The devil's paradise

CHAPTER ONE

Large walls and hallways excited him; the mansion was considerably higher than his expectation. It was cleaned; freshly painted and furnished. The smell of freshly painted walls attracted his conscious. It was built in a large landscape of `10,000 sq.ft and the land area surrounded covered up to a hundred acres. The mansion was always popular; popularly pinned under the name of Earnest family mansion.

The prolonged abandonment attracted the eyes of the government to claim the property under the government restriction but was abducted by Mr. Victor Williams. He did not want to spare the standing historical property in public hands. The engineer explained him the changes he made for him and his family’s visit. Victor was mesmerized by its beauty and traditional construction that stood for centuries and centuries; it had a long history to claim. A long narrative explanation was seized when Victor raised his hand to sign him to stop all his theories.

“Does my daughter like this?” he asked in a coarse voice. His intention cared nothing beyond his daughter’s wish and satisfaction. To someone, someone meant to be everything.

“Definitely sir, highness will love to spend her days here.” the engineer proudly confessed. Victor did not respond. His confidence believed that the engineer’s words were true and obvious. He continued to examine the mansion further pointing the engineer and his personal assistant to stay there in the living room. The huge hallway welcomed him calmly; the pin drop silence attempted to creep him. Victor was carefully looked at the hanging portraits of the walls of various different generations who held the authority over the mansion. Starting from the eighteenth century, the portaraits witnessed sixteen different family photographs to him. He did not bother about the secret why it was owned by sixteen different families and none of them passed the inheritance to their following generation.

The portraits ended with an unidentifies scratched photograph of someone whose identity went lost because of something. Victor stared at the photography motionlessly; the stare had gone deep unexpectedly. His eyeballs were stunned at the picture as a magical spell hidden behind it. Suddenly, a loud ‘rrrrnng’ sound from his pocket uncaptivated him from the spell of the photograph. He unintentionally grabbed the phone and responded to it.

“Daddy, when you will come to home?” a pleasant voice asked on the other side without introducing it.

“Honey, daddy is on the way and prepare yourself for a surprise!” he replied with a gentle smile on his face. He hanged the call and made a side-eye contact with the lost portrait one again for his temptation. Unknowingly, his blood turned cold; a deep insightful fear filled his heart. He walked back to the path where he came from to the living area. A sudden rise of anxiety was acknowledged in response of nothingness. Victor was urged out of the mansion followed by the engineer and his personal assistant.

“David, remove all the old paintings and pictures; they were disturbing.” he commanded in a confused tone. David’s response, “Yes sir!” surprisingly not reached his ears. The unfashioned encounter with the strangeness ghosted him for the first time in his life.

The car has been driven to the famous hotel of the city; the luxurious welcome of the hotel management was neglected by him. They entered in the well-garnished entrance of ROYAL HOTELS. The security guard rushed to open the car door for his arrival. Victor seeks a rush in his walk to meet someone waiting for him.

“Prepare the mansion as soon as possible.” he instructed David and took the escalator for the sixteenth floor of the hotel. He glanced at his watch to ensure he was not late for the visit. The large hallway led him to room no. 71. Victor breathed deeply standing in front of the door and lends a joyful smile when operating the door knob to open. There was silence filled the entire room; the heaviness of silence won over the gentleness of the fresh breeze that entered in through the windows. The room was huge and decorated with vintage paintings and furniture. The queen sized double bed was partially occupied by a small little girl facing the emptiness of the dark sky along with her stuffed bunny in her embrace. The dinner rack left beside the cot and remained undisturbed. He sighed in silence and closed the door after allowing himself in. He walked without making any noise and hugged her from behind. Surprisingly, the child did not startle; did not shout or afraid of the sudden touch behind. He grabbed the child and let her on his shoulders.

“I missed you daddy!” she embraced emotionlessly. Her words had no feelings except numbness. It was not a surprise for him too.

“Daddy is here honey!” he calmly claimed. The gentle touch of silence filled their heart and suddenly the door was creak opened to spoil the pleasant bond between a father and his daughter. The suddenness creeped the young one and pushed a loud scream. Victor was terrified by the loudness of her scream and allowed her to release from his embrace. The little one started scratching his face and fell on the bed unconsciously.

“Stupid, I told you to wait in room. 70” he screamed at the young lady in red in a high shrieking voice. The door was terrifically shunned in fear and the surrounding went silent once again.

“Maya!” Victor tried to bring conscious to his daughter, but there was attempt turned unsuccessful. He knew it took almost half an hour to bring her back to normal. Victor slowly laid her on the bed and covered a soft blanket for her comfort. The door once again wide-opened by an old woman of her late 70s.

“Is she okay?” the old lady asked in a calm voice without any hurry. Victor nodded his head.

“Now leave, let me take care of her! She is waiting for you in your room. Drink a glass a water and go.” the old lady claimed. Victor hesitated to leave his daughter at that terrible condition.

“She is alright; let me take care of her.” she promised. Victor generously offered a promising kiss on Maya’s forehead and walked out of the room. The old lady sharply glanced at him until the neighbor room was accessed by him. The frightened lady was managed to smile at him after the terrific encounter. Victor spilled a whole glass of water in his throat. The young woman was shockingly glancing at him until he finished it.

“Lay!” he countered. The woman awkwardly comforted herself on the fluffy mattress of the cot. He gleamed at her with his senseless eyes and comforted himself next to her. He vigorously pulled her into his deep embrace and began kissing her violently.

When the sun shines in the eastern direction some grabs the brand new beginning; some defends the drowsiness and some questions their existence. The brand new sunshine weighed heavily on Victor’s head unbearably. He supported his head with his hands yet nothing paid off. The sunbeams through the window imitated a violent torture of hell to him. Unconsciously, he moaned in pain aloud not bearing his headache. The girl of yesterday was already left him alone in the room. Loneliness, depression, an unexplainable turn of emotions pushed him into the severity of anxiety. All his efforts turned out to be vain and he pushed himself on the bed again. When things started to fade once again, Victor dozed off.

Suddenly, in the emptiness of life, in the middle of nothingness, near to the fallen man, he witnessed a gentle touch of someone’s fingers stroked his hairs. The lost strike of love and compassion he lost in his life smiled at him when his eyes were opened slightly.

“Sarah..!” he whispered her name. The foggy figure smirked at him with a kind smile appeared on its face.

“I trust you; save our child.” her voice deeply sounded in his mind. With a sudden snap of time Victor raised from his deep sleep. He was bathed in sweat from tip to toe although the room was surrendered under the power of air-conditioner. He grabbed a glass of water and tilted it to calm himself down. The time was already the past eleven in the morning. As expected, it was a delay once again. He picked the shirt from the floor and managed to settle himself into it. The clumsy memories of last night flashed in his mind. Victor sighed intensely. Either a sign of guilt or a hope of worry played a major role in triggering the emotional tranquility. He needed to refresh himself from the intense tiredness physically and emotionally. He got in the bathe to tide the dirt and faults.

Faith is always a silent weapon for one who wisely handles it and a destructive one for those who disbelieved. Some faiths are hidden; some are controversial yet designed to discuss the facts and truths; and some can lift up the dead from death. When he expelled out from the bathe wiping his wet hair there were no longer the isolation waited for him but still the tranquility remained constant. Victor was bewildered to see his daughter holding her stuffed bunny in her arms and motionlessly staring at the empty blue sky through the balcony window. He attempted to call her name from behind; that was a strange visitation like never before. But then he witnessed her body shaking mildly, revealing she was crying there.

“You killed my mom and spending your nights with different girls every day. Are you even a man?” she yelled her anger in silence. Victor was frozen to the blood hearing the irrespective words from her; it was her first time to project ‘such’ words against her father. She never questioned or shouted at him for those years. Her triggered words pushed him in the well of bewilderment instead of anger. She was facing the window and did not unveil her visage to him for some reasons.

“If I were the devil, I will rip your soul and brutally punish it in hell.” she shrieked in high-pitch and turned towards him vigorously. Victor had thrown himself on the floor glancing at her face; it was completely burnt except the plain white eyeballs. The bunny in her hands was torn and its eyeballs were plucked out already. When he expected the worst, the room door was knocked twice; Victor looked at the knocking door and turned once again to her daughter. But, there was complete numbness; she was not there; no one was there already. It was his plain hallucination. His heart beats with a hurry of one never imagined. When he tried to calm his breathe, the door knocked once again. He wiped out the flourished sweats from his face with his bare hands and stepped slowly to look after the visitor. He slightly opened the door to make sure the visitor was worth visiting. It was Officer Thomas Richardson waiting outside.

“Mr. Williams, are you alright?” he asked.

“Yeah..! I am okay; It’s just a heavy dose of melatonin. Please get in.” he said and wide opened the door for Officer Richardson. He analyzed the stubborn fear in his face but remained silent. Victor closed the door when the officer entered in and pointed the visitor’s sofa to relax himself first. He grabbed him a glass of water as a routine formality and occupied a seat opposite to him.

“The mansion is safe to move, but there were still some rumors virally spread after its abandonment by its previous family. “ he confessed.

“I heard a lot about Earnest’s family; it was a disaster happened to them. Does Mrs. Earnest still alive?” he asked.

“She was the only one survivor.” he said with a sigh. His eyes were grounded on the floor. There was a sudden pause; none of them talked for awhile.

“I heard about your wife’s death; I am sorry. By the way, how is your daughter?” he asked concerning about his family very much or a formal concern.

“Maya! I am really scared about her. He was emotionally ridden after Sarah’s demise; I am immensely devastated and confused. She did not allow anyone close to her except me and Mrs. Langdon. That was why I asked you that favor.” he explained in terms. Mr. Richardson nodded his head. He could feel the pain of a worried father in his eyes. He silenced once again for a longtime. His brows were frowned of thinking something seriously.

“I know someone who could fit to this job. She never took anything as a formal job; she is dedicated to everything she committed to. I think she can cure Maya’s loneliness. If you wish to meet her I will bring her here.” he proclaimed for his favor. Victor nodded his head fastly.

“For sure, I can ready to do anything for my daughter. But, please bring her to that mansion; we are vacating the hotel this evening.” he muttered. Officer Richardson for some reason stared at him bluntly. Words were trembled to spell from his gutter. He swallowed forcefully to ease the awkwardness and grounded his sight on the floor once again.

“For sure Mr. Williams, you will be surprised to meet her. Her arrival can change everything.” he puzzled. Victor caught the twist and turns of words when he was explaining the maid’s characteristics.

“Thank you officer!” he greeted him. Officer Richardson bided a farewell to him and almost rushed to walk out of his presence. The sudden strangeness of his behavioral attitude shattered all the clear cut ideas of his mind. The way he presented his good opinions for some seemed like a silence before the storm and sudden disastrous events. But sometimes his mind had to be wrong possibly. Victor shook his head and vacated the room to visit her daughter not minding the foggy invisible silence that witnessed their entire conversation throughout the time.

Victor paused himself before twisting the knob to open the door of Maya’s room. The images that he just experienced a few moments before officer Richardson’s arrival spooked him to the core. He was not dared to visit her door. The questions the hallucinations pinned against him what a great insult for his fatherhood. He tried to back walk but then the door was wide opened for him from inside.

“Oh Victor! What are you doing here?” an old lady with a bright smiling face greeted him. Victor was surprised and shocked seeing his aunt Ms. Jennifer there. He did not expect her visit there and even in that time.

“Aunt Jennifer? What are you doing here?” he asked with his wide opened to seek the legit answers from her.

“My boy! Do you think your aunt will never know your arrival here if did not convey her?” said, she smiled very innocently. There were no sign of anger or disappointment in her tone. Her enthusiasm brought a nurturing chuckle in Victor.

“Actually, I called you twice but I got a response from your maiden saying that you’re off from the town; so I booked a hotel for our stay.” he genuinely answered to her question not intending to twist the situations. Ms. Jennifer brightly smiled at him loudly; sometimes a loud innocent smile can heal the pieces of a broken heart.

“Never mind; pack your stuffs and meet me there as soon as possible.” the old lady muttered in excitement.

“Actually aunt, I need to talk to you. Would you spare me just five minutes?” he asked solely.

“Of course son.” She agreed and allowed him inside the room. Victor glanced his daughter sitting on the bed and watching the bright blue sky pointedly. She was not bothered by the loud conversation took place near her. A sudden glimpse of the scary encounter with his daughter appeared in front of him. Jennifer glimpsed the silent battle between a father and his daughter.

“Don’t worry son! At the end of the tunnel, there lies the sunshine.” she consoled in a nurturing voice. Victor stroked Maya’s hair gently; a father’s touch broke the boundaries to glimpse at him for a moment. Her eyes were terrified of something; that was a fear she owned a few years back. Unsung to the scenario, Maya sang a silent mourning song to greet her father.

“The doctors have advised to change the place so, I bought a mansion for her to spend her vacation peacefully. I wish you could spend your days with us until we move back.” he conveyed the information. Ms. Jennifer happily nodded her head.

“I am glad to do so son! By the way where is the mansion?” she asked.

“The Earnest family’s mansion.” he confessed. Promptly, her expressions became numb and her face turned out to be pale like never before. A fear of survival appeared in her; without even her notice Ms. Jennifer’s body began trembling at Victor’s words. The sudden changes puzzled him once again.

“Aunt are you alright?” he asked pathetically. Ms. Jennifer was unable to stood there bluntly and the floor under her feet felt like started moving fast. Victor rushed to support her, but none of the mysterious events bothered Maya’s attention on the bright sky.

“Why did you do this?” the old lady shrieked in agony.

“Aunt, the mansion is safe; I enquired about it.” he claimed to console her. Suddenly, Ms. Jennifer keened at him terrifically; her eyes widened at the end and tears were gathered to shed.

“This was what Mr. Earnest told when he bought the mansion; it was not an ordinary house as you think; it’s a gate of hell and the gatekeeper cursed it.” she suddenly stopped. Victor did not understand what she was trying to tell him. What gate? What gatekeeper? What curse? there were numerous questions floated in his mind. Yet, the modern man was not ready to believe all the superstitious rumors around the mansion. Moreover, he admired it. Deep inside in his heart, Victor strongly believed that the mansion has had the ability to cure his daughter’s illness.

“You, young people never understand what the elders want to teach you. Alright, but promise me to vacate the mansion if you glimpse at anything unnatural.” she muttered. Victor nodded his head. He was still held the rope of modern science and technology to mask the rumors of Earnest mansion.