As most of you know by now,I was having problems connecting so was unable to post the updates for many days. To make up for that, i'm posting a long one that i hope will get you back into JJKN mode! Hope you like it:
As night descends upon the peaceful village on the outskirts of Amritsar, the entourage heaves a sigh of relief.
Puru: At last……kaafi der ho gayi hai, aur lambe safar ke baad sab thak bhi gaye hain…mere khayal se, hume sona chahiye….
Bua: Zaroor samdhi ji….main abhi chhat par sab ke bistar laga deti hoon!
Ila: (faintly) Chhat par……?
Bua shoots her a puzzled glance; Puru hurriedly says, "Arre waah….chhat par, khuli hawa mein sone ka maza kuch aur hi hai…hai na Ila?
Ila: (stammering) Haan haan…..actually maine isse pehle kabhi try nahin kiya na, toh ……
Bua: Arre samdhan ji….aap ek paar hamare pind ki taazi hawa main neend leke dekhiye….waapas sheher jaakar aapko apne AC-Shaisi mein neend nahin aayegi phir…main abhi jake manjiyan biccha deti hoon…..
As soon as she leaves, Ila nudges her husband. "Puru! Aapne keh toh diya, par hum baahar kaise soyenge? Yahaan na AC hai na fan….upar se itni garmi…aur baahar toh pata nahin kitne machchar honge….."
Puru: (gently) Main jaanta hun Ila…lekin hum jahaan rehne jaate hain, wahaan ke hisaab se khud ko thoda badalna padta hai….jab pichli baar Armaan yahaan aaya tha, toh wo khushi-khushi raha hi tha na…toh hum kyun nahin try kar sakte?
Ila nods, not very convinced.
Angel rolls her eyes as she sees the beds laid out in the verandah. "Hum yahaan soyenge?" she asks Beauty with her best disgusted expression.😡
Beauty purses up her lips and stops herself from replying. Nandu butts in. "Nahin Angel….tumhare liye toh andar special arrangement 😉hai….iss ghar mein ek kamra hai, jahaan ek bada-sa bistar hai….bahut comfortable lagega tumhe…..bas thoda uss kamre ko saaf karna padega…bahut saalon se use nahin hua na…!"
Meghna: Why? Use kyun nahin hua?
Nandu: (lowering his voice) Uss kamre mein, Jassi ki par-par daadi ki death hui thi….log kehte hain unki maut ek haadsa thi….koi nahin jaanta kaise…lekin uss kamre mein unki aatma abhi bhi basti hai….😕😆
Beauty claps her hand over her mouth to keep from giggling. Meghna's eyes widen. Angel looks faint. "Nahin nahin…..i think main baahar hi so lungi...(lamely) …aakhir fresh air toh fresh air hi hoti hai!"
Nandu: (with pretended earnestness) Angel tumhe darne ki koi baat nahin….waise bahut saalon se koi wahaan gaya nahin hai na….ho sakta hai, bhoot bore ho ke chala gaya ho…!
Meg: (excitedly) I hope not! Mujhe toh yeh bhoot bahut interesting lag raha hai! Nandu, do you know, maine wahaan Australia mein 400 saal purane spirits ko bhi contact karna seekh liya tha….wo spirits wahaan ki aborigines ke ancestors ke the….lekin maine aaj tak kissi Indian spirit se baat nahin ki hai😕….main iss kamre mein sona chahti hoon….chalo na Angel…(grabbing her hand) ……bahut maza aayega!
Angel: (nervously) Nahin Meg…..i think main baahar hi theek hoon….actually, mujhe lagta hai andar garmi hogi….
Beauty: Nahin Angel ji….uss kamre mein toh Himachal ke pahaadon ki thand-thandi hawaa aati hai….issliye toh par-par dadiji ko wo kamra itna pasand tha….!
Angel looks least willing to sleep there but Meghna won't hear any of her protests. She gamely offers to clean the room too. "After all, ghost se milne ke liye thodi mehnat toh karni padegi na!"
Beauty, trying hard to suppress her laughter, leads them into an old storeroom where an antique bed has been lying for years. Angel wrinkles her nose upon seeing the dust and cobwebs, but Meg merrily hands her a broom and tells her that they must get going. (Angel's expression is priceless). While they clumsily clean the room, Nandu and Beauty giggle in a corner.
Bua spots them like this and demands to know what the matter is. "Tum log aise welle kyun khade ho? Manjiyan nahin bichaani kya?" She sees Angel and Meghna cleaning the room and her mouth opens in shock. Beauty quickly drags her away.
Bua: Arre yeh sab….yeh dono….kya….
Beauty: Jhaiji, hum sab samjhaate hain, par aap zaraa yahaan se chalo….
They drag her outside. Bua indignantly demands, "Yeh sab kya ho raha hai? Yeh dono storeroom kyun saaf kar rahi hai?"
Nandu: Buaji, wo storeroom thode hi hai….wo toh Jassi aur Beauty ki par-par daadi ka kamra hai….jahaan unka bhoot abhi bhi milta hai…..
Bua: Tu jhalla ho gaya hai kya? Yeh kya bole ja raha hai? Wo toh hamare ghar ke storeroom hai…..bekaar pada hua hai….chhat tapakti hai isliye use koi istemaal nahin karta….
Beauty: Lekin yeh baat wo dono toh nahin jaante na!
Bua: (kerflummoxed) Matlab?
Nandu: Matlab yeh, Buaji, ki yeh dono videshi titliyan na aapko pasand hai na hame….issliye aaj raat unhe thoda sa mazaa chakhaate hain!
Bua: Nahin nahin…yeh theek nahin hai…aakhir wo mehmaan hai…aur samdhi ji ko pata chal gaya toh kya sochenge?
Nandu: Buaji, main promise karta hun ki kuch zyada nahin karunga….aur Puru uncle ya Ila aunty ko kuch nahin pata chalega….please hamari baat maan lo na!
Bua waves her hand and walks off. "Main kuch nahin jaanti….maine kuch nahin suna!"
The two conspirators grin at each other.😉
When everyone is settling down to bed, Ila looks around and asks, "Angel aur Meghna nazar nahin aa rahe….un logon ne sona nahin hai kya?"
Bua looks nervously at Beauty, who hurriedly explains, "Aunty ji…..wo dono toh andar so rahi hai….unhe shaayad baahar sone ki aadat nahin hai na….toh maine unka bistar andar laga diya….."
Ila: Achcha…? (thinks: Agar mujhe pata hota, toh main bhi andar so jaati…!)
In the dead of the night, when everyone is apparently asleep, Armaan lies tossing and turning. Unused to sleeping without his Jassi😳, he is quite at a loss. Finally he sneaks down the stairs to the verandah where the women are sleeping. He is so engrossed in his pursuit that he doesn't notice nandu's empty bed.
Arriving downstairs, he tiptoes past all the beds, checking to see that all are well and truly asleep. When he reaches Jassi's, he smiles slightly, leans down and gently nudges away the cover.
Lo and behold: the bed is empty!😲😲😲
Armaan nearly utters a start of surprise, but then looks around and checks himself just in time. He mutters, "Itni raat gaye…kahaan ja sakti hai meri Jassi?"
He stands for a moment, worry creasing his face. Then he remembers something, and a slow smile stretches over his lips. He walks out of the verandah, towards an old banyan tree some distance away. When he reaches the place, he breaks into a grin.
Jassi is there, waiting for him.❤️
Plonking himself down next to her, he teases, "Hmmm….toh tumhe yaad tha!"
Jassi: Haan Armaan Suri….main wo jagah kaise bhool sakti thi jahaan hum chori-chori milne aate the…..main jaanti thi ki tumse raha nahin jayega….tum mujhse milne zaroor neeche aaoge….bas….maine socha ki main tumse pehle aake, tumhe chhota sa surprise dun!
Armaan: (pouting) Surprise toh tumne mujhe achcha-khaasa diya Jassi….ek minute ke liye toh mujhe laga ki tum kahin gaayab ho gayi ho…ki yeh sab ek sapna tha aur main ab neend se jag gaya haun…!
Jassi places her hand over his mouth. "Aisa kabhi mat kehna……mere liye tumhare pyaar se badi koi haqeeqat nahin hai….aur main tumse door kahin nahin ja sakti!"
They throw themselves into each other's embrace.😳
Angel is nervously tossing and turning in her bed. Meghna is fast asleep, emitting gentle regular snores. Angel wonders, "Wo Nandu kya sach keh raha tha? Kya sachmuch iss room mein koi ghost hai?" Then she shakes herself. "What nonsense! Meghna ka toh waise hi aadha mind Australia mein hi reh gaya hai😆, par mujhme toh brains hai! No no…..I'm not scared. Angel, so jao……"
Nandu has sneaked out of his bed (a fact unnoticed by the lovelorn Armaan as he was slipping out of his bed😉😳) and is making his way towards the room where the two are sleeping. He grins to himself, "Kyun Angel Suri….tumhe Amritsar mein aur Jassi ki god-bharai mein koi interest nahin hai na? Par tumhe ek ghost se apni jaan bachaane mein interest toh hoga na?"😈
Angel's eyes are just closing when a queer tapping sound reaches her ears. Tock-tock-tock! Her eyes open wide and swivel nervously, but she keeps on lying on the bed.
Nandu, kneeling outside the window, chuckles softly and makes a whooshing sound like that of the wind in the trees. Angel stirs nervously, and pulls the bedclothes tighter around herself. Meghna is still snoring.
This time Nandu makes the tock-tock noise along with a weird, banshee-like wail. Angel utters a suppressed scream and shakes Meghna awake.
Angel: Megs, Megs, get up…..iss kamre mein ghost hai!
Meghna: What! (sits up immediately) That's fantastic! Maine socha tha ki jaag ke ghost ka wait karungi….lekin mujhe neend aa gayi. Thanks for waking me up!
Angel: (teeth chattering) Megs! Tumhe darr nahin lag raha?
Meghna claps her hand on Angel's shoulder, making her jump. "Don't worry, Angie…..mujhe ghosts ka bahut experience hai…..un logon mein mere kaafi dost hai…..bas mujhe in great-great grandmom ke saath language problem ka darr hai….agar wo sirf Punjabi samajhti ho toh?😕😆"
Angel: (shaking with anger and fear) Just shut up, Megs……agar sachmuch bhoot yahan aa gaya toh main faint ho jaungi….!
Nandu thinks this is the perfect moment and utters a sinister cackling laugh. Meg calls out, "Granny….granny…..is that you? Main Meghna Seth…..mere bahut dost aapko jaante hoge….lekin wo Australia mein hain….aap mujhse baat karengi?"
Angel utters an unearthly shriek (not unlike the ghost of a certain Shrieky McScreamsperson! 😈 ) and rushes out of the room, leaving a nonplussed Meghna still groping in the dark. Nandu mutters, "Arre baap re…yeh Angel toh sabko jagaa degi….Nandan Verma, yahaan se khisak!" and flees.
Armaan is just pulling Jassi closer for a kiss❤️ when Angel's shriek makes them jump. Armaan gasps, "Yeh toh Angel ki aawaaz hai!"
Scrambling to his feet, he helps Jassi up and leads her back to the house.
Everyone is out of bed, gathered around a shaking Angel, who is giving a somewhat incoherent account of what happened to her. Ila is trying to console her. Meghna saunters in, somewhat impatiently. Apparently she is annoyed at having been deprived of the opportunity to meet the ancient ghost!😃 Nandu is skulking in a corner. Beauty watches him anxiously. She signals to him, as if to ask, "Are you responsible for this?" and he nods back glumly.
When JandA arrive, a worried-looking Billu demands, "Armaan….Jassi….beta kahan the tum log?" The two look embarrassed. Bebe smiles knowingly and comes to their rescue. "Billu, aisi haalat mein, kabhi-kabhi bahut bechaini hoti hai…..mujhe lagta hai, Armaan Jassi ko taazi hawa khilaane le gaya hoga….."
Bua: Hai beta…….tum kya usse uss purane ped ki taraf le gaye the…? Naa…..wahaan kabhi mat jaana….udhar toh ek bhoot ka dera hai….aisi poornima ki raat ko, toh who poori tarah jag jaata hai…..
Meghna: (interrupting excitedly) Wow! Ek aur bhoot! Jabse hum Amritsar aaye hain, mujhe toh ghosts ka khazaana mil gaya hai…..
Angel: Will you shut up about ghosts!! Bahut ho gaya……Mom, mujhe Mumbai waapas jaana hai….yahan toh har jagah ghosts hai…..tree mein ghost…room mein ghost…..
Nandu: (laughing nervously) Angel, lagta hai Meghna ne uss kamre mein tumhe bahut ghost stories suna di……agar sone se pehle ghosts ke bare mein sochogi toh aise hi sapne aayenge….
Angel: Mujhe uss room mein sone ka koi shauk nahin tha….woh toh Meghna ne insist kiya ki….
Meghna: Hey….isme meri kya galti hai…..Nandu ne hi bataya ki uss room mein wo great-great……
Nandu: (desperately interrupting) Haan…..woh great 4-poster bed hai…….actually mujhe laga, ki Meghna aur Angel ko baahar sone ki aadat nahin hai…..issliye unhe shaayad uss bade-se bistar mein so kar achcha lagega….par lagta hai, unhe uss kamre mein bure sapne aane lage…..
Billu: Naalayak…..tune inhe uss kamre mein bheja…jaanta nahin wo kab se band pada hai…..uss dhool-mitti mein koi soyega toh neend kaise aayegi…..
Meghna: Nahin uncle….room toh humne saaf kar liya tha…..par Nandu ne hame kaha tha……
Nandu: Haan……maine tumhe warn toh kiya tha na…..ki wahaan choohe ho sakte hai…..Angel ko shaayad choohon ki aawaaz se darr lag gaya…..
Angel: (shaking) Whatever…..ab main wahaan kabhi nahin jaaungi…..Mom, main aapke saath soungi….
Puru: I think ab hum sabko so jaana chahiye……..itni chhoti-si baat se disturb hona theek nahin hai….Angel, tumhe baahar bahut achchi neend aayegi……..aur Meghna, I think tumhe bhi yahin sona chahiye….
Everyone moves towards their lost repose. Nandu heaves a sigh of relief at not having been found out. Just before he climbs upstairs, he catches Meghna staring at him in a puzzled kind of manner. He winces, "Ab kahin isse na samajh aa jaye ki yeh sab maine kiya tha…..agar Uncleji ko pata chal gaya toh meri khair nahin…."😕
Beauty is thinking the same thing. "Lagta hai, Meghnaji ko shaq ho gaya hai…..mujhe subah un par nazar rakhni hogi…..aur unhe sabko batane se rokna hoga…."
Armaan reluctantly climbs upstairs. He, however, does manage to give Jassi a last smouldering glance. She blushes red and gazes at the ground. Beauty nudges her, "Kyun Jassi didi…..bahut taazaa hawa khilayi na jeeju ne?"
Jassi: (with mock horror) Beauty! Tujhe sharm nahin aati kya?
Beauty: Kyun? Aapko aati hai kya……jo itni raat gaye jeeju se akele milne gayi thi….? (winks)
Jassi blushes even more and pushes away Beauty, who retires to her bed, giggling. Just before closing her eyes, Jassi looks skywards and prays, "Babaji, hum sabko aise hi hanste-khelte, khush rakhna….aur meri god mein, jaldi se ek chhota sa Armaan bhejna….."
At that moment a star in the heavens shoots towards the ground.😛 😛Jassi smiles her brightest smile and, sighing contentedly, gets into bed.
Tomorrow: The further adventures of Meghna.
