Tootie was having a very tense meeting with the doctor. Vicky was no more, she died early in the morning. She breathed her last in this nursing home. In last days her conditions were barely stable, so Tootie had to move her in the nursing home. She died due to Hydrophobia supposedly, as in her last days fear from water drove her to the brink. Dr. Borris was her attending physician when she was moved into the nursing home.
(Tootie's Pov)
"This is nothing other than hydrophobia, Miss Valentine." Dr. Borris asserted with authority. I think I have offended his self esteem while I was trying to impress the fact upon him. "Look, Miss. Valentine, Your sister has died of hydrophobia. There is not a penny of doubt in that." He stated. I retorted "But, , she didn't get a dog bite, neither she picked up an infection." He replied "Look, whether you accept it or not, but your elder sister has died due to hydrophobia. Just look at the symptoms." I felt defeated, yes logically nothing else can be concluded, but still, hoping against hope ; I suggested" You might be right , but it is also possible that her Hydrophobia was totally mental."
calmly replied " Hydrophobia also affects one's psyche. So the symptoms were general. And she wasn't mentally apt enough to convey her problems, still What is your hypothesis in this regard?" He asked me.
I told him "It might be poisoning." He exclaimed, "Are you suggesting that it is a homicide!." I added on, "Yes, she was a hated person in the locality, there are many people who would have liked to see her suffer." he replied coldly "You are asking a humongous favour. We still have the corpse, so we will run an autopsy. But first just fill up this form."
My chest became lighter once more. I filled up the form with renewed vigour.
From the very next moment of Vicki's death, this thought was eating me from within. Her death and apparent hydrophobic symptoms were somewhat spurious to me. There was enough chance of foul play. Someone could have slow poisoned her to take a suitable revenge. She was the meanest Babysitter around in her early years. I am pretty sure most of her ex charges are celebrating this day with a bottle of Wine. Torture, intimidation and blackmail can make you top the hate list of your clients.
From my childhood, me and Vicky never got along. She was a mean bully, only 5 years older than me still bossed me around remorselessly. As it went she grew up in a sadistic babysitter , who would blackmail her charges to do chores for her. Though she was a natural actress, so those unfortunate parents never found out the truth. But things changed, when she passed high school and went abroad, everybody including me took a sigh of relief.
2 years ago she came back to Dimmsdale and claimed that she has passed the college and looking for a job, she was a new human, she changed from a sadistic arsehole to a considerate big sister. She would't boss me around any more and even patched up with the Turner kid. But then things became bad, one day she was diagnosed with psychotic tendencies. The fact surfaced that, she was kicked out of the college due to psychotic tendencies. And now her lunacy was all time high. Both Me and mom was having an hard time in controlling and pacifying her up. On every second day she would throw a temper tantrum. Once she had hurt me by hurling a paperweight towards me. I got a nasty cut on my forehead. When we were thinking that , we have dispose Vicki to a lunatic asylum, Enter the Robert. The boyfriend of Vicki.
One fine Sunday morning Robert showed up. He said he can't sigh away from his responsibilities toward my elder sister so, he had taken a transfer to Dimmsdale , to marry and look after my senile big sister.
At first I couldn't believe it. Nobody can be this much selfless. But love forces you to take the most irrational decisions. Oh boy I was miles off target.
For us it was a boon. Dad had left us for his new girlfriend. The divorce settlement left us with a very little fortune , both me and mom were struggling to make ends meet. I took up the job of an elementary school teacher by sacrificing my higher studies. Robert and his high income gave us some stability. At first I thought, what a boyfriend my sis has. I was jealous of her. But soon I discovered that I am the more fortunate one.
It was a stormy night , both Vicki and mom were sound asleep. I was reading a Dan Brown novel, suddenly a warm breath caressed my neck. It was Robert. "Hi, Tootie, what are you doing?"
I showed the novel to the handsome man. He said "Dan Brown kicks ass."
That night changed my life, he was starved so was I. I never had a serious romantic relationship. I had already a pyro stockpile all I needed was a spark. Robert was that spark. Our passions erupted , our bodies got united. That night changed my life.
Things were going on pretty smoothly , until that disaster happened. Robert was a somewhat distant relative of Turners. When both Mr. and Mrs. Turner got killed in a freak accident on one of their inter continental trips, he had to take the orphan Timmy under his wings. We all thought Timmy will be a liability but it turned out otherwise. Timmy's parents left a fortune for their son, the monthly interest was quite enough for us to lead a stable life. Timmy the sensitive and foolish boy had become smarter and practical. He was training in the chef's academy and he also cooked for us. He was also doing a part time job in the nearby mall. But his effect on Vicki was worthy of mentioning. Vicki used to think Timmy as her little toy doll.
In her babysitting years Vicki treated Timmy as her personal butler . She would often force Timmy to do her chores. Mowing the lawn, painting the house, cleaning the bathroom with a toothbrush, Vicki demanded and Timmy obliged. As if the boy had become her personal slave.
Vicki would often do stupid things to Timmy. Timmy wouldn't even register an ouch, even if it hurt him badly. Vicki often liked to dress Timmy up or groom him. Sometimes she would put mascara on his lips and lipstick on his eyes. Sometimes she would shave his brow and pluck his newly formed goatee. Still it kept her temper under control.
One day I saw , Vicki was caressing Timmy's whole body, suddenly she touched his penis over his pants. She was amazed. "Why you have this pipe, while I have nothing ?" I forgot Timmy's reply. But I remember, it to be damn funny.
But all of a sudden everything got changed, one fine morning Timmy went missing, coincidentally the rich girl of our town Veronica Star also went missing. People rumoured that Timmy and Veronica had eloped.
None of us cared but Vicki became very disturbed by it. She started throwing tantrums. She would yell at some imaginary villain supposedly on the white wall of her bedroom. One day she even attacked Robert.
As if she was afraid of the white wall. She blabbered "You, Motherfucker. You think you can come at my white wall. I will make the wall black. You can't do shit , you fucker." That day to calm her down. Mom and I painted all walls and ceiling of her room in dark colours.
She slept with me in the supposed dark room. After she attacked Robert, we sorted this out. And then came the hydrophobic syndromes. She wouldn't drink a droplet of water. Whenever she got a sight of water she would yell, "It is satanic, it is vice. Keep it away from me."
All this might look like a open and shut case of hydrophobia. I also thought so in the first place but, some incidents had sowed seeds of doubt in me.
One day Vicki and Timmy was fondling each other, I saw a very intriguing site. Robert was looking at them. I saw his eyes were filled with jealousy. He was the one who brought the news to us that Veronica is very interested to go out with Timmy. He was the one who persuaded Timmy to see Veronica.
But the revealing fact was the incident of that night. On 25th dec . I gave Timmy a pair of skinny jeans and a pink hat. On hat night in our regular love time Robert pulled away from me. His eyes were glaring.
I asked him to continue but he replied with Venom, "Why don't you call your Timmy boy? His soft cock is all you want. You gave him the jeans so that you can undo it any time. Go away."
I was awestruck, I never saw this face of Robert, eyes glaring with revenge and jealousy.
I somehow apologized, He asked while entering me "Whom do you love, me or Timmy?"
I answered in ecstasy "You only you. Robert".
After the disappearance of Timmy, Vicki was in misery. Every time she showed the hydrophobic trauma I would notice a smile of revenge appearing in Robert's face. The more Vicki suffered, wider the smile became.
At times I thought ,I am not a good sister. I am adulterating with my brother in law, while my senile sister is in deathbed, but still I took solace in the fact that I haven't killed anybody. But now I feel like I am also a part of the "Kill Vicki Campaign." I need to look for the truth.
In her last days Vicki became very close to me. One night she was having trouble to sleep. But when I gave her the reassuring hug she would calm down a bit. She also admitted " You are the only one who loves me Toots. Nobody cares about me. Timmy , that bastard, ….." her voice muffled due to suppressed cry. Even my reassuring hug wasn't good enough. In misty eyes she pleaded "Please, don't leave me, Toots." I saw that nightmare of my childhood, the sadistic chainsaw wielding babysitter shattering in dust in front of my eyes.
Though I often came across the chainsaw wielding sadistic big sister but there was another level of her antiques, especially when she was younger. My mom once told me, that my sister tried to choke me when I was born. She thought it was necessary to protect her toys.
I was 5 and she was 11. She had a red car which I also liked a lot. One day I asked her to give me a go, with it. She refused saying "This is not a twerp's toy." But I was adamant to take it, she was determined to keep it. Verbal spats turned into a physical tussle within mere moments. She shook me off, and then yelled "You want this car, yeah? Then come and take it." She rushed to the shallow garden well and threw her toy in it. Her maniacal laughter was followed by a venomous taunt "Go big girl, go get the car, huh, huh?"
My cry brought both Mom and Dad out of the house. She got a sound spanking from Mom.
Still seeing her in the deathbed, these thoughts never clogged my rationality. I never wanted her to suffer. I never thought that she deserved this karmic backlash.
Now I am searching for the alleged poison. Now I am convinced, it is a work of Robert. It was his revenge plan. By now he might have disposed of the evidence but I will still try. Eloping with sister in law is one thing and poisoning one's psychotic wife is a different ball game.
I had searched every inch of our house in the morning. Both Mom and Robert are away visiting friends and relatives. So I have ample time to procure the evidence. I stumbled upon a weed killer. A memory flashed in my brain. Mom was saying that this time she will be going Mexican on the garden weeds. Did she poisoned Vicki also? The plight and misery of her daughter might have triggered this action, to put her out for own good.
The things are becoming hazy. I need a power nap.
I don't know when Dr. Borris has entered in my room. He said "Hi, Miss. Valentine. So did you decipher it?"
I was awestruck, "How could he even know?"
"Hmm, Miss. Valentine. We all have two separate strata of our mind. One is a specious, enlightened drawing room where we dwell in our conscious state. There is also a dark room, where the entrance is only one way. One's subconscious mind often treads here. This dark, dusty, clumsy room guards our worst fears and secrets. Your sister was trapped is this room. So eventually she lost her mind."
I was able to see the entrance of the room. It resembled just like Vicki's dark bedroom. I also saw Robert ,not in the human form but in somewhat of a cobra like humanoid form. The door of the dark room opened in a slow pace, as if it was some snapshot of a movie. I clearly saw Vicki is standing beside the well in the garden. Another woman is slowly approaching to Vicki. In her right hand ,Vicki is holding a lean man's hair. The body of the man is dangling in the air. That man has shaved eyebrows , lipstick on his eyes and mascara on his lip. His pink tee tells us his identity.
Vicki loudly screamed "You, want my doll, my little twerpy Timmy doll? Huh, huh. Go, go and fetch it, if you have a father."
She was shaking Timmy violently, but there was an unresponsive demeanor of the young Turner. His darkened facial features only embodied apathy . I tried to scream at the other woman to forbid her from advancing. Before I could react the other woman took a stride, and Timmy was dropped in the well by my elder sister.
I woke up in perspiration. It all was a dream. But suddenly something kicked in my mind. I hurried to the well within our garden. It hasn't been used for years. I have taken my cell phone with me. If my suspicions are real, then police have to be informed. There was still a rope and the bucket, with a rusted pulley. I opened up the lid and threw the bucket in the well. It was quite deep. The sunlight of afternoon wasn't sufficient enough to illuminate it properly. Something is coming up in the bucket, it feels heavier than a bucket of water. My cell started ringing. It is Dr. Borris. I replied, while still pulling the bucket with my free hand.
"Miss Valentine ," he is anxious. "You were right. There is no trace of hydrophobia in your sister's body. We couldn't detect any poison also."
I wasn't paying attention. It is becoming crystal clear. The dark walls were to prevent the sight of a lifeless face of Timmy. Fear of water or it is the fear that in water where Timmy's corpse is also dissolved.
I know what is there in that bucket, it is a little smaller than soccer ball, the afternoon sun rays are touching every square inch of it.
"Hello ? hello?"
I dropped the phone on the very first sight of the thing; it is a mature skull, with traces of brown hair and a pink hat on it.
The phone still screamed "Hello? Hello?"
