Ferede Village “Home Stay” ( the Ghost story ) Part -3
(Recap – In last episode I narrated, how without consulting about the local topography, whimsically I set on my stroll. My that stroll gradually led me downwards. There I found a Victorian Bungalow inhabited by some English man. His servant took me inside.)
The outer look of bungalow was like a huge cottage shape. It had a spacious verandah. In true sense, it was built upon the architecture of Victorian period. It was single storied one, as often we witness old British timed bungalows scattered in old British Raj colonies. From looking outside, it gave an impression that in all probabilities it contained so many big rooms inside. In the verandah, there placed some bench shaped wooden chairs of Shisham ( a Himalayan timber wood.) All they had high back. A massive oval shaped Shisham table placed in the center of chairs. In one of such chairs bench ensconced the English master of the bungalow.
Ferede Village “Home Stay” : Meeting with English man
The servant who brought me here in silence, left me in front of Master and disappeared silently. In fact, I had not heard even a single word from him, rather he efforted not to utter. I extended my greetings to English man, by folding my both hands. It was in the manner, as we Indians do greet in Hindu culture. Since I had heard him speaking Hindi with servant. He too responded in Hindi, “Welcome Gentle man, be seated please.” I took a sitting position before him, on this side of the oval shaped table.
By appearance English man looked in his fifties. It was my surmise only. The truth is , it’s hard to judge the age of ageing Europeans, due to their white skin which shortly gets wizened in tropical climate. He was a puffy face with a dress sense of old fashion. Though attired in neat and clean clothes and well creased one. His eyes had some different hue, not that of blue iris eyed, as often Britisher do have. Instead his eyes had a different xanthic hue, similar to a dog or wolf, pale, some what watery and drowsy. In the first look, he looked like an tired old man who is withered by bracing the bad weathers.
Ferede Village “Home Stay” : Conversation began
For a little, he constantly kept gazing at me. Then abruptly threw a question, “What made you visit this site?.”
“By chance.” I retorted laconically. “How?” He threw the next question. In response to that, I repeated the same explanation, I already had delivered to his servant, He seemed somewhat satisfied. Then he began, “In general, my this estate is not visible from upside. For so many years, no outsiders has stepped down this side. You are the first outsider.” He paused for a while and introduced himself, ” I am Frederick Viole. The name inscribed on the shingle hung on the gate is mine. This estate belong to me either.” All he spoke by sitting on his side and I listened everything on this side. Even no formality of hand shake type was observed during this introduction, as if, curtly we maintained a decorous distance.
” Your estate is so beauteous. An Arcadian view it has got Sir. My purpose to visit the hill side seemed to come to a perfection by looking the site of estate.” I chirped like a bird and continued, “Next time, whenever I plan to visit this hill side, certainly I will visit this place Sir! It’s a marvelous place. Hard to find such panoramic site now a days Sir.” The English man in answer gave a faint dead smile and uttered only. “Might be.” He was so curt.
Ferede Village “Home Stay” : Conversation continued
“Need some water?” he queried . ” No ! Thanks Sir. In fact, the serene air here is more imbibing than water!” abruptly I spoke, without giving a thought. Now a pleasant, sweet smile flashed on his face hearing my reaction. I continued the conversation, ” Sir, tell me something about yourself. Hardly we find Britisher people like you still settled here. And I am finding you here in this 21st Century. The worth noticing thing, giving me a pleasure is your same old times way of living and the same old fashioned architecture around. It gives an aesthetic sense to the surroundings. Besides your drive to maintain all this is praising.” My statement made spark the eyes of the English man. At once, as if, a bulb been infused with high voltage. This made me think a horrible thought. The spark made me feel, I was looking inside the eyes of a violent wolf.
But it all was ephemeral. Again his eye were laden with friendly affection. He began, “This estate got allocated to my father in his favor in the last century. The year was 1919. My father was an Overseer in the “Civil Construction Department” of British Government.” He paused a little, as if, recollecting some facts, ” the arrival of my father to this location too was an out come of some incidence. It all was “by chance.” In fact he had had a friend from the England, who happened to settle in a near vicinity. (He waved his hand to the direction of the road, that led to the metropolitan city, I spoke of earlier.) His this friend with his missus had their residence at a nearby junction. This is a hilly track with dense woods. We Britishers often prefer such peaceful places, in the lap of Nature to get settled.”
He paused and again began, ” Peace and proximity to Nature, we people adore.That friend of my father was a retired Civil Engineer. Unfortunately, A mishap had occurred with that couple. Their only child daughter died of cholera in her infancy. She was only eight year old. Look into the wish of the god! Never again his wife got conceived.” He took a halt, and suddenly called out his servant, “Roop Laal.” At once mystically Roop Lal appeared. English man threw a glance at me and spoke with some mysterious smile, ” Don’t tell me a lie. You take liquor? I can smell it!” I produced a faint smile and nodded in assent. “This Roop Lal has an expertise in decanting “home brew” ale. I take that only. No … no … if you wish, I too have got some exotic wines. But just have a glass of this. I am sure, you too will become fond of that.”
Ferede Village “Home Stay” : Liquor served
The truth was, I too had heard about the ‘ home brew” back in my metropolitan life intermittently in chit chat with friends. Though never had occasion to taste that. Since, it was considered like “spurious liquor” and deadly injurious to health. But here, I enthusiastically assented. How this transformation came to me, still to this day, it astonishes me. The English man delivered the order, ” Roop Lal, get us the liquor of the ‘first jet’.” Again Roop Lal again appeared silently and disappeared silently in the same way inside the bungalow. After a while he served us the liquor in some magnificent glasses, brimmed with faintly white hue, before us.
The thing I noticed was, old fashioned crockery. The glasses of antique class. But the second thought soothed me, “This English man staying here for a long. May be the crockery be preserved from the parental time as heirloom.”
“Cheers”, Master of the bungalow lifted the glass in the air. I too cheered and demurely took a big swig? Otherwise also, I am a regular drinker, but the light soothing fragrance that wafted out of the glass, never before I had tasted. My memory was assuring this fact to me. I found liquor so delicious, then all of sudden I gulped down the the entire substance of the glass. ( End of the part 4th of the story.) Penned by — Vinay pharasi…..
