Ghosts and their Children.

2. That Corner.

Amit’s almost addictive charm and contagious innocence captured the Kumar household. There was noise everywhere; there was the feeling of celebration oozing out of every corner in the house. It seemed the couple’s prayers were answered. For a moment, they were.

Amit not only made them happy but gave them something to live for. for the rest of their lives. The family went out on picnics, visited temples and clicked photographs. They say when everybody is happy, time flies by. It did.

7 Years Later

Amit now studied at St Martha Residential School in which Kumar’s great grandfather had a very big stake. Amit had grown into a tall 11 year old lovable kid, wearing neat uniforms and doing academically very good.

It was the time of May. Amit was away from school, enjoying his summer vacation. It was a hot lazy day. Aarti was going through some magazines and Amit reading a book.

“Amit, how tall are you beta?”

“5’ 6” Mom”

“Ok, you won’t need the chair then.” said Aarti almost swallowing the last few words.She called up Kumar and asked him the exact place and cut the telephone call.

There were a lot of insects and a couple of inches of dust settled when Amit slowly tried to spread his hands on the top of the cupboard desperately trying to find it.

“Got it?”

“No mom, trying trying…”

After a couple of minutes more of vigorously moving his hands across Amit touched it.

“Yeaaaahhh.. here it is” Amit slowly got it down and kept it on the nearby chair.

It was Kumar’s great grandmother’s hand painted picture. It was dusty, old and very very beautiful. She sat on the black chair with a beautiful green and red saree, wearing all her dazzling ornaments and a very shy, yet very commanding smile. She looked straight  and one could still make out the charm in her eyes.

Aarti cleaned the portrait and held it. She thought of all the places in the house where she could put it up but found nothing.

“Maa how about the corner room in the second floor? It was her bedroom right?” said Amit.

Aarti looked at Amit in shock. The place was alright but the information in her son’s little mind, was disturbing. Amit was adopted, she said to herself. He should not have known this.

“I am going to play” he said  almost immediately and left.

Aarti ignored her thoughts after sometime. “Must be Kumar, yes must be him” she said to herself and climbed the stairs to reach the corner room of the second floor. Amit’s words echoed through her ears again. For the first time she felt scared. For the first time she cursed the house. Grandma still smiled as Aarti put her in a corner.

Aarti closed the door tight and hurried back.

That night at the dinner table Kumar was happy to hear the news of Grandma’s portrait being taken out. It was a special picture he said as it was painted when she was carrying his dad.

“Grandma hesitated but Grandpa convinced her. He made her wear all the jewellery and forced her to sit on the black chair. The painter worked on it for 35 hours to get this picture. My dad told me all this when I was as small as you” said Kumar pulling Amit’s cheeks. Aarti smiled.

Amit got up to wash his hands. After he left the table Kumar slowly turned towards Aarti and whispered,

“You know she was murdered a few days after this happened”

Aarti said “oh”. All she could remember was Amit’s words, that afternoon.

She said “Oh” again before disappearing into the bathroom.

That night Aarti could not sleep. She tried to but she could not.

“Bang!!!!” a loud noise shook her entire soul. It came from one of the top floors. She woke Kumar up. He resisted but after the noise came for the second time he woke up too.

“Let Amit sleep, we’ll go and check” said Kumar around to make sure he slept.

Amit was not in bed.

The scared couple now ran shouting painfully. It must be in one of the moments between that - they heard somebody smile. It was a giggle but it repeated. Aarti held Kumar’s hand tightly. They slowly moved up to the second floor.

The tightly closed door was now open. The couple took small yet brave steps towards the room. The room was mostly dark with an exception of a lamp in the corner. That corner.

Amit stood there holding the picture, giggling at it, whispering at it. Aarti screamed.

Amit looked up. The lamp went off.