Short story

Ghosts in the house

by Yasmin Jaldin

Tissa was a planter. He served mostly in the upcountry tea estates. His job entailed transfers to other estates after serving for a spell of seven years on an estate.

During these transfers, his wife Mali who was a teacher was compelled to seek a transfer to a nearby school where her husband was stationed. In view of this, their two sons lived with their grandparents and schooled in Colombo.

This time Tissa was transferred to an estate in the Badulla district. A beautiful tea estate with lush vegetation, tall fir trees lining either sides of the pathway, and a beautiful flower garden with plenty of roses and lilies in full bloom. There were also many strawberry and pear trees in the backyard with an abundance of luscious fruits.

Notably, the gardener maintained the garden well which brought forth the scent of the flowers and pine trees into the bungalow when the large trees were fanning their branches in the occasional breeze.

The last occupant was a Britisher and his family. Incidentally, he was the last foreign planter to leave the shores of Sri Lanka from the district. The furnished bungalow had four large bedrooms and a grand piano stood in a corner of the living room. Mali noticed that the entire bungalow was a lovely place to live in, but the large living room looked forlorn. Something should be done to enliven this room she thought.

Mali was a music enthusiast. She could play the piano but was not an expert. That evening she played a few melodies. The Appu said 'it was over a year and a half that someone had played this piano.

The British Madam was a very fine pianist and she played many old melodies every evening and was the much sought after pianist at the many get-togethers of the planters'. Appu refrained from speaking further of the Madam, but Mali observed him heaving a deep sigh and wiping a tear from his eyes. He seemed to be hiding something she thought.

Tissa and Mali were getting quietly accustomed to their new surroundings.

After three months, Tissa told his wife that they should organise a get-together at home as all his friends were pestering for one as it would be a good opportunity to meet the families of the planters of the neighboring estates as well. 'Plan and organise with care, nothing should be amiss', he told Mali as it was his first party.

Just a week away for the party, the Appus and cooks had a strenuous time cleaning and polishing.

The next day when Mali was inspecting the bungalow for the final preparations, she heard music from the living room, someone was playing the piano. But when she approached, it ceased.

The party was held on the December 14. All the invitees were arriving on time and the host and hostess were quite pleased. Liquor was freely available and everyone was having a gala time. Dancing began to old recorded melodies and it went on with a full swing.

Since more liquor was needed Mali ran into the liquor room to fetch extra bottles, when she noticed a handsome man pouring out a glass of wine with a beautiful foreign girl holding his hand and whispering something to him. Her presence was not even noticed by them, the couple had eyes only for themselves.

Oh! I shall not disturb them, let them enjoy, she thought. Calling Appu, she asked him to bring more bottles of wine from the room.

She forgot the episode when there were shouts from the gathering requesting her to play the piano. To the strings of Que Sera Sera dancing commenced again. Looking up from her playing, she noticed that the couple she saw in the liquor room were also dancing at the far end of the room.

The man was holding her so passionately and she was laughing, obviously at a joke he had made.

Truly, she was very beautiful with blonde hair and grey eyes dressed in a white long gown with a red sash tied to the bodice. Was she imagining, who were they she wondered. The couple were engrossed in themselves and did not even look at the other dancing partners.

How was it that Tissa did not introduce them to her. They must have arrived late, she thought. It was late midnight when dinner was served. Mali noticed that the odd couple had already left without dinner. When she queried from her husband, he had a hearty laugh and said 'you are imagining, I did not see any such couple'.

The following day, Mali called Appu, the other man servants and the gardener to find out whether any one of them had seen the couple. She enquired from Appu, 'when she requested him to fetch bottles of liquor did he not see a couple in that room'; 'No' was his reply, but he had a premonition that the odd couple was none other than his beloved Madam and her lovelorn friend who visited parties every December 14, the day they both died.

The gardener who had a long service in the bungalow, then related a chilling episode that had occurred on December 14. "Madam had a clandestine love affair with a young bachelor, a Sri Lankan planter she had met at one of the get-togethers. She would meet him secretly when the Master was away on duty.

Madam was severely warned by the Master to keep to her marital status and save his dignity; but she had ignored his warnings and carried on regardless. The occasional get-together party was their hideout.

They loved music and the duo were good dancers. Whenever Madam played the piano, her friend would sing and the couple was the envy of the Master.

On that fateful day of the party held at the bungalow, the Master had noticed Madam's long absence. In a frenzy he had gone to every room and opening the liquor cabinet room found them. They failed to notice anyone enter.

The master was in a seething rage and fled to his room and returned with his pistol. He shot the couple at point blank range. Madam died instantly but her friend succumbed to his injuries two hours later.

They were shot in the chest. That night the place was in utter calamity, with all the guests running for dear life. Madam was clad in a white gown with a red sash. The master was a good man. 'It is their ghosts you have encountered, he told Mali, they do no harm' he said sadly wiping away a tear.