Book Extract : Scare Me If You Can By Sid Kapdi

‘Scare Me If You Can’ is a recently launched book that is based on the concept of a horror writing workshop at a spooky resort. It has 10 stories in the increasing order of the scare quotient’. (Below is an extract from Story 1)

STORY 1 : THE PROPHECY

Kavita, the opening speaker confidently strode to the podium, as others cheered. She began, “Hi everyone, I am Kavita Achrekar. I have four novellas to my credit. Romance and comedy are my forte, and I am going to blend those two genres with horror in my story called The Prophecy. So, here goes.”

THE PROPHECY

It was said that for a marriage in the family, Thakur Gopinarayan Haveli in South Delhi often outshone the bride
when it came to décor and radiance. On the evening of the 26th of May 2016, however, the competition was very tough. “Dushyant weds Chandni” – flaunted the twelve-feet high wall, with red roses in the foreground and white lilies and jasmine in the backdrop. Just below their names, the happily wed couple proudly graced the thrones on the open-air stage, royalty and elegance personified. After a gruelling two and a half hours of smiling, hand-shaking, and touching feet, they looked a bit relaxed and their smiles real. It was not just the stress of that day, but of the four days combined. The Rathores and Chauhans, both rich and royal families, had ensured that every ceremony and ritual – whether mandatory or optional, was performed over four days.

It was already 10 PM and the couple was excited about their upcoming honeymoon trip that they were to leave for the next morning. They were keen on getting to know each other, more than anything else. The only time the couple had met before the wedding was in mid-March when the Chauhans had visited the Rathore Bungalow at Jodhpur. The meeting had lasted about forty-five minutes, wherein, for the most part, the senior family members had spoken. The couple had been given about ten minutes of face time in the garden, and that too was spied and gestured upon by notorious kids from both sides. They did not get a chance to even introduce each other properly. The introduction was perhaps like a matrimonial ad!

“I am Dushyant Chauhan – 25 years 2 months old, Mechanical Engineer from IIT Indore. Settled in Bhopal, I am a partner in our family business of manufacturing automobile parts, we are among the top three in India. My hobbies include – playing cricket and reading mystery novels. Am 5’11” in height and well – you already know that I am handsome, so I won’t mention it.”

“That sounds interesting. I am Chandni Rathore, about a year and a half younger than you. Height is 5’6” as you can see and since you have been shamelessly staring at me, I won’t brag further. I was born and brought up here in Jodhpur. I passed out of NIFT last year and am a trainee fashion designer with a leading label, specialising in traditional apparel. I love art and craft and have learnt some classical singing.”

In an interim discussion, the parents had decided on a wedding date and booked a six-night seven-day royal honeymoon package for the couple, covering Dalhousie- Dharamshala starting the day after the marriage.

Everything had gone as scheduled and planned so far. However, no one could have imagined that in a matter of a
few hours, their lives would turn topsy-turvy and how!

The couple had a quick dinner and retired to their room by 11 PM. They rechecked their packed suitcases.

“Hey, are you getting this weird, pungent smell? I don’t know, it comes and goes. It was pretty strong when we were
doing the pheras (rounds taken by the couple during a Vedic marriage ceremony). I caught the smell it on the reception stage too. And I can smell it now, though it is not very strong,” Chandni asked.

Dushyant sucked air into his nostrils, sniffed a bit, and finally admitted, “No. Maybe there was something in your
suitcase which caused the smell in the dresses. Did a bottle with liquid break open accidentally? Maybe nail polish
remover or perfume?” “No, the dresses were in different bags and it isn’t emanating from them. Funny, that only I am getting that smell,” she mumbled.

“I think you need rest, Mrs. Chauhan,” chuckled Dushyant, since he was short of ideas. Since they had to wake up by 5.30 AM and catch the early flight to Pathankot, they hit the bed immediately. A placard bearing Dushyant’s name silently called out to the couple as they stepped out of the airport gate in Pathankot. The lad carrying it looked almost their age.

“Myself, Amandeep. Welcome to Pathankot. Please follow me, this way” the lad introduced himself in a pleasant voice. “Please wait near the trolley stand. I will bring the car from the parking lot.” The car was a well-decorated and new-looking Innova. Dushyant took a selfie with all three of them and the car, and posted it on his Facebook page, with a line ‘All set for a rocking week in Himachal’, oblivious of the extent to which his life was about to be rocked. The tired couple looked out of the window for a while and dozed off.

Three hours later, they reached the destination and the loud music outside woke them up. The energetic staff of Roop Mahal in Dalhousie gave them a traditional welcome with a musical band, tikkas (coloured spot made on forehead), and garlands.

A porter led the couple to the honeymoon suite on the sixth floor. The elegantly designed main door swung open, alluring them into a world full of luxury and indulgence. Be it the chandelier studded with diamond-like glass pieces that hung from the high ceiling, the cream-coloured imperial curtains, the royal furniture, or the decorated walls – the suite was majestic. A large golden frame was placed on the left wall and it held a two-feet by three-feet portrait of Maharaja Sooraj Singh Katoch, who at one time ruled a part of the nearby kingdom. A king-size bed, very inviting, adorned with velvet sheets and heart-shaped pillows was in the centre. Fancy handicrafts were placed in the corners of the room. On the right wall, there was a frame of similar size as that on the left wall, however, it was still covered. The windows opened to show the green hills in front of them. The diamonds in the chandelier dispersed the sunlight, spreading hundreds of rainbows in the room. It was magical.

( Carried with due permission from the author and the publisher Treeshade)