Ferede Village “Home Stay” (the Ghost story- Part 9th) …

(Recap – As I narrated earlier, in noon time, after my heavy brunch, whimsically I began my stroll downward, from the edge of the huge lawn cum field of the “Ferede Village Home stay.” In my stroll when I reached down, I met an English man and passed a quality time with him. When evening dark began to fall down, on his behest, his servant Roop Lal dropped me back up side on the edge of the lawn.

                                                        Back onto the Ferede Home Stay

Once again, I was back on the edge of the turf of the huge field of “Ferede Village Home Stay.” Roop  Lal stood behind under the dark of the cluster of trees. His faint profiled hardly visible. Like a shadow, he looked. He slightly bent his upper half of the body and extended a mute valedictory greeting through his gesture. I too responded in the same way. Slowly he vanished into the same darkness. On this upper side, there was also the darkness but somewhat lesser in degrees. I reached onto the reception counter of the Home Stay.

The entire staff, inclusive of the owner of the house were deeply bothered by my absence from the lawn. They seemed to resume  a sigh of relief on finding me back safely. In my extreme tipsiness I demanded them to serve me evening meal  food urgently. That, I too asked them to serve into my room. In hilly sides, evening falls earlier, they too prepare food  accordingly before time. Still, I am unable to recall, when food was served to me and when I finished that. Faintly I recall, I ate that full with taste and in between that, my head rather my whole body swaying under the spell of inebriation. But what were the contents of food course, I didn’t remember. After that, I fell on the bed and slept like like a log.

                                                                                          The next day 

The next day, I woke up late. When I rose, the sun had risen much above the horizon. After being afresh, I came down into the room of the Ferede Village Home Stay that worked as the facility of the dining room. Adjacent to the dining room, attached  an indigenous kitchen of traditional prototype. On being seated in the dining room, one could easily peep into the kitchen and watch the process of preparation of food. Both the dining room and kitchen were spacious.

The furnaces of kitchen were all made traditionally of clay and like “Indian stove.” Furnaces there still fired by the fuel woods. The easy availability of fuel woods in the surrounding helped in this. I could watch the chapatis (Indian bread)  being prepared and baked on  griddle and then roasted on the embers down in the open mouth of the hearth. Every thing in similitude of that old period of time, when back in our childhood, our mothers in Indian houses used to prepare the food in our traditional kitchen. As on today, LPG stove has replaced that hearth almost in every house in our India. We hardly find the opportunity to watch such kind of kitchen. This scenario too was soothing and nostalgic to me, as if, I was travelling back into that bygone era.

                                                  My today’s planning in the Home stay

As far as, for my today’s planning, I had decided to visit some near by locations. Just to enquire about that, I needed the help of the staff. But prior to that, I decided to have my brunch. After taking that, I reached onto the reception. The owner of the Home Stay, a middle aged man too was present there. His an assistant too was there. The cook was already engaged in the kitchen. If you chanced to visit, such kind of “Home Stay”, you can’t observe any sort of differentiation or distance maintaining between owner and staff in the deportment towards the staff. The reason is, all they are the denizens of the same village or vicinity. A homely ambiance you experience there. A benevolent cordiality for one another they maintain.

Along with, their demeanor to attend the customers make you recall the gesture of traditional Indian culture, as if, they are attending their some precious guests in close relation. ” Sir! Have you taken your break fast? Or I should ask the staff to serve that here only?” The owner politely inquired.

“No… No.. I already have taken inside the dining room. If you can do one favor to me, get me served a cup of tea.” I responded. Now I sat there with my legs stretched apart in a relaxed mood. Suddenly Home Stay owner inquired, ” Where had you slipped off yesterday afternoon.? Your absence without any information bothered us a lot! This is a hilly region, a man from the city side can easily be misled. Again you appeared back too late. Secondly, you seemed quite tipsy! It seems, somewhere you availed the opportunity to consume the liquor. From here, when you left the place, you were empty handed. Here in the vicinity, there exists no any such facility to provide the drinks.” His entire statement was fraught with the element of great surprise.

 I removed the curiosity about my tipsiness

I gave a full throat laugh in response to his query. I said, “Brother, your Home Stay is located at a magnificent location. It’s so fine! Just across your this big field, downward after the fencing clusters of trees, there is a majestic location. In sooth, it was a miraculous! I had meandered down to that location. There only, a genteel man offered me some “Home brew ale.” It was so delicious and strong as well. Any how, I enjoyed that out and out.” My this statement made him frown. I could visibly trace the lines on his forehead. In rebuttal to my explanation, whatever he said, that made me dizzy.  He said, “But sir, after that fencing clusters of trees, nothing is there. There is an abrupt “precipice’ Downwards only. Then deep down in the gorge, only and only dense forest stretched. There is nothing like the sort of, you are mentioning.”

                                                        My revelation stupefied the them

” No… NO … ” I began to rebut them forcefully, “downside there exists a marvelous Farm House of some English man. Also there is a big span of of paddy fields, an aqua duct full of streaming water runs down to that side. Obviously, that aqua duct seems to pass through another boundary side of your Home Stay.” Now Home stay owner and his staff member were looking at me stupefied. I could judge, what they were thinking about me. To them, still I was under under a deep hangover of the drinks of the last evening.

I continued, ” Yes! Now I can remember the the name of the English man. It was Frederick Viole Sir. and you say, there is “precipice” and deep gorge down there with dense woods.” I was now little more agitated, it often happens when you stand on the rock ground and another person ties to prove you false. But one thing, I noticed prominently, When I mentioned the name of English man, there face turned up pale and gradually began to look like cadaverous one. ( End of the Part 9th of the story )… Penned by — Vinay pharasi …..