Agony

By Kshitij

The pain makes you do thingshorrible things

A cold lonely life, paralyzed by sickening nightmares: thats
what Kewy, a young Irish teacher, has started to experience.
And then an abrupt knocking at her door establishes that
the time has come. Things buried in her past have found a
way to communicate with herthe dreams, which always
receive her at a godforsaken place, dwell with evil and are
surrounded by death, fear and hopelessness.
The past is agonizing, but part of her still believes she can
erase it. In her quest, Kewy is joined by two beings, both of
whom find a reason to live in her struggle. Kasper, a grocery
boy, works in small county of Louth. In Kewy, he thinks he
has found the meaning of his life. Einin is a teen catholic
student in Kewys art history class. She anticipates Kewys
problem and offers a helping hand.
Together, the three decide to visit the dark, disturbed and
desolated land from Kewys dream. There is fear and anxiety,
but they hope to get past itnot having the slightest idea
that what waits for them in those dead woods is more than
just a plain and ordinary fear.

Welcome to Reinhardt. Est. 1667, Population: 213

• Language: English
• Publisher: Partridge Publishing India
• Release date: Mar 10, 2014
• ISBN: 9781482819588

Kshitij

Kshitij Bhoumik is a young author living near New Delhi, India. He loves writing and reading fiction, particularly works that try to envision the dark corners of the human mind. He likes to explore different places and cultures through the medium of watching, reading and traveling. He was born in Agra in 1986.

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Copyright © 2014 by Kshitij Bhoumik.

Cover Art by Ida Jansson, amygdaladesign.net

Biblical quotations:

1)   "The Holy Bible: New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.®.

Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide."

2)   "The Holy Bible, King James Version. New York: Oxford Edition: 1769; King James Bible Online, 2008.

http://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/."

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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CONTENTS

WORDS OF GRATITUDE

PROLOGUE

ONE

TWO

THREE

FOUR

FIVE

SIX

SEVEN

EIGHT

NINE

TEN

ELEVEN

TWELVE

THIRTEEN

FOURTEEN

FIFTEEN

SIXTEEN

SEVENTEEN

EIGHTEEN

NINETEEN

TWENTY

TWENTY-ONE

AGONY

Kshitij is a young author living near New Delhi, India. He loves writing and reading fiction, particularly works that try to envision the dark corners of the human mind. He likes to explore different places and cultures through the medium of watching, reading and traveling. He was born in Agra in 1986.

To my family

& a bit to my damn imagination . . .

WORDS OF GRATITUDE

I confess that I had no easy ways with writing; perhaps that’s been the case with many of us. Transforming the naivety of a raw idea into a professionally polished script is no small feat. So here comes my acknowledgement to the people associated with me in this project.

My sincere thanks to Partridge publication team for spreading my words across the world.

Many compliments to my editor, Catherine Morgan, for literally taking my script to another level and suggesting changes for better. Mr. Arthur Waite helped with the Latin texts.

Thank you, Ida Jansson for capturing my imagination and coming up with a wonderful cover.

Great deal of ardor and patience was shown by Charlee Redman, while working on the script during the final stages and helping me on the important aspects of it.

I want to thank all my beta readers who presented positive feedback and put in their words of encouragement.

I don’t want to take anything away from the authors all around the world and the motion pictures that have always been inspirational to me.

And finally, my whole-hearted greetings to the people who were around me when I wrote this one; thank you for letting me grow with my book.

Terrors overwhelm me; my dignity is driven away as by the wind, my safety vanishes like a cloud. "And now my life ebbs away; days of suffering grip me. Night pierces my bones; my gnawing pains never rest.

JOB 30:15-17

PROLOGUE

‘M aggie?’

His voice, grave and deep, tumbled through his heavy lips. The panic went beyond his words and flashed on the worried face as he moved his feet on the dead leaves, searching for his wife. The torchlight barely penetrated the dark surroundings.

‘Maggie?’ He called her name again, only to hear his own voice echo back. The edginess crept in as he reluctantly feared the worst. He continued the search and finally reached the end of the forest. Here she was, standing undisturbed in a profound trance. Her eyes were wide open, unblinking as she gawped at the forlorn land, separated only by a flowing river. She was a step away from slipping into the river, but she didn’t care. In the utter silence, he could hear his heart beating in fear: fear of losing her forever. He approached her silently. Unnoticed, he held her shoulders and turned her around to get a look at her face. She stood like a statue, emotionless, shivering and sweating profusely under the cold sky. He couldn’t understand her expression, although he desperately wanted to. He longed to help her, to take her away from the ethereal setting, but she did not seem interested. She turned her eyes back to the land and then stretched her hand, pointing her finger towards that place across the river.

‘It’s calling me,’ she uttered.

He turned, anxious and impatient. He held her arms tightly and embraced her body. Slowly, he took her back to the small shed at the other end of the woods. That was supposed to be their home; away from the rest of the population, in solitude. He put his gun back in the drawer and then tried to get her to sleep, stroking her head gently and covering her cold body with a blanket. But she didn’t close her eyes. Her face turned pale as she trembled in fear. Then she moved her jaws and stammered, ‘I… I’ll burn in hell.’

He couldn’t figure out what was happening to his wife or why she had suddenly started to behave abnormally. He grasped her cheeks and stared at the horror floating in her eyes.

‘Please, Maggie. What’s going on?’

‘They all burned up… He died.’

‘Who died, Maggie?’

‘But it’s not over. The land is craving. She has to come back. She has to end this.’

Maggie continued speaking gibberish until she fell asleep, exhausted. He lay next to her, constantly looking at her, worrying and losing his own sleep. She moved and shifted in her sleep, and then the soliloquizing continued again. Suddenly she opened her eyes and violently threw the blanket on the floor.

‘Rain, Nightmares, Stones, Sacrifices.’

‘What is it, honey? Oh Lord! Please help her,’ he prayed, closing his moist eyes.

‘Celebration, Dance, Fire, Deaths,’ she continued blabbing.

And then she covered her ears because of the strange hymn in the room that only she could hear. The dog, their tame one, started barking at her as she continued struggling in pain.

He couldn’t bear it anymore. The following day, he got the prescribed medicines. But none seemed to work. So before it could get any worse, he decided to take her back to the city.

He kept looking at her as he steered his car far away from the forest.

‘Love! Never go in there, the place across the river,’ she said with tears spilling from her eyes and dropping down her cheeks. With that, she jumped out of the car. His shaky foot rested on the brakes as the car stopped. He tried finding her with his restless eyes, screaming her name, pleading her to come back.

And there she was, holding his gun and pointing it right at her brain.

Then she said her last words. Did he hear them? Yes, he did, but they were suppressed by the ferocious sound of the gunshot.

Maggie had killed herself.

DREAM, DESPAIR & DESPERATION

ONE

K ewy parked her RTR Mustang in front of Finke’s. ‘How much for that pine can?’ She gave the most coquettish look to Kasper, one of the grocery boys, aware that he had always taken a special interest in her.

‘Well, that would be 1.5€.’

‘Very well, give me three of those and a cheese pizza.’

He packed up her order. ‘So, what’s the craic?’ Kasper looked coyly into her eyes. Considering Kewy’s personality and her unmatched charm, he could not have asked a better question.

‘Fine enough, mate. Daily chores and my loneliness keep me preoccupied.’ Kewy lowered her eyes and blushed. ‘Sorry for sounding like a philosopher; I don’t know why I said that.’

‘It’s sometimes easier to share things with strangers,’ said Kasper.

‘Guess I don’t consider you a stranger.’ Kewy smiled, a glimpse of ingenuousness flashing over her face. ‘I’ll be moving on, see you later!’

Kewy moved out of Finke’s, the largest shopping store in the small county of Louth. It was 5:30 in the evening and she had nowhere to go but back to her place. She rarely felt the need for any company, but that certainly didn’t mean she was a loner, or at least that’s what she believed. She tried to keep her life as uncomplicated as possible. She was 26 and taught arts to high school kids. Besides being in the company of young, ambitious and enthusiastic kids all day, she used to spend time with workplace friends, who would often drag her to fun parties or arrange a blind date for her… but that was very rare, because she almost always had one thing or another going on. Kewy, lost in her own thoughts, led the life of a recluse. Most of the people who knew her formed the notion that she was a shy and reserved creature. However, Kewy did not care much about what people thought. Much like this evening, which was so similar to many others she had spent in her life.

Kewy parked the car in her garage and entered her house. The area where she had been residing was quiet and in the extreme south of the county. She undressed and got ready for a hot water bath. She lay down in the tub with her favorite Barbara Fairchild country collection playing in the background. She closed her eyes and felt the gentle lap of the water stirring over her fair skin. Trying to stave off her exhaustion with an evening siesta, she gradually dozed off.

There were red flashes all around, similar to the fireballs. Human-shaped figures appeared running in one direction. People were screaming… and suddenly it all disappeared into dense white clouds. Nothing could be seen but an epicenter, a source that was throwing a red stream of light. Suddenly, Kewy heard a whisper in her ears that petrified her soul: ‘Come back! You belong here.’ Kewy grabbed her towel and rushed to her bedroom. Before she could catch her breath, somebody knocked. She wrapped the towel tightly around her body. There was a constant banging on her door. ‘Who is it?’ There wasn’t any reply but the knocking continued. ‘Who’s there?’ She shivered with fear. Her voice went cold. ‘I’m not going to open up if you don’t identify yourself!’ Kewy stood in the corner of the room with her hands on her ears. And after a while, to her relief, the knocking stopped.

She put on her nightgown, gathered some courage and opened the lock to the attic. Through the passage, she went to the top of her house. Strangely, the construction of the house was done in such a way that one needed to pass through the attic to reach the upper part of the house. There were no stairs leading directly to the roof. She tried to see from the terrace if there was someone keeping an eye on her or if the knockings on her front door had any link with the visions she had experienced in her bathtub. She saw nothing and returned to her bedroom. Gradually, she sat on her bed. Her face had turned pale, and her expression was one of acute fear. Then she walked towards the washroom; she splashed some cold water on her face and eyes to calm herself down. Kewy removed the hair clip and let her short, dark hair loose. She opened one of the pine cans, got the pizza out and sat in front of the television. She kept pressing the buttons of the remote, as she could not concentrate on any of the broadcasted entertainment on television; her worried eyes were focused on the three windows of her bedroom. Time and again she peered towards the passage of the attic with anxiety. After a long period, she finally went back to bed, managing to get some sleep. Her body rested but her mind remained alert.

The next morning, by the time she woke up, it was already 10 a.m. ‘Shit! I missed my class, how come I forgot to set my alarm! Anyway, I wasn’t prepared for today’s lecture,’ she thought. Kewy welcomed the day off. ‘God, I needed this break badly,’ she panted. Then she picked up her phone and called Finke’s.

‘Hi, I want these items to be delivered at 15-c, Vakel Road,’ she said, and then ordered all the household things she needed. ‘Thank you!’ she replied, before putting down the receiver.

Kewy was meandering around her small house, thinking how to keep herself busy without slipping outside. Her assessment was: ‘If I have to step outside my house, then school is the most appropriate place; since all my colleagues and students are there, what’s the point in going somewhere else!’ After a few moments of thinking, she started to work in her tiny garden at the front of the house. She wasn’t particularly aware of or interested in gardening, to the extent that she didn’t even know what all was there in her beds. So it was kind of exciting for her to explore her own place, especially when she had a whole day at her disposal. She did not mind watering the plants and turning over the soil in the small field.

‘Hello, Kewy!’ A voice attracted her attention. She turned back to see an old lady standing at her front gate. Kewy recalled the lady’s face. She had seen her many times, though she’d never taken an interest in her, but she assumed that the old lady must be one of her neighbors. It had been more than a year since Kewy arrived at this house, but she never took an interest in acquainting herself with the nearby residents. While she was considering this, the lady introduced herself. ‘I’m Ciara Pears and I live two doors down from you.’

‘Oh! Hi, Mrs. Pears, please come in!’ Kewy greeted the old lady. ‘Let me bring one more chair,’ she said while she offered the lady the chair that was already placed in her front garden. The old woman immediately sank onto the chair while Kewy rushed inside to get another chair and hurriedly sat on it.

The lady continued, ‘I always watch you leaving and coming back, never got a chance to talk to you. Which profession are you in?’

‘Well, I teach arts to high school students at Marks Academy.’

‘That’s great. It must be very exciting to spend hours with those young minds. They have so many things to share and ask and exhibit different creativities, don’t they?’ There was a smile on the old lady’s face.

‘Oh yes, definitely,’ Kewy said, nodding her head, ‘I guess that’s why I like this job. Ma’am, would you like some coffee?’ she offered.

‘No, honey, just sit! I rather prefer talking to you. So, do you have any family or relations in Louth?’ The lady paused. ‘Sorry, it’s none of my business! It’s just that I saw you living alone; that’s why I asked.’

‘It’s okay. I don’t mind you asking,’ Kewy answered, ‘and no, I have no one living here. I’m by myself, no close friends, just some work-place colleagues, that’s all! But I’m not lonely. I’m used to living this way,’ she replied. There was an uncomfortable expression on her face. She wasn’t at ease talking about herself.

‘Even I am on my own. I have no one but a nephew who pays me a visit sometimes. There’s nothing to be worried about, and besides, you’re keeping yourself busy in education services in a young community. That’s very good. You’re young, beautiful and independent. You can go to different places on your own, meet different people whenever you feel alone, isn’t that so?’ Mrs. Pears asserted.

‘Yes, maybe.’ Kewy had some interest in answering that question.

‘It’s a beautiful morning and I shouldn’t be taking much of your time. You can visit me whenever you feel like it, or if you need something. I’d be glad of your company.’

‘Definitely, Mrs. Pears, I appreciate that. Thank you.’

As Kewy watched the old lady leave, she put the chair back in its place and immersed herself in garden work. After some time, she entered the house and lit a cigarette. She sat on the porch, thinking, ‘what’s next?’ She hadn’t often been in her house with nothing planned, and during weekends she had long been in the habit of making up to-do lists and working accordingly. The strange events that occurred last night, and the reason she had not made it to the school that day, were somewhere in her mind, and she was trying not to remember any of it by keeping herself busy with household errands. She stood up and went to her study room. She started to go through the books in that small room. Most of them were fine old fiction novels; some were about religion and Christianity. Almost all of the books were very old and rare, with torn covers and layers of dust on them. As she wiped the dust off from one of the partly torn books, a paper fell from inside. She grabbed the paper and looked at it. She was gobsmacked as she went through the piece of paper; first of all, its quality was different—coarse yet slippery, and the language it was in, wasn’t English, per se. The font was eerie and she couldn’t understand most of the alphabets. ‘What’s this?’ she murmured. Kewy guessed it could be some mantra or gospel, but she wasn’t sure of either. She looked at the cover of the book. It was The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. ‘Oh! That’s not possible.’ She carefully observed the paper. Kewy saw the number 213 printed in roman numerals, which was the only thing she managed to understand. She searched for the missing link from the book. ‘I knew it,’ she said, ‘the paper doesn’t belong to this book. Must have been from some other one.’ She started rolling over other books on the bookshelves. She unsuccessfully searched for the corresponding book for an hour and then sat down on the floor with the paper. ‘Well, what a fool I am! Why am I so bothered about this stupid piece of paper taken out from some fictional crap?’ She stood up and reached near the garbage can with the paper in her hand. ‘What’s the harm?’ She changed her mind. ‘Let it be where it was, who cares anyway?’ She put the paper back in the book and positioned the book at the left corner of the upper bookshelf. She changed the positioning of book almost unconsciously, just in case she needed to check on the book later. Then she arranged other books in their appropriate places and left the room.

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Kewy moved to the kitchen and prepared herself a coffee. She was still intrigued by the paper note but tried to get it out of her mind. Afterwards, she returned to the study room, sat on the study desk and opened her laptop. As she was busy preparing notes for the following day’s college lecture, she heard the sound of her cell phone in another room. The phone stopped ringing before she could pick it up. She saw an unknown number on the screen. Kewy went back to her room with her cell phone and again immersed herself in work. After a while, her phone rang again. This time she picked it up. ‘Hello, Kewy, it’s Smithson.’

‘Hi, Mr. Smithson,’ she replied.

‘You didn’t show up at the school today. Since you’re pretty regular, I was wondering if everything is alright.’

‘Oh, I’m perfectly fine. Thanks for inquiring! I didn’t sleep well last night, that’s why,’ Kewy answered. ‘Do you want me to take the class in the afternoon?’

‘Oh no, not at all, I’ll be rescheduling today’s lecture to some other day, so you just enjoy your day. I’ll see you tomorrow.’

‘That’s very kind of you, sir. Goodbye!’ She put down her phone and continued with her work until she heard the doorbell. She walked towards the front door and opened it. ‘Oh! Hello,’ she smiled at Kasper, who was standing with big plastic packets in his hands.

‘Hi,’ he said. ‘That’s your order.’

‘Come inside, please!’ she said. Kasper reached the dining table as directed and placed the packets on the table. ‘Do you have a time for a cup of coffee?’ Kewy asked.

‘Sure, I do.’ Kasper looked into her eyes. ‘Coffee will be just fine,’ he said. Kewy started the stove and put the water on to boil. Kasper fixed his eyes on Kewy, adoring her beautiful face. There were a few moments of silence. Kewy noticed his gaze. She always did.

‘Here’s your coffee.’ She moved the cup towards him. He held the cup.

‘You see I haven’t been very successful with the girls,’ he said, while trying his best to maintain eye contact with her. ‘Well, I’ve been rather under-confident and unlucky in this area. And in this small county you don’t get to see good-natured girls often!’ Kewy’s expression changed. She vaguely understood what he meant to say.

‘You’re saying all this to me?’

‘I don’t know what I’m saying or why I’m blabbing right now. I just want to take you out… out for dinner.’ He looked at her face, trying to predict her response. She didn’t say anything. ‘No big deal, you can say no,’ Kasper said. There was a pause.

‘How about tomorrow evening?’ she said.

Kasper was filled with joy. ‘Deadly! I’ll pick you up then.’ He put the coffee cup down on the table, without taking a single sip, and left hurriedly. He turned back to glance at her. They exchanged smiles and looked at each other until he disappeared from her sight.

Kewy went back to her work. Later she took one of the books from the study room and started reading it while resting on her sofa. But she wasn’t able to concentrate on the book. She was still thinking about the grocery boy and how he approached her. She was very unclear about her own feelings for him, but every time she saw Kasper, she could feel a glimpse of admiration and esteem for her in his eyes. It had been like this since she arrived in Louth. But she was more than hesitant to make any moves, and she was skeptical towards his advances. Kewy was considering all these thoughts until she gradually fell asleep on the sofa. Not much time passed before she started to hear a terrible knocking on her door. It was loud and fierce and scared the hell out of her. She

Reviews for Agony

[westkayla1221 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

After an experience she could never forget years ago involving the deaths/disappearances of three old friends of hers, Kewy has been haunted by nightmares. Nightmares which feel so real that she is afraid to fall asleep for fear of being taken over by them. She knows something is not right. She knows something is calling for her to go back. Back to the town where the horrifying ordeal happened. Back to the place where her life changed forever. But she will not be going alone. A student of hers named Einin and a man who deeply cares for her, Kasper, are going to accompany her on this journey. However, they may not know what they are truly in for until it is too late. For the secret behind the nightmares is a truth that could be too hard to swallow. Now firstly I must say that I loved the concept of this story. It...I don't know...intrigued me. I loved the all around creepiness of the town to which Kewy must go back. The town that seems to call to her. It kind of reminded me of limbo. You know, there but not really there. A ghost town, if you will. I loved that there is a much bigger story to the town, involving a pact with Satan and a sacrifice of certain qualifications. I also loved the people of the town. Just talking about it sends shivers down my spine. With that said, though, I was a bit disappointed by the execution of the story. There were no low points, but there were no high points or climaxes. I want a story to have a big reveal, where the main character has no idea what his or her true fate or destiny is until the end, and then they must choose. I wanted Kewy to be haunted throughout the entire journey back by her past with the town. I wanted the town to reveal small bits and pieces of her role in its survival, but not fully awaken and reveal the big picture until she had begun to realize it herself. I wanted her to fight. Against the town, and its inhabitants, and more importantly her role. And I wanted her to win, to for once and for all stop the nightmares. There was no huge battle. I wanted Kewy, Kasper, and Einin to survive the ordeal and come back stronger than ever. Albeit a bit battered and bruised, but joined together in victory. I just felt like there could have been more in the way of interest and intrigue and horror and excitement. But all in all, it was a good read.