Ding Dong.
Kirti was sitting in her study room, completing her homework
when she heard the door-bell.
She knew it was him. And her heart pounded more at the sound
of his footsteps into the house.
“What will happen tonight?”, she was scared.
It’s been a week now.
Things had gotten worse from bad. She knew something bad was happening
but didn’t know exactly what. She had heard her mother hiding from her and
crying. But she couldn’t confront her with that because she herself had done
that.
“God, please help us”, she prayed in her mind and got up
from the chair and went into the drawing room to greet her Father.
“Hello Papa”, she said with a put on smile, trying hard to
make the environment light but got back from him with a shriek.
Her father was possessed! Yes he was! She knew it the moment
she saw his red eyes that night.
Mother had been hiding it all from everyone. News of the
breadwinner in possession of a devil would have spread like fire in the society
and the thought of being denied from everyone had forced mother to hide this
all in lies.
But she knew it all now. Every scene was so clear in front
of her.
Scene 1:
He was working. It was 1 at night and he was working.
Sitting on his study table, amidst a heap files was Papa working. He sitting at
the study table during night and constantly writing papers, mother called it
extra office work again.
Scene 2:
It was the most happening place for the three of them after
a tiring day. But his silence at dinner, a chirpy guy going silent was hard to
believe for her as well as others, but mother hid it under the lie of him not
keeping well.
Scene 3:
It was 11 at night. He had gone early to office that day.
Even before Kirti left for school that day. 6 am was the time in the clock he
left that day but now it was 11 and he had not yet come. And mother called it
extra work.
“Memsaab”, Kirti heard her mother talking to the watchman.
“I know about such things. There is a very renowned Baba in
our village. I will go and get you some of his tantrum things for your problem.
I am sure he only can solve this. You don’t worry.”
Lines of worry were getting more visible day by day on her
face. She too was not sleeping at nights now. Her father was also not sleeping.
Things were not yet settled. Issue was known but the cause was still unknown.
Next day, the watchman got a clay pitcher.”Ask Sahab ji to
fill water in this and then you keep it in your Puja room. The day the water
will get dried this will break down and the curse will be broken. You just wait
and watch”.
And things happened the way he had said. Exactly after 3
days the pitcher was found broken in the Puja room and father had started
behaving bit normal. He had started eating properly, sleeping properly and was
now back to his normal talking.
And that very evening Anjali aunty came and enquired about
Papa and eventually he was not at home. The only she asked mother was,”He has
started talking again? That’s strange and I smell clay, did you get a pitcher
or something like that lately?”.
Mom was sweet in not replying back to her every question and
Aunties question made it all cleared.
Kirti remembered that morning from when her father had
started behaving differently. That was the morning when Anjali aunty was doing
some ritual, supposedly a pooja vidhi in their garden and mother was shouting
saying that the banana plant whish she was worshipping was not supposed to be
worship since we consume it’s fruit and such plants are not holy for worship[
but Anjali aunty didn’t listen and had performed something and even Kirti’s
father was heard arguing, “Why you are shouting? Let her do na. It’s just a
small petty ritual. It’s not worth shouting.” His disbelief in the ritual had
caught him!
It’s not about what you believe. It’s how that belief is
about. If you believe in God and then you should respect the presence of the
other side and maintain never to cross the line to make evil angry and let bad
be more influential on you.
Respect, maintain the distance and be safe!
