A DARK STORY OF FEAR

It was a rainy day; and that had raised Mrs Patel's anxiety. After the scorching heat of the summer, it finally started raining in the month of July. Puddles formed on the road in front of Mrs Patel's apartment; and tree leaves glistened with their emerald green after being washed by the rain. A string of rain drops hanging from the telephone and electricity wires shone with an occasional ray of Sun. Birds fluttered their wings after bathing in the puddles; and the wheels of the racing cars and two wheelers splashed muddy water on the walkers; who in turn cursed the speeding vehicles.

August came and the rain showed no plan of taking a leave even for a weekend. The TV, the newspaper and the social media overflowed with the news and pictures of heavy rain; flooding rivers, bridges below water, stranded buses and trains; and cancelled flights.

And amidst it all, Mrs Patel got a cough. She stayed in an apartment on the 4th floor at Karve Road, Pune, the one left for her by her late husband. Waking up, the first thing that Laxmi Patel did was to gauge the weather; then read the newspaper to find out what was not good with the world and later confirm it on the TV.

She had read that there was flu and dengue rampant in the city and she shivered with fear more than with fever. Hurrying to the closet, she brought out the woolen scarf that her daughter sent from USA and tied it around her head. A pullover was always placed within reach and she put it on and covered the scarf with the hoodie of the pullover. It was important to be doubly sure.

Her customary slow walk of 20 minutes was now suspended due to the rain and the cough; and she called for essentials and daily needs like milk and vegetables over the phone from the grocery store across the road.

At 64, Mrs Patel was quite healthy; with only high BP, if at all to boast of any illness, but everyone including her daughter had failed to convince her that she was doing better than many of her age. A cough here, or a sneeze there, and Mrs Patel would immediately become bound to the drawing room sofa or her bed.

This was because Mrs Patel was afraid of everything. When she was 10 years old and her aunt took her for a swimming class, and the swimming coach told her to jump, which she did not do for 10 days, she was finally told to stand in the shallow end on the side of the pool. Only standing on the shallow at the side, and looking at the water in the pool made her so frightened that she denied going to the pool from the very next day.

She was afraid of dogs, cats, cows, buffalos and any and every animal anyone could think of. Stray cats and dogs had a potential to bite. She had read of the accidents on the roads due to the cows and buffalos coming in the way, which Indian roads abound in, and so stayed away from them too. Her nightmares had stray cats and dogs in frightening and scary avatars.

And to top it all, her husband, Ram passed away 2 years back and left her with resources to live but where could he bring and leave the confidence to exist on her own. Her daughter came once a year and did all her office and paperwork but that was that. So Mrs Patel's day was full of a series of frights of myriad kinds.

The cough steadily increased and with it increased her fear and afterwards, it was difficult to know which increased first. In her fright, Mrs Patel did not ring up the doctor; and had no guts or strength to visit one. Finally, the pneumonitis had better of her and she died.

Next day when the milk man came and she wouldn't open the door, they felt that something was not right, and so they broke in and found her dead on her sofa.

She had now become a soul but her soul had not totally discarded her tendencies, and so when it reached heaven it was still afraid.

There was a huge wrought iron gate and Mrs Patel stood disconcerted and petrified in front of it. Beyond the gate was blue sky and fluffy clouds and amidst it was floating God's huge palace. There were tiny mansions of God's servants and dwellings for pure souls who came from the earth. Mrs Patel's soul naturally craved for a place in heaven.

As she waited in front of the gate, it automatically opened and she was lead by two darwans, who took her to God's palace. She walked over the clouds; amidst the stars and the moon and groups of fairies playing and frolicking and reached the steps of God's palace. She saw that God was sitting on a huge throne; studded with precious stones. He had a very calm disposition and a peaceful countenance. His crown had a blue sparkling jewel in the centre and the crown sat gracefully over his long and silky, gray haired head.

He scrutinized Mrs Patel's soul and boomed, "I will come directly to the point lady; you deserve a place in the quarters of heaven but you have to carry on only one small errand."

Laxmi's soul and her voice trembled and she asked, " What is that, Almighty?"

God answered, "You have to go down and frighten Ms Briganza who stays in your apartment on the 3rd floor."

"But Almighty, she is one crazy woman who pays no attention to her health."

"Do as I have ordered, or you get no place in heaven."

"Alright Almighty, as you say."

"Remember, you must not frighten her as a ghost; but with all naturally occurring things."

"As you say God."

"Only if you carry this task, will you lose your fearful tendencies."

So Mrs Patel dutifully came back to earth, determined to lose her dreading nature and her ghost started roaming the apartment compound as a white wisp of a billowing cloud. She finally climbed up and through the keyhole, entered Mrs Briganza's apartment. Ms Briganza was sitting in front of the TV watching a Hindi soap, where a cruel mother in law was fighting with her daughter in law. She had a bowl of peanuts in front of her and as she was watching TV, she was popping one peanut after the other into her mouth.

Mrs Patel had become a white ghost and appeared like a billowing cloud. She could frighten Ms Briganza by just grimacing and showing her teeth but she remembered God's words, "Frighten with naturally occurring things."

So she patiently waited on the concrete platform encircling the peepul tree in the compound of the apartment.

Ms Briganza never missed going out; whether it was rain or scorching summer. It was not that she was very health conscious, it was just that as she went out, she socialized with the grocers, the vegetable vendors and the house helps of others, gathering juicy gossip. It was essential for Mrs Briganza's health.

She had diabetes and yet she ate whatever she wanted. She came down walking to the gate with her waddling and stamping gait due to diabetic neuropathy. Mrs Patel pulled at her foot and Mrs Briganza fell down and broke her hip bone.

She started shouting very loudly for help and Mrs Patel's ghost got frightened instead, and people helped the cursing Mrs Briganza who was shifted to the hospital and stayed there for 2 months. She was hardly afraid. Now Mrs Patel had to wait to frighten her in some other way because this time she had failed.

After Mrs Briganza came home, as always, she sat eating pakoras made by her daughter in law and watched spicier daily soaps. Now Mrs Patel took the form of a clot in her artery and gave her a heart attack, while she was trying to steal some ice cream from the fridge at night. Mrs Briganza clutched at her aching chest and called her son, not really very perturbed other than the chest pain. Mrs Briganza recovered again, without having an iota of fear and came home and sat watching TV, eating nuts and dry fruits.

After 4 or 5 weeks Mrs Patel became the blood clot in her brain and gave her paralysis below the waist but Mrs Briganza was hardly afraid, and came home and sat watching meatier daily soaps, and eating dates and later, popcorn.

Finally Mrs Patel got tired and went to God and told him that she was at a loss of terrifying Mrs Briganza and she was a tough nut to crack.

She said, "Some people just can't be made to get afraid, God. Even you will fail."

God glared at Mrs Patel.

God ordered, " Unless you make someone get terribly frightened, you have no place in heaven."

Mrs Patel finally left Mrs Briganza to her own ailments and let her own luck play it's part in her life or death.

But Mrs Patel is still hanging on the peepul tree in the apartment compound trying to frighten someone to get a place in heaven. If you are a brave soul and happen to pass below the tree don't get frightened; because then you will be the one carrying out God's task and who knows what it will be; and Mrs Patel will reach heaven. If not, she will hang there as a ghost till oblivion. You see, being fearful has serious implications..

Maitreyee