" Ah so , I begin .
Don't drop off you . Niru , you are the oldest . Do not push Pardeep off the warm cushion , the floor is cold . I know how cold . Will just tell you . "
I always liked to see that anticipation building up . Even as I left the rug on the floor , to make some coffee for myself and the kids . It was a cold , rainy and dark night . It promised to remain so . Wind whistled at the cracks in the windows , sending chill down into the warm and cosy sitting room .
"The storm has broken the power lines . Repair work will resume only when the storm abates . "
I was succinctly informed by the power guys . An oft-repeated , well- worn set of words , rolling easily off the tongue , without even thinking .
There were four kids with me, on that dark night . Niru ,the eldest , slightly bossy , as elders are wont to be . Pradeep , her younger brother , who bore the brunt of her dont - do- this , dont -do-that rigmarole. These two were my neighbour's kids who loved my story telling sessions . Two other kids were my younger brother's kids , who were left in my custody , while their parents went looking for a holy succour in a far flung but reputed temple in the distant forest . Tony and Mony, twins , with rhyming names , mirroring each other in behaviour, tastes , and personalities .
My house was a British-era bungalow, which had fallen to disrepair , and had been patched up , as best as they could , by the government . Today it was dark , rainy , and patches of damp had already appeared on the false canvas roof . It sagged under the weight of the "other city" , a name coined by Niru , who hated the commonly used term "creepy-crawlies ". The windows had wooden slats that rattled in the storm wind , and broke off , occasionally , like a loose tooth , to sail away into the storm . The back yard was overgrown and unkempt , so the doors leading to the back had been boarded up and taped shut . That didn't stop the winds from knocking at them , seeking admission .
" So that day , it so happened , " I plonked myself on the floor . The twins pulled the blanket tighter around themselves ." I couldn't sleep . "
"Again?" Niru has the most irritating habit of asking perfectly timed impertinent questions .
"Again . So , I was staring at the roof . "
"This roof ?" Pradeep couldn't hold himself back . He pointed to the roof , sagging between the squares of the rafters , which seemed to hold its secrets up with great difficulty .
"Yes, This roof . " I turned my face up , four pairs of eyes mimicked my glance .
"Then ? " Mony whispered .
"Then I heard something . The sound of something scratching or grating against wood ." Tony took a deep slurp of the coffee .
"So , I looked up and around , I couldn't see any thing , of course . Then I went to the kitchen . "
"Why ?" Niru and her perfect timing
"To get a drink of water . It was hot summer you fool ." Tony loses it , sometimes . Then wisely , turns to me , " Wasn't it , uncle Das?"
I nodded . "Absolutely correct . " Mony spilt her coffee on my blanket . So we had to take a break .
Then , a clean and dry blanket later , we resumed . The skies were darker , and darkness filled the unlit corners of the room , seeping from underneath the door , coming in through the window cracks , accompanied by cold draught.
"Then after a drink of water , I retired to my bed , only to hear that horrible , scratching , sound again . I thought it was a dry branch of the eucalyptus overhead scratching against the roof . I must have drifted off to sleep, because when I got up next , it was with a start . A glass fell with a clang to the floor in the kitchen . Knowing it must be a rat or a lizard , I didn't bother to go to the kitchen . But then , the glass started moving around on the kitchen floor . Like being deliberately dragged against the floor by someone or something .
I then lit my candle , as it was a power outage night ,"
"Just like tonight ." Tony hit the nail on the head . " Yeah just like tonight ." I nodded , the wind howled at the door , in agreement . The rain had stopped , but it seemed as if the air itself was breathing hard , holding itself back , with tremendous effort, from breaking into a banshee scream .
"Then I reached the fridge at the entrance to the kitchen , and it hummed to life ."
" The power supply returned. Hallelujah!" Tony shrieked in delight . Others looked disapprovingly at him.
" I clicked on the switch for the kitchen light and it came on . There was nothing amiss. "
"No glass on the floor ? " Niru was perplexed .
" Yeah , No glass or katori . Even I was very surprised . "
" That is very unusual isn't it ? " Mony whispered thoughtfully .
"It must have rolled underneath your crockery cupboard ." Pradeep offered helpfully .
" No , it didn't . No glass anywhere in sight " The kids were perplexed and hooked .
" I was so tired that I just switched off the light and went off to sleep again . Then I had a dream . I dreamt , I was standing on top of a cliff overlooking a beach ."
"Oooh. I love beaches . Sands and surf . I remember when we went to Maldives ....." Mony started and three voices shouted in unison "Shut up !" Hurt . Mony clammed up and was silent for the rest of the night .
"So , I am enjoying myself and then I suddenly hear someone call out my name . Very loud and urgent . As if something is amiss. And I wake up with a start .
Then , in the darkness of the night , I see a faintly black shadow of a person , standing at the foot of my bed , facing me .I knew it it was this person / shadow that was calling me ."
" Who was it ?"
" Could you see its face ?"
" It could be kumar uncle from next door , he sleeps late ." All sorts of suggestions came flooding .
"and sleepwalks too , Buddhia , the gardener told me last week ."
"Even I thought , it was Kumar . He is dark , has broad shoulders . But this was a shadow , guys ." I tried desperately , to frighten rational kids .
" I asked him " Is that you Kumar ?" But he didn't answer . Only the winds continued howling at the window . The branch on the roof , thumped , threateningly . "
"The shadow pointed outside." I improvised .
"With its arm ?"
"How could it , Das uncle ? "
" Shadows don't have arms ." Someone expounded firmly , thoroughly fluent in "shadowlogy"
I was increasingly feeling like the ghosts in that Oscar Wilde story . Irrelevant and totally un-frightening . So did the shadow in my story .
"I anyway , obeyed it . It was a stormy night , you must remember . Yet , I obeyed . "
"So then , when you crossed it , did you look at its face ? "
" No , it disappeared ."
" How convenient ? This is definitely Kumar Uncle , drunk and playing a game of hide-and -seek . "
Someone emphatically smashed his fist into his palm , mimicking the thunderclap outside .
The power supply was restored at this moment and shortly , as I expected , the doorbell rang . Niru and Pradeep were fetched by their parents , and I quickly boiled some milk and put Mony and Tony to bed .
As I was about to leave their room , Mony , the thoughtful one , asked me , " There is something you are hiding , aren't you ?"
"Me ? No ."
"What happened then ? After you left the room ?"
" I went to Kumar's room . "
"Then ?" Tony hoisted himself up on his elbows .
" In the morning , when power was restored , I came back to my room ."
"That's all ? " Disappointment , disappointment .
"The cleaning guys discovered a large python lurking underneath my bed ."
There was a moment of silence , as the kids took it in . Then all mayhem broke loose . Two pairs of arms draped around me and shrieks rent the air .
Needless to add , Kumar had to stash his bottles away , and make space for three of us on his double bed . Next morning , The kids' parents arrived and took them away .
"That means the shadow saved your life , didn't it ? " was Pradeep's parting shot. I just nodded my head .
I could never hold another session of storytelling as that house was demolished and we were shifted to a clean , sanitised and modern concrete house .
Of course , a family of pythons was found living in the "other city'.
