I could not sleep till I met uncle, he was working late. I was all anxious to know about my inheritance. Had uncle found the missing papers? If not then what would be my fate?
At times, the niggling thought that the trusted lawyer Yash was up to hanky-panky with my property papers did occur. But my uncle had always advocated for him. He wouldn’t stoop to this level.
I put on my Blackberry but it was of no avail. The thought that I was being watched was nagging me. I arose from my cot and looked out of the window. My room was on the ground floor. It opened out to the countryside.
Outside the night was silent; a fine mist was blowing in from the sea. Not far from my window was a small lake, on its bank stood a huge banyan tree. On the way, while coming here, Mohan had told me that it was a common swimming pool! Aha! But a few months earlier a young couple had committed suicide in it. Since then it was alleged that the place was haunted by the couple.
Villagers avoided the place after noontime and sunset. Yet, for some unknown reason I watched the eerie scenario. The big banyan tree stood there with its scraggy branches spreading out in all directions. A shallow blanket of mist hung over the black inky waters at its foot. The sight made the hair on my neck stand.
Anyone with proper sense would shut the window and cocoon himself inside. But I was just too much bull-head to do so. I wondered what I was trying to prove. And to whom? Yet I stood before the window and willed the dead couple to show themselves!
My vigil was broken by a knocking on my door. “Who is it?” I asked.
“It’s me Anish baba.” I heard the schmuck call. I hurried to open the door, glad to be distracted from my eerie vigil.
Mohan had brought a mosquito repellent ointment. “Anish baba is everything alright?” He asked, glancing at me.
“Everything’s fine.” I lied to him, accepting the ointment.
His inquisitive eyes did a quick recce of my room. It stopped at the open window.
“Anish baba!” he exclaimed. “You are brave to keep the windows open!”
I wasn’t sure if it was genuine admiration or was he being cheeky? Brushing me aside he entered in. Anytime else such intrusion would make me explode but tonight even the schmuck’s company was welcome. Yet my temperament kicked in. “Don’t close the windows!” I ordered as he stretched out to close them.
He stopped and turned around. Just for a moment I detected a flicker of triumph on his face, and then he was back to his childish protesting. “Anish baba did not I warn you of the dead couple…”
“Mohan…” I interrupted firmly. “There are no ghosts! All this is bull crap!”
He looked at me as if I was a dunce. I knew I had stepped on his raw nerve. He was a staunch believer in the supernatural. Anything against it, he was sure to pick up cudgels. It was the only way to stall him. I wanted him to keep me company; the night was getting eerie by the minute.
He settled below the window on a mat facing me, I sat on a low cot. He was back to his favorite topic-spirits and witches. Anything to humor him and keep me company in this infernal silence!
“One night two villagers were returning home,” Mohan began. “While passing the Tahali Khandar, they saw a beautiful maiden. She was weeping. They stopped to help her. She told them she had lost her son inside the Khandar and could not find him. She requested them to help her find him.”
What a bucket load of crap! I knew the rest of the story: one of them noticed something abnormal about her feet. They were twisted backwards. Ghosts are supposed to have twisted feet. But I let him continue the story. It was amusing.
He finished the story and sat in silence, waiting for my reaction.
When he got none, he spoke in a hurt voice, “I know you don’t believe me. But I am telling you, Anish baba there are witches and ghouls in the Khandar…”
I lay on my cot, trying not to dwell on the story.But my sight kept going to the curtained window opposite me. A gentle breeze blew the curtain slightly. For a second, in a glance, I saw a pair of eyes watching me. Then they were gone. I stiffened. Was it my imagination or was I being watched?
I kept silent. I didn’t want to end up as a schmuck before the schmuck.
I lay back again, this time my eyes fixed on the window. I waited for the breeze to shift the curtain.
It did, but no eyes stared from beyond. I did not know whether to feel relief or fear. Yet my eyes stayed at the window. What the bloody hell!
“Anish baba,” Mohan said. “What if I take you to a man who actually saw a witch?”
I was not hearing him; my sight was on the window. Goose pimples erupted all over my skin.
The pair of eyes appeared outside the window!
It stayed long enough for me to realize I was not imagining. Then it disappeared.
It was exactly like the one I had seen at the bus depot. I wasn’t going to forget those terrible eyes in a hurry. Damn witch!
“Mohan, I think someone is outside the window.” I whispered from the corner of my mouth.
The transformation of Mohan was a sight to see. He turned pale and his jaw hung in disbelief. Suddenly, he lunged away from the window to my side.
I knew I could not count on him, I was alone. “Who the fuck is there?” I called.
Only a mild breeze and silence greeted me.
I arose from my cot and moved towards the window.
“Please, Anish baba,” he literally begged. “Don’t talk to them. Don’t even look at them.”
Bullcrap! I wanted to tell him. But I saw this as my chance to show bravado. Whatever was there was outside. Besides, the window was iron barred. Mustering all my courage, I moved closer and called again “Come out whoever you are; or I will screw you so bad, you will not want to come back…”
Again silence. I grew confident. Was it a burglar just doing a recce of the place? Had I frightened him?
Kudos Anish, I congratulated myself. I turned and saw Mohan sitting huddled, staring at the window. Feebly, he pointed towards it.
I turned. The pair of eyes was again at the window!
Before I could think of anything an arm thrust in and tried to grab me. “What the fuck!” I yelled as I stumbled backwards falling on Mohan.
We watched in horror as the arm withdrew and a voice called from outside, “My, my, my, somebody is certainly jumpy.”
“Uncle Chandra!” I called with a deep sense of relief. The curtain was drawn aside and I saw the laughing face of my uncle.
“Uncle you scared us to death!” I complained. My relief was turning to anger. I was ready to kick my uncle’s keister.
“You deserve it. Don’t you have anything else but spirits and Tahali Khandar?” he reprimanded me. “I have been standing here for the last few minutes to surprise you and all I hear is talks about evil spirits. So I decided to frighten you to show you every occurrence has a valid explanation…”
“That was not funny, uncle!” I was complaining when he entered the room.
“You only hear what I say, but never obey! Anish, this is the last time I will repeat myself. There are no witches and vampires or evil spirits Do you understand? And no more talk of the Tahali Khandar. One death...” and he abruptly stopped.
Why was Uncle so determined to keep me away from the issues of the Tahali Khandar?
“But…but uncle one death …” I repeated, trying to corner him.
“But what Anish? Are you a retard or are you just stupid? I don’t want any discussion on this matter. Now go to sleep. Tomorrow, I have a long day.” With that he strode out of the room. Trust uncle to quickly change the topic.
Before he could disappear from sight, the curtain shifted slightly.
A pair of kohl-lined eyes was watching me! The damned witch-woman, Maltibai!
“Crap...Bitch!” a cry erupted from my throat. Uncle was back in a jiffy. He and Mohan were looking wildly at me.
“What is it?” Uncle asked.
“There…” I pointed towards the window. ?
??Someone is there…”
Uncle rushed to the window and pulled aside the curtain. He looked around for a few moments. “See no one!” he declared.
I quickly went to the window. Just in time to see a blur of a white sari disappear round the corner. The witch-woman! She was vamoosing.
I looked at uncle in bewilderment. Surely, he could not have missed her.
Uncle looked blankly back at me as if he had done nothing wrong. With an accusing gaze I looked at my uncle. But he avoided it, turning to Mohan and reprimanding him. Without another word to me he left the room. It was unlikely of him.
Darn uncle! I ran out, rounded the building and reached outside my room. I looked around and found nothing amiss. The witch woman was nowhere to be seen. The dark and silent countryside looked back at me. A sentence came to my mind. The corpse had given a slip to King Vikram! Ha ha ha!
Uncle’s actions and words puzzled me. What was he trying to hide? If there were really no witches or vampires then what had bitten Salim? Which lair had been Uncle talking about? What was he going to decimate there?
Something was fishy, definitely. I had to find out. That night I slept fitfully.
Chapter 5: Tahali Khandar
The next day, I spent chatting with uncle. He seemed determined to spend the day with me. Neither of us brought up the topic. I kept wondering why uncle had lied to me about Maltibai peeping in my room.
My opportunity arrived when uncle got ready to leave after lunch. I as usual began to rib Mohan about the previous night and his belief in evil spirits. But the witch woman’s face at the window kept coming to my mind.
“Anish baba, if you really want to see vampires and witches you should wander in the Khandar after sunset,” he challenged. “You’ll emerge enlightened!”
Sneery Schmuck! He was just checking to see if I had cojones.
Mohan was busy with his work but he still had an eye on me. This was his chance to get even with me. I was in a dilemma. Either accept the challenge and go against uncle or refuse it and be branded a coward.
I looked to see if he was joking. He must have seen the fear and uncertainty on my face, for he said, “It is easy to be here and brag. But going in the Khandar needs goatyaa—balls of steel! “
His words took me by surprise. He had never ever dared to speak like this. The schmuck was growing wings. So I would do a Girish and enter the Khandar.
Uncle’s words instantly came to me. There are no witches and vampires or evil spirits… Salim was bitten in his neck and feet last week...He was warned often not to go in the Tahali Khandar but now it has caused him his death….And no more talk of the Tahali Khandar. One death there is enough…Such conflicting thoughts came to my mind. Uncle’s talks had been mysterious. I was confused.
Mohan’s words really stung me. I could not back off from a challenge. And, that to, from a retard! Besides, my silence would be taken as cowardice. To hell with every thing I was not letting this schmuck gloat at me.
“Ok Schmuck I will go to the Khandar!” I said with bravado.
It was his turn to grow silent. He never expected me to accept the challenge.
A moment later he said, “I have just one condition. You have to go to the Khandar! just before sunset. And I will give you a cord. Tie it to the mango tree in center of the Khandar!”
The fucking schmuck! I swore inwardly. He was doing everything to make it tough. I could not back off now. I had to go along with whatever he was throwing at me. But I swore I was going to get even with him. That would be later.
To Tahali Khandar! go I must, but first I have to attend to other things.
x x x
At 4:15 pm I was knocking Girish’s cottage door. His old man opened the door and instantly recognized me. “How have you been Anish?” he inquired.
“Perfecto, how is Girish doing?”
“Giri is doing fine he is not at home right now but you can come in,” he said rather reluctantly.
“Not today, I have a lot of catching up to do.”
“I understand, bye I’ll ask him to call you as soon he returns,” he promised and politely shut the door behind me.
Thanks to my sharp ears I heard a voice inquire, “Who was that papa?”
Instantly, I recognized it. It belonged to Girish! Why the lying old coot!
“Salim had come for you but I said you were sleeping.” I heard his old man lie.
To say I was puzzled would be an understatement. It was like being in the Catacombs without a light. I stood listening, waiting for some interesting tidbits of conversation. There was conversation going on inside but it sounded muffled.
I moved closer to the door and listened. I pledged to myself that I would solve this mystery today. Come what may!
Just then I saw a pair of kohl-lined eyes watching me! The witch-woman!
She was standing under a tree staring at me. Her eyes were intense as ever. Once again she beckoned me with her finger.
My first instinct was to flee. But I could not; after all she was just a harmless old woman. Besides, I wanted to confront her about last night. I began towards her, calmly. But as I drew closer a strange kind of fear began to envelope me. Her solemn face relaxed and she smiled. A smile that could mean anything. Now it seemed like victory. A malevolent kind. All my bravado was melting I was ready to flee at the first sign of danger.
Yards before her, I stopped. Her smile now showed me a set of decayed teeth. I stared at her not knowing what to say.
“Do not go to the Tahali Khandar…Anish. There is only evil there...” she suddenly spoke up. Then grew silent as if contemplating on something.
I waited for a few moments then decided to terminate the encounter, as she was spooking me. Turning around, I began walking towards the main road.
“Wait Anish…” I heard her call, sweetly. But I continued walking till I reached the road. I hailed a rickshaw and got in. When I turned behind she was squatting on the ground, watching me angrily.
Slowly she raised a finger and wagged it at me. It could be anything a threat or a warning. I shivered inwardly. I was surprised with myself for being so easily spooked.
x x x
My next stop was our lawyer, Yash’s house. After all, he was my dad’s trusted confidante, like uncle.
To my surprise his attitude towards me was ice-cold, before I could utter a word about Salim or Girish. He spoke non-stop, “I will hand all your property papers to you on your eighteenth birthday in presence of Chandra. The transfer will happen then and there.”
“But a couple of days back you phoned uncle saying some of the papers were lost.” I interrupted.
He rubbished it declaring that he hadn’t spoken to uncle for over two months.
Who was lying? My Uncle or the Bloody liar lawyer. Now Tahali Khandar wasn’t my priority.
x x x
Within minutes my rickshaw was speeding to Salim’s house.
No one was in Salim’s house. The door was locked and the house wore a deserted look.
I checked the place. It was truly deserted. There was no sign of a living soul. It seemed to be abandoned. As I moved around I could not help feeling I was being watched. I disregarded it. The encounter with the old woman had made me jittery, I reckoned.
An unexplainable eeriness shot through me. I dashed to the road for a rickshaw. The corner of my eye, caught something move at a distance.
It was her again, squatting down, picking up something from the ground. And the frightening thing was she was exactly at the spot where I was standing a few moments ago!I have heard of people doing voodoo using the victim’s personal belongings. Was she doing that? Did I drop something? How did she reach here so fast?
Then I remembered that I had visited Yash uncle before coming here. But yet I could not convince myself. How did she know I was coming here? Was she stalking me? I could think of nothing.
Besides, there was still another unpleasant task to complete before night.
Cha
pter 6: Tahali Khandar
Sunset was barely an hour away but the sky was downcast. An hour before sunset I was ready to set off. The schmuck now seemed apprehensive. “Do you want to do this Anish baba?” He asked me just before I could leave.
I gave him a freezing look, silencing him.
He tied a sacred string on my wrist as protection. Another bit of cord he offered me to tie to the mango tree in the Khandar! I also took my dad’s windcheater as a good luck charm.
x x x
A good distance away were the ruins, I stopped. It stood silently and a rather beckoning force seemed to emit from it. It scared me.
The infamous history of the ruins added to its horror. It now looked foreboding against the dark and gloomy skies. Lush grass green surrounded the black stoned wall that rose majestically, but evilly.
Fresh monsoon grass had managed to take root all over the wall blending its green with the black. The complete atmosphere seemed to suit the occupant’s lair.
The entrance was large and yawning; beyond it was a jumble of wild grass and stones. I stepped into the entrance. A gust of wind rushed behind me as if coaxing me in.
A mournful groan sounded heralding my entry. The walls ran in an oblate shape, at the far end were dark niches.
I was down to business, looking for the mango tree. With a thudding heart I began walking towards the centre.
All of a sudden my skin erupted with goose bumps. The wind felt cold against it. To add to my fear I could feel myself being followed. Try as much I could not bring myself to turn around.
What was I going to do? Turn around, and vamoose out of here. But a certain pride in me would not allow me to turn tail. I had to do something to prove myself.
Tie the string and vamoose out of here Shit Head, a voice called from within me. Just a little more, it called again. Foolishly, I heeded to it.
I kept reminding myself it was dusk not night. As if in answer the sky became ominously dark and a faint drizzle hit the earth. I took no refuge in my windcheater; I was oblivious of it.