Chapter 1

From Bagdogra airport I took the cab to go to Mirik, a drive of two hours. I have to push the reset button and move on with my life.

The beauty is breath- taking. Mountain peaks descending to form a valley, in the middle of which is a picturesque lake with pristine green water. Small cottages and hotels surround the valley, interspersed by small markets, gardens and pathways of green leading to the mountains. In the lake, you can find boats and paddle boats swimming with glee. Small thatches serving hot food. The weather was temperate, mild, not hot as the rest of the country. It is the summer of 2021.

There no malls, super markets and branded fast food chains. It is like going back in time.

I parked the cab outside. Lodgers – a century old boarding house with a well known restaurant. It is owned by Senorita, a lady in her early sixties, wearing smart blue leggings and an over -size top – she herself came out to meet me.

“ You must be Rita, “ she said.

“ Yes, I am.”

“ My grandmother was Spanish and she married a Bhutanese. Hence my name. But I am totally desi.” One of the boys of the restaurant took my bag and we stepped into the lodge. The place had the look and finish of sixties. Framed news clippings of 1^st Independence Day, Congress chaired by Netaji, vintage photographs  of Victoria Memorial, India Gate, etc framed the walls. One of Tagore with his elder brother.

“ This was built in early 1900s. Have been renovated couple of times. We serve breakfast, lunch and dinner. Practically open all day. Happy Hour is from 4 pm to 6 pm. We have alcohol permit. My husband, Harper manages the restaurant with his team of chefs and waiters. The waiters also do the housekeeping for the four rooms we have. With you, three are occupied now. The fourth one is anyway closed,” Senorita said.

We went up the stairs at the back of the restaurant and to a balcony which overlooked the ceiling of the restaurant and then surrounded it on all four sides. Another balcony is on the front side stretching and circling the entire building. I felt a slight shiver.

Senorita opened my door with an old fashioned key. It was Room No.2. After that there is a shower room with a bath tub, where as per Senorita one can soak in with a glass of white wine and a book, and then Room No.3 which is locked and further up, right at the front ,is Room No.4 – a suite. Two rooms on this side, then shower room and then two rooms on the other side.

A double bed, an antique wooden almirah with wooden hangars, a dressing table with a curved mirror, a writing desk on which is an electric kettle and tea bags, sugar, milk, coffee, kept on a small tray with two cups. A fridge and on it a microwave, with some shelves at the side stocked with cups, mugs, spoons, forks, knives and dishes. Then a bathroom with a shower enclosure. The other door and the large French windows with white curtains open to the outside balcony which overlooks a part of the lake and the market below.  There is Wifi in the room and I took the password.

Senorita gave me a brief of the other two occupants – one an elderly couple in Room No 4 and in Room No 1, a dashing young man.

After I unpacked, and went out to the inside balcony. It was still some time for lunch.

The door to Room No. 4 was open. I walked towards it. A handsome old man was writing on the table. Hearing my footsteps, he looked up and welcomed me with an infectious smile.

“ I am Abir Chatterjee. I am into property business. And you must be Rita ?”

“ Yes, sir. Rita Ganguly. Am a professor of English at Delhi University.”

“ So you are Delhiite. Probasi Bangali ! What a pleasure. Senorita did tell me that you will be coming today.”

“ Not exactly Probasi. I was born and brought up in Kolkata only. Have been in Delhi for last ten years.”

“ Come in. Have a look. My wife is sleeping. Nowadays she sleeps most of the time. ”

The suite was large. A flat screen 52inch TV, leather sofas, writing table, teak wood cabinets, a small kitchenette and then leading to a corridor on either side of which is a large bedroom and a large bathroom. The view from the balcony is stupendous. The entire lake can be seen from here.

I said ‘ Bye’ and thought of taking a good bath in the shower room. I made the water hot and soaked in. It was very comfortable and all the essentials were there, including a hairdryer, shampoos, body wash and conditioner. Then the tears came. What a terrible last six months. Death of my mother due to cancer and then my divorce. The water was washing away all the sadness that bubbled to the surface.

A knock – loud , as if someone is banging. Why will someone knock on the shower-room door ? And then it was again. Knock. Knock. Knock. It was coming from the wall , which the washroom shared with Room No. 3. I put the towel across my hair as a turban and wore a bathrobe. Then the noise stopped. How rude ! I promised myself to talk with Senorita about it.

I opened the door to become weak in the knees. In front of Room 1, a man was standing wearing a pair of boxer shorts and vest. He was devilishly handsome, muscled, toned and his entire body  covered with Tattoos. I just stared at him with my mouth open.

“ No, Madam. I am not a ghost. Sushant Ray.”

“ Rita,” I said weakly.

“ You must have just experienced a loud knocking, while you were in the  bathtub ?”

“ Yes, but how do you know ?”

“ It’s the welcome knock of  haunted Lodgers.”

I somehow managed to pull myself together to get into my room.

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  Chapter 2

I woke up to a voice , which was whispering, “ Hello.” It was a thin voice of a aged woman. The room was soaked in moonlight coming through the white curtains. Maybe it was a dream. “ Hello. Is someone there ? Please let me in. ” The voice called again. I shot up and went towards the door. The voice was coming from the inside balcony. My doorknob was turning all by itself and I froze. Then there was a dragging sound. A voice- maybe that of Abir babu. It took a while for my breathing to return to normalcy.

I woke up to a glorious sunshine. After doing the chores I went out to the outside balcony and saw Sushant with a big coffee mug, on an armchair staring out towards the lake. He turned towards me, as if he could sense my presence.

“ Good Morning, Join me for a cup of Coffee ?” he beamed at me.

“ Good Morning. Yes, why not ?”

“ Give me a minute”. He went back to his room and dragged one more armchair out for me to sit, as he made my coffee.

When he handed over my cup , I said, “ Did you hear any whispers at night ?”

“ No. But did you hear anything out of place ?”

“ Yes, of a woman. Moaning to let her in.”

“ Let her in ? Where ? Noooo.” The way he said it made me giggle.

“ Are there any other guests ? Have you met Abir Babu’s wife ?” I asked.

“ Well, I have. Her name is Madhavi. She suffers from Alzheimer and stays inside most of the times.”

“ And what about Room No 3? Are there any guests there ?”

He look at me curiously and said,” That’s locked. Senorita is waiting for her Pujari from Kolkata to come down and purify it, before she lets it out.”

I felt he was hiding something. “ What happened ?” I prodded.

He coughed a bit and said, “ It’s a police case now. Senorita and Harper closes this place for two months from mid Jan to mid March. They go to Australia, where their son is settled. This year  when they came back and started cleaning, they found the body of an old woman in Room No.3. How she entered in a locked facility is a mystery. No identity has been found till now. No one had seen her over here or in the market.”

I trembled a bit. “ How awful !” I thought about what would have driven the woman to live in an empty place without electricity for a long period.

Sushant pushed himself from the armchair and stretched. His Sylvester Stallone muscles were gleaming in the sunlight and I couldn’t help but staring at him. I felt a bit uplifted. He gave me something to romanticize about, by removing gloom of my mind.

Chapter 3

I’ll never forget the moment I met Madhavidi, Abir Babu’s wife. She was of late 50s, classy, with an elegant black bob cut hair, dreamy eyes and beauty personified. There was a light blue sweater on a pink saree and a bright red scarf thrown around her.

Abir Babu introduced me, “ Madhavi , this is Rita. She is a Professor. Now in Room No.2 for the summer. And Rita, this is Madhavi.”

She stared at my eyes and in a velvet voice said, “ Rita, I probably may not remember your name. But I will keep your face in mind. I don’t forget faces.”

“ Don’t worry. I will remember yours.”

And then she clasped my hands and looked at me as a friend. Was she the woman in my dream ?

Both Abir Babu and Madhavidi had a light lunch. “ Time for your nap,” Abir said and led her. Madhavidi gave me a sweet smile while going out.

Abir Babu came back and briefed me while having a cup of coffee, “ I could sense her disease a couple of years back. I was in a denial mode  in the beginning. We have our only daughter, Manasi, married now and we are grand parents. We are getting her treated in the best possible way. “

“ I know from my experience after my mother was diagnosed with Cancer. You don’t have to explain.”

“ You can slow down Alzheimer. The saying is ‘ If you forget where you put your keys its fine. But if your forget what your keys are for…Am putting my best.”

That night sleep eluded me for quite some time. Though I walked quite a bit after lunch and roamed the entire city and was dead tired, I couldn’t sleep. Sushant’s image kept on invading my mind. It was like I knew him for ages.

I felt myself drifting off to sleep, when I heard my name, “ Rita.”

It was a soft woman’s voice.

I looked around the room. No, nothing here.

“ Come out to the balcony, I’m waiting for you.”

Curiosity got the better of me and I opened the door to step out. It was all empty. No one was in the inside balcony. I was going back to my room when I saw a gleam of light in Room No. 3. It drew me like a magnet and with great trepidation I advanced towards it. Madhavidi was standing in front of the room in her dark nightgown.

“ Madhavidi, what are you doing here ?” I whispered.

“ Don’t worry. Am Ok. There is something in the room that you should have a look at,” she said in a strong voice. Madhavidi had suddenly got transformed into a new avatar.

“ Let me take you back to your room, Madhavidi. Abir Babu will be worried,” I persisted.

“ I will be back in my room soon. I had to wake you up, since you were not responding to my calls,” she continued in a clear voice, “ Go into the room, Rita.”

Putting my hand on the door frame, I said a soft “ Hello.” I turned back to check on Madhavidi, but there was no one. She had evaporated.

Then I poked my head inside. A carved wooden table and on it were green coloured oil lamps of yesteryears. A rocking chair in front of the table and an old woman was sitting in that, reading a book in the faint light. There was a large king size double bed with wooden headstands, a pink floral quilt on top of it and a very English bedside table, on which was kept a box of tissues. The woman was bespectacled with round glasses , her face aging but kind. I have seen her before, I thought. The chair was rocking slightly.

“ Rita.” A soft voice

I turned back, but no one was there. She was wearing a grey saree and a dark red shawl was wrapped around her. Why did she look so familiar to me ?

“ Hi,” I found myself greeting her.

She smiled and held out the book, she was reading. I stepped closer and took it from her. Its Ha Ja Bo Ra La – the book that my grandmother used to read out to me when I was six or seven year old in the light of green oil lamps.

Chapter 4

I woke up quite late. Sushant was no-where to be seen. I got into the act of putting myself together. Last night it must had been a dream, but I needed to get a look at Room No. 3. When I came in front of the room, a deep fear seized me and I hurried down the stairs to the restaurant which was teeming with people coming for breakfast.

Harper saw me and came with a cup of coffee, “ Had a tough night ?”

“ I guess, you can say that. Some nightmares.”

“ Or ?” He was inquisitive.

“ Harper, is this place really haunted ?”

“ Why ? Did you see something ?” he asked

A waiter took my order and got me my favourite breakfast of scrambled eggs on toast. Harper got busy with some new guests entering but soon came back to my table.

“ See, Rita. This place is more than hundred years old. “

I held his eyes.

“ So lot of people have travelled over here and stayed and dined. Some of them are living and some are dead. Some of the dead may come back and pass through. But they are harmless, I can assure you.”

I told him about the banging on the shower room wall. Then the voices of Madhavidi and last night’s experience.

“ Rita, it had to be a dream. Room 3 is all locked up. Senorita is a devout Hindu and waiting for her Pandit to come and purify. The first few nights maybe a bit mayhem, but don’t worry..you will have a comfortable stay.”

I wasn’t so sure but gave him a sweet smile.

That day I had fixed up a trekking expedition and felt invigorated.

Chapter 5

I slept deep that night and woke up late. When I went to the restaurant, I saw Madhavidi coming up the stairs.

“ Hi, Madhavidi, Good Morning.”

She looked at me with an alarmed expression.

Then she recollected my face and the fear gradually diminished. “ Oh ! Don’t tell me your name. Let me guess. Manasi ?”

“ Rita.”

“ Rita, off course,” She said.

We walked to the outside balcony, overlooking the lake.

“ Where is Abir ?” she asked me, a bit apprehensive.

“ He will turn up. Am there,” I replied to comfort her.

“ I’m afraid of a lot of things now. Seems a whole lot of evil spirits are round the corner.”

“ Life is beautiful, Madhavidi. Live it. See the mountain peaks, reaching out to the heavens proudly.”

“ I believe you. You are a soldier. The way you treated your mother was so admirable. Maybe that is why you had a divorce. Though you were not in sync with Ketan right from start.”

I did not know how to respond to that. I did take care of my mother, took a lien from the University, came to Kolkata. Ketan was in a MNC at a middle level management role and had enough pressure. Maybe that’s why we broke off. He was insensitive towards me , always.

But how did Madhavidi know that ?

“ And in Fortis at Kolkata, you put the Head of Oncology Dept job at stake ? Yes, she did a wrong diagnosis but then your mom was at her end. But you picked it up and banged that doctor.”

I was simply awestruck. Yes, when the CA count came to 185, Dr Rama Joshi should have started oral chemo. But she ignored it, stating it was bio-chemical reaction. When in April the count increased to an alarming proportion, we had to move to chemo. By then it was a bit late. I did press charges on the hospital and she begged me to withdraw. I was so drawn into the treatment that Ketan’s filing for divorce, did not matter to me. I gave in and freed him and in the process let myself go.

How could Madhividi know all that ?

 I have to go to the trekking today again and safely took her to her room to rush down to have breakfast.

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 Chapter 6

I was sitting with Sushant in the balcony with our coffee cups. Both of us missed each other for the last two days.

“ What do you do Sushant ?” I asked

“ I try to assist people in turning their lives. Transform themselves.”

“ Like a life-coach ?”

“ You can say that.”

“ Then probably I can learn something from you,” I said and shared with him about my trauma over the last six months. “ And what all these tattoos on your body ? They are all Hindu gods and goddesses. It’s a work of art. But why ?”

“ Well everyone of these tattoo has a story , a mythology. I studied social anthropology and then got interested in Hinduism. Thought I could relate to my work. Each of them has a power of their own and their own history. Like the Ganesh tattoo is circled with 21 medicinal plants which he had discovered, you will see of them on by body – shami, bhringi, bilva, durva, ber, datura, tulsi, sem, apamarga, bhatakataiya, sindoor, tej, Agastya, kaner, kadali, arka, arjun, devdar, gandari, marua and ketaki.  But, I don’t want to bore you with these details. With mythology and humour I try to get people rid of their mental worries. Will try the same on you. ”

“ But I can’t pay you.”

He got up without replying and said, “ There’s a beach on the other side of the lake where one can swim. Am thinking to going there. Care to join me, Professor ?”

We went to the other side by a paddle boat. I took some towels, a bit of makeup and comb and a change of dress.  It was quite warm.

Sushant and me waded into the refreshingly cold water. I scraped a stone from the floor of the lake and held it out to him. “ People believe that the stones  of Lake Mirik are sacred. They bless you for good fortune.” He took it and kept it in his pocket of swimming shorts. All at once, he vanished. I was frantically looking around when he propped up behind me and lifted me by the waist, and flung me to the air, so I’d come splashing into the water.

I moment I was under water, the clock stopped. The water was crystal clear and I could the natural designs made by the multicoloured stones to decorate the floor of the lake. There was white, black, grey, brown, olive and turquoise. The sound of the ripples whispered to tell me stories. It was so calm.

I came up to exhale and we were laughing. With Sushant I have again turned to a 25 years old woman. I just beat time by almost a decade. This time he pulled me again and his muscled arms encircled me. I put my legs around his waist, wrapping him and we walked with our bodies entwined, further into the lake, till the water was chest high.

Chapter 7

The next morning I was wakened up by the smell of rain. I ran to the outside balcony to take in the view. The rains were spluttering, falling on to the ripples, on the concrete of the road and creating different sounds of a clarinet playing, a double bass, a cello , creating a symphony of its own. In this exhilarating music I conjured the image of Sushant. I didn’t know him at all, yet in another deep sense, I knew everything about him.

At the restaurant, I met Sushant and Abir Babu over breakfast. Madhavidi was being served breakfast in her room.

Abir Babu pleased with me, “ I have a small request. I know am asking a big favour. I have to go to a place which is 10 Km before Siliguri, to see a property. Will take me a couple of hours. If you can be in my room during that time to keep a watch on Madhavi, that will be great. For a couple of hours at the most from 12 noon.”

“ No problem at all, will do,” I said

Sushant chipped in, “ I’ll be there too.”

Abir Babu, “ I don’t know how to thank you. But I will order prawn friend rice and chilli chicken and have you served in the room. Also my TV has Amazon Prime. You may like to watch some movies.”

I started, “ Lunch is not necessary..”

Abir Babu, “ That’s the least I can do.”

Sushant and me went to their room a bit before 12 noon. Madhavidi was watching a Bengali channel playing a vintage Uttam – Suchitra.

She looked at us and said, “ Rita, my Queen and my Knight Lancelot.” I was surprised that she remembered both of us so distinctly.

Abir Babu took his umbrella, gave us some instructions about the different stuff kept in the fridge and kitchenette and took his leave.

Madhavidi asked him, “ Are you going to office, Abir ?”

“ Will just be out for a couple of hours, Madhavi. Going to see a property. Our young neighbours will give you company.”

“ Rita and Sushant,” Madhavidi said.

Harper came in with two bottles of wine in an ice bucket, and a big tray pull of snacks – which he called – hors d’oeuvres, as soon as Abir Babu left.

We poured our glassed of wine, and poured one for Madhavidi too. Once we were settled on the sofa, I asked Madhavidi, “ Let me about your family. About your daughter and grandsons.” She started narrating , bits and pieces, in different time gaps and not at all chronologically. Sushant saw a family photo on the writing desk and fetched it to refresh her memory.

She pointed out to a young teen grandson, “ He will die early. Manasi will not be ablet to handle him. Cancer, you see. I won’t be there to take care of her.” Then she started humming a 80 s tune of ‘ Mone pore Ruby Ray.’

We gave her some crackers and cheese which she ate and then  turned to me, searching my face and asked, “ Are you Rita ?”

“ Yes, and I am in Room No. 2.”

“ No, you are in Room No.3. Always been there.” She said quietly but with conviction

Neither of us probed her more. Then she dozed off on Sushant’s shoulder. We carried her to her bedroom and laid her. She immediately cuddled a pillow and went off to sleep like a doll.

We came back and refilled our glasses. “ That was mystifying,” I said.

Sushant calmly said. “ That’s typical of Alzheimer. They live in different time periods simultaneously. Past and present. Our linear time construct does not have any value for them.”

I shared with him my experience of Room No.3, and how Madhavidi beckoned me.

“ Well, hell of a lot of good dream that was,” he said mischievously. I tossed a sofa cushion at him.

He caught it deftly and said, “ Next time you meet the old woman of Room 3, you ask the following questions, “ Did Netaji die in the place crash ? Did Modi ever had sex ? Will Mamata become the next PM ? “

I laughed, “ That’s what you would to ask the dead ?”

“ On a serious note, ask about how’s life after death. Or on rebirth.”

I didn’t tell him that I would like to know how my mom, grandma and papa are doing.

Our lunch was served. We were watching a thriller on Amazon, when Abir Babu came back.

“ How was the property,” I asked

“ Nothing great. Lets see. Given them an offer. How is Madhavi doing ?”

“ Sleeping,” said Sushant.

“ I want to thank both of you profusely. I know at your age doing this work is really boring.”

“ Just relax, Abir Babu. We enjoyed.”

Just then Madhavidi walked to the living room and said to Abir, “ Oh ! Your are back. Hope you had a good day in office. “ Then she turned to me and said, “ You should ask the soul whether they have a place for me. I want to join them soon.”

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Chapter 8

Sushant and me left them to go to our rooms. As I washed my face, I caught a glimpse of someone in the mirror. There has been a movement behind me. I dried my face, wore my spectacle and said “ Hello.” It was broad daylight and I just couldn’t see anyone. Maybe I had imagined.

I did a short trek to the Shiva temple and came back to the restaurant around 8 pm. Dinner was being served and I noticed Abir Babu and Madhavidi. I went up to Madhavidi and said,” Is everything fine, Didi ?”

She looked into my eyes and whispered, “ She is going to die.”

“ Who Didi ?”

She pointed with her eyes towards a a lady in her late forties =, who had just tottered in with her husband and two children for dinner. Looked like a family out on vacation.

Next morning at breakfast I heard the dreadful news of a lady in a nearby hotel dying of a cardiac arrest. She had dinner last night over here.

Chapter 9

Knowingly I gave myself in to Sushant. We are sleeping in his room after a session of tumultuous  sex, in which I had orgasmed thrice. I don’t think I ever did that in the last decade. He snored off lying at his side. But something didn’t seem right. I got up and washed off his semen and came back to bed. Didn’t I see a lion of Durga on his arm ? I couldn’t find it now. I saw a new Annapurna. A new swastika. And that ominous feeling crept into me. As though I had always known him and slept like this with him from ages.

“ Because we have always been together,” Sushant murmured.

A scene came to my eyes. It was blurred at first and gradually the colours became distinct. We were out on a beach. The look and feel seemed like a place out of India. I was wearing a bikini. Sushant was in the water with two kids – a son and daughter. Then they came running to me and he kissed me smelling of salt water, and said,” No ocean is going to keep me away for long from you, my love.”

Then the time changed. We have aged. I could see the crow lines around his eyes. Wrinkles have appeared on both of us. The hair has greyed. He was still well built, handsome, wearing a cap. We are climbing a peak and found  a flat ground, where we were snacking. Both my son and daughter are teenagers now. The top of the peaks were covered in snow. Our mountaineering kits were laid to rest while we stretched. On the side there was a deep abyss leading to a small stream of water, right at the bottom. Sushant had a lasso and was teaching the kids how to throw one. It was fun. Sometimes the lasso was falling on top of the pines and sometimes on the sides of the mountain. He was showing them how to tighten it to  get a grip.

I was busy in making some coffee from the flask that we carried when I heard a terrified sound from my daughter, shouting at top of her voice, “ Mumma.’ I looked up to see a massive boulder coming at a lightening speed towards me. Then it was all over. It hit and carried me up down the abyss. A terrible pain and then darkness.

I sat up gasping.

I gulped down some water and was about to go to sleep, when I was awakened by the whispering sound of Madhavidi. She was standing beside the bed. “ Rita, wake up. See what the heavens have got for you.” Then she disappeared.

I saw three chairs – more like swinging chairs – set against the opposite wall. The chairs were lighted from a spot light from the ceiling, much like a theatre set. When I looked back, I saw two senior people sitting in them. Both were smiling at me. One was a woman of a different era and the other was a man again from the same era. I recognised the woman – my grandma. All at once they were gone. Then another woman occupied the third chair – my mother.

With tears in my eyes, I said “ Mom”.

She  turned her gaze towards Sushant sleeping at  my side and nodded, as if giving her consent.

The chairs immediately faded and so did the spotlight plunging the room into semi-darkness, with only the moon light playing.

I closed my eyes, with tears dripping and making my nightdress wet. My hand automatically went to the bedside table to take out a tissue from the tissue box. I wiped myself and all of a sudden realised, ‘ How did Sushant’s room get a bedside table ?’

I was alone on the bed. The quilt was pink. The room was dark and I got up from bed to light the switch. I was in Room 3. Frantically I went to the door and turned the doorknob. It was locked from outside. I started thumping on the door and shouted, “ Help. Sushant. Senorita. Harper. Avik Babu..”

“ There’s no get away from here, my sweet heart,” the thin voice of Madhavidi rang in my ears.

I woke to my own screaming. “ Shhh…” dreamily said Sushant,” You were having a nightmare.” It was 7 am already and I blinked. The morning sun was ushering in positivity in the room. I kissed Sushant and went to my room to freshen up.

Chap 10

At breakfast I met Avik Babu and Madhavidi. Madhavidi searched my eyes and said, “ You look tired.”

I smiled,” Do I ?”

“You are a bit weary. Time travel is always exhausting You did a lot of in the last ten hours after you had sex.”

Abir Babu chipped in, “ Bullshit. She looks fine.”

I did not know how to react to Madhavidi. I was stunt.

Madhavidi was quiet for a moment and when Abir Babu got up to get one more cup of coffee, she said, “ He is the correct choice. Both of you love each other. Forget your divorce. Time to move on. For better or for worse.”

I caught Sushant after breakfast and shared with him my dreams and the chatter with Madhavidi. He led me to Senorita and we urged her to open Room 3. Senorita heard me and once she understood that we will stand our ground, she took out the key and we marched to Room 3. Senorita slid the key into the knob and turned it. A scream was rummaging my brain and saying,” Run, Rita, go away.”

The room was exactly as I had seen in my dream. The King sized bed, the bedside table, the pink floral quilt and even the rocking chair and the table. And then I saw a faint outline developing. A woman reading a book. I turned to Sushant and Senorita, but I was all alone. The oil lamps lit up -the green globes.

I opened my eyes with the sense of water being sprinkled on my face. I had fainted and Sushant and Senorita were to my rescue.

Chapter 11

Madhavidi had a high fever and was on medication. Abir Babu knocked on my room next day to request me to tend towards her for an hour after breakfast. He had to go to buy medicines and some essentials. I readily agreed. Sushant had booked himself for a trek that day.

Madhavidi was sleeping when I went in and I settled on the sofa to watch a movie, as Abir Babu went out. I found a little hand on my shoulder. Madhavidi had silently come from her bedroom and standing beside me. “ He is a good guy. Marry him.” She said. I nodded and turned to look at her eyes. But she was nowhere.. Gone. I hurried to the bedroom to find she was in deep sleep.

I came back to sit on the sofa, watching the movie without letting any of it go into my mind, staring into emptiness till Abir Babu came back. “ How’s she ?” he asked.

“ No change. I checked a few times. She is sleeping and hardly moved.”

As Abir Babu went towards the bedroom, a feeling of foreboding wrapped around me. Please don’t open the bedroom door, Abir Babu. Please don’t.

And then I heard the loud sobbing.

Chapter 12

A life span has passed. But I keep the date. I book Room No.3 in advance. Summer is starting. I was served tea and sit in the rocking chair. The setting of the room has not changed through the decades.

A young woman enters the room. She looks at me with fear in her eyes. Why does she look at me like that ? As if I am a spirit ? Or is she a ghost ? I look closely and a feeling of familiarity sweeps through me. She is me. Time has gone back and forth.

I must warn her not to go Khilanmarg , on to that spot where Sushant, unknowningly, will put the lasso on a loose boulder. I try, but no sound comes out of my throat. I don’t know, why. Now I see him, Sushant. My handsome husband. A demi-god. He is calling my name. I breathe easily. He is here.

The room is filled with my family. My grandma, my grandpa, my mother and even my father, who died when I was a child. They are all cheering. I look up at the impish smirk on Sushant’s face, his twinkling eyes.

Its Happy Hour.

Every February, a woman dies in that room and in summer the room is closed for me to visit. Room 1 is rented by my lover and Room 2 by a younger me.

#SalvadorDali #GhostofVermeer