but it stayed. The strange thing is I didn’t even realize why I was sad. Even in a room filled with people I felt lonely, unsecured. I distracted my thoughts by paying attention to what the others were doing. Joey sat in a corner leaning on the wall with an empty beer bottle in her hand. She carelessly twirled it as she gazed out of the open door. She looked lost in some deep, depressing thought. Maybe she felt the same way I was. Maybe.

Beside Joey sat Dishani who was quite unaffected by the weary mood of the other person. She sat with a huge grin spread across her face as Vaishali narrated a story. She was describing an incident when she and her team had experienced some paranormal activity while shooting for ‘Strange Incidents’. Rileena, Farheen and the stylist listened with great interest, occasionally exclaiming. Debaleena was recording their conversation with her night vision camera. The bodyguard stood by the door with his professional proficiency.

“Oh goodness, that was a scary experience”, Rileena exclaimed as the story came to an end. “Anyway, I liked it. I want to hear more. Sam tell us a story”

I was half listening to their conversation so it took me some time to interpret what Rileena had just said and another while to understand she was talking to me. By that time Rileena had already poked me a million times.

“I am listening. I am listening. Ouch”, I cried as she poked on the oblique, right under my ribcage.

“Are you?”, she asked tilting her head. “Tell us a story”

I was in no mood of telling stories but they kept insisting.

“Oh come on Sam. We know you are one of the best storytellers in the world”, Dishani pleaded and that was enough adulation for me to start weaving some baseless tale about the infamous doctor of Poveglia.

“And then the doctor approached the petrified patient. The patient twisted frantically trying to free himself from the grip. Alas! He couldn’t overpower the thick rope that had him fastened to the bed. He struggled to break free by failed. From his tray of blood-soakedbrutal instruments, the doctor picked up a spiked metal rod and brought it down hard on the man. The man screamed out his lungs but the doctor didn’t stop. He did it again and again till the spikes gleamed bright red with blood.”

“I can’t hear this anymore”, squawked Farheen who had by the time dug her face into the shoulder of her stylist.

I couldn’t hold my temptation to scare her even more. It was as if some evil had taken over me. Remember I was talking about the evil side of mind a while ago. I was really amused that I could scare people with ghost stories. To my delight, the stylist excused herself to go to the washroom leaving Farheen as helpless as the patient tied to the bed.

“And then…”

I was not a school bully so had never experienced the delight of scaring people. I could get used to it. Sadly I couldn’t continue my story because the bodyguard declared its bedtime for his madam.

When I entered my room my head was already spinning due to the effect of wine. The housing arrangement was two people in a room with the men sleeping in the hall. I was to share the room with Dishani. I stumbled into the room and collapsed on a sleeping bag. I had almost dozed off when I heard the clickety-clack of a keyboard. Turning around I had to narrow my eyes to see Dishani sitting with a laptop in front of her. Her fingers swirling over the plastic keys in a rapid motion.

“What are you doing Dis?”

“I was just sending a mail. I had some information to convey to a client”

“Oh”. I turned on my bed covering my face with the crook of my elbow when a sudden realization hit me. “Hey Dis, where are you getting the internet from?”

“I hacked my neighbors’ Wi-Fi”, said she with a proud grin as if she had just discovered the cure for cancer.

Jeez, she thinks she is hacking the Wi-Fi of a neighbor on an island which has been deserted long before the discovery of the internet. Maybe it’s the effect of alcohol. I decided not to bother her right now so I twisted to face my back towards her and fell asleep in no time.

Hey readers! What was so evil about the island that made Sam feel this way? To find out keep reading.

Next chapter: https://wrytin.com/jayeetapaul/the-chime-of-the-bell-chapter-6-ju2pkp3y