Belief !

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!