||A Ghost from the Attic - A SHIVIKA Story||-Note:Pg 12 - 18 July

Welcome back dear readers. This is me, Peeves, your friendly neighborhood ghost. You might me wondering why a ghost with an English name is residing in an Indian household. Well, almost 200 years ago there was a British Lord who lived in the same place as Oberoi Mansion. And I happen to be his butler. After his death he moved on. But I stayed on. His house was passed down through many hands and ownership. The Late Mr. Oberoi, the grandfather of the three musketeers, bought the house from an old lady, demolished the old building and built this gigantic mansion. So, here we are.

In my entire 260 years of existence, 60 of which alive, I had not seen two people who loved each other as much Mr. SSO and Mrs. ASSO (the names are catchy, I will give you that). Nor I have seen two people argue as much as them. This is quite a conundrum. So, after that disastrous night which almost started world war three, I was hanging around the breakfast table. No, really. I was hanging from the chandelier. Since I cannot enjoy the foods which I enjoyed in my live body, all I could do was hang around the dining rooms to savour the aroma.

The dining hall looked like a crime scene. Annika looked like someone killed her only cat. I am a dog person myself, I really do not understand the need to have a pompous, snobbish cats as pets. I mean, I already had a Lord to serve, thank you very much. Anyway, the morning scene was like watching a farce, everyone playing the exaggerated version of themselves, tripping over their lines, pretending not to notice how Anika sat very far from Shivay and not looking at him, and Shivay trying catch her eye every now and then, clutching his back whenever he moved even slightly. "Pass the salt" from Dadi, "Delicious breakfast, Shivay" from Pinky, "Can I buy that new ninja bike, Bhaiyya?" from Rudy, "Stop buying stuff every time, crybaby" from Soumya, "Have read the newspaper?" from Tej...on and on it went. Good Lord, spare me from bad acting and even worse dialog delivery. I had enough of this nonsense.

"Enough of this nonsense" Dadi almost shouted. As though she read my mind. Finally someone with sense. There was a pin drop silence as everyone stopped talking, stopped eating and even stopped breathing.

"Shivay, why is Anika upset? What did you do?" Dadi asked.

"Why do you assume that it is my mistake?" Shivay pouted.

"Because, it is always husband's fault." Soumya chimed.

"Shut up Sumo. You don't talk when elders are talking." shouted Rudy.

"You shut up, crybaby" Soumya scolded.

"Oh My Mata! Yesterday you said we cannot talks about their fight, Mummiji!" Pinky exclaimed.

"Pinky, keep quiet..." said her hapless husband, Shakti.

"Why I keeps quiet? I want to talks now..." Pinky said with a pink face.

"Oh Come on, Shivay. Tell us what did you do?" Tej smirked.

"And what happened to your back, Bhaiya? Did Bhabhi beat you up?" smirked Rudy.

There was a wave of suppressed laughter around the table as Shivay looked around red faced.

"Shivay, you don't have to share if you do not want to" said a smiling Jhanavi.

"No, Mom. I want to know. Tell us all Bhaiyya. What did you to do to Bhabhi?" Rudy asked gleefully, rubbing his hands. He was the one who was most enjoying the sight of Shivay squirming in his seat like a naughty bad boy. The sight was indeed a funny one.

Everyone was looking at Sweating Singh Oberoi expectantly.

"Everyone go back to their breakfast.." Shivay tried to sound authoritative. But it did not have any desired effect. All his attitude had washed away when he looked at his wife. We both shuddered simultaneously at the most evil smile on Anika's face.

"Anika, you tell me. What happened?" Dadi asked.

"Yes Anika, do tells" Pinky said.

"Yes Babhi, please tell" said Rudy and Soumya.

"Tell us Anika. " Tej insisted.

"You can share whatever it is" Jahnavi said kindly.

"Yes, please share" said Shakti.

"Yes, do tell Anika" I shouted, could not control my curiosity.

"What was that? Who spoke just now?" asked Rudy suspiciously.

Oops!! Me and my big mouth. I slipped up! I just broke Rule 56 of "Law for Otherworldly Apparitions, version 112.1". I will be getting a warning today. I have to be careful. Few more warnings like this, I will be imprisoned.

"Oh, keep quiet crybaby. No one spoke. Your brain has started imagining things now. Along with workouts to your body, do work your brain once in awhile." Soumya mocked.

"Sumo, you are just jealous of my handsome hunk of a body" Rudy puffed his chest.

"Quiet, all of you. Anika dear, speak freely. Tell us why you are so sad." Dadi asked again.

"H-He s-said I should not interfere so much with everyone's affair. That I do not know how to draw a boundary, because I do not have a family of my own to understand." Anika sniffed.

"Ahhh..." everyone gasped at once. I almost fell of the chandelier. "You are done for Mr. SSO..."

There was a moment of silence. And everyone started talking at once.

"How dare you!" "You could you say such a thing" "I am so disappointed right now" "Shame on you" etc etc were thrown in.

"Let me explain...I did not mean it...damn it..tell them Anika...I did not mean it. I was just angry." Shivay sputtered, "And you all are talking as if Anika is the most innocent person on this planet. You all have no idea how evil she is...She made me sleep on the sofa!!!! Who does that to their husband? I have an immensely bad back pain now, all thanks to her. Why don't you all scold her? Huh?"

"Serves you right?" "Good going Anika" "You deserve what you got" were the only replies.

Thus began Shivay's nightly affair with the pool side sofa. But things did look up for him, in a few days, after a grand romantic gesture from Shivay and the arrival of an unexpected guest.