It was a hot summer day and a hectic time of the year, what with the
summer vacations and the kids running around all over the place.
Luckily, we had moved into a new house towards the outskirts of the
city. It was an old construction, but a beautiful one. And despite the
fact that it needed a lot of work – redoing of the electric circuits,
modernising the plumbing, retiling the floors and restoring the walls,
it was a delight to be in. The kids had enough space to run around to
their heart's content, in the lawns, and my husband could take up his
long time hobby of cultivating a vegetable garden.
Well wishers had tried to dissuade us from moving into it. It was a bold decision, they said. We were living in an apartment complex with multiple high rises, where our lives were well ordered. But we wanted the children to grow up in an open space, without us having to worry about their security. A security guard, was necessary, however, with the house being in a slightly desolate location.
The security guard we got, was a trusted one, who had taken care of the place for a long time. The house's previous owners had moved out a few years ago from here, their ancestral property. He was a good support to have around - alert, jovial, knowledgeable and even mildly mysterious.
I say mysterious, because there was a time when I slipped on the driveway and right after he helped me up, he made the motion as if removing something from in front of me. When I asked him what he was doing, he said it was his way of warding off bad energies. He then proceeded to fold his hands to some unknown force, as if to say thanks.
I urged him not to make too much of it, it was just a bit of water I had slipped on. To which, he replied, 'When they want you to trip, there is always something tangible in your way. But they who are not meant to slip will see the spill and side step it.'. It was curious logic, but with little energy or patience for the conversation, I decided to leave it at that. He helped me inside with the groceries and I gave him a quick tip. He grinned from ear to ear, and was gone outside to resume his duties, right now, sitting on his haunches and smoking bidi*.
Today, I was coming back from my pilates class, a time I took off intentionally to get my body, which was showing signs of ageing, the fittest it could be. It was required, given all the construction work going on in the house, which called on me to stand for hours on an end, ensuring that the floors were laid out properly, the leaks on the roof were sealed durably and all the electrical fittings were seamlessly in place. The kids were spending the day with their friends from the previous apartment complex, and were well taken care off by the grownups there.
It was a hot day, and despite the air conditioning in the car, I was sweating. My head was woozy from the heat and by the time I got home, I was ready to drop.
The watchman was there as usual, and he swiftly came out from his guard's hut to pull the gates open. He gave me a wave, but his usual cheer was missing. As the car pulled in, I called him over to ask if he was quite alright. He did not say very much, so I presumed that he was probably the heat as well. I called him inside and gave him a glass of lemonade, thinking he might feel better after having it. It did work, in part. As he gulped down his drink, he looked a bit recovered but still not quite his usual self.
I broached the topic again.
'What's the matter?' I asked.
'I don't know how to put it.', he said with some hesitation, before continuing 'You urban people don't believe in these things.'.
I encouraged him to continue and not worry about being judged for his views. He looked down at the floor, and shifted his feet nervously. Looking up at me, he then said ' The negative energies are very active today. A worker fell while working on the construction of the balcony extension. Luckily he fell on a mound of mud, and got away unhurt. Then the electrical circuit blew up...' he trailed off.
'But the electricity is there now' I suggested, trying to soothe his nerves a bit.
'Yes, yes...' he said ' We were fortunate that the electrical workers were still around, otherwise it would have been very difficult in this heat.' he added.
'So maybe there is a force looking out for us, too.' I said.
'Yes, that is true' he said, nodding vigorously, and with some relief. 'I have been in this house for a long time. Sometimes, when I was here on my own, ensuring that everything in the house is in order, I felt as if a pair of eyes was watching me. But when I turned around, there was no one. Sometimes strange things would happen too. Like in the movies. Some fixture would fall off even though there was no impetus. Sometimes the lights would go on without reason...' he continued.
Not sure whether to counter his retelling as scientifically explainable or listen patiently, I thought it was once again, time to end the conversation for the moment. 'I will keep what you said in mind, and try to find a way out' I said.
He looked somewhat unsure whether I will in fact do anything about the mysterious energies he was describing, indeed, if I even believed them. But he let it go and was soon on his way to resume his duties.
Feeling more exhausted than ever, now, I decided to lie down for a while, even as the banging from the construction work continued on the terrace right above. No sooner had I lain down that I saw a dream. It was a pleasant summer evening and the sun was setting. The stars had started glitter in the distant skies already, which were a swirling purple colour. We had a jar of lemonade outside on the wicker table and I was sipping the drink from a glass. The construction work was just about wrapping up for the day.
A small boy helped the elders, possibly his parents, put bricks on the wheelbarrow, from where they would be taken to the shed at the back of the house, for the night. My kids were fascinated with the activity, and ran to help the boy. But no sooner had they started with it, they came running back. For some reason, my eyes remained fixed on the little boy, who matched my gaze even as he picked up one brick from the ground after another and put them on the wheelbarrow. I did not even realise when my son had come running to me, and whispered in my ear. 'Look up, Mama, look up..'.
I woke up with a start and saw the hazy figure of the little boy I had just dreamt standing in front of me, of pointing upwards to the ceiling. No sooner did I see it, that some cracks begin to appear in the ceiling and I just managed to move out of the bed before that the part of the ceiling fell exactly where I had been. The little boy had, by that time, dissolved into thin air.
I thanked my stars for saving me from what could have been a serious accident. I checked the time – it had been barely ten minutes since I had gone to lie down. Unable to understand what just happened, I first went up to check if all was well with the workers. When I went up and enquired, the watchman was already there. He assured me that no one had been hurt. I asked him if he had seen a little boy around. He smiled a broad, knowing grin. 'No one has seen him, except in the distance, watching over. Like the spirit of the house, you know. He helps in warding off all negative energies.' he said.
*local Indian cigarette
Well wishers had tried to dissuade us from moving into it. It was a bold decision, they said. We were living in an apartment complex with multiple high rises, where our lives were well ordered. But we wanted the children to grow up in an open space, without us having to worry about their security. A security guard, was necessary, however, with the house being in a slightly desolate location.
The security guard we got, was a trusted one, who had taken care of the place for a long time. The house's previous owners had moved out a few years ago from here, their ancestral property. He was a good support to have around - alert, jovial, knowledgeable and even mildly mysterious.
I say mysterious, because there was a time when I slipped on the driveway and right after he helped me up, he made the motion as if removing something from in front of me. When I asked him what he was doing, he said it was his way of warding off bad energies. He then proceeded to fold his hands to some unknown force, as if to say thanks.
I urged him not to make too much of it, it was just a bit of water I had slipped on. To which, he replied, 'When they want you to trip, there is always something tangible in your way. But they who are not meant to slip will see the spill and side step it.'. It was curious logic, but with little energy or patience for the conversation, I decided to leave it at that. He helped me inside with the groceries and I gave him a quick tip. He grinned from ear to ear, and was gone outside to resume his duties, right now, sitting on his haunches and smoking bidi*.
Today, I was coming back from my pilates class, a time I took off intentionally to get my body, which was showing signs of ageing, the fittest it could be. It was required, given all the construction work going on in the house, which called on me to stand for hours on an end, ensuring that the floors were laid out properly, the leaks on the roof were sealed durably and all the electrical fittings were seamlessly in place. The kids were spending the day with their friends from the previous apartment complex, and were well taken care off by the grownups there.
It was a hot day, and despite the air conditioning in the car, I was sweating. My head was woozy from the heat and by the time I got home, I was ready to drop.
The watchman was there as usual, and he swiftly came out from his guard's hut to pull the gates open. He gave me a wave, but his usual cheer was missing. As the car pulled in, I called him over to ask if he was quite alright. He did not say very much, so I presumed that he was probably the heat as well. I called him inside and gave him a glass of lemonade, thinking he might feel better after having it. It did work, in part. As he gulped down his drink, he looked a bit recovered but still not quite his usual self.
I broached the topic again.
'What's the matter?' I asked.
'I don't know how to put it.', he said with some hesitation, before continuing 'You urban people don't believe in these things.'.
I encouraged him to continue and not worry about being judged for his views. He looked down at the floor, and shifted his feet nervously. Looking up at me, he then said ' The negative energies are very active today. A worker fell while working on the construction of the balcony extension. Luckily he fell on a mound of mud, and got away unhurt. Then the electrical circuit blew up...' he trailed off.
'But the electricity is there now' I suggested, trying to soothe his nerves a bit.
'Yes, yes...' he said ' We were fortunate that the electrical workers were still around, otherwise it would have been very difficult in this heat.' he added.
'So maybe there is a force looking out for us, too.' I said.
'Yes, that is true' he said, nodding vigorously, and with some relief. 'I have been in this house for a long time. Sometimes, when I was here on my own, ensuring that everything in the house is in order, I felt as if a pair of eyes was watching me. But when I turned around, there was no one. Sometimes strange things would happen too. Like in the movies. Some fixture would fall off even though there was no impetus. Sometimes the lights would go on without reason...' he continued.
Not sure whether to counter his retelling as scientifically explainable or listen patiently, I thought it was once again, time to end the conversation for the moment. 'I will keep what you said in mind, and try to find a way out' I said.
He looked somewhat unsure whether I will in fact do anything about the mysterious energies he was describing, indeed, if I even believed them. But he let it go and was soon on his way to resume his duties.
Feeling more exhausted than ever, now, I decided to lie down for a while, even as the banging from the construction work continued on the terrace right above. No sooner had I lain down that I saw a dream. It was a pleasant summer evening and the sun was setting. The stars had started glitter in the distant skies already, which were a swirling purple colour. We had a jar of lemonade outside on the wicker table and I was sipping the drink from a glass. The construction work was just about wrapping up for the day.
A small boy helped the elders, possibly his parents, put bricks on the wheelbarrow, from where they would be taken to the shed at the back of the house, for the night. My kids were fascinated with the activity, and ran to help the boy. But no sooner had they started with it, they came running back. For some reason, my eyes remained fixed on the little boy, who matched my gaze even as he picked up one brick from the ground after another and put them on the wheelbarrow. I did not even realise when my son had come running to me, and whispered in my ear. 'Look up, Mama, look up..'.
I woke up with a start and saw the hazy figure of the little boy I had just dreamt standing in front of me, of pointing upwards to the ceiling. No sooner did I see it, that some cracks begin to appear in the ceiling and I just managed to move out of the bed before that the part of the ceiling fell exactly where I had been. The little boy had, by that time, dissolved into thin air.
I thanked my stars for saving me from what could have been a serious accident. I checked the time – it had been barely ten minutes since I had gone to lie down. Unable to understand what just happened, I first went up to check if all was well with the workers. When I went up and enquired, the watchman was already there. He assured me that no one had been hurt. I asked him if he had seen a little boy around. He smiled a broad, knowing grin. 'No one has seen him, except in the distance, watching over. Like the spirit of the house, you know. He helps in warding off all negative energies.' he said.
*local Indian cigarette
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