Vinod got intimately acquainted with the lamppost outside his rented apartment complex, when his head banged against it and he passed out, the mobile flying out of his hand. Mobiles have that effect on their Vinod-like, bent over slaves so it was no surprise.
But Vinod had a narrow escape and he opened his eyes after a few minutes just as another water wave hit him square on the face. Not finding any small receptacle, one of the passersby had picked up a bucket of water which was being used by construction workers at a nearby under construction building and had poured it over his face, not once but twice. When his vision cleared, he saw the man with the bucket standing over him.
“My mobile? Where’s my mobile?” Vinod asked, rubbing his forehead.
“There near the gutter”, the bucket man answered.
Watching the bucket man with irritation writ large on his face, he removed his kerchief from his pocket, wiped the mobile clean, got rid of the soiled kerchief and proceeded into his apartment complex.
He entered the lift, his head bent over the phone and kept fiddling with it in that no connectivity environment.
“Hello Vinod”
Thinking that he had got the connectivity, he took the mobile to his ear.
“Hello…hello…” he shouted into the mic, when he felt a hand on his shoulder. His hair stood on end and he froze. Wasn’t he alone in the lift, he thought?
“Hello Vinod”.
Frightened, Vinod turned.
“Hi, I am Sudhir. I am sorry if I frightened you like this. You see, I used to stay in your flat before.” A poker faced Sudhir stared at Vinod, unblinkingly.
Vinod gulped and cleared his throat. With a sheepish smile he said, “Sorry I thought I was alone in the lift. I think I was engrossed in my phone and didn’t notice you. So what brings you back?” Vinod asked.
“Oh, I have always been here. But you always saw through me. I am surprised that you finally acknowledged me today.”
“Is it? But I think I am seeing you today only. Oh, we have reached our floor”, said Vinod. Funny man this, thought Vinod to himself. How does he remain so poker faced without blinking.
Opening the door, Vinod entered followed by Sudhir. “Come, come in Sudhir…”. But as he glanced back he did not see anyone. Mystified, he opened the door again and looked outside but the passage was empty. Shrugging his shoulders, he closed the door and entered the kitchen.
Feeling thirsty, he opened the fridge to get a bottle of water and the very next instant he recoiled, shrieked and fell backwards in shock. For the second time in a short span his hair stood on end as fridge door swung back and forth. There, sitting on one shelf was the head of Sudhir, it’s eyes staring at Vinod.
“Oh, so sorry Vinod.” The head was speaking now and Vinod’s heartbeat raced.
“Did I frighten you? But this happens to me everytime, I forget my body somewhere. Wait, I will summon it here.” And Sudhir’s head closed its eyes and seemed to go into a trance.
And soon his headless body entered the kitchen haphazardly, blood spurting from the neck, reached the fridge, the hands picked up the head and placed it on the torso and turned towards Vinod who was still on the kitchen floor. A reassembled Sudhir offered water to a Vinod, who was scared stiff. He kept staring and then struggled out of the kitchen, rushed into the bedroom and locked it clumsily. He clutched at a pillow and sat in a embryonic position on the bed, shaking in fright.
Sudhir poured into the bedroom effortlessly directly through the partition wall which almost gave a heart attack to poor Vinod.
“Where the hell have you come from? Who are you? Why are you making my life hell?” Tears fell from Vinod’s eyes as he sat shivering on the bed.
“Don’t worry, Vinod. I won’t trouble you. I have always been staying here since my death in an accident in this very building when the lift suddenly fell and my head got severed from my body. I still stay here like before, it’s only now that you can see me, I don’t know why. Till now, only I could see you as you went about your daily activities. I have been able tolerate your presence till now…”
Then he added with a grimace, “I only wish you would give up your chole-bhature eating habits because I am at the receiving end of those farting sessions which you indulge in, in the privacy of this flat.”
“And don’t be alarmed if my body and head are not together, sometimes we forget to move together and during hot summers like today, I like to keep myself cool in the fridge. I prefer a cool head on my shoulders”
Vinod was appalled that he had been living with a ghost all this time. How am I seeing him only now? Was it the bang on the lamppost which brought about this misery?
He decided to leave the flat at once. In the very next instant he was reminded of the pittance he was paying as rent to the owner. Where would he get such a deal again in such a good locality?
The next few moments passed in silence as the two kept staring at each other.
Finally Vinod blurted, “Ok Sudhir. I think we both can stay here, good that you don’t consume much space. I can make the adjustment provided you don’t flaunt your cutpiece body in my presence. It gives me the heebie-jeebies.”
That brought a hint of a faint smile to Sudhir’s pokerface.
“And I promise not to eat chole-bhature so that you too can rest in peace…”, which made Sudhir give a wide smile like a Cheshire cat.
And the odd couple lived happily ever after.
******
Photo Credits: Pixabay
This is an entry for the event #Supernatural #UniK-7 being held at Writers Room | Room8.
Read the event guidelines here: UniK-7 event guidelines
Pre-order ArtoonsInn Books releasing on 07th.
Hawk’s Flight: https://www.amazon.in/dp/8194132681
Rewind: https://www.amazon.in/dp/8194847400
Shop for Room9 books here: https://room9.artoonsinn.com/shop/
