The Mysterious House

“Grandpa, why did you never tell us about it?”

Little Kia stopped right in front of Bittu Babu. She was hardly six years old, but she loved chatting with her grandpa. Bitti Babu who was now in his seventies simply adored his granddaughter.

“What did I not tell you, my little princess?”

Kia sat next to Bittu Babu and gestured to him to mute the TV, a request that was immediately fulfilled. Bittu Babu preferred listening to the cute voice of his granddaughter much more than he liked the discordant noise broadcast from the news studios.

“That you were kid... kidnapp...?”

“Kidnapped?” Bittu Babu completed the struggling child's sentence and she looked relieved.

“Who told you about it?”

“Didn't you tell me to not answer a question with a question?” Pat came the retort.

Bittu Babu laughed out loud. His granddaughter had got a mouth all right.

“Sorry,” he patted her head gently. “You see, it happened a long time back.”

“Tell me all about it,” little Kia made herself comfortable to listen to the story. It was her favorite thing to do in the holidays when she would come to visit her grandparents. Her father had told her that her grandfather loved to tell stories and the more she listened to the fascinating stories, the more she wanted to hear.

“I was about 10 years old. I remember that year very well. Baba had been transferred to a small town in Odisha. To save on the rent, he took a house in the suburbs. There were a few 'pucca' houses around us but mostly the houses were old-fashioned, 'kacchha' houses. The next house to us belonged to the Thakurs. They loved me but their children were much older than me. There was a big house at the end of the street. It was so big that when I first saw it, I thought I was looking at a palace. The house would be deathly silent in the daytime but when the dusk would fall, the place would come to life. I could hear so many people moving about the house, but I could never see anyone. Everyone told me to stay away from the house, but I was young and curious; I really wanted to know who those people were who returned at dusk and went away at dawn. My mother had been warned by the matriarch of the Thakur family about that house and she kept a sharp eye on me. The moment she realized that it was getting dark, she would seek me out and take me home. The big house looked so mysterious to me, but no one wanted to talk about it; that made my resolve to explore it stronger. Then one day, I got my chance.”

Bittu Babu sighed.

“The day was June 11th. It was raining that day. Ma had told me to not step out of the house and I was busy with my toys in my room. Then someone knocked on our front door. I ignored it. Many people would drop by and Ma would always take care of it but that day when I heard the voice of a young girl, I couldn't stop myself from taking a peek at our visitor. She looked to be my age. She was wearing a blue frock that reached her ankles. She said something; I don't remember the words; but then she raised her left hand to move a lock of hair from her forehead and we saw the thick golden armband that shone brightly. When Ma invited her in, she gave a short laugh that captivated me. Then she took some steps inside and her anklets rang sweetly. Ma then led her to my room. I stayed tongue-tied during our first meeting while Bea talked her head off. She liked my toys and played with them gently but told me that she had a big chest of toys that she would love to show to me. She told me that the chest is so big that you can't find anything inside it so all you have to do is put your hand in it and tell the chest what is it that you are looking for, and voila! That particular toy would be in your hand. I thought she was joking but I saw that chest myself.”

Bittu Babu closed his eyes with a satisfied expression.

“And that was not the only thing of interest in her house. It was a veritable cornucopia. It was ...”

Kia poked him and told him to use words that she could understand. Bittu Babu apologized profusely.

“Ma could never ask Bea about her house or her family. That was a recurring theme for Bea. People would want to ask her so many things but when she would approach them, their minds would get scrambled and they would forget all their questions. She was so beautiful that you could mistake her for a fairy. The world danced to her tunes. She would order people around and they would gladly do her bidding. No one was averse to her charms. All she had to do was smile and the magic was cast. In any case, she lived in that big, mysterious house that had captivated my interest. She had noticed me riding my bicycle and decided to make me her friend. She would always come to my house to invite me to her home. Ma would forget to ask her about where she was taking her precious son and later, when I would return, she wouldn't even enquire about it. As for me, I was, of course, very excited to visit the mysterious house. I asked Bea about the people who would come after dusk but she dodged my question. All that she told me that the house was a sort of a big junction, sort of like a railway station. People from all around the world could come there to get some rest or to meet other people. She told me that she was taking a break from her hectic life. I asked her about her schoolwork, but she laughed and told me that she attended some special school. Her caretaker Nina was present in the room and she too laughed at my question. She was always dressed in figure-hugging gowns. She preferred the dark green colour but sometimes she would wear pastel green or parrot green. I saw only Bea and Nina in the house and their dog Fen. That dog was huge; it could easily topple a grown-up man. It took some time to warm up to me. Initially, it would grimace and growl at me, but then on the third day Bea scolded it and it cowed down immediately. Then it would leave me alone. On the seventh day, I was able to pat it once, but then Bea got really upset at my foolhardiness. She called Nina and let her know about it. I didn't understand the fuss about it but both of them scolded me pretty badly. Then Nina went away to concoct something and when she returned, she handed me a small glass full of greenish-looking liquid. 'Drink it. Then run home and do not return for ten days.' Bea looked grimly at me and didn't tick off Nina for her rude words. I did what I was asked to and didn't see Bea for the next ten days. Actually, I was very upset with her and had resolved to never see her again but on the 11th day, she came to meet me, and all my anger evaporated. She told me that touching Fen was a big no-no. She told me a lot of things, but I forgot them all. All I understood was that touching Fen would transfer some smell to me and that might have attracted something towards me, something that could have really hurt me. The greenish liquid was meant to mask the smell of Fen. We put the drama behind us and became fast friends again. Nina had begun to tolerate me but her words would always offend me. I remember one time when I had just about followed Bea inside her house and Nina with a sly smile, really supercilious one, looked down at me and called me Bea's pet.”

“Pet?” Kia was surprised.

“Yes,” Bittu Babu looked outraged. “She said: 'Oho, Bea's pet is here!'. At first, I couldn't understand her evil remark but then I got upset at her, but she cackled and went away. Bea didn't try to correct her, nor did she chide her. I had half a mind to return to my house but then Bea looked at me and shook her head. 'Oh, don't get mad at her. She is unlike us. She can't think like us. She doesn't realize that words can hurt. Let it go! Come on now!'. She beamed at me and I forgot all about the insult heaped at me. We played for some time with the toys from her magical chest. Then, as was her wont, she read some passages from her very interesting books to me. All the books in her room were written in some language that I didn't understand. I have searched for those books many times but to no avail. Some of those books had beautiful artwork. I still remember a mermaid seated on a rock. She looked ethereal. Her lips were red and her eyes were green. I have searched on the internet for that image but all I have seen are cheap copies. The original was so beautiful that I feel it could never be copied. I remember Bea telling me about that mermaid. She talked about the mermaid as if it were a living object. She told me that she had met that particular mermaid and they had worked together for sometime but then work drove her away. I really admired Bea's imagination. Everything in the books was alive for her. In her imaginary world, those things spoke with her, played with her, and sometimes fought along side her. The enemies were dastardly evil and blood-thirsty, but Bea and her friends would always save the day. I should have noted those wild stories somewhere. I could have made a fortune by publishing them!”

“Then, what happened?” Kia wanted to know more about the kidnapping.

“Bea stopped inviting me to her house. It all happened due to that busybody, that moron, Shalu aunty. She spotted me coming out of Bea's house and then she came to our house and did so much drama, so much hand-wringing, so much tears that she managed to scare me. She told Ma that Bea's parents indulged in black magic and killed each other, that the house was haunted by ghosts and witches and monsters about whom only God knows, and that I was hobnobbing with a witch. The next time Bea came to invite me, Ma fell on her feet and requested her to spare me. Bea was very offended. She kept saying that she never hurt me but Ma wouldn't listen. So Bea simply shrugged and went away. It was heart-breaking for me. I tried once to go inside her house but Fen growled at me and stared at me with such hatred that I got scared and ran back to my house. For some months, I didn't see Bea. In our times, the schools conducted only the annual examinations. We didn't have a surprise Monday test or an exam every two months. Life was cool back then. In any case, it was time for the exams and Ma got really serious about it. I was in class V but Ma wanted me to be super serious about exams. So I had to cram stuff for hours and before you know, the exams were done. On the very last day, I was waiting for Ma near the school gate when an old woman approached me. I had noticed that old woman loitering around our house some days back. I believe I first saw her after Nina had made me drink that vile liquid, but I am not too sure about it. In any case, that day, the old woman walked past the guard who didn't react at all and stopped near me. I looked into her eyes and Boom! I was hypnotized. She caught me by my hands and led me outside. My feet automatically followed her. I was very scared but I couldn't scream for I couldn't even open my mouth. She was practically reeking of evil and bad, ugly thoughts, and blood. I knew that she was going to kill me, but I couldn't do anything to free myself from her grip. She led me to a bullock cart and nudged me to get aboard. Then she followed me inside the claustrophobic cart. I could smell blood around me and it made me really queasy. I wanted to throw up so bad but I controlled the urge for I knew that the crone would beat me senseless if I dirtied her cart.”

Bittu Babu looked disgusted at the awful memory.

“That was how I was kidnapped,” he sighed. “No one even knew that I was being dragged against my will. I came to know later that when Ma didn't find me near the school gate, she raised a stink. However, no one saw me leave the school. It was like I simply disappeared off the face of the Earth. The police were involved but they could do precious little. Some hours later, they found my bag some two kilometers away from the school. They enquired around the area where they found the bag but they found no clue to my disappearance. I guess all that hullabaloo about a kid gone missing must have piqued Bea's interest. When she found out that it was me who had gone missing, she decided to look for me. At that time, I was being kept locked in a small cage. Yes, it is true. A cage fit for keeping animals was where I had been thrown in. There was hay on the floor but the bars of the cage were very cold. I couldn't even hold them. I sat down in the middle of the cage and cried my heart out. I never felt so lonely ever again. I must have dozed off while crying. I dreamt that I was lost in a fog but then I saw Fen looking for me and then it wailed loudly when it found me and then I saw Bea riding on a marvelous green dragon with red eyes. Then I woke up and to my utter amazement, I saw Fen and Bea standing next to the cage. I ran towards them and touched the bars of the cage and immediately I felt my entire body getting chilled. Bea gestured to me to move back and ordered Fen to destroy the cage. When I saw Fen furiously attack the bars, I was terrified. It took him about a minute to completely demolish the cage. Its fangs, the saliva dripping off them, its bulging eyes, everything is seared into my mind. The cage stood no chance against its raw power. I crawled out of the opening created by Fen and stood shivering next to it while it kept tearing at the bars. Bea looked quite different to me. I couldn't even look at her face; she seemed to be glowing. Then the old woman dashed inside. I never expected a crone to run so swiftly. She grinned when she saw Bea and gloated that she knew that Bea would come to save her pet's life.”

“Again, they called you a pet!” Little Kia pointed out.

Her mother sat next to her and began feeding her 'kheer'.

“Yes,” Bittu Babu shook his head with a mawkish expression on his face. “I have no idea why they kept referring to me as a pet. It hurt my feelings. I couldn't even find the strength to protest then. The old woman crackled and it sounded really evil. She said something to the effect of 'Hey Beatrice, tell me, why is a witch trying to save that kid?' but Bea didn't respond. She and Fen began circling their enemy. Then the old woman once again asked Bea about her most precious pet, but once again, Bea ignored her. Then the old woman took out something from her hair. Yes, from her hair! It was a small, grey rock. The moment she took that out, Fen growled. Bea hushed it and then called out to Nina. I hadn't seen Nina in the room and I looked around in utter confusion when the grey rock started to glow. Fen began to bark furiously. Then Bea turned towards me and asked me to run outside. She spoke quite calmly but I could sense the urgency in her voice. I took to my heels. I only glanced back once and that was when I heard Nina scream. All I could see was that the old woman had stabbed Nina with a grey lance. Bea and Fen were in the air jumping at their enemy together. Then the roof collapsed. I couldn't make myself stop. I kept running till I ran into a policeman who was kind enough to accompany me home.”

“So Bea saved you?”

“Yes, she did. I fell sick the day I returned home. The chill from the bar took root somewhere inside me. The high fever made me delirious. I don't remember anything, but Ma told me all about it later. I kept muttering about how Bea had come to meet me though no one else could see her. Bea looked pretty beat down and her wan smile made me feel very sad. She sat next to me and patted my head. It made me sleep. When I finally recovered, I went to Bea's house. The house stayed silent and no one welcomed me inside. However, I did see Nina on the rooftop. I waved to her but she ignored me. I never saw Bea again. Some months later, Baba was transferred to his home state. I made new friends here but I could never forget Bea. She was very kind to me and treated me like a younger brother but she told me precious little about herself. She never spoke about her parents, nor did she talk about the people who came to her house after dusk. There were so many strange things at her house: a magical chest of toys, those beautiful books in some strange language, and the rule of not touching Fen. Then there is that matter of my kidnapping. Why did that old woman kidnap me? Did she know that Bea would come to save me? Where was Nina hiding when the old woman took out her gray rock? From where did that gray lance come about? I have so many questions, but I don't think I will ever find any answer to them.”

“One thing I know is that she was not your friend,” Kia's mother commented drily. “They kept calling you her pet but she never shut that down.”

“True,” Kia managed to say after gulping down her morsel.

“She never uttered those unkind words,” Bittu Babu shook his head. “It was Nina and that old woman who spoke of me in that obnoxious manner. She always treated me with kindness.”

“And she came to save you,” Kia agreed with her grandfather. “There is no doubt that she was your friend.”

“I am glad that we think alike!” Bittu Babu ruffled Kia's hair.

The questions about Bea would never get answered but Bittu Babu knew that she loved him and fought with an evil woman to protect him. In the end, memories get corrupted but moments of kindness shown to one are never truly forgotten. He would always remember Bea as his friend.