Tremors and ghosts

(Caricatures)

There was a tremor. I froze. It is the second time it was happening. What the duce. Should I call up some one? But what would that do? Nothing at all. There are some guys staying over head, but you have to cross the corridor and get over the steps to the next floor to reach there or go down into the streets for that matter. And there is that landing in the middle. I hate him for mentioning it to me. Sure I knew that a guy has been done in there at that very spot. It was a big incident the other day. There was blood all over the place. I did not see the body. But it had left its traces there for all to see, no amount of washing would make it disappear.

I sat up and considered. What is to be done? I wouldn’t want to be called a coward, yet there it is no one is comfortable where the supernatural is concerned. I curse that guy now, he is totally evil. He knew that I had to be here at the night. He was having fun at my expense. Would the God forgive him! I was trying to forget the whole incident. Then he calls me up and asks me point blank:

“You are not afraid are you?”

There was that wicked wink too. I felt as if a lightning bolt had struck my innards. My face would have shown it, though I tried very much not to. The guy is so insensitive and brutal. He did not stop there.

“You are in luck , think of the company! No murdered soul leaves the place they say...”

I tried to keep my cool, Guruvayoorappaaaaaa, What is he talking about. Does he have no conscience at all? I promised Lord Krishna a rolling oblation if I could get these trying times over. It is tough; you can imagine you need to roll lying on the ground all around the temple walkway. Though not big as the Vaikom Temple the Guruvayoor temple is not that small, it is at least a furlong around. You have to do it shirtless. I have done it once to get a job. A weird thought struck my mind; I have to do as many rolls as the days that I survive here. But I firmly banished it from my mind. I might not get another job for years. I can do ten and the Guruvayoorappan had better be satisfied with that. In trying times our only hope is god, but you can’t die for it, you are trying to live.

Who discovered this Watcher work? There is no sense in it. What am I watching over? A lot of worthless papers and rickety furniture? I don’t deny it; this is my bread and butter, this job. It gets me by in life. It is just my luck that I landed on it. I sat for the Peon test, and this job come within the job description. Only unlucky bastards get appointed in the job. Every one who has sense would jump to other categories. I don’t have the pull to do that. The whole nature of the job is antediluvian. All the others work for 8 hours, if they work at all. But we have to work for the rest of the hours. Almost 16 hours at a stretch.

Okay some think that it is easy work. You don’t have to do anything other than sleeping the whole time off. Well you can think again. We can’t leave the premises till the others arrive and has to be there when others leave. There are eight paltry hours in between two duties. How do you think that we manage? My house is not nearby. I have some traveling to do to get there and back. It takes some three hours to do that. How many hours do I get at home? Five measly hours! I can barely take a bath and say hello to my parents before taking off to work again.

I thought that I would get enough time to study. I am a graduate and have other aspirations in life. I accepted this job to help me in furthering my career. We are a new brand of youngsters; we don’t believe that any job is below us really. What matters in the final analysis is whether you make a living or not. My father would not have accepted it. But I did. We are spunky characters.

But I never thought that I had to keep watch over the ghosts too. After that incident in the landing, I am spending sleepless nights. But the sorry fact is that I can’t concentrate any more. The moment I open any books, I would sort of hear an eerie laughter in my mind. And the words “He is studying is he?” It is all imagination I know, but from that moment I have to repeat the names of Arjuna the great warrior, which we normally do when we are frightened at night. Our mothers teach us the names in our childhood.

“Arjunan, phalgunan, parthan, vijayanum….”

There is that tremor again. Is the world coming to its end? Quite probably it is. There were reports in the media that this could happen. This land is prone to earth quakes. Well no wonder, how would the land suffer all this pressure? Every one is constructing concrete boxes on it. Why couldn’t they live like before, with all the family? I do that for one. It is true that I am not married. But that is not here and there. Every one wants to be separate, to live with their women and children.

Good Lord and what a life is that? You can’t leave them at all. You have to be there all the time. And what does that bring you, troubles head aches and what not? To me it seems that the god was on to some great mischief by creating the institution called the family. He could have done better to have kept the old style of living you know, where the women and children stayed at some place and all the men roamed around, supposedly for hunting.

Another shock, it is not very wise staying inside. What time is it? It is nearing on 2 o clock. The street lights are out too, never happened any time before. This building is not very safe. It is old and what is more it is a Govt building. You know the amount of loot involved. I have no confidence that this building would hold if a giant quake comes. I have to get out.

I took my torch in hand. I have some candles,they might come in handy too. With a loud “Arjunan phalgunan” I opened the door and stepped out. It was pitch black everywhere, not a light showing. I did not have the courage to look at the landing. I locked the door and closed my eyes. The corridor is narrow and half open to the world. I wouldn’t fall over if I was careful to keep to the side of the room wall. Now a giant quake broke out. I ran towards the stairs, ghost or not.

At the landing I hit something solid and there was a loud “Huho” from some one. I lost consciousness.

When I came round some were standing over me.

They ask me what I was running from.

I ask them who they are.

They tell me that they were the watchers on the floor above. Well who ever they are I never met them before. I remember running in to this building trying to escape from my enemies. It was on Sunday and it was noon.

Now it is dark and I am with those that I don’t know. I have to get away.