The water flowed underneath. The houseboat they were staying in was quite sturdy, as it should be. It was a calming experience. A vacation they had dreamt of, for ages. The lights from the opposite bank could be seen. Technology had not yet quite reached here and the light was coming from an old house. She wondered who lived there. Her family had retired early after the heavy dinner and light entertainment. She was sitting in the open deck-like space, enjoying the breeze and the sound of the water.
The sudden beam of a torchlight made her sit up and look closely. She saw distant figures moving towards the river. There were more than two people and one of them seemed to be holding a big sack. She decided to switch off the light near her and sat, watching. The people waded into the river and got aboard a small boat and without making any noise, they started rowing it, away from the house.
She woke her husband up and told him about what had happened. Being a police officer, he remarked that it did seem shady and called up the local police to inform them about it. The reply startled him and he looked strangely at her. He hung up the phone and told her that the house had been abandoned long ago and nobody lived there anymore. Moreover, the locals believed it could be haunted. So, the police said that the locals would never go near the house which meant that the people whom she saw must have been outsiders, obviously.
They wondered what to do but decided to wait till the daybreak to go over and look the house up. The sun shone and they had a wonderful breakfast that was provided by the houseboat owner. They decided to leave the children to see the local zoo while they went over by boat to the old house. The local boatman did not accompany them and they had to row a small boat. Both of them knew swimming and so it was not a problem. She carried a few emergency stuff like candles, matchsticks, torches, and a few biscuits too.
Her husband and she went over to the house and tied the boat to the pole. They then climbed up the steps and circled the old house. It seemed to be maintained and even the grounds were swept clean which made her suspicious. She saw smoke coming from the chimney and pointed it out to her husband. He sent a secret message to the local police. They responded that they would come over soon. Both of them saw a small girl darting over after seeing them and soon heard screams. He took out his revolver and asked her to hide behind the bushes and he also took cover. A burly man came outside and checked to see if anyone was around. Soon, another hefty fellow also followed. They heard more screams of help. Both of them went back inside and locked the door.
She had an idea and grabbed some dry leaves and pulled a few sticks and started to light a fire. She got an admiring nod from her husband and together they were successful in making a huge fire. They then hid and as they had expected, the men came out and started to run for water to put the fire out.
Meanwhile, she and her husband ran inside and checked the rooms and to their horror, they found three women who were tied up and a small girl too, who was beaten very badly. It looked like the women were being misused. They looked helplessly and soon, the police officer untied them and all of them ran through the back door and hid. The mean came back but this time, they saw a different lady who was wielding a revolver. They were both surprised and taken aback. She asked them to go through the door and stand near the tree in the front yard. They tried to attack but she fired a shot and they obeyed. She took a rope from the well and tied them up. She then called out to her husband and the ladies. Her husband could have done all this but she wanted to prove to the scoundrels that a woman was capable of being strong too.
The police soon arrived and the locals too because they had heard the shots and seen the fire. The men were arrested and the women were taken to the hospital nearby. It seems they had been abducted and 'sold' to customers. The police stayed back in the house to capture the remaining accomplices who brought customers.
The police and the locals thanked both of them and they returned quite satisfied to their houseboat, to enjoy the rest of their vacation.
