By Janette
(Janette Biddulph (66) studied at Wynberg Allen in Mussoorie and worked as a warden for 20 years in Reputed School (e.g) Mamta Modern Secondary High School (Delhi), Raja Ram Mohan Roy Academy (Dehradun), Pestle Weed Collage (Dehradun), Col Brown School, Cambridge School (Dehradun) She began writing for children in 1977. She has been living in Dehradun since 1958).
Mum so she answered, "O.K. but as from today, you will all stay at home, for both mine and Bob's strength wouldn't have been able to save our Tina tonight. It was Tina, my brave Little Angel who saved all our lives by repeating The Lord's Prayer loudly, then we both joined in and the Bogeyman had to leave, but before he left, he gave Tina a very hard slap which left her screaming for about an hour. Look at her poor cheek, it has turned quite blue."
"I shall make that bully pay for touching my Little Angel. I shall make him beg for mercy. He will be forced to leave this house forever; and will never be able to HARM anyone again. He has toyed with the wrong man." It was the first time in my little life that I had heard Daddy getting angry, he was the kindest, most loving and sweetest person alive. Dad took my hand and went downstairs, he bought a few slices of meat, then went to another shop, where he purchased a live black chicken and two hearts, some gharu, aggarbaties, candles and a few mudden small containers, and last a nice big chocolate for me. All these things except for the chicken was locked in the wall cupboard, I wondered what he had bought the Indian Sweets for, since he hadn't offered anyone. He warned all of us not to touch anything and we promised.
After some tea with a glass of milk for me, we all lay down to sleep and I slept with my father. The Pooja was to be performed tomorrow.
I wanted to do big toilet, so Dad took me and waited till I had finished and was being brought back to bed, when suddenly a whole lot of little men, holding lanterns surrounded us. Uncle ran and brought the prayer beats and tried handing it to Dad, but got pushed away. I called, "Uncle, make the sign of the Cross, then come, for they won't be able to harm you." Uncle did what I had said and managed to reach and hand the prayer mala to Dad. Dad started chanting, but for some time the Little Men with their Lanterns, caught my hand and kept trying to pull me, but I had a good grip on Daddy's pant and held on as tightly as I could., and started praying to Jesus for help, while Dad chanted his prayers. Slowly, ever so slowly the crowd of spirits with their Lanterns vanished one by one, till none were left. Dad picked me up and put me to bed next to himself, saying "EVERYTHING will be ALRIGHT TOMORROW by this time. I promise. Nothing and no one will ever harm my little Tina again.
The next night, after dinner, Daddy made us all sleep in one room. When we were all inside, je took something red [gharu] and made CROSSES on all the doors and windows, especially round the beds, warning us not to leave the room on any account or we could get badly hurt.He drew a round circle with the gharu, took his beads, took the sweets, after lighting the aggarbaties and candles, he placed these things round his circle, the chicken and two hearts he put in the circle, where he now sat with his prayer beads in one hand and a sharp knife in the other.
We could see him through the window; now we waited. Daddy started chanting the prayers at 12.5 am and kept on till my Bogeyman appeared. He looked even bigger to me, in fact he looked like a Giant but when my Dad stood up, the Bogeyman didn't look so frightening. Dad spoke first, Tell me what is troubling you, so that I may be able to help." "YOU? I don't need help from anyone, what help can you give me? I shall do whatever I want. Go away or I shall kill you all." Dad laughed this seemed to make him angry, for he rushed at Dad, but fell back and prepared to rush again. Dad spoke softly, "I am only requesting you to leave my family alone, if you will listen and go away; then I too, won't harm you." "You stupid human, in what way can you think of harming, the most powerful Spirit in this country. If you keep annoying me, I shall walk into that room there and kill everyone? Should I do that?" "Yes, please go right ahead!" Dad threw the words at him. As the Bogeyman walked towards our room, Dad took one heard and called, "Heart of the Evil one die," and he stabbed the heart. The heart of the Bogeyman felt the pain, he halted, then again he would take a few steps, each time the heart was stabbed he felt the pain. The heart was stabbed again and again, till the Bogeyman was crawling towards us.
We were frightened but had faith in Dad, so now we sat on each others beds, waiting and watching for the end.
Dad picked up the other heart and said, "Oh! EVIL SPIRIT, mend your ways and I shall save you a lot of pain and darkness that you rightly deserve. The Spirit cursed and abused Dad who just pierced the heart hard, this time the Spirit scream but kept cursing and abusing and Dad kept digging the knife into the heart. At last the Bogeyman couldn't even crawl, so Dad took the chicken and walked boldly to the Bogeyman, there he cut the neck of the chicken and let the blood flow on him, he lay still, hardly breathing, Dad then cut the chicken's heart out and kept on digging the knife into it till the Spirit started begging for forgiveness, and promising never to harm any of us again. Dad hadn't finished with him yet; Dad ordered him, still in a soft voice, "Oh Spirit if you really want to live, get into this chicken, for this is the only life I can give you because of all the harm you have caused my daughter." He held the chicken out and the chicken trembled in his hand as the Spirit entered it.
Dad now got ajar and placing the chicken in it, sealed the Jar, and buried it under a tree, where no one would walk over it. He even made a Cross and placed it over the buried Jar,
We could all hear the Bogeyman calling out, "Let me go, and I promise to go away, very far away from here. It is very dark here. I have no friends. I promise to make you very rich, ONLY LET ME GO."
Dad sat there and said a prayer for the Spirit's Soul. "I had given you your chance of leaving us in peace. Now you are tied to that place and not even I can release you for the next fifteen years, but I shall pray for your soul. MAY YOU REST IN PEACE." END
(Janette Biddulph (66) studied at Wynberg Allen in Mussoorie and worked as a warden for 20 years in Reputed School (e.g) Mamta Modern Secondary High School (Delhi), Raja Ram Mohan Roy Academy (Dehradun), Pestle Weed Collage (Dehradun), Col Brown School, Cambridge School (Dehradun) She began writing for children in 1977. She has been living in Dehradun since 1958).
Mum so she answered, "O.K. but as from today, you will all stay at home, for both mine and Bob's strength wouldn't have been able to save our Tina tonight. It was Tina, my brave Little Angel who saved all our lives by repeating The Lord's Prayer loudly, then we both joined in and the Bogeyman had to leave, but before he left, he gave Tina a very hard slap which left her screaming for about an hour. Look at her poor cheek, it has turned quite blue."
"I shall make that bully pay for touching my Little Angel. I shall make him beg for mercy. He will be forced to leave this house forever; and will never be able to HARM anyone again. He has toyed with the wrong man." It was the first time in my little life that I had heard Daddy getting angry, he was the kindest, most loving and sweetest person alive. Dad took my hand and went downstairs, he bought a few slices of meat, then went to another shop, where he purchased a live black chicken and two hearts, some gharu, aggarbaties, candles and a few mudden small containers, and last a nice big chocolate for me. All these things except for the chicken was locked in the wall cupboard, I wondered what he had bought the Indian Sweets for, since he hadn't offered anyone. He warned all of us not to touch anything and we promised.
After some tea with a glass of milk for me, we all lay down to sleep and I slept with my father. The Pooja was to be performed tomorrow.
I wanted to do big toilet, so Dad took me and waited till I had finished and was being brought back to bed, when suddenly a whole lot of little men, holding lanterns surrounded us. Uncle ran and brought the prayer beats and tried handing it to Dad, but got pushed away. I called, "Uncle, make the sign of the Cross, then come, for they won't be able to harm you." Uncle did what I had said and managed to reach and hand the prayer mala to Dad. Dad started chanting, but for some time the Little Men with their Lanterns, caught my hand and kept trying to pull me, but I had a good grip on Daddy's pant and held on as tightly as I could., and started praying to Jesus for help, while Dad chanted his prayers. Slowly, ever so slowly the crowd of spirits with their Lanterns vanished one by one, till none were left. Dad picked me up and put me to bed next to himself, saying "EVERYTHING will be ALRIGHT TOMORROW by this time. I promise. Nothing and no one will ever harm my little Tina again.
The next night, after dinner, Daddy made us all sleep in one room. When we were all inside, je took something red [gharu] and made CROSSES on all the doors and windows, especially round the beds, warning us not to leave the room on any account or we could get badly hurt.He drew a round circle with the gharu, took his beads, took the sweets, after lighting the aggarbaties and candles, he placed these things round his circle, the chicken and two hearts he put in the circle, where he now sat with his prayer beads in one hand and a sharp knife in the other.
We could see him through the window; now we waited. Daddy started chanting the prayers at 12.5 am and kept on till my Bogeyman appeared. He looked even bigger to me, in fact he looked like a Giant but when my Dad stood up, the Bogeyman didn't look so frightening. Dad spoke first, Tell me what is troubling you, so that I may be able to help." "YOU? I don't need help from anyone, what help can you give me? I shall do whatever I want. Go away or I shall kill you all." Dad laughed this seemed to make him angry, for he rushed at Dad, but fell back and prepared to rush again. Dad spoke softly, "I am only requesting you to leave my family alone, if you will listen and go away; then I too, won't harm you." "You stupid human, in what way can you think of harming, the most powerful Spirit in this country. If you keep annoying me, I shall walk into that room there and kill everyone? Should I do that?" "Yes, please go right ahead!" Dad threw the words at him. As the Bogeyman walked towards our room, Dad took one heard and called, "Heart of the Evil one die," and he stabbed the heart. The heart of the Bogeyman felt the pain, he halted, then again he would take a few steps, each time the heart was stabbed he felt the pain. The heart was stabbed again and again, till the Bogeyman was crawling towards us.
We were frightened but had faith in Dad, so now we sat on each others beds, waiting and watching for the end.
Dad picked up the other heart and said, "Oh! EVIL SPIRIT, mend your ways and I shall save you a lot of pain and darkness that you rightly deserve. The Spirit cursed and abused Dad who just pierced the heart hard, this time the Spirit scream but kept cursing and abusing and Dad kept digging the knife into the heart. At last the Bogeyman couldn't even crawl, so Dad took the chicken and walked boldly to the Bogeyman, there he cut the neck of the chicken and let the blood flow on him, he lay still, hardly breathing, Dad then cut the chicken's heart out and kept on digging the knife into it till the Spirit started begging for forgiveness, and promising never to harm any of us again. Dad hadn't finished with him yet; Dad ordered him, still in a soft voice, "Oh Spirit if you really want to live, get into this chicken, for this is the only life I can give you because of all the harm you have caused my daughter." He held the chicken out and the chicken trembled in his hand as the Spirit entered it.
Dad now got ajar and placing the chicken in it, sealed the Jar, and buried it under a tree, where no one would walk over it. He even made a Cross and placed it over the buried Jar,
We could all hear the Bogeyman calling out, "Let me go, and I promise to go away, very far away from here. It is very dark here. I have no friends. I promise to make you very rich, ONLY LET ME GO."
Dad sat there and said a prayer for the Spirit's Soul. "I had given you your chance of leaving us in peace. Now you are tied to that place and not even I can release you for the next fifteen years, but I shall pray for your soul. MAY YOU REST IN PEACE." END
No comments:
Post a Comment