ing was no exception. My cousins, Rajat, Sumant and
Nalini, and I were getting restless. We had come to
our grandmother's house in Ranikhet to spend the
summer holidays.
'If it wasn't for the nasty weather, we would have been running over hillsides',
I thought as I sat down to breakfast.'Why doesn't something interesting happen?'
That was when Naniji, my grandmother, made that
remark. "Arun," she said to her youngest son, "it is
amazing how you can never find your things, especially
as you insist you know where you had kept them!
One would think there was a bhoot* following you."
Nalini and I lowered our heads and giggled into
our plates. Arun Uncle was like that. He studied
mathematics at the university and lived in a world of
his own. It was a complicated world in which every-
thing was one big mathematical problem.
As soon as breakfast was over, Rajat whispered, "Come to 'our room'. Shsh don't say anything just now."
"Guess what!" exclaimed Sumant as soon as we were in 'our room', which was actually a store at the back of the house.
"I have a great idea. Remember Dadiji* telling Arun uncle that a bhoot is following him all the time? Why don't we become the bhoots and have some fun?"
I had visions of being dressed in white and scaring everyone out of their wits. No, I shook my head, it wouldn't work what with Bade Mama,** Sumant and Nalini's father around. We would be caught out in no time and given such a thrashing that we would re-member it all our lives.
"Listen to me," I said, "it won't work." "Why not?"
"Of course it will!"
"Don't be such a spoil-sport!"
They quietened down a little when I explained to them why it would not work.
"Oh, but it's too good an idea to be abandoned like that!" sighed Rajat.
"I agree," spoke Nalini, the youngest of us all. "Let's scare only Arun Uncle. He'll never guess it's us."
Once it was decided that Arun Uncle would be the victim of our bhoot pranks, we wasted no time. After breakfast, Uncle usually went for a bath. Often he left his spectacles on the dressing table. Sumant was deputed to find out and do the needful.
It was about fifteen minutes later that we heard the commotion.
"I know I put them there, on the dressing table." My mother, who was plaiting my hair, shook her head and said, "This boy, I don't think he will ever learn."
"I wonder what it is this time," said Rajat's mother. I don't know how I managed not to giggle.
"I refuse to look for them, find them yourself," said Naniji.
"You know I can't find them on my own. How can I find my spectacles when I am not wearing them? I can't see!"
'I heard Arun Uncle's indignant reply. Oh, it was so funny!
"Let me go and help, Mummy!" I begged. I waited impatiently as she put a ribbon through my plait and then ran to Uncle's room. Sumant and Nalini were there already, looking for the glasses, while Arun Uncle sat on his bed, looking lost.
It was Sumant, naturally, who found them even-tually. "Would you believe it!" he called out in a voice full of disbelief, "they ate here, on the shoe-rack!"
"Well, I must say, that is a fine place to put them!" said Naniji. She had searched every corner of every drawer in the dressing table. She flounced out of the room, leaving poor uncle protesting that he had never been anywhere near the shoe-rack since the morning.
Next was Rajat's turn. He decided to hide the note-book in which Arun Uncle worked out his mathe-matical problems.
The next morning Uncle woke up everyone in the house at five - thirty. A possible solution to the problem he had been working at the night before had just occured to him. But he could not find his notebook.
We cousins had a wonderful time looking for it. No one found it though. It was discovered later, by
"You know I can't find them on my own. How can I find my spectacles when I am not wearing them? I can't see!"
'I heard Arun Uncle's indignant reply. Oh, it was so funny!
"Let me go and help, Mummy!" I begged. I waited impatiently as she put a ribbon through my plait and then ran to Uncle's room. Sumant and Nalini were there already, looking for the glasses, while Arun Uncle sat on his bed, looking lost.
It was Sumant, naturally, who found them even-tually. "Would you believe it!" he called out in a voice full of disbelief, "they ate here, on the shoe-rack!"
"Well, I must say, that is a fine place to put them!" said Naniji. She had searched every corner of every drawer in the dressing table. She flounced out of the room, leaving poor uncle protesting that he had never been anywhere near the shoe-rack since the morning.
Next was Rajat's turn. He decided to hide the note-book in which Arun Uncle worked out his mathe-matical problems.
The next morning Uncle woke up everyone in the house at five - thirty. A possible solution to the problem he had been working at the night before had just occured to him. But he could not find his notebook.
We cousins had a wonderful time looking for it. No one found it though. It was discovered later, by
Chhoti Mausi* when she opened the refrigerator and
there it was! Later in the morning, when we were in
our room, I congratulated Rajat. "That surely was a super place to hide it."
there it was! Later in the morning, when we were in
our room, I congratulated Rajat. "That surely was a super place to hide it."
Rajat did not seem too pleased. In fact, he looked worried.
"Don't you think we've troubled him enough?" he sounded concerned. "Let's not "
"No!" screamed Nalini and I together.
"Now that you've had your turn, Rajat Bhaiya,"
said Nalini accusingly, "you don't want others to get
theirs! I don't care. It's my turn next."
"Listen," interrupted Sumant, "I don't think any-
one believes that a bhoot is responsible for doing all
those things. They believe it's absent-minded Arun
Uncle. Let's play a prank on someone else, if we have to."
"Yes, that way we won't be troubling poor Arun
Uncle," I said. "I felt so bad when nobody listened to
him today. They all believe he drank water before
going to bed and left his notebook in the fridge!"
"Let me make a suggestion," said Rajat. Slowly he
explained his plan to us. There was no snag in it.
Everyone was sure to get taken in.
I tried my best to stay awake that night, but soon
my eyelids were drooping. As I drifted to sleep, I
wondered how poor Nalini, who had to carry out the
plan, would stay awake.
When I woke up, it seemed as though everybody was talking at the same time.
"Well, she must have imagined it!" I heard my mother.
"She has been listening to too many stories! Saw
a ghost, indeed!" This was Nalini's father.
Oh, good! Nalini had managed it! I quickly ran to
Uncle's room where the voices were coming from.
Nalini was lying in her mother's lap, sobbing.
Sumant, who was standing behind her, looked at me
and winked. She is doing her part well, I said to myself.
"I tell you I saw it, Mummy," sobbed Nalini. "It
was white, and it stood just there, near that window.
I was not imagining. I tell you I was not!"
"No,
child. You weren't," Mamiji* patted her head and kissed her.
"I have never heard anything so preposterous..." started off Mamaji**, but Mamiji silenced him with a look.
We had planned that Nalini would awaken her mother at night and say she had seen a bhoot. So the next time we performed any pranks, people would think the bhoot had done them!
The plan had worked to perfection, thanks to Nalini's acting. Chhoti Mausi and Nina Mausi had been discussing whether there could possibly have been a 'supernatural agency' at work!
Naturally, I was most excited when we three got together in our room, Sumant, Rajat and I. Nalini was asleep.
"It's my turn now!" I said. "Why don't I hide under someone's bed and pull off their bedclothes?"
"I'm not too happy," said Rajat, shaking his head. "I don't care whether you approve of it or not.
It's my turn and I'm going to do it. I shall hide under
Naniji's bed ..."
I refused to listen to their protests. Spoil-sports, the whole lot of them!
That's how I found myself under Naniji's bed that night. I had slipped off after Mummy had gone to sleep.
Suddenly I heard a noise beside me. I turned and saw a vague shape next to me.
"Sumant!" I exclaimed keeping my voice down. "Why have you come here? I am doing all right on my own."
To tell you the truth, I was far from feeling all right. I had been more than a little scared. None of us had been allowed to see Nalini the whole day, for Mamiji insisted that she had had a 'nasty shock'. I wondered if she had, indeed, seen a ghost. No, I shook my head, of course not, there is no such thing as a ghost. I was glad to see Sumant, though I was not going to admit it.
"Oh, we're going to have fun. Aren't we?" he spoke. Funny how voices sound so diffeient at night, I thought.
"A lot of fun, indeed! Shall I pull off her blanket first?" he asked, in a whisper.
"No, I'll do it! You've had your turn, hiding the spectacles!" I was getting angry and did not bother to lower my voice.
"Who's it? What's it? What's happening?" Naniji was awake!
"Ho, ho," Sumant burst out. Why didn't he keep quiet?
"Ho, ho!" he went on, sounding quite gleeful. "You'll be caught, and I'll escape! It's Mina here under the bed!" he said, more loudly this time.
I could not believe my ears! Before I could turn round and kick him, he had already slipped off! What on earth had come over him?
That was how I was caught and packed off to bed. The whole story came out bit by bit the following morning. Only Nalini stuck to her story of seeing a ghost. I had much rather not recall the punishment
that followed.
"No!" screamed Nalini and I together.
"Now that you've had your turn, Rajat Bhaiya,"
said Nalini accusingly, "you don't want others to get
theirs! I don't care. It's my turn next."
"Listen," interrupted Sumant, "I don't think any-
one believes that a bhoot is responsible for doing all
those things. They believe it's absent-minded Arun
Uncle. Let's play a prank on someone else, if we have to."
"Yes, that way we won't be troubling poor Arun
Uncle," I said. "I felt so bad when nobody listened to
him today. They all believe he drank water before
going to bed and left his notebook in the fridge!"
"Let me make a suggestion," said Rajat. Slowly he
explained his plan to us. There was no snag in it.
Everyone was sure to get taken in.
I tried my best to stay awake that night, but soon
my eyelids were drooping. As I drifted to sleep, I
wondered how poor Nalini, who had to carry out the
plan, would stay awake.
When I woke up, it seemed as though everybody was talking at the same time.
"Well, she must have imagined it!" I heard my mother.
"She has been listening to too many stories! Saw
a ghost, indeed!" This was Nalini's father.
Oh, good! Nalini had managed it! I quickly ran to
Uncle's room where the voices were coming from.
Nalini was lying in her mother's lap, sobbing.
Sumant, who was standing behind her, looked at me
and winked. She is doing her part well, I said to myself.
"I tell you I saw it, Mummy," sobbed Nalini. "It
was white, and it stood just there, near that window.
I was not imagining. I tell you I was not!"
"No,
child. You weren't," Mamiji* patted her head and kissed her.
"I have never heard anything so preposterous..." started off Mamaji**, but Mamiji silenced him with a look.
We had planned that Nalini would awaken her mother at night and say she had seen a bhoot. So the next time we performed any pranks, people would think the bhoot had done them!
The plan had worked to perfection, thanks to Nalini's acting. Chhoti Mausi and Nina Mausi had been discussing whether there could possibly have been a 'supernatural agency' at work!
Naturally, I was most excited when we three got together in our room, Sumant, Rajat and I. Nalini was asleep.
"It's my turn now!" I said. "Why don't I hide under someone's bed and pull off their bedclothes?"
"I'm not too happy," said Rajat, shaking his head. "I don't care whether you approve of it or not.
It's my turn and I'm going to do it. I shall hide under
Naniji's bed ..."
I refused to listen to their protests. Spoil-sports, the whole lot of them!
That's how I found myself under Naniji's bed that night. I had slipped off after Mummy had gone to sleep.
Suddenly I heard a noise beside me. I turned and saw a vague shape next to me.
"Sumant!" I exclaimed keeping my voice down. "Why have you come here? I am doing all right on my own."
To tell you the truth, I was far from feeling all right. I had been more than a little scared. None of us had been allowed to see Nalini the whole day, for Mamiji insisted that she had had a 'nasty shock'. I wondered if she had, indeed, seen a ghost. No, I shook my head, of course not, there is no such thing as a ghost. I was glad to see Sumant, though I was not going to admit it.
"Oh, we're going to have fun. Aren't we?" he spoke. Funny how voices sound so diffeient at night, I thought.
"A lot of fun, indeed! Shall I pull off her blanket first?" he asked, in a whisper.
"No, I'll do it! You've had your turn, hiding the spectacles!" I was getting angry and did not bother to lower my voice.
"Who's it? What's it? What's happening?" Naniji was awake!
"Ho, ho," Sumant burst out. Why didn't he keep quiet?
"Ho, ho!" he went on, sounding quite gleeful. "You'll be caught, and I'll escape! It's Mina here under the bed!" he said, more loudly this time.
I could not believe my ears! Before I could turn round and kick him, he had already slipped off! What on earth had come over him?
That was how I was caught and packed off to bed. The whole story came out bit by bit the following morning. Only Nalini stuck to her story of seeing a ghost. I had much rather not recall the punishment
that followed.
All because of Sumant! And he had the cheek to deny that he had been under Naniji's bed with me. I nearly flew at him in anger. "Why did you have to give me away? I could have easily escaped! Why did you?" "But that is what I have been telling you. I wasn't there! I was fast asleep in my bed! Why would I do a thing like that Mina?" He sounded worried and scaled. "You know, I think there is actually a ghost here. Nalini is not lying when she says she saw something And let me..." Rajat interrupted him. "There's something you all must know. Something really strange. I did not put the notebook in the refrigerator! I can't imagine how it could have got there. I had hidden mattress." I stared at Rajat in disbelief. "Don't be silly." Inspite of my best efforts, my voice quivered. "You probably do not remember "I have been wanting to tell you," "I had not put the spectacles on the shoe-rack. I hidden them in the bottom left drawer of the dressing table! I could hardly believe my eyes when I saw them on the shoe-rack " We stared at each other. I was the first to find my voice. "We are b. .b...being s .. s...stupid," I stammered. "There's n. . n...nothing, absolutely n. . n...nothing." My voice did not sound convincing, even to me. I had barely finished speaking, when a voice broke the silence. It sounded—wistful and far off. It said, "We five bhoots did have fun, didn't we?" Were we imagining? I have not ceased wondering, although years have passed. | |||||
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