Tales from beyond

The night was eerily quiet, except for the incessant chirping of the crickets. Not a leaf stirred, not even the slightest whiff of air reached the solitary figure sitting hunched in a chair, on the verandah of the decrepit bungalow. It was as if the stage was set for an event, and the world waited in hushed anticipation. A slight prickle of unease went through the lone woman in the white lawn chair, and she cursed herself for her foolishness. She could never resist challenges, but this time she had gone too far. She had come to this quiet hill town with its unabashed beauty, to hide from civilization. During the day, the sun shone with intense ferocity in this quiet town, as if to dispel all doubts, and the sky was a pure cobalt blue. Cascades of bougainville in shades of red, pink and pure white, adorned the walls of cottages and bungalows, otherwise neglected by their owners. The hills stood tall and silent, watching over the green valley where cows and sheep grazed, and birds of every hue and sound twittered and quarreled amidst the dense foliage. She tried to remember all of this as she shivered involuntarily. It was that conversation she'd had with the housemaid. The housemaid was a plump, cheerful lady of uncertain age with shiny black skin, hair drawn back into a bun, a round face and black beady eyes that knew more than they would reveal. She had casually mentioned that a sahib from London had been brutally murdered in this very bungalow, and no one had lived in it since. It was done with a studied casualness, and a certain amount of relish. Then there was that conversation at the market with the plumber who asked which bungalow he should come to, to fix the leaking faucet. When told he had blanched visibly, and then quickly recovered. "Memsahib, I wouldn't stay there if I were you" he said earnestly. "Why not"? asked the woman surprised. "Well, things happen there at night" he said furitively. "What things?" asked the woman. "Things" he said under his breath and pretended to busy himself with some work. "Well do you think you could fix that faucet for me"? asked the woman irritably. "Iam busy. Ask Ganesh down the street" he muttered and then again "Memsahib, please listen to me, nothing good ever happened in that house. Leave right away, now" he pleaded. continued in next post