26.9.05

Me... big mouth and coward

I have a big mouth. That's sheer objective analysis. It dawned on me doubly as I was speaking to my friend today. She is going around with a guy. And before they started going around, I told her one day, "You know what? If you ever go around with him, I will feel very sad for you". To this day I rue those words. Because each time I talk to her she reminds me of that one line.

And I am a terrible coward. It was reinforced as I went to bed very reluctantly on Saturday night, actually morning. I watched Ghost Ship on Saturday evening. I had heard it was a scary movie from S. Even then I was so badly drawn towards it that as it struck 9, I surfed to the channel before I could stop myself. To mitigate the effect, I tried to watch other things at the same time, like the film Plan. Of course, it didn't help. As an extra measure I read an MB before turning in. That too, didn't. At 4 I went to sleep with the lights on. After some time, I switched it off and jumped into bed shrouding myself in a bed cover. Hence forth, I lay on the bed, stiff as a ramrod. I was waiting for morning and my maid to come and knock on the door.

Every time I see a scary film it's the same. I wish there was some remedy.

Once my brother told me about an experience that scared the lights out of me. It happened to him while he was in a hostel. The building in which he was staying at the time faced a Muslim cemetary. He was told by his teachers about some of the known incidents. One night he was studying alone in the hall when the windows (which were tightly shut) started flapping to and fro. My brother asked his teacher the next day about it. He was told, "See you can't do anything about it.You have to stay here. So there are two ways you can deal with it. You either ignore these happenings or get affected by them and cower each time they take place." My brother chose the former. I couldn't sleep three nights in a row after that.

There is one story of my father's that just confuses me. Do I believe him or not is the question that I ask myself till date. He till sticks to it. When he was a little boy and stayed in a joint amily, they used to have a separate kitchen where they used to dine together. To get to the kitchen they had to take a flight of stairs that was outside the house. Next door was an old British mansion. One evening as my father was going up the stairs for dinner, he happened to look into the neighbour's lawns. And what he saw apparently chilled him to the bone. It was a skondokata (that's the Bengali word for a headless ghost). Each night after that he would race up the stairs and refuse to look next door.

But once I read a book called The Adventures of Holly Hobby. It belonged to my friend Amy and it was the story of Holly Hobby, a ghost who came down to meet one of her descendants. They embarked on an adventure which led them to the jungles of Guatemala. It was a beautiful book and one that reaffirmed my faith in ghosts. Good ghosts that is.

35 comments:

shyam said...

Hehe.. occupational hazard I guess of bitching too much. I get caught out at times talking badly about people who are liked by the person I am talking without remembering to care about that fact. I've given up on giving nice and easy to swallow advice, these days I tend to blast it full on the face, if you don't like it the way it appears to me, don't ask for it. Simple enough arrangement.

Anonymous said...

Ya but you know this is my friend. A good friend. I feel awful about it. I wish I could unsay them.

PS said...

Tell me about it AB. A few days back, some of my colleagues and I were talking about ghosts and spirits, it scared me so badly, I couldn't sleep properly for a week or so. And this to someone who stayed alone in the house for a week, when my parents had gone out. I don't know how I lived alone and enjoyed it!

shyam said...

hm.. the unsaying bit is true. but it is also true that everyone need not like everyone else. somehow you gotta work around it i guess.

n.g. said...

i was in delhi for a few days, got back to bombay on sunday. we'll meet next time for sure, i swing by once in 2 months or so.

here's a story - someone i know, her father died. without as much as a warning. now, she being the practical sorts, didnt know where he'd kept the investment and insurance papers. searchd all over, couldn find them. then she went to someone who claimed she could speak to her father. the spirit-summoner summoned her father, and told this woman that her father was very happy where he was and didnt want to be disturbed, though he did give a location. the woman checked, and found everything there.

Anonymous said...

;-) good ghosts sound like fun! the headless ghost story was seriously freaky!

thalassa_mikra said...

Something about the Bong extended family and ghost stories? I remember being told ghost stories all the time when I was a kid.

My grandparents' village home has a guava tree in the courtyard. Of course my aunts fed me and my cousins terror tales of the witch (petni) that lived on the guava tree and extended her arms (the branches of the tree) to snatch up the naughty kid. My cousins and I would cling to each other for dear life at night when we could see the tree through the upstairs verandah.

Penny Lane said...

Did Holly Hobbie look anything like this ;)

I get scared by the movies sometimes but I don't believe any of these stories...

Anonymous said...

PS: Ya even I enjoy staying alone. But even a speck of ghostly affairs can ruin my sleep. Actually what I do is rewind and rewind it in my mind till I can imagine it be for real.

Codey: But it's not that the guy is bad or anything. It is just something that came out at the moment.

Nish: Kinda curious here. What do you do here when you 'swing' by?

Your story is spooky. But it's a father and he wouldn't want to harm his own daughter. So that doesn't scare me that much. Brave me:)

Closetalk: The headless ghost suddenly reminded me of Headless Nick in Harry Potter;) But I am very sceptical about it. But knowing my father I shouldn't.

Thalassa: The petni yes and also stories of nishi who calls you in the middle of the night. And if you respond, well you can bid goodbye to mortal life.

Penny: Well, Holly did have a bonnet but she was kind of taller. Now I have forgotten the girl she was with in the book. But maybe it's her.

You don't? Good for you. At least you don't go through the torture that I do. Actually I don't even know whether I believe them, but they surely affect me.

Vignesh said...

Hmmm... ghost stories she says... somehow I cant get myself to watch these movies any more. I get more annoyed than scared (I never did get very scared by those movies, though I did have a hilarious excapade once after watching Bram Stoker's Dracula). Not even horror, but more so suspence even, just annoys me.

I guess Im just getting old. Sigh. Soon, I will be a headless ghost haunting lingerie stores.

Anonymous said...

Vignesh: Hey soon-to-be headless Viggie:) Did you watch ghost ship?

And what hilarious escapade. All ears.

AB said...

Vignesh: Hey soon-to-be headless Viggie:) Did you watch ghost ship?

And what hilarious escapade. All ears.

Vignesh said...

Even if you ask thrice, I'm not going to put it down on paper. Too embarassing to allow potential blackmailers to get hold of... ;)

I think I have seen that one.. its got the guy from the Usual Suspects and Eomer from LoTR. Quite sad it was actually...

Anonymous said...

Vignesh: Nope, details baby, details:)

n.g. said...

there's usually work which takes up a day or two and then i spend another two-three days at my cousin's place giving her fundas on life and stuffing my face with my aunt's fantastic cooking.

Anonymous said...

ahh.....Holly Hobbie.....that brings back memories....I loved that book with all those illustrations. Now that was a cool ghost. I am exactly like you in that respect AB, can't sleep for days after i watch a scary movie. So when are you going to call me? I'm still waiting!!

Arjun said...

All of us are a bit scared of ghosts, I think. I don't think you can call yourself a coward just because of that.

Just love the way you write: simple, apt and lucid.

Rat said...

I never heard of this Holly Hobby. It seems I had a deprived childhood. Well i guess its good becase I Believe in ghosts as much as I beleive in Santa Claus.

Anonymous said...

Nish: Ah work. Now that explains it.

Amy: Do you still have the book? It brings back so many nice memories. Of me, you and Sudak. Anyway, going to call. You can also, you know, call me.

Parna: I think you can't beat me to that. Staying alone:)

Couchpotato: Hey you flatterer:) Thanks nonetheless.

Rat: Deprived childhood it couldn't be if you believed in Santa.

Jay said...

Eeeeeeee..... ghost stories!!!!

As someone put it, "I don't believe in ghosts, but I'm scared of them."

I watched Omen YEARS ago (before your time, hun) and couldn't sleep for nights.

I didn't find Ghost Ship scary though - the worst one of recent times was Ring.

Anonymous said...

Jay: What are you saying! I was shit scared after I saw The Ring. It haunted me for nights on end. You mean Ring 2, right?

Reading Omen I couldn't sleep. I think it scared me more than watching the film.

But you have NM to give you company when you are alone. I have nobody:(

mad angles said...

Lol, Skondokata bhoot! I havent come across that word in ages!
But speaking of ghosts, I once scared the shit out of 2 girls in my hostel, so much so, that they started going to the loo together, bathing together, sleeping on the same bed. Now what does that sound like hmm......

Mint Chutney said...

I have ghost stories that freak the daylights out of me.

Anonymous said...

Essar: Oh gosh that reminds me of what we did too in our PG institute. Maybe I will post on that incident.

And I can so imagine you pulling such a trick;)

Mint: Post post

Vignesh said...

Hmm.. I don't see a lingering post anywhere... tsk tsk... ;)

Have a grrrrrrreeeeeeeeeat weekend !!!

Anonymous said...

Vignesh: Why don't you write a post yourself buddy?

Will try my best:)

You have a great weekend too.

Sonia said...

everyone seems to be writing about the paranormal! hmmm. at least you haven't seen a ghost! i haven't either, even though i've done seances and checked out haunted houses and all!

First Rain said...

Ghosts! My goodness! The only good thing about Ghost I can remember is Demi Moore ...and Casper ofcourse :o)

Anonymous said...

Sonia: Tell me about the haunted house. Even though I am a coward, I want to stay in one for a night.

First Rain: Nice associations huh:)

hemangini said...

i LOVE your house

Anonymous said...

Mangs: Thanks. Nobody has said that till you now. You score there. Tell the broker to pay me a cut;) I gave his no. to some dozen people.

8 by 52 said...

I bet you are having the last laugh after your friend and that horrid guy broke up. I think I should have listened to you then.

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