September 1963,
E J Vaz ,a renowned anglo- Indian Lawyer , lying on his deathbed calls his two spinster daughters ;
"Dulcie, Vera ,you both are the greatest gifts the almighty has bestowed upon me. I'm sorry that our journey together will end soon , all I have is this villa I built with my blood sweat and grit. Now , take care of this villa. Yes, I may be leaving this mortal world ...but, my memories will always remain amongst these very walls. I will always look after you both from above."
As the lawyer breathes his last, his two favourite daughters drench in tears of sorrow....
September 2002,
NEWSPAPER HEADLINES!!
"MURDER AT TERRA VERRA HOUSE:
Dulce, the 75-year-old younger sister was killed by a youth in front of Vera, the elder sister, who broke into the house at midnight. It was well past midnight when Vera, who was asleep, heard her sister scream for help. She came out of her room and saw a youth running away after assaulting her sister. She shouted at him, but could not do anything else."
Dulce was buried in the house and Vera was asked to move to a safer location by the police. The case remains unsolved ...
September 2021,
David is working late hours at his office. He is the last man working, and only the janitor is present to provide him some company. The janitor finishes his work and realises his promise to his daughter ..." Don't worry my sweet girl ,papa will come home soon, we will watch the movie together". He goes to David..."Sir I have to go home early, would you please lock the office doors once you're finished . Here , these are the keys. Please return them to Security Manager tomorrow. "
"Sure..." . David takes the keys and sees the janitor leave the office . The office exists as a a two-floored building , and David works in the ground floor . A sudden flash of lightning followed with the sound of thunder broke the bubble of silence surrounding the empty office ,and the next minute darkness fills the empty rooms of the building.
Due to sudden heavy rainfall , Bangalore faced a city-wide power cut. David continues to work on his laptop . His mobile phone starts to ring, its his girlfriend Sanya."David, tomorrow is our one year love anniversary. Hope you didn't forget."
David:" Of course not! " . It was obvious he forgot..
Sanya: "Anyways, I'm coming to your office. I've got a gift for you .We'll celebrate at the stroke of midnight"
David: " You must be out of your mind Sanya! The clouds are pouring cats and dogs out here ."
Sanya:" You don't worry about that, just be waiting for me near the gates of the building"
At St. Marks Road, near Terra Vera...
A daily wage labourer finishes his day's works and is on his way home . He saves a bit of money to buy a quarter litre bottle of Whiskey at the bar by his home. As he passes the abandoned villa, he feels an icy touch at the back of his neck. Its was as if someone with icy cold fingers tried to hold him by the neck. He could feels the air turning colder and colder, around him. His body froze ...he was half-paralyzed now. Faint whispers of a woman crying swept by his ears.
His body was perspiring at a very fast rate, it was like a miracle despite the extremely cold atmosphere arround him. It was like those whispers were calling out to him. All he could hear were the faint cries of a woman. He slowly turned his head towards the windows of the villa. He couldn't believe what his eyes were seeing. A dark shadowy figure standing by the window with a pale white face and bloody eyes. As he stares , there is blood flowing out of those eyes and it runs down the pale cheeks . All he could sense was her rage .....his breathing turned heavy. The shadow suddenly started to scream..."Aaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh". The labourer having experienced something so dark..decided to put all his strength to his legs and made a run to his home. He didn't bother to even pickup the money he saved which dropped out of his pocket as he ran for his life. It seemed like the shadow's eyes were filled with years of hatred, despair, and anger.
Near Sanya's Residence...
Sanya was waiting for her mother and little sister to fall asleep so that she could slip out and go meet David. She wanted to gift David the locket her father gave her when she was young . Her father went missing a few years after he gave her the locket. She picked up the locket and the scooter keys and silently left the house from the back door. The Rainfall slowed down a while ago and amidst the slight drizzle Sanya rode towards David's office. On the way there seemed to be a huge jam as one of the wheels of a public bus just came out off the axle and caused the bus to block the entire road. Sanya was an impatient girl, she was searching for an alternate route and turned to a narrow road . It was dark all along the road with no lights at all along the road. As Sanya was rinding along the shortcut she saw "TAKE DIVERSION" board blocking the narrow road . Now she was confused where to go. She felt a cold hand over her shoulder and with the quick reflexes she had she turned around , only to see an old woman wearing a black british-style gown. Sanya asked her the route to David's office and the old lady obliged to direct her. The old lady had a pale face and the air around her was ice cold. Sanya thanked her as she rode off. The minute her eyes were off the old lady ,the board blocking the narrow road turned into a cloud of smoke along with the old lady. Someone else was deciding the route Sanya was taking and she didn't realise it herself. All of a sudden her tyre went flat .....
Sanya calling David: " Hey, my scooter tyre is flat, could you come by and pick me up . I'll share you my location."
David:" Okay, I'm on my way ,Is there any place you can take shelter for the time time being , It looks like there will be more showers."
Sanya:" Yeah there is ....., Im waiting for you...". Cuts the phone call.
She was standing right in front of the Terra Vera ...
She parked her scooter near the villa, picked up her locket and was walking towards the house. It was extremely run down and had a Hillman Minx car in the portico. The textured walls were crumbling, but behind the grime one could tell that it was beautiful once upon a time. The place was overgrown and no one seemed to live there. It was damaged and the windows seemed broken and in a terrible condition. She enterred through the main door. The furniture was still left behind in the house and was prey to termites and moisture. From the main entrance ran a long hallway connecting the various rooms of the villa and a staircase leading to the first floor. In the third room stood a tall antique clock and a large piano beside it .In the center of the third room was a patchwork of cement covering the floor.Sanya was fascinated with the large piano, she started to meddle with it...pressing random keys in an attempt to make a tune . The attempt was futile and Sanya soon gave up ,for the impatient girl she is.
The rooms temperature slowly dropped down. It was icy cold in no time. Faint Whispers and cries filled the walls of the room . Sanya was feeling chills run down her spine, she was letting fear take over the reigns of her mind. The cries and whispers slowly became more vivid, and was resonating throughout the room with the concrete patch work being the epicentre of it. Sanya lay her hand on the window trying to see if anyone was out there.
"Aaaaaahhhhhhhhhaaahhh..." It was the reflection of a dark shadow with the pale face of a woman with tears of blood flowing from her eyes...The scene was gory, and nearly caused Sanya's heart to stop. She was terrified ....to the extent that she temporarily lost her voice and was unable to even scream for help. As she lay in the corner of the room , the sounds of the piano playing on its own struck arrows of fear right into Sanya's heart.
The tune was intimidating and scary...as it grew louder and louder. Slowly causing the concrete patchwork to crack open. The tune of the piano acted like a catalyst and the floor cracked open completely . Sanya was losing her mental stability , she clutched on to the locket and prayed for someone to save her from this terror. From the crack a corpse slowly rose out. Sanya tried to move near the door of the room and just as she was near, a dark shadowy figure of an old woman, came screaming towards her from one corner of the room.
Just when Sanya felt all hope was lost, she felt her death is imminent, a hand from the door pulled Sanya out of the room in the nick of time and the door shut back.
David: " Why are you inside this villa? , This house is haunted ...let's get out of here Sanya."
David clenched his fist around Sanya's arm and both ran towards the main entrance of the villa. Just as they were close to the door, the door shut and dissapeared in the wall. Now it was just a plain wall with smell of fresh algae coming out of the crevices in front of them. THEY WERE TRAPPED !
David: " We are in a tight spot now Sanya."
Sanya: " What do you know about this place?"
David:" My Dad always spoke about this place , Terra Vera. It was once a pretty fancy hotel run by two spinster sisters. My Dad always told how the sisters were a pair of beautiful women and there was a line of men crushing on them, including him. There was a five year difference in their ages, the elder one was Vera and the younger one was Dulcie. As the years passed the sisters couldn't run the hotel anymore so they turned it into a residence and the elder sister became a teacher while the younger sister gave piano lessons at her residence. Then one fateful night, Dulcie was murdered in front of Vera by a young man. Some people believe it was the land mafia trying to take over the property, while others believe it was a burglary. The case is still unsolved."
Sanya:" I think the corpse that rose out of the floor was Dulcie. She seems to be upset about her untimely death."
David:" If I remember well , the night of the murder was tonight...."
Just as David was about to complete his sentence the ghost of Dulcie ,wearing a black gown and the same pale white face, started to float towards David and Sanya and pushed them both through the wall .
After some time...
David openned his eyes " Where are we? "
Sanya:" I don't know, I guess we're still at the villa...see the rooms and the hallway are still here."
David:" But they all seem to be new ....I can smell fresh paint. That awful stench of wet wood is gone. Its like we travelled back in time."
Out of the third room the sounds of the piano playing and two old ladies cackling were heard.
David and Sanya slowly peeked into the third room, ...Dulcie was playing the piano and sitting beside her was ...Vera! Sanya noticed something the locket Vera was wearing was the exact same thing which is within the grasp of her fists. David noticed how both of them didn't react to Sanya and him watching them in the room.
David concluded:" They are projections of the past, projections of a horrible memory."
The sound of someone breaking through the windows came from the first room , it was a young man about his twenties wearing a mask and a hoodie. Dulcie screamed" who is it ?, I'll call the police get out of here!!.."
The Man took out a knife and rushed to plunge it through the heart of Dulcie. Vera started to scream alerting the neighbours. The man stabbed Dulcie multiple times , and as she breathed her last breath she removed the man's mask. Sanya was shocked..."Dad!!!... Dad killed Dulcie , my dad is henchman!...".
Unable to digest this newfound turn in the mystery, Sanya was broken...emotionally and mentally. Saya's dad rushed into the third room and tried to stab Vera , but the neighbours were alerted. Out of frustration the man snatched the locket and rushed out of the house .
David and Sanya saw Dulcie lying on the floor on a pool of blood. Sanya was in a state of shock and was not able to move out of her place. David felt the need to find more clues and decided to move in to the third room. Time had paused and this gave David a chance to find clues as he felt that might be the key to getting out of here. As Vera was still, Paused in time crying in the corner of the room, David went through the photos hanging on the walls and the ones in the shelf. He found a photo of E J Vaz with two girls holding his hands, but as he observed closely there was a third girl standing in the corner of the photo. She was a small girl and was similarly found in most photos in the backdrop. David found another photo of E J Vaz wearing the locket. It seemed like special locket that belonged to the family.
The house started to shake, things started to get old and rotten, Vera and Dulcie suddenly vanished to thin smoke. The shaking stopped, things were slightly old but both knew the were not back to the present.
A man barged into the main door and lost balance and tripped. He seemed to be drunk but his face was not visible in the dark. As he stood up back on his feet , the moonlight shone on his face. It was Sanya's Dad.
Sanya's Dad:" This place is haunted, huh? Balls, they are...". He took another long sip of whiskey from the the huge bottle and continued ranting.." Hey Dulcie !! If you really are here come and face me , I'll stab you to to death just like before . Atleast then maybe, you will attain peace!! Ha , Ha, he he he !"
He was mocking the death of Dulcie. After seeing this side of her father , Sanya could not hold her tears back and shouted " Why dad ?!!. How could you murder innocent people? I feel ashamed of myself to be raised with the money stained with the blood of innocent people! I'm ashamed to be your daughter".
There was no response , afterall it was just a projection of the past.
Enraged by the mockery, Dulcie's spirit rose from the concrete patch in the third room and floated to the hallway. Sanya's dad froze in shock ,he couldn't move a muscle. He slowly started to levitate. Sanya upon seeing his dad in grasps of death itself, screamed "Noooo...!! Please spare my dad!. "
David held on to Sanya , and told " Sanya stop!, This is a projection, you can't change the past. Get a hold of yourself you can't save your dad...". Sanya's dad slowly turned to dust right in front of Sanya's eyes.
Sanya: "Nooo...!! Dad...!!"
The dark shadow spirit of Dulcie screamed, as if it were out of happiness "Aaaahhhh". She was slowly rotting , the house too was undergoing the same. But as she was rotting , there was a huge grin on her face and her rotten tongue was hanging out of her mouth . It was as if she were laughing, the sheer joy mixed with pure hatred was evident on her face. the rotting continued, David and Sanya were back to the present .
But the rotting spirit of Dolcie was still standing in front of them .
Sanya:" What do you want?, You've already got your revenge...leave us alone!!"
The rotten shadow of Dulcie moaned" Laaaaaoooooockkkkkettt...!!."
It just striked to David " Her Father was wearing the locket too, I think it is a family possession. Sanya you have to return it!" Sanya took the locket and enterred the third room she placed the locket on the neck of the levitating corpse. The main door immedietly reappeared.
David: " Sanya the main door ..., it reappeared, come back."
Sanya came running out of the third room and held David's hand, together both rushed out of the house and found themselves at the portico. The main door shut itself.
David hugged Sanya : " I'm so glad we both came out safe."
Sanya hugging David:" Will you still love me , David, despite me being the daughter of a murderer...."
David: " I'll always love you Sanya , no matter what the circumstances I'll always be with you . All I need is you and you alone , your dad's deeds won't falter my love for you, ...Sanya!"
The hugged each other tightly and shed some tears together. Sanya looked up into David's eye. They could feel each other's heart beating fast, their eyes looking deep into each other's . It was like a sudden push from destiny, they moved their lips towards each other's, it was a very passionate kiss.
From the corner of his eye David could see Dulcie's spirit watching over them, he saw Dulcie smile, she was happy...
After a few days...
Inside a crowded cafe was a reserved table, it was for David. He came and took a seat at the table. " Waiter, Two iced-teas please..!!" . He was gonna meet someone today . A Fair lady in her sixties, took the seat in front of David and put out her hand forward as to intoduce herself " Hello, I'm Joy , nice to meet you David."
David: "Yes ,nice to meet you, ...Joy! "
Joy: "So , you called me yesterday , you said you have some question which I only have the answer to..."
David: " Yeah, so lets get straight to the point. You are the third daughter of Vaz, am I right?
Joy: "......Yes, I am the third daughter.."
David: " I did a lot of digging about how you four were as a family , I believe you were the least favourite girl of the three, Joy . Vaz loved his first two daughters more than you, especially Dulcie. He never spent much time with you. Eventually he gave his villa and the family locket to them both. ...If my guess is right... You were jelous of them . You tried to get more attention from your dad but you couldn't take his attention away from those two. This upset you a lot. You eventually married first in the family and this widened the gap between you and your sisters. this jealousy and hatred developed into a rage to kill and you hired someone to do your bidding."
Joy: " You are not entirely right David, yes its true ,father paid more attention to Dulcie and Vera. I was upset . I married early and left the family. But as I grew old , my desire for the family locket grew . So I hired someone to steal it for me . It turns out the land mafia had paid a larger sum of money to him .They wanted him to kill them to aquire their land . He was only able to kill Dulcie and stole the family locket too. One way or the other, somehow I became the cause of my sister's death. I know I can't be forgiven but I decided to stay quite otherwise it would put my husband and kids in a turmoil.
David: " So this is the truth... huh, Life is really funny , Dulcie and Vera might have been loved but now Vera is in solitude and Dulcie had a very lonely death. Life is always not fair. Its like a barrel which can turn at any time. You may be free now Joy......But that guilt you have within you.....will eat your soul within . And when your time comes you will already be dead inside and nothing but deadweight remains....
Joy had no words to say as deep down she knew it was the ultimate truth.....
" See you then,...Joy"
Davids pays the bill for the iced-teas and takes his leave.........