RagNa Love Stories: Ragna SS: Haunted House (A house with many secrets) Chapter 4

"I don't have a problem with Raghav but it is his family's history that worries me." Sonia's mother said.

"Family's history?" I asked.

"Yes. The house where he lives was owned by his step fathers' ancestors. It is over 100 years old." She continued speaking and I was intrigued in the story.

"The area where the mansion is built today was a graveyard earlier. The Indians who served as slaves to the Britishers were buried there and it was considered as a holy place for other Indians but the ancestors of Raghav's father bought the land and built the mansion by destroying the graves. Many objected this and also considered it as a bad omen. Soon after the mansion was built, bad things began to take place. The owner died within months and then his two sons. Raghav's father, Vikram Aditya Singhania, who was the grandson lived there alone and then he got married to Raghav's mother who was living in another city. Raghav was born of another father and Vikram adopted him giving him his surname. Raghav, his father, his mom and Rajesh the caretaker were living in the mansion. Within a year of their marriage, problems started piling up between them and one day the matter became so worse that he killed his wife and cut her body into pieces. Nobody knew about the mother for a week and one day, a visitor witnessed Vikram eating a liver piece and then he called up the police. It was the wife's body he was eating and nobody could imagine him to be a cannibal. When the police arrived, he tried to blackmail them pointing the gun at Raghav and when he was about to shoot Raghav, the police shot him dead. Raghav was only 6 years old and it was too much for the child to go through." She stopped for a moment and then said "It is believed that the slaves whose graves were destroyed have been haunting that place and hence nobody has lived a happy life there."

Tears rolled down from my cheek when I heard the story. I could not believe that Raghav had to face so many hardships in his life. I asked her the reason of being indifferent towards Raghav and she said "I was not happy when Raghav came here as I believe that he too has the curse of that house and the slaves as well. I did not want Sonia as well to work for him but she insisted as the salary package was good but still it's better for us to stay away from him."

"But what's the mistake of Raghav in this? Why are you being indifferent towards him? Is it his mistake that his father killed his mother?" I said in a loud voice. I was too frustrated and I could not stop myself from asking this question. Raghav was a victim and not a culprit then why Sonia's mother did not like him made me get more angry.

The lady kept quite and it made me ask her even more questions. "Answer me aunty. Why do you hate him so much?" I kept asking her.

"I don't hate him but it is because of Raghav that my daughter is without a father today." She said in a rough voice.

I did not get what she just said. I was too confused and upset that I did not understand anything.

Sonia came out and said "Mom, why are you..."

Her mother said "Sonia, let me tell her everything. She asked me this and she also needs to know the truth now. You heard it right Kalpana. It is because of Raghav that my daughter Sonia does not have a father."

"How is that possible? What did Raghav do?" I said in disbelief.

"Because my husband left me to take care of Raghav. Rajesh Malhotra is his name, the caretaker of Raghav." She spoke in one breath.

I just went blank for a moment and she continued saying "My husband used to work for Vikram Sighania and has been serving him for the past 40 years. He never took a single leave as his master Vikram used to never let him and he used to pay him so less that it was no enough for us to feed ourselves. I used to stay with Rajesh in the same house as he dint own a house."

"After few years, Melica Gonsalves, Raghav's mom and Raghav started staying in the house. Melica was very rude to me and Rajesh and she poisoned Vikram's mind to throw me out of the house as I used to not do any house work due to my three months pregnancy. I rented this house where we are staying now and had to manage all the house work on my own as Rajesh was not given a single leave. He had to beg before Vikram to take half day and see the face of his child in the hospital." She wiped her tears but they kept falling as she continued telling her story.

"After Sonia was born, it became more difficult for me as I had not only to look after her but also work in other houses to feed her. Rajesh's income was too less to feed us both. I had to pay this house rent as well." She said and I tried to console her saying "Sorry aunty. I did not know this."

"It's not your mistake Kalpana but our life has been through so much that I can't help but cry over it. When Sonia was one year old, Rajesh had the opportunity to come home as Raghav was sent to the orphanage but I don't know why did he take him out and decide to look after him and stay in that house itself. He had a family, a wife and a one-yea-old daughter who needed her father but he chose to stay in that cursed house and live like the caretaker of Raghav. I can understand that Raghav was only 6 years old but what about my child Sonia. He is a father and his heart never told him to be with her?" She looked at me questioningly.

"Why? Rajesh uncle never came to stay with you after that?" I asked her back.

"Forget staying with us. He has not visited us for over 22 years. He sends us a small amount every month from his salary but he never comes here to visit me or his daughter. It's like he has disowned us. I send him snaps of Sonia on her every birthday and he sends us a letter few times in year. That's the only contact we have with him."

"Raghav knows that Sonia is his daughter?" I asked her.

"No, I don't think so else he would have told us when he came here for the birthday but he dint." She took a deep breath and said. "But I still don't get why has he to work till now with Raghav. Raghav is 28 years and does not need a caretaker. He can employ anyone else and Sonia as well works and earns a good salary. Rajesh does not need to work but when I told him to come back few days back over the phone, he just put it down without answering me. Sonia wanted to visit him but I stopped her as I don't want her to go to that haunted house. That house is just cursed and that's the reason why Rajesh can't leave it."

I left from there as I felt to bad for Sonia and her mom but I did not agree with her reason of ignoring Raghav. After all, what's Raghav's fault if Rajesh wants to stay with him. Raghav had told me that nobody was ready to work for him in his house and Rajesh was the only person who agreed to stay with him. All people think that the house is haunted and so isolate Raghav. They only wanted to work in his office and earn from him but nobody wanted to be his friend or wanted to support him.

I kept asking myself that Raghav is so innocent, so kind and he never refuses to help anyone. He helped me when I was a complete stranger to him and now we are in love. Now I realized that he is not a loner but it was because of these selfish people who just want his money but don't want to understand him and spread false rumors about his house.

I kept walking and kept asking myself so many questions. Is it because Rajesh wants something from Raghav that he is living with him? Is it he who is trying to make Raghav a loner? Is he also among the selfish people who wants something from Raghav and hence is not leaving him? Is that the reason why he does not want me as well to spend time with Raghav?

I did not understand anything as there was some mystery behind all this. There was something that made people isolate Raghav else Raghav has never thought evil about others.

Disclaimer: The character names in the story are fictional characters and owned by the creators of the show "Ek Mutthi Asmaan" on ZEE TV.