Sanjay shifted around, looking embarrassed. ‘It was not your fault …’ he began. I raised a hand to silence him. There was no doubt that the couple had been distressed by their experience.
‘Won’t you tell me what happened that night?’ I asked gently.
After a fleeting moment of hesitation, Sanjay narrated the story of their ghostly encounter. The couple had been enraptured by the beautiful surroundings, so they roamed about the palace garden till dark.
As requested by the hotel staff, Casper was chained to a pillar in the veranda outside their room. At first he growled in protest, but settled down soon after.
‘I am hungry,’ Sanjay announced after a while. ‘Let’s order dinner.’
‘I was thinking of going to the restaurant for dinner,’ said his wife.
‘That would mean dressing up,’ he objected. ‘I am not in the mood. Besides, it won’t be fun since there are no guests in the hotel tonight. We can dine in the restaurant tomorrow.’
After they had dined, Neena continued reading her book while her husband played a few games on his phone. It was close to eleven when they went to bed.
Not long after the couple had gone to bed, they woke up to Casper’s barking. The barking was followed by a strange whining sound. The dog never made such a sound unless he was in pain. Worried, Sanjay rushed out and found that the Labrador had attacked the watchman, who had wandered close to the dog.
Neena, who had also emerged from the room, was surprised that Casper had attacked the man. He was a friendly dog.
The night watchman, Hari Singh, was a tall, heavily-built man with an impressive moustache. Sanjay apologized for Casper’s behaviour and helped the watchman to his feet. Luckily, he was not hurt.
‘I am surprised,’ said Sanjay, with a puzzled look in his eyes. ‘Casper doesn’t attack anyone. He may bark, but he doesn’t bite.’
‘I meant no harm,’ explained the watchman. ‘I approached him with the intention of petting him. But, he pounced on me.’
‘Strange!’ exclaimed Neena, as she petted the dog.
‘It’s alright!’ The watchman brushed away their apology. ‘I am not scared of dogs, sahib. In fact, we have a dog at home. I think the stick in my hand provoked your dog. He must have felt threatened.’
With that, the watchman sauntered away, and the couple went back to their room. Appeased after the reassuring pats, Casper curled up into a ball on the mat Neena had laid out for him. Tucking his nose under his tail, he let out a sigh.
Just after midnight, the dog began wailing loudly. Sanjay sprang out of the bed and rushed out. He found Casper squirming in pain. The dog howled and tugged at the chain. Surprised, Sanjay wondered what could have happened. He was joined by his wife and together they looked around the corridors and behind the pillars.
‘I think Casper is in pain,’ said Neena as she cuddled the dog in her lap. ‘He sounded as though someone had hit him.’
‘I heard your dog howling,’ said Hari Singh, who had come running.
‘Did you see anyone around?’ Sanjay asked the guard.
‘No, there is no one here. The poor dog must have had a bad dream,’ Hari said with a frown on his face. ‘Don’t worry, sahib, I will keep an eye on him.’
Sanjay knelt down and stroked the dog.
Worried, the couple returned to the room after a few minutes. Sanjay bolted the door and stood behind the curtain, watching the dog. Casper lay awake for some time and then rested his head on his paws and closed his eyes.
‘I am sure something must have happened to make him howl in that manner,’ commented Neena.
Half an hour later, the couple was again woken up by the dog’s howling. This time, they were sure that someone had hurt Casper. Sanjay rushed out of the room, hoping to catch the culprit. He searched frantically all around. The veranda was well lit, but he could see no one.
A moment later, Hari also arrived. Casper reacted by growling at the watchman.
‘I think he’s been hitting Casper,’ whispered Neena. ‘He’s the only one around.’
‘Why would he do that?’ asked her husband.
‘Casper had attacked him when he first appeared, so he must be taking his revenge.’
Exasperated by the dog’s behaviour, the couple went to bed, but they couldn’t sleep. Half an hour later, the story repeated itself. This time, Sanjay and his wife were sure that Hari was the culprit. Each time they went out to soothe the dog, the watchman would also appear. He must have been hovering around, Sanjay concluded.
But Hari denied the charge. ‘Why would I hit your dog? I love dogs,’ he said.
‘I think we won’t get any sleep tonight,’ Neena sighed as they returned to the room.
‘I have a plan,’ said her husband. ‘This time, I will catch the scoundrel red-handed.’
He stole out of the room after the watchman had gone out of sight. Pulling out a reclining chair lying on the veranda, he settled down in the shadows. From there, he kept an eye on the dog. Time moved slowly. Sanjay lay still and watched Hari going around the hotel complex at regular intervals. Half an hour passed. Unable to keep awake, the police officer began dozing in the chair.
All of a sudden, a stinging slap landed on his cheek. Sanjay woke up with a start. He stood up and looked around. There was no one in sight. He ran around looking for the culprit, but could see no one. Casper, who had been asleep, woke up and barked. Just then, the guard turned up.
‘What happened, sahib?’ he asked.
Neena, who had heard the commotion, came running out of the room. ‘What happened to your cheek?’ she asked.
The slap had left an angry red mark on Sanjay’s cheek.
‘Must be the bhoot?’ Hari muttered.
Sanjay was angry. ‘You idiot! What sort of watchman are you? A guy has been lurking around and you can’t find him. First he beats my dog, and now he’s slapped me,’ he said, rubbing his cheek. ‘I will report the matter to the management.’
Sanjay gave the guard a mouthful and went inside with his wife. ‘I think it is the watchman,’ Neena insisted.
‘You are right. He is up to some mischief. I am quite certain that there is something fishy going on here. He might be unable to carry out his nefarious activities because of Casper, so he keeps hurting the dog.’
The first thing Sanjay did the next morning was to report the matter to the manager.
‘Hari has been with us for a long time. He would never do such a thing, I assure you,’ the manager defended the watchman, but Sanjay was not ready to listen.
‘You don’t know what happened,’ Sanjay went on.
‘I know exactly what happened. Hari has briefed me about the incident. He mentioned that you did not give him a chance to speak.’
‘He tried to cook up a cock and bull story, to tell me that it’s a ghost, and you want me to believe him?’ Sanjay banged the table. ‘I am going to report this matter to the owners of this property.’
After yelling at the manager, Sanjay stomped out of the office and headed back to his room.
‘These fellows are a bunch of crooks. The manager wants me to believe there is a ghost out here,’ he raged, closing the door behind him.
In the meantime, Neena had switched on her laptop and began surfing the net. She ignored her husband’s ranting and continued to stare at the laptop screen.
‘It is true! This place is haunted,’ she remarked in a hushed voice.
‘You think I am a fool?’ Sanjay was not willing to buy the story. ‘Why would a ghost slap someone?’
‘Come here and read this,’ said Neena.
Sanjay snatched the laptop from her and began reading. His expression changed as he continued reading.
‘Brijraj Bhawan is an old palace built in the early 19th century. It was used by the British to house the senior army officer in charge of the area. During the 1857 Mutiny, Major Charles Aeneas Burton of the 40th Bengal Native Infantry was in charge of Kota and took up residence in the palace. He lived
peacefully with his family till the mutiny broke out.
The mutinous soldiers stormed the palace. Major Burton and his two sons took refuge in the upper floors and held out for five hours of gun battle, before they surrendered. The mutineers plundered the palace and murdered the Major along with his sons. When the soldiers had left, the Maharaja of Kota managed to recover the three bodies and had them buried the same evening. Since then, Major Burton’s ghost is rumoured to haunt the palace. It is said that the ghost does his rounds at night. Anyone found sleeping on duty is woken up with a tight slap. As a result, the watchmen at the hotel don’t dare to sleep during the duty hours. The ghost does not harm the guests inside the rooms …’ read the report.
‘Why did the ghost slap Casper?’ Neena wondered.
‘It must have thought Casper was a watchdog, and must have been angry to find it sleeping. So, the dog received a tight slap,’ laughed her husband.
‘Major Burton’s ghost must have assumed that you were the night watchman. He must have been angry to see you napping during duty hours,’ I explained. ‘It’s over a century and a half, but the spirit of the strict British officer continues to punish the slackers.’
‘Anyway, the incident has killed our fascination for ghosts,’ admitted Neena. ‘I have started believing in ghosts now.’
12
THE MIDNIGHT VISITOR
Anirudh’s attention fell on the uniformed soldier, who was sitting upright and enjoying the experiences narrated by the others. He had remained silent throughout.
‘You must not have encountered any ghost, I am sure?’ Anirudh asked the soldier.
‘Why do you say that?’ asked the soldier.
‘You guys are supposed to be fearless,’ Anirudh laughed. ‘You can frighten away the ghosts, perhaps.’
‘Hahaha! I like that,’ laughed the soldier in a good-natured manner. ‘But, it’s not true. We are often posted to godforsaken places, many of which are haunted.’
‘Have you encountered any ghosts?’
‘I will narrate my experience and you can derive your own conclusions,’ replied the soldier. Clearing his throat, he began speaking in a loud and clear voice. ‘The unit had just moved to Jalandhar and the single officers were allotted double-room suites on the road that ran between the Mall Road and the Military Hospital.
Lieutenant Sameer Sharma, a recently commissioned officer, was excited to be posted to Jalandhar. It was his first posting and he wanted to prove himself to the other officers. The suite allotted to him was located at the end of the block and faced the road. This provided privacy as well as a good view of the park across the road.
On the very first night, just after he had finished his dinner and settled on the bed with a book, he sensed the presence of someone in his room.
‘Kaun hai?’ he shouted.
There was no response. Sameer went back to his book. It was almost midnight, but the book was very interesting and there were only a few pages left, so he didn’t want to stop reading.
At the stroke of midnight, he heard the tinkling of anklets. The young officer dismissed the sound as a figment of his imagination. He finished reading the book and went to bed.
The sound of anklets, however, continued to ring in his ears. It seemed to be coming from the road just outside his room. Each night, he heard the melodious sound of anklets at midnight.
Sameer peeped out of the window and saw an old lady walking past the road just outside his room. This continued for a week. Each time he heard the jingle of the anklets, he would peep out and see the woman. Soon, he got used to the sound and stopped bothering about it.
A month went by, and another officer joined the unit. Since there was a shortage of rooms, Sameer was asked to share his suite with the officer. Although unhappy at the thought, Sameer welcomed Lieutenant Iyer to the suite.
The officer turned out to be a jovial and friendly chap. After his initial reservations, Sameer became used to the idea of sharing the space with the energetic officer.
On the very first night, Iyer was disturbed by the sound of the anklets walking on the road right across the room. Curious, he got up and peeped out of the window. He saw a lady walking past. She was dressed in white. A couple of minutes later, she returned and walked past again. This time, she walked in the opposite direction. Iyer continued to observe her from behind the curtain, taking care not to be seen.
The next night, he noticed the same lady walk past, return after half an hour and walk in the opposite direction. On the third night, just as they returned from the Officers’ Mess after dinner, Iyer decided to ask Sameer if he had heard the sound of anklets.
‘Have you noticed the lady who walks past our room every night?’
‘Are you referring to the old lady?’ Sameer turned and looked at his friend. ‘Well, I have seen her walking towards the hospital around midnight,’ he said.
‘No, Sameer! You are mistaken. She is not an old lady. In fact, she is young and quite pretty. I have been observing her for the past three nights,’ said Iyer.
‘To be honest, I haven’t spent much time observing her. From what I saw of her, she appeared to be an old lady. Of course, she had covered her head with the white sari so all I could see was her figure, and it appeared to be that of an old lady.’
‘I think she is up to some mischief,’ Iyer insisted. ‘Perhaps she goes to meet a man at midnight.’
‘It’s rather strange to walk on a deserted road to meet someone at that odd hour,’ said Sameer.
He had not taken much interest in the lady. But, now that Iyer mentioned it, it seemed rather strange for a woman to walk on the isolated road past midnight. Also, was she trying to hide her face by covering her head with the sari? There had been several incidents of spying and other dubious activities in the area. As a military establishment, the unit was a target of terrorists as well as spies.
‘Don’t you think we should mention the woman to the senior officers?’ Iyer asked.
‘It’s silly to mention her unless we know why she’s loitering around at midnight. An incomplete report will draw flak from the senior officers,’ said Sameer. ‘We have to find out more about her, before reporting the matter.’
After much discussion, the two officers decided to observe the woman. That night, the two of them played chess so they could keep awake. Just before midnight, they pulled two chairs near the window, switched off the light, and waited for the woman to walk past their room.
As usual, the lady in white arrived on the dot at midnight. Her anklets jingled musically as she walked gracefully. She went past their room. Watching her, Sameer realized that his friend was right. It was a young woman.
Just as Iyer had reported, half an hour later, the lady walked past in the opposite direction. Iyer let out a low whistle to attract her attention. He wanted to see her face.
To their surprise, the lady did not respond. She walked past as though she had not heard the whistle. When the first whistle didn’t provoke any reaction, Sameer let out a much louder whistle. It was impossible that she hadn’t heard.
The two officers waited for her reaction. Surprisingly, the lady didn’t turn or bother to look their way. Instead, she continued walking and vanished round the bend on the road.
‘Sir, I have to find out who she is and why she walks in this area,’ Iyer declared. He was excited at the thought of solving the mystery.
‘Don’t be a fool, unless you want to …’
‘Something fishy is going on here. I can smell it.’
‘We can’t follow the woman,’ said Sameer. ‘What if she reports the matter?’
‘We will report that her behaviour aroused our suspicions.’
‘Well! Let’s sleep on the matter. We can decide on a plan tomorrow,’ suggested Sameer.
Their minds were so occupied by thoughts of the mystery woman, the two officers couldn’t fall asleep that night. Iyer lay on his bed, planning the next course of action. Sameer lay tossing for a while till sleep overcame hi
m.
The next night, at around eleven, Iyer stole out of his room. He walked outside, placed a wooden log across the road and returned to the room. The two officers decided to keep a vigil to see the woman’s reaction to the obstruction.
As usual, the lady arrived at the stroke of midnight. Iyer and Sameer waited to see how she would deal with the log placed across the road. To their dismay, she just hopped across the log and went her way. She repeated the action on her return journey. Once again, she did not pay heed to the whistles of Iyer nor his calls.
‘I didn’t expect her to ignore the obstacle,’ said Iyer, frustrated with the woman’s reactions. He had expected her to turn around and look for help. ‘I am planning to confront her.’ He could tolerate the suspense no more.
Iyer was a reckless person, and Sameer was the cautious one. He had no intention of getting involved in the matter.
‘You are free not to be involved, but I am determined to solve the mystery,’ said Iyer.
Realizing that nothing he said would deter his friend, Sameer decided to stick by his side.
The next night, the two officers lay in wait. The woman arrived. Iyer opened the door and rushed out. Sameer followed right behind.
Iyer stood right in front of the woman, blocking her path. The woman ignored him and continued to walk. Taken aback at her audacity, Iyer jumped out of her path. He held out his right hand in a bid to stop her. Iyer felt a gentle push on his outstretched hand as it cut through the middle of the lady. A cold and icy wind surrounded him on all sides. His hand felt as though it had been dipped in a bucketful of ice. He saw her walking away, but was unable to move.
His head spinning, he could feel darkness closing in around him.
Hidden behind a tree, Sameer watched her walk through Iyer’s hand. It was as though there was no obstruction in her path.
Spooky Stories Page 12
