Ferede Village “Home Stay” (the Ghost story) Part -2
( Recap- In the last episode, I told how next day I woke up late and after taking a bask, a thought to take some stroll flashed into my mind. Without consulting about the local topography, whimsically I crossed the huge ‘field like lawn’ of the “Home Stay”. From there. I initiated my stroll downwards.)
After a short while of resuming senses from the scenic “swing cradle,” I threw glance onto my path. The wild trees seemed to register their presence on both the sides of the track. Here track seemed, as if, it was in a regular use by people. This idea encouraged me to continue my stroll. Gradually, the dense woods began to thin away. Not only this, here the width of the track I too found some what much wider. This type of track only could be made by people who were supposed to use them regularly; my mind hinted me this. Again, there was an intense slope, but to facilitate the walk, roughly hewn stairs of stones were there. Stationing on the top of these stairs, just before initiating climbing down the stairs, I threw a long glance ahead and all around.
Ferede Village “Home Stay” : Captivating view
Before my eyes stretched a captivating canvass of Arcadian canvass. The panoramic view throbbed my heart with a pleasant sensation. I felt, in true sense, it was the “aim” of my visiting the hilly side, that had been fulfilled. There sprawled a wide and long stretch of paddy fields, in shape of stair case small beds. It was the month of October, probable approach of the harvesting season was in offing. The entire stretch of fields seemed tinted with light golden hue. I heard the sonorous gurgling sound of streaming water. I craned my neck to that direction. At a measurable distance, I caught the sight of a rough, man made small aqua duct brimmed with running water. The aqua duct seemed descending from the upper side, adjacent to the precincts of Home stay.
For a friction of second, there occurrence a thought into my mind. Why I could not notice the presence of the aqua duct in the vicinity of the Home Stay? Then second thought replaced the idea, ” may be, aqua duct coming from another side of the Home Stay.” Yet, I had had a very short stay there and a cursory view of the surrounding, I had only in my vision. This streaming water was but natural source to irrigate the downside paddy fields.
Ferede Village “Home Stay” : A Victorian Bungalow
On one corner side, in the left flank to me, on an elevated big sized land, there stood a big bungalow. It sprawled majestically. Its roof imbricated with old timed kilned, half round shaped tiles. A strongly build bungalow with an architecture in similitude to old British era. It scented with the memoirs of Victorian time. It was fenced strongly with old wooden logs. Adjacent to bungalow, a huge field lied. It was much much more wider and lengthy in span than I had seen around the Home Stay. The same lawn type field, from where I had initiated my this journey.
In that field, I watched two or three horses. No, I counted them exactly, they were three in number. All they busied in grazing. In between grazing their tail wagged to buzz off the flies. The occasional snorting of the horses I too heard faintly. As I told earlier, in the hill side, the location that seems to appear with in the reach of the hand, proves in reality located at some considerable distance. The same phenomenon was here. In total it was the beatitude of the panoramic view. My legs forced me to continue the journey downwards.
Ferede Village “Home Stay” : Approaching to bungalow
As much as I continued to descend, It became obvious to me, this path leading me close to the bungalow side. On reaching there, I was on some what plain level, But still from here, bungalow seemed erected on an elevated piece of land. That was true. The span of paddy fields now seemed situated at a low level side from this point. On the one side of the bungalow, orchard type presence of some trees I noticed. I could identify them as the species of mangoes, leechi, peach, pear and other types. All those trees were of ripe age, as if, wizened fellows of the house, but still in the fecund condition.
On the inner side of wooden fence, some flowery plants of local as well as that of exotic varieties, I too noticed from my down side position. It was again a spell bound scene for me. I kept on gazing around the bungalow. For this moment, the environs of bungalow and to the next moment to the horses grazing in the adjacent field. A long whining of one of the horses helped to break my rapture. Suddenly a dog set on bay. He was joined by another dog. It all seemed to come from the backdrop of the bungalow. I knew, in hill sides people used to tame ” Bhotia” dog. This dog is also known as “Tibetan Mastiff” dog. These dogs are so dangerous and die hard in nature to protect the masters’ life and properties and skilled in combating the wild assaulting beasts. The idea of Tibetan mastiff dog stupefied me in horror.
Ferede Village “Home Stay” : Master of the bungalow
At the same time, I heard an imperious, deep, hoarse voice. Some one ordered, ‘ Roop Ram ! Look out side! Who is there?” The voice sounded some what weird to me. It was alike a voice, when some one speaks Hindi with an exotic accent. Now I was confirmed, it was a dialect spoken by some English man. My this guess was based upon Hindi movies and TV serials shows’watching. Then there appeared the head of a native man over the fence. His rest of the body hidden behind the flowery plants on that side.He peeped down and gazed for a while at me.Then silently he disappeared. The same weird voice after a while came to my ears. It was in consequence to the report, delivered by the native inside in whispers only.
” Roop Ram, get down and inquire the fellow. Get him here along with.” A sententious voice it was. On the other side of the bungalow, I heard a clear creaking voice, as if, some heavy wooden gate got opened. I noticed a native servant coming mutely towards me. He too was attired in in old fashioned local traditional outfit, seemed in his early fifties. The servant came and stood by the side of me and threw an inquiring glance at me. It was , as if, he intended to know my purpose of visiting the place. I understood his intent and responded, ” I am tourist from a metropolitan city. Have been halted there in that ‘Home stay’ up side. I was on a walk. There only, I found a track leading downwards. That vehemently forced me to track this path. This all was in a moment of curiosity, and I am here.”
Ferede Village “Home Stay” : external of bungalow
He nodded in an accord and betokened me to follow him. I was possessed by something now that made me follow him. Secondly, if I dared not to follow him, I was afraid of to be shooed by Tibetan Mastiff dogs. That fear too impelled me to give up. After some paces, a magnificent wooden gate caught my sight. The gate was a good example of “wood work” of old fashioned , “state of art”.
In old English movies, we happen to find such type of gates. On both sides, gate was supported by two strong stony pillars. From the top of those pillars, a half crescent type wood work, made of bamboo sticks, joined both the sides. Over the latticed bamboo structure some flowery creepers plant entwined. From the same bamboo latticed structure hung a shingle of a sizable dimensions. Upon which, in an old fashioned font inscribed, ” Frederic Estate, Year 1919.” ( End of the part- 3 of the story) Penned by — Vinay Pharasi …..
