A Ghost Story

Malathi Perera

Robert, Anthony, and Rama three of them with their families decided to go on a tour to Yala in December holidays. As their wives were well prepared, since the day they discussed casually somewhere in August, they had no way of escaping. The three wives had collected money to pay to a security company to look after the houses and for diesel. After completion of all arrangements, they decided to travel in the jeep of Robert just after the school holidays. Rama's little son Kumar wanted to take his dog, unwillingly, none of them could stop him, they had to take the dog too.

So, on 12th December they all packed their bag and baggage into the jeep, first to get in was the dog, and giving instructions to the security guard, they left to Yala for a weeks holiday. They hired Peter to drive the jeep and in turn the three helped him in driving.

So, the amusement began. When they arrived near a small brook, under a shady tree, the three ladies made arrangements for the crowd to have lunch.

Except the three ladies the rest had a bath in the brook. The waters were clean and pure, they boiled water and made coffee after the meal and they began their journey towards Tony's house. He lives in a cottage, near the Yala, a very comfortable house. Well kept. Since Tony did not have children his wife Shanaz and he were waiting for the arrival of the children. There were 08 children to the three families.

Tony hardly bought vegetables, they bought only flour and rice, the rest they got from their own garden. They were really growers of vegetables for their own consumption. He being a retired Post Master, was very keen in growing vegetables and a few flower beds by Shanaz. Their garden was well maintained. The deers and monkeys and variety of colourful birds painted the surroundings.

When Tony and wife saw the vehicle coming towards their house, Shanaz quickly went inside poured tea and served them with home made biscuits. To the crowd the serving was delicious. Shanaz told the crowd to quickly to go to the behind river, before it gets dark, as it is dangerous to go to the river late evenings. They had a quick wash and sat in the hall for a chit-chat of the past and so many events of their own lives. The little children were very much was involved with Tony's library as he had a collection of books from his childhood.

Before the dinner was served, children were reading and the men were playing carom, the three ladies went to the kitchen to help Shanaz. Whilst playing, suddenly Robert saw at a distance a huge green mountain, and top of it a grey coloured palatial bungalow. Pointing at it through the window, he asked Tony who lives there, and how the roads lead towards that bungalow.

Then Tony with a fearful face shut the window and told Robert never to look at that house after 12.00 p.m. as they see different coloured fire burning from the house and no one resides there and about 25 years back the old couple who were living there suddenly disappeared and the building is now in collapsible condition. Continuing he said that it is a three storied building and people say it is a ghostly bungalow. Above all, the Lawyer who has the power of the will wants to sell it to be distributed among the given names of the relations of the couple, but no one bought. Once a man had gone that side to collect fire wood and he had been killed by some one and the police could not find a single patch on the body and still the investigations are in process.

Robert felt very inquisitive. He said he would like to go and put a bit of an adventure, hearing this, the three wives quarreled until Robert left the hall. He did not give up the interest towards the adventure, even on the second day during the breakfast he said he would like to see the lonely bungalow. To the annoyers of every one he took the jeep and went to see the bungalow late by 1.00 p.m. he returned back and said, he could not go near the building, as the roads were closed by fallen trees, yet he walked near to the main door of the bungalow and pulled out a gunny full of pears for the children to eat from the jeep, plucked from that yard. He said it looks haunted, but he did not feel scared.

In the night whilst the children were asleep with the wives, he held a bet with the other three, that he will spend three nights there and come back.

Tony was fully against he got up and went away, the other two had nothing to say , finally Anthony agreed. The following day. Robert's wife Nimmi cried, the other two ladies followed, even the children started to cry. But Robert was adamant. He smiled and pattered them and said he would only see the place and return. The ladies never knew that he was going to stay there three nights. Children too wanted to join him with the dog to see the wilderness and the beasts, Robert kissing them and promised he would take them later and requested Peter to take them in Tony's jeep, and he left on his adventurous journey. He took a barrel of water a gas cooker , few canned food tins bread and cheese.

After few hours he arrived at the haunted house and when he looked down he could see Tony's house like a toy house far down below, but in few minutes the whole area got covered with the mist, He, then opened the door, the doors were not locked, and he went inside room after room there were cob webs all over, he cleaned one room with the attached toilet. He had a bath and he came to the hall. At a corner he saw a telephone, it was not working. He found a comfortable sofa. He sat and lit his pipe, It was about 6.30 p.m. He wanted to quickly make the dinner, There was a fridge it was working.

He switched on the fridge and put the cheese and butter inside. He took out the piece of boiled meat in pepper and himself, boiled a few potatoes and applied butter on a few slices of bread and started enjoying his dinner, then he remembered to open his bottle of whisky, there were enough new cutlery accurately placed in a cabinet, he took a glass and poured the whiskey and started sipping, when he was sipping the second glass he felt he was getting a bit of Dutch courage talking to himself "what ghost, I will put the ghost into this very bottle of whisky and drink it with him inside into my stomach".

Then the atmosphere became cooler, it started to rain and the lights went off, he had luckily brought candles and he lit a candle and started munching a piece of cheese with a piece of meat, just then he heard a knock at the front door, He with the Dutch courage aloud he said " I know Anto you will follow me", and opened the door to his amazement, he saw an old couple. They very politely asked him whether they could come in side till the rain is seized, he opened both the doors and made them join him to have dinner. Very politely the two ate. They refused to drink as they said they have to drive the car, and they stayed for about 02 hours and they went off. Then he went in and slept. Following morning he started to laugh to himself and thought to himself, what ghost in here people are mad. I will buy this property.

Then he went alone for hunting and managed to kill a hare, and he burnt the flesh and enjoyed a delicious dinner. In the same manner, at about 12.00 midnight , the same couple appeared, this time they brought a huge parcel of fruits and they said they are going back to their destination and courtesy sake visited him. Robert thanked them and invited the couple to have dinner, politely they ate but they refused to eat pork. This time quickly they went off.

The third morning he was very happy, that he had only one night to spend to win the bet. The bet was six bottles of whiskey to take home! He anyway thought this couple might come again, he prepared a full table of eats for them and waited. About 11 p.m. he felt the floor was shaking, then he thought it might be that he had been drinking whisky too much, He stopped sipping the whiskey, and he opened the bottle of brandy, just then the closed locked window automatically opened, he thought may be to the winds, he went and closed it.

Then the lights went off, but at a distance he saw the lights of Tony's house. He was not bothered. He started eating a piece of pork, then he heard some body laughing "hi hi hi" from the front window and again from the second window.

He thought it might be the sound of trees. As expected the couple just walked in, observing their peculiar arrival, he asked them "I have locked the front door how did you come", then the man politely said "we came from the back door, as it was opened". Robert did not care He lit another 03 candles on the table and wanted them to join them for dinner.

When they were eating, he observed that blood was sprouting out of the mouths of the couple. As he was fully drunk he did not feel scared ,then the coupled said "our car knocked against a tree and we got wounded" Robert gave some paper serviettes and a glass of water to wash their mouths, but still the mouths were bleeding. They did not touch the food, they invited Robert to push the car from the place and help them to start the vehicle, as Robert himself is a mechanic took his box of tools followed them to the car.

They walked not towards the main road but to the other side of the garden which led towards the mountains. Then Robert inquired where the car is, the couple did not answer and they walked in line without talking, in a few seconds, whilst walking they disappeared. Robert felt something unusual, bats were flying all over, owls were shrieking, the jackals were hooting, and the couple not in the vicinity, Robert with tools in hand, just came to his proper senses, and he looked down, then he saw one step forward a great steep precipice, and down below he saw the couple like butterflies flying in the hollow waving at him "come down Robert lets fly". Robert started shivering, and that was all, when he waked up he saw his wife and the children and a few Buddhist priests who were chanting Pirith.

"Where am I?" "You are in the Temple of Yala". Anto continued "fortunately Peter was sent early morning by the Buddhist priests, you had a narrow escape, what happened?" after listening to his story, the Buddhist Priest said "about 25 years back the owners of that house died by an accident. No one could find their bodies as they fell into the precipice where you were found".

Robert was shivering with very high fever and was admitted to the Yala hospital. The Doctors had a time with him because every night he used to shout that the couple is near the bed. So, they had to bring him to the Temple to stay with Buddhist Monks.. After so many Pirith chantings and spending several lacks by offering "Pujas" and giving "Danas" his fever went down. The picnickers had to stay with Tony for about 03 months in Yala for Robert to recover. As soon as Robert forgot the whole episode they drove back to Colombo, never ever they spoke of the name of Yala. To make Robert gloomy.