'Tis the reason

Geru never knew a late-night purchase would haunt him for life.

Previously on The Red Refrigerator, The girls find out just how much their new fridge cost them in Part 1 - The hot fridge, Part 2 - 2:57 & Part 3 - Bloody Sandwich.

If you haven’t read them yet, check out the previous parts for better experience. Or you can directly read this one.

Geru never knew a late-night purchase would haunt him for life.

Reluctantly dragged to girls’ small apartment, he told the story while looking at the subject of his nightmares in a daze.

It was last year when someone had banged on his gates at night, similar to the girls. They told him they were moving away the same night. They had to get rid of the weight quickly. He thought it was a steal. He paid them two hundred rupees, saying it was the best he could do. They didn't bargain. In hindsight, he should have turned them away. In the glee of making a good sale, he didn't ask for any contact details.

If he had just looked at their clothes, he would have seen them wearing the uniform of the nearby hospital, thus lying about moving away.

The appliance was used in their postmortem department. They had to clean it with the strongest disinfectant to get rid of the smell of blood emanating from it even after emptying it. It was bought by the previous attendant. He had said he would get it for cheap. The hospital, on a financial crunch at the time, went with his suggestion.

It had worked well for the establishment for more than a decade. There were times when it stopped working. The parts stored in it would rot. He had seen the attendants creating a fake report to get the relatives of patients off their backs. Even the Police constables knew of the condition. They let it go. They had too many cases to take care of. If they fumbled with a hooligan's dead body who smashed his bike killing two others, they were more than happy to turn the other way. It had become normal for all, a nuisance, but it was how it worked till she came.

The two men were ordered by their new head to get rid of the appliance as soon as possible. They were quick with it. They had heard of her reputation. How strict she was in her orders. They had heard she sacked seven employees under her because of their tardiness. She was young yet accomplished in her field, and sought after. They knew their hospital was paying her double her previous salary. That alone, was enough to say how coveted Subra Iyer was in her field.

They didn't know her real reason for sale of their oldest appliance. She never thought she would see it again in her life. But she recognized it at first glance. Her gaze was stuck to it as she whispered to herself, “How did it get here?” Her assistant heard. She answered, "Oh! It works. Sometimes, at least!" She had laughed at her own joke, thinking Subra would join. The new head pathologist pursed her lips. Subra told her to get rid of it if she wanted a job tomorrow.

Subra had gone to her assigned office at the end of the corridor not to let anyone see how much she was trembling while her order got carried out. It was her first fridge ever. Her father had gotten it from his friend for half the price. She and her younger brother were elated while their mother had grumbled about her spendthrift husband.

They used to return home from school and sit in front of the shiny new thing. They would have their food there, do their homework, even ask to sleep there, saying it was colder where the fridge was as if it was emanating the cold waves outside too. They were excited to be the first ones to have such a cool thing in their home. Her brother was especially fond of opening the door repeatedly to put his face inside. He would exclaim how cold it was. Their mother used to scold them for letting all the cold air out, "How would it work if you keep it open all day?" she used to ask. It didn't let their fascination dwindle. While she got bored with it soon, her brother was still crazy over it.

He would come to her ten times in a day, "Akka, let's see if the ice is frozen yet." She would go with him since he couldn't reach the freezer at the top. He would also touch the pots and bowls his mother used to keep. He would get happy saying, "Look how good they feel!" with a grin on his face. Maybe he wanted to feel like one rather than touch.

They were playing hide and seek that day. Subra didn't want to ruin her new dress, so her brother was hiding while she counted to ten with her face to the wall. She was taken away at count seven by her mother for a family function. Her father was getting antsy waiting outside.

When they came back at midnight, they were met with a frantic grandmother who had fallen asleep when they were leaving. She couldn't find the little boy left under her care. They searched the whole house. Family, friends, and neighbors helped in search for the tiny bundle of joy. They called the police in the noon to help. The mother thought of serving them cold water so they would find her son soon. The glass slipped from her fingers as she fell in shock.

Subra’s little brother had thought it best to hide in the fridge. She remembered her grandmother covering her with her saree as they took her brother away. She only saw his hand. It looked blue, like her new dress which she still had on. They matched. He would have grinned, showing the gap in his teeth.

The fridge got taken away by the police department as evidence. Subra's mother never allowed it to come back in her house. They still didn't have one at her family home. Her mother blamed her father for buying the thing which took her son away.

Subra’s father had gotten it for cheap from his friend. His friend never told him it was the only thing he got from his job.

I was drunk that night, Chandan justified himself. The factory owner saw the monster in him.

The rich man thought he was the last one at three o'clock. He went to lock the factory when he heard the unmistakable sound of metal against metal. Thinking thieves had gotten inside the premises, he went to his office to grab his bat quickly. What he saw at the very back of his building upset him more.

Chandan was forcing himself into their only female employee. Her broomstick was lying on her feet while silent tears ran down her face at the assault. Their movements were causing the new fridge to slide against the hook on the wall making an awful sound that grated on nerves.

Chandan was beaten with the bat till he turned black and blue. When he went back after a month to collect his dues, he was threatened with police. The same fridge was sent to his home by the owner. His wife had been confused till then because of his lies. When she heard the truth, she left for her home, leaving him with just the reminder of his actions. Unable to scrape together bare pennies for his survival, he convinced his friend to take the appliance off his hand. He died while begging for food at someone's door next month, similar to how the helper was now sitting at Somi and Anvi's door.

Not knowing how to solve the problem, he also mentioned how there were two helpers, earlier in the shop. Him and a small boy who had fallen sick. The boy had died a week before he sold it to the two ladies.

Not willing to hear anymore, they sent him away.

The two girls, drained with bags under their eyes and soaked clothes, sat as far away from the appliance as possible with their house gates open. That is how they left it when they fled before dawn.

The landlord was not even shocked when he came in the morning to evict them, practicing what he would say under his breath, "You can't stay here anymore. Too many complaints of noise and smell from your apartment. You have a week." He had a cloth to his nose, not even entering their space. The girls had gotten used to the smell. Another thing he found bizarre.

He was already unsettled by the empty look in their eyes. He used to look away from them, thinking the girls were high. Who would live the way they did?

Another headache was the night guard. He couldn't find him when he went down in the morning. Lord knew where he went, and died.

He was tired of it all. He should have listened to the society secretary, and never lent these girls a home. They had given the whole place a bad vibe. Their flat was dark in the morning with no light open neither their curtains drawn. Good riddance.

He found the key lying beside the door as he pushed it inside. They had left all their furniture, utensils, and even their television. It looked like they just took their clothes and money with them.

He only found a note stuck on their fridge.

"Sell this."

Whoever said Dead Sisters tell no tales was wrong. They manifest their anger in ways unknown. For another tale like this,