The old lady

There lived an old lady at the end of the street. People said she was a witch. It had already been seven years since her husband died and she lived alone in that big house. She had a lot of estate and wealth, but also nobody visited her. It was a three-storeyed house, and big trees surrounded it so, there was never a shred of sunlight there. People said it was a haunted house. From the balcony, she used to catch a glimpse of everyone. Every time I walked outside the house she was there, every time I played she was there, she was always looking at me. At least I felt that way.

Every night she would come to my dream wearing a black shawl wrapped around her body with only her face visible. She used to chase me with an apple in her hand & I ran every night. Apple was evil. That was what I used to think.
If I eat it, I will die. I thought so.

Days came and went by, but she was there, always looking at me. In the day I was scared but not too much because I wasn’t alone, but nights, nights were different. It was always me, and her and her chasing me incessantly. When it felt she would get me, I used to wake up, every time.

What wouldn’t I do just to get rid of her. I mused of different plots, one time I even thought of killing her. But there were other options too. I had once read a story where a man who feared snakes, was forced to live with them to have control over his fear. I thought of doing the same, so I decided I won’t run this time. I won’t run from her. I will let her have me. I wanted to see what she would do to me. That night I was submissive to her wishes. She threw the apple away: the apple was just a bait she used all this time, she strangled me.

I shouted, “Leave me alone. Please don’t kill me.” She didn’t reply but was still strangling me. It felt harder to breathe.

“Leave me”. I said again and again, but she didn’t stop.
I heard my mother’s voice. She woke me up. I was relieved it was just a dream. She asked me what had happened.

“Bad dream.” I replied. She wanted details, so I said I saw a snake. I lied.
My morning rituals changed. I woke up with my mother and chanted the hymns of Lord Hanuman with great devotion. It is believed that no evil can win him. I was relieved. But dreams were still the same. The running continued, the chase continued.

One day we were playing cricket. I hit the ball, and it went inside the walls of the haunted house.
“Go get the ball.” One of my friends said.
“It isn’t that we are going to leave it. We don’t have that much money. You must get it”. Said another one.

There was nothing that I feared more than the old lady and her house. Before that day no kid dared to step inside that house. But there was no way out of that. With the chants of Hanuman Chalisa and the fear in my heart, I opened the gate. There was a beautiful garden. There were trees of apples, peaches, and oranges. The orange trees just bore flowers. There were rare species of flowers planted in both sides of the house. It was like an avenue that led to heaven. My fear of her subdued but still existed. I searched the ball for a while but couldn’t find it.

I had hit it hard so i thought it might have gotten near the house. I went near the door and saw the ball. When I crouched to get the ball, I saw the feet of the lady as white as snow they were but beautiful. The nails were polished black, and as I raised my head, I saw the old lady. She was just the same as in my dream. You know sometimes we feel that we know what is going to happen because it feels like it has already happened long ago? That was the first thing I felt after seeing her. I was pretty sure she is in the mood to kill me. She still wore shawl; but, it was red today.

She invited me inside, but I refused, she insisted, I refused still. She said she had a surprise for me.
“Come inside. There are lots of things I want to show you.”
“No, I won’t. Mom says you are bad.” I replied.
“Why so?” She asked.
“I don’t know. Everyone said you are bad. You are a witch.” I said
“So, you believe them?” She laughed and asked.
“Yeah, I do. ”
“Okay. Today I will prove you wrong. Come along. I have a surprise for you.”
I had a thing for surprises. I think every juvenile kid has. So, with a little hope and a lot of fear that the surprise will be my death, I entered the house.

“Wow.” That was the first word that I uttered.

“Wooow? Do you like it?” She asked.

“Yeah. ” I said. It was the best house I had ever seen. It was like a mansion, a palace where kings live. I was spellbound seeing its beauty, a big chandelier hung in the middle of the house.
She took off her shawl.
“Wow. She was pretty, probably, the most beautiful woman I had ever seen.

“A princess. An angel straight from heaven. She was even more beautiful than the lofty mansion.” I thought.
“Do you know you are so beautiful? How old are you?” I said. To which she replied by giggling.

“I am 38. And you?” She said.

“Well, I’m 8.” I replied. All my fear subsided seeing her beauty. She wasn’t that old after all.

She took me to the living room where she showed me a photo of a man holding an infant, and she was also in the Photo beside that man.”Who is that man and the child?”
“He is my husband and my baby boy.” Her voice quavered: she began crying, holding me in her arms, and I couldn’t do anything but stay quiet.

I gave her my handkerchief that mom had pinned in my dress.

After crying for some time, She wiped her tears. She told she lost her husband and her only child in a car accident. She wasn’t there in the car. She had stayed home that day because she was ill and her husband took the baby for routine immunization in the hospital. The brake failed, Sunil couldn’t control the car, and both of them fell off the cliff on their way to the hospital. It was already too late when the locals found them.

“It has already been seven years since then. People think I conspired the accident, I am a bad omen, they say. They have ignored me always. Even when I need people around me the most, I am isolated. And it got even worse because I was a bride to Sunil Shumsher Rana. The people here think I deserved this fate, a bride to the family of exploiters, they say. Now, all that doesn’t matter. I am used to this way of life. And I won’t leave my house of the beloved.”
There was a moment of silence, then she smiled.

“If my kid were alive, he’d be the same age as you. That’s why I keep looking at you from the balcony all the time. One day I went out to see you, to hold you in my arms, you were only a toddler back then. Your mother shouted at me. The drunkard from the neighbour who used to be a sycophant when Sunil was around was now against me. He was the one who informed your mother that, I, the witch, is holding your baby. That’s how I got the name, ‘the witch’. I know that, but now, I don’t care. I love seeing you even from a distance. I am so glad you came here.” She said.

She took me to the baby’s room where the photos of baby were glued in the wall: to my surprise, there was mine too. And balls. There were lots of cricket balls in the basket which she had kept hoping someday I will miraculously show up.

“Let’s eat. I’m hungry. What do you like?” She asked.

“I love Samosas.” I replied.

“Me too.” She said.

Then she cooked delicious samosas. I ate and ate more than ever. She kissed me and invited me to come again. I nodded my head in approval. Then I left with the basket of the ball.

When I went back, my friends had already gone. I too went back to my house. I had no fear at all. Even today, I dream of her. But it is out of love, not fear. The society had deemed her to be a witch, but, for me, she is an angel.