It was after long, that I went to bed, contented and feeling smug, that night. No, no, before you people jump to conclusions, let me clarify why I felt smug.

For weekend after weekend, due to some demand or other, I have been rising up before 6 am even on Friday and Saturday mornings. But, this weekend I had absolutely no programmes slated which would necessitate me waking up at an unearthly hour in the morning!!! I declined all such plans, vowing to myself that come Friday, I will languish in bed, lavishly paying my dues to Morpheus.

 So, it was with a smug feeling I went to bed this Thursday night, after an evening out and a good session of partying with friends. One of them had accompanied me to my flat, deciding to sleep over rather than drive the long distance to his abode in a drunken stupor.

Morning, 5 am the alarm rang as usual. I opened my eyes..and this is the part I enjoy most. I told myself..yippeee  it’s a Friday..lemme sleep as much as I want..and buried myself in my blankets  and immediately fell asleep.

Imagine my luck!!!!  A whole morning to sleep.. I thought to myself , as I burrowed in further ( of course I use double extra large blankets, to accommodate my bulk )

Good things don’t last, as they say. I was rudely woken by a shout ( or so it seemed  to me)  “ Chetta!! Chetta!! ( Mallu word for big brother)

Sleepily, I opened my eyes  and what do I see?

My friend, standing at the door of my bedroom, with his pajamas hastily pulled up, eyes wild and scared, mumbling away..

“Chetta  there are ghosts in this house!!  I saw them!!!”

If sleepy looks could kill, he would have died  at least three deaths there itelf.

He kept  saying.. “ I saw  them I saw them..”

Cursing my luck, I dragged and pushed myself out of my bed. Went up to him and gave a tweak on his ears. He was saying

  “Three ladies..all of 40..50 age.. two of them came up to my bed  and the third was standing further away..silent..”

Raising an eyebrow a la Rock ( of WWF fame) style, I asked him , in what I thought was a voice dripping with sarcasm, “ Oh, and what did they do? Sing a lullaby?”

The dripping sarcasm came out like a dried  twig and I had to repeat it again.

“ You better push off  or someone else will come”  he said.

“ Hey knock it off, buddy. I’m not going anywhere” I said. He said  “ No..no..thats what the ladies told me”

Talk about  a lazy sleep filled morning!  I jumped out of bed, and tried to calm him down. He kept muttering away, “Was this table facing east last night? Where are the door keys? Was this light switched on ?”

I had a tough time bringing him to his senses, really. Made a cup of hot tea and made him drink it. But, whatever I did he was not convinced.

“ Violent and Morbid Night…  “ the remnants of Shakespearean influence in him now started pouring forth. 

“Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr”   I went. Already I was miffed  at having lost my sleep, and now I have to put up with his Shakespearean aspirations???  Friendship is to be nurtured all right, but some limits have to be drawn, is it not? And this was one of those instances.

I pushed him into the bathroom and dunked a mug of cold water over his head. Freezing water did the trick. “ Chettaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa…” he called and rushed out of the bathroom.

Within the next 5 minutes, Vroommm    ..he was  half way to Sharjah !!!!!  

My dreams of a dreamless sleep on a Friday morning dashed, I made myself a cup of hot black coffee  and switched on the TV.

The experience set me thinking. Do I believe in ghosts? The paranormal? Is there such a thing as ghosts? I don’t have the faintest idea.

But, think again, where do souls  go after they leave the mortal abode that is the human body? Do they haunt the places they used to live in and like and love?

Do they have parties with friends which we are not aware of or see?

They have to have some place in the scheme of things?

Well  if  they are, why would they disturb us ? I have not done them any harm. I don’t even know them!  So why not let them be  and they will let me be!?!

Hahaha!!  I’m saying “let them be” ! Fat lot of harm I can cause them, seeing that I do not even see them!

So, I decided if they are here, they are welcome to share the house, as long as each of us get ahead with our own individual lives without disturbing the other.

When I transcend the mortal barrier  and cross  over to their  world, maybe I will have some ready made friends and a warm welcome!!!

God Bless  us all !!  Amen J