Temptation- Where it all began (First Story)

So when I was in my dream world created by Tolkien and J.K.Rowling in my teen years I knew there was something beautiful about words that easily transports you to a different world in seconds and makes you fall in love with imaginary characters, places etc. I came up with this story being inspired by a lot of what I read. And the notion that good shall always prevail over evil. In fact, mom was the catalyst in such a thought that was cemented in my head. Good over Evil. God is Good. Evil is Bad. I dont get this thing about being bad. I mean 3/4ths of the people I've met in my life are such bad persons who are doing amazing in their lives. And I still see them doing amazing in life and the question that whether being good or being bad is just sides of a coin. And it wont matter the side you choose. However, I like the theory of being grey. Everyone has good or bad in them. It all depends on how you choose it and when you choose it.

Enough of my philosophies, I now present to you my baby, The first step into my literary journey. I had written it on paper. My language was really raw back then so I've just tweaked it a little bit. I had the story set up in US however, I changed that to India too. I just wanted it to look fancy back then. The premise is the same, apart from minute changes. I shall end this not so brief introduction by an amazing line I came across

"The scariest monsters are the ones that lurk within our souls"

- Edgar Allan Poe 

Temptation

Susan picked up the fresh flowers brought by Granny and put them in the vase. “Last chore done for the day” thought Susan and went to sit on the sofa.  Stretching her long legs, she felt relaxed.  Ah! This feels good, thought 17 year old Susan who had a heart- shaped face and an athletic body. Noticing her granny coming from the kitchen, Susan  asked “What’s up, Gran-Bran?” That cracked up Granny who was always in a miserable mood after smiling a little, suddenly frowned, saying “You kids and the way you’ll talk these days---”  She cut off instantly as she heard the footsteps of her grandson Martin outside her two storeyed bungalow’s verandah. Susan got up with a jerk. Her heart started pounding and she wished she was in Nainital holidaying with her parents.  Martin opened the door with a crazed expression on his round face which showed some signs of facial hair growth. 18 year old Martin was lean and astonishingly tall for his age standing at 6 feet 2 inches. Susan was aware this psychotic expression shall remain on his face throughout the day.  “Good Morning, fellows” bellowed Martin cheerfully.  “Good Morning” mumbled Granny, shaking.  “Morning” grunted Susan nonchalantly.  “Why is our dear Susan fusion sounding so dead?”  Do this! Punch your stomach really hard. That ought to wake you up” Granny screamed seeing Susan punching her own stomach. Susan was choking and even though it was her own hands, she knew she couldn’t stop them.

“Why is your mouth wide open, Gran?” “Bite your tongue- HA!” ordered Martin laughing his high pitched laugh, Susan who was feeling nauseous punching her own stomach could see grandma biting her tongue with drops of blood falling on the carpet Seeing the sight of blood Martin casually remarked, “Ok Gran you don’t have to do it anymore.”Grandma fell on Martin’s feet and with tears in her eyes cried frantically “Please stop it, Martin.  You know how much I love you. You cannot treat us this way, Please leave Susan “Ok, Gran. You don’t have to shout.” said Martin airily “Ok Susan, Stop” Susan fell on the sofa holding her breath, panting, breathless. “Ok.  Now I have to run some errands and experiment on stuff. Work in peace, losers. Gran make the fish curry exactly how I want” commanded Martin as he strutted to his room upstairs.  “Nasty creep” sighed Susan massaging her tummy, Shit Why am I here?  Wondered Susan thinking of the time after her high school exam, how eager was she to come to Grandma’s place in Goa.

 Her parents went for a second honeymoon to Nainital. Initially, it was a nice breakaway from the hustle and bustle of Bombay when she was younger coming to Grandma’s in Goa and working with her, gardening cooking and gossiping about family stuff. Then arrived Martin the Maniac in their lives. Martin was picked by Grandma from a beach in Goa when he was 13 who lost his parents in a deadly accident and was employed as an errand boy for some shack. His sad eyes and thin structure made Granny melt and she took him under her wing to help him study and have a better life. When Susan met him, she felt granny was fooled by his sympathetic behavior as he was an unusual guy those days not talking much and had weird interest in things like lizards, slimy creatures and bats. He had a collection of weird photos of doctor’s operating the insides of people. Whenever he showed them to Susan, she had nightmares. 

It was two years ago during winter on a chilly night, came Aunt Tiffany.  Actually she was not a relative of the family, but Susan always found her very eccentric as she had traveled the world, unmarried and was Grandma’s best friend since school and confidante and always had amazing stories to tell about her various exotic travels and experiences.  Tiffany was looking very terrified that night after returning from Bhutan and wanted a favour from her old friend Gwendoline (Grandma).  Grandma wanted to know what favour it was and was more than willing to help old Tiffany out. Tiffany removed a leather pouch and said “This contains a stone, it has brought doom to people who have used it.  I want you to just hide it and please do not use it, please!”  Granny opened the pouch and saw a harmless stone, surely not worth anything and said “Certainly, my dear” thinking this is again one of crazy Tiffany’s stories that she makes a big deal about and actually won’t be anything. Tiffany warned Granny that nobody except her should know about it and left Grandma’s house for another trip to Kerela. But little did they know that the conversation was heard by a third person, Martin. 

Grandma had hidden the stone in a closet but after a week, she found it missing, she was searching for it everywhere but then she saw a terrible sight. One day Martin held the stone near his mouth and said “Change Rudolph the cat into a rat”. And she saw the terrible sight of Rudolph the healthy white kitten turned into a dirty fat rat with fleas all over his body.  Grandma screamed, astonished and terrified at what she she saw and cried “Please stop hurting my cat. Why you doing this Martin, give me back the stone”. “Finders keepers” said Martin and changed the rat back to original cat Rudolph.  This was just the beginning.

 When Susan came this year even she was at the receiving end of his pranks. Susan was warned that she couldn’t complain to her parents or anyone and if she did he would hurt Grandma. Grandma had a flower shop but Martin closed it.  He even took the keys of the house and forced Grandma and Susan to stay indoors cutting the telephone lines. When Susan retaliated, he commanded the stone to fill the room with rattlesnakes. Susan cried a lot seeing those creatures crawling all over them. Susan was put to more such evil antics by Martin if they did not listen to him. Now she saw Martin going out.  The opposite house had a girl named Divya. She was expecting her boyfriend who had arrived looking handsome wearing a bow, holding a bouquet of flowers.  She could see Martin whispering to the stone, grinning.  As Divya opened the door she didn’t see her handsome boyfriend but a skeletal look alike of her boyfriend holding dead flowers. She screamed and passed out. Hearing her scream, her family members came out. The boyfriend now was looking normal and bit surprised seeing her head spinning and eyes filled with shock.  Her mother put water on her face and when she regained consciousness she seeing her boyfriend completely normal screamed and went unconscious again.

 Martin couldn’t stop laughing, seeing Martins attention diverted Susan ran out of the house and put the letter in the letter box adjacent to the gate.  She had written a letter to the police about Martin and the stone and wanted the police to arrest Martin.  She only wanted an opportunity to post the letter. As she just put the letter in the box, Martin turned behind, seeing Susan out; he enquired suspiciously “What are you doing outside” Susan hesitated “Uh.. I just heard some commotion... so...” Martin laughed “ HA ! just another of my masterpieces, get back in, stupid”. Ok , said Susan, feeling relieved, that he did not do something on her with that cursed stone. Getting back inside Martin asked mischievously “Hey, Susan want to see lizards creeping out of my skin?’ And before she could reply, she saw the gruesome sight of big fat and also slimy lizards coming out of his skin.  Susan had seen tons of such creepy things done by him. “Oh stop that” She pretended.  ‘Its fun man, life is all about fun’, said Martin, and went to his room. Susan made a silent prayer that the letter should reach the police fast and to stop this mess immediately.

After a week of innumerable tortures and pranks experienced by Susan and grandma there was one morning when Martin didn’t come down to mess with them. He was busy in his room experimenting with his stone. Susan was wondering whether the letter reached the cops or not, when she heard the sound of sirens that lit up both her and grandma’s face who also knew about the letter. Susan opened the door and saw two officers, a middle aged balding man and a woman in her late thirties.  The women said “We are Goa police.  I am Officer Bianca and this is Sub-Inspector Narvekar.  We are here to enquire know about an 18 year old having a dangerous stone through a letter written by Susan Gomes, Are you Susan?  Yes answered Susan.  SI Narvekar asked ‘Where is Martin now?” ‘Upstairs’ said Grandma relived at the sight of help arrived.  The officers moved upstairs towards Martin’s room.  He is very dangerous; you should call for back-up said Susan, trembling.  It’s not necessary, said Officer Bianca as they made their way to his room.

She knocked the door and said “Martin open the door, we are officers here and want to talk to you.  She turned the knob but it was locked from inside.  Susan knew Martin might have done it after hearing such commotions and the siren.  “We have to break open the door” said SI Narvekar removing his revolver and kicking the door.  The door opened and they saw an old man covered with a shawl, coughing, sitting on the bed. “Is this the 18 year old boy you wrote about, he may not be not less than eighty” grunted SI Narvekar, ‘Is there any problem, officers’ stuttered Martin now sounding like an older version of him coughing. Both officers put their guns back and walked out. ‘No, No, he has done that with the stone, pleaded Susan trying to stop them. ‘Seriously girl, find some other way to pass your time, do it again and we will put you behind bars, said Officer Bianca walking out of the door.

Martin was laughing an old man’s raspy laugh.  Susan spotted the stone under the bed where he must’ve hidden when the officers came. He was reaching out to the stone but was slow and took time while bending down as he was an old man, suddenly out of nowhere she saw grandma smashing the flower vase on Martin’s head.  She might have done with all her strength as Susan could hear Martins skull crack and the stone falling from his hand.  He was trying to reach the stone but Susan quickly picked it up stamping his hand.  ‘Please turn me back said Martin I’ll never use it again” pleaded Martin sensing the situation and the tables turned.  “Now wait a second you psycho, look what the temptation has done to you, look at you, you jerk, I was waiting on my parents to come back but I guess your story shall be over now itself, moron” said Susan angrily.  “Lets do away with this” said Susan her eyes glazing at the wretched stone. “ Nooooo” wailed Martin. “I wish this stone vanish forever” said Susan to the stone in her fists.  “Please change me back” cried Martin, “With what?” asked Susan grinning, revealing her empty palm.

Ashley Arthingal

2008.