The ghost of the forgotten Bungalow

My name is Vicky and I am 15 years old. I want to share with you an experience that I had last month in Goa. It is a scary story and you might think that this is impossible. But trust me, it really happened, and I couldn’t sleep properly for days. I told my parents what had happened, and they said I had hallucinated and made up the whole thing because I was scared. I have a sister as well. She is cute and her name is Alpana. I call her Alps. I didn’t tell Alps because I was worried that she will get scared. How can I tell my little sister that I saw a ghost? But I didn’t spare my friends. What are friends for? They had been scaring me for so many years by narrating the stories of numerous horror films they had seen.

What happened in Goa, you might ask? Even though I am sure I will get goosebumps recalling it, let me take it off my chest for you. This is the first and the last time I am telling you, so listen carefully.

"We visited Goa this summer". On the evening of the third day, when we were walking along the beach, my dad said, “There are too many people here. Let’s stick together. Vicky, you take Alpana’s hand and I will take your mama’s.”

The beach was indeed crowded, and since the sun had just set and the visibility was dropping rapidly, what dad said made sense. After fifteen minutes—it could have been longer—I found myself all alone. I had briefly let Alps’ hand go for a few seconds as I had bent down to pick up something hard that I had stepped on. It was a shell, off white, its edges jagged and ugly. I threw it away immediately and looked around. There was no sign of Alps. There was no sign of dad and mom too. Since our plan was to spend the evening at the beach, I had not brought my phone for the fear of it getting wet.

I started to search for dad and mom. After walking along the beach, I reached an area where the crowd was less. I raised myself on my toes and called "Alps" name. But I couldn’t find my family. Desperate and panicking, I looked around. Right next to the beach was a bungalow. I saw dad and mom waving at me standing next to it. I couldn’t see Alps. Worried about the whereabouts of Alps, since she was my responsibility as I was the one who was holding her hand, I ran and reached the entrance of the bungalow where I had seen my parents. But there was no one. I called their names, but nothing happened. I noticed that the bungalow that rose behind the metal gates was enveloped in darkness. Just then a room on the first floor lit up and I saw my dad look out from its window. Our eyes met and he waved at me.

“Dad?”

The light turned off again. Surely it was some power glitch. I got inside the gate and ran towards the bungalow. There was a porch, but I couldn’t see anyone in the dim light. The entrance door was open, and I made a dash for it. As soon as I got inside, I halted. A weird smell hung in the air and right at the centre of what looked like a large room, a big candle was flickering. In the dim light, I noticed that the furniture was all covered in dust and there were cobwebs in the corners. What could Dad and mom be doing in a place like this?

“Dad? Mom? Where are you?”

There was no reply. Interestingly, the candle continued to flicker even though there was no wind. One side of the room had a flight of stairs going up, but it seemed to be blocked by cobwebs. How did dad and mom go upstairs?

“Dad? Mom? Where are you? I am scared.”

The door behind me closed with a thud and the candle stopped flickering and started to burn brighter. I could now see everything clearly. My mouth fell open. There were life-size paintings of men on the wall, dressed elaborately, who seemed to belong to another era. All of them were sporting guns and had their faces covered in facial hair. But they looked regal. My best guess was that they were generals and admirals of the bygone era when these ranks were powerful. Their power didn’t come from their weapons but through their penetrating gaze. The furniture in the room was covered in brown sheets, which might have been white at some point. Clearly, I was in an abandoned bungalow.

“Vicky, come upstairs son.”

It was my dad’s voice. There was no doubt.

“Dad?”

“Yes, don’t be scared. Just take the stairs.”

“What are you doing there, dad? Why don’t you come down? This place is so scary.”

“Vicky, come upstairs son.”

“Dad?”

“Vicky, come upstairs son.”

This was dad’s voice, but he wouldn’t speak the same sentence over and over again without sounding irritated.

I edged closer to the stairs. Slowly, taking one step at a time, I started to climb, my senses alert. The wooden steps creaked. The cobwebs clung to my face even though I moved my hands frantically ahead of me as I climbed.

By now I was sweating profusely. When I reached the top, I saw that there were three rooms. For a moment I was disoriented. In which room were my dad and mom?

A door ahead of me squeaked open and I saw a blade of light escape and fall across. The door stopped moving, leaving just enough space for me to get in.

“Dad, is that you?”

“Vicky, come upstairs son.”

“Dad, where is mom?”

“Vicky, come inside the room.”

Yes, it was dad and he had said a new sentence. This was not a recorded voice that some creep might have made, it was dad. He knew I was outside, and he wanted me to come inside.

“I’m coming right in.”

Walking confidently, I got into the room as the door closed behind me. But the room was empty.

Chapter 2

“Dad? Where are you?”

This time there was no reply.

“Mom?”

“Vicky, don’t be scared.”

The voice that reached me was soft. But it was not of my dad.

“Who is it?”

“Vicky, I mean you no harm if you do things my way.”

“Who are you? Where are you hiding?’

My heart was beating wildly.

“You don’t know me. My name is Carlos da Costa Santos. I’m a Capitao de Fragata in the Portuguese navy.”

It was a weird name and a weird job description. Where was the sound coming from?

“Where are my dad and mom?” I stuttered.

“I will tell you everything, Vicky. Just promise that you will not be afraid of me.”

I wanted to run down and out of the house. But my parents were here. This man must have hidden them. What about my little sister, Alps? I started to shake as I began to cry.

After what seemed like ten minutes, I, spent, and out of options or ideas, spoke again, “Please don’t harm my family. I will do what you want me to.”

Nothing happened. I was not sure if my voice was heard, so I repeated it loudly.

There was still no response. I turned and flicked my head back and forth to make sure I was not being followed; I made my way back to the room below where the candle was.

“Where are you?” I asked in a weak voice. “Carlos?” I stammered.

When there was no response for the next few minutes, I walked to the main door. I tried to push it open and it gave way. I could hear the waves now. Behind me, the candle started to flicker like before.

“Vicky?”

It was once again my father. The voice had come from the room right behind me. My father had come down. I turned and got inside, my eyes scanning the room for my father so that I could run and melt in his arms. The door closed behind me with a thud just like before.

As the candle stopped flickering, I noticed a man in the corner instead of my father.

“Vicky, I’m Carlos da Costa Santos. I’m a Capitao de Fragata in the Portuguese navy”

The figure walked closer to the candle and when I saw his face, I screamed. I screamed so loud and for so long that my vocal cords must have been ripped apart, because, after a few minutes, I was only whimpering.

“I didn't want to scare you, Vicky. But I’m 400 years old. How do you expect me to look?”

I was not sure if I had heard him right, but something made me stop and relook at him.

“I’m 400 years old.”

Now I heard him. So, here was the proof that ghosts did exist. There was one staring at me right now.

The man flicked one end of the sofa cover and sat down after he found a tidy spot. For a moment he disappeared under a cloud of dust that the cover had created, but as it settled, I could see him again.

“Vicky, I’m Carlos___”

“Vicky, I’m Carlos da Costa Santos. I’m a Capitao de Fragata in the Portuguese navy. Got it, what next?” I had decided to face him. Death was certain, but what was the point of dying like a coward, crying.

“Yes, I want you to save me.”

“What do I have to do?” I was still shivering but my voice was steadier. And I was no longer crying.

He took a deep breath and started, “I was a Commander in the Portuguese navy. I fell in love with a local Hindu woman.”

I was surprised at the innocence in the voice. Here was a ghost who was talking about his love story. I was surprised that I was no longer scared. Perhaps it was the voice or perhaps it was the control of the man over my emotions. I waited; my shivering subdued.

“She was the most beautiful woman in the world. I used to meet her secretly. One day the governor found out. He was wild. He didn’t want mixing of the Portuguese and the Hindus. When I reminded him how much Hindus had helped us during our conquest of Goa as they were fed up of the heavy taxes levied by the Muslim kings, he overruled all my explanations and asked me to face dire consequences if I didn’t stop meeting her. But I continued. One day…”

The man stopped and started sobbing.

I waited and after a few minutes, he said, “One day, when I went to meet her, I saw her lying in a pool of blood. But when I bent down, I noticed that she was alive. She was conserving the last bit of her energy to speak to me. She told me that the governor had sent men to kill her. I was shattered and just before she closed her eyes for the final time, I promised her that I will kill the governor. That was my word to her.”

“Then? Did you kill him?” I had moved closer to him. I was no longer afraid.

“After visiting the church and taking a pledge that I will not depart from the world until I kill the bastard, I went to the governor’s house the same night but there was a lot of commotion. The governor had died because of a heart attack. I could not fulfil the promise to my lover, and I could not uphold the pledge. So, god cursed me and said I will not die until…”

“Until what?”

“Until someone releases me from the curse.

“So?”

“Can you help me? Please?” He turned towards me. In place of tears, blood was flowing from his eyes and his body was so translucent that I could see his heart beating.

I inhaled sharply and said, “What do you want me to do?”

“Just put your hand inside my chest and tap my heart thrice with your index finger.”

This absurdity had gone a bit too far. “What if I don’t? Will you kill me?”

“No, I won’t. You know Vicky, I have faced so many humans in the last 360 years and I have asked for help from many of them. But no one has helped me. If you turn me down as well, I will have to wait for the next few years for someone like you to wander inside my bungalow.”

This was an unbelievable story. My mind had started to work, “Why 360 years, didn’t you say you were 400 years old?”

“Yes, I am 400 years old, but the curse fell on me and I turned into a ghost when I was 40.”

I had another question, “How did I hear my father’s voice?”

“You learn tricks, Vicky. I have been on this planet for far too long, so I know things.”

“Okay, is there anyone else in this room?”

“Yes, my lover is here. She has been waiting for all these years. We can’t see each other because we are in different planes. If you do what I ask you to do, I will be released in her world and we can be together.”

“What’s her name?”

“Sneha.”

“Can I speak to her?”

“No, because you and I are on one plane, but she is in a different one.”

“Can I touch her to know she is here?”

“No.”

“Then, how do you know she is here?”

“That’s the power of love. I can feel she’s here, but I can’t speak to her.”

For some reason, my fear had totally dissipated now. The man walked closer and stood near me. He was almost six and a half feet tall. I extended my hand and took it closer to his chest. He took a deep breath and held it. I embedded my hand into his chest and stopped when my finger was close to his beating heart. Then, I tapped it with my index finger three times. My fingers were wet and I certainly felt a faint tingle, but I tried not to think about it.

The candle went out and the room turned cold.

“Carlos!”

I turned and made my way to the door. Even though it was dark, I knew where the door was. I pulled it open and heard the waves. I turned back but could see nothing in the darkness.

I walked out and reached the beach. I could hear familiar sounds. It was my dad, mom, and Alps. She ran towards me and jumped. I caught her mid-air and kissed my little sister.

“Where were you? We have been looking everywhere for you!" It was my mom.

“Yes, where were you.” This time it was my father.

“I… I… I was right there.” I turned to show them the bungalow.

After that evening, we stayed in Goa for two more days and nothing eventful happened?

____________

Back in Delhi, my school reopened and it felt as if the summer vacation ended as soon as it had started. During my first day, my class teacher called me. When I went to the staff room to meet her, she gave me a card and said someone had sent it for me.

It was an envelope. I opened it and found a card inside. On the card was the image of a man and a woman holding hands. It looked like an old painting. Written underneath was:“You have a heart of gold, Vicky. Thank you! Sneha and Carlos da Costa Santos.”

As I smiled, the words started to disappear and so did the image. Next, the card turned into a pigeon in my hand. It was a white pigeon, one with orange eyes.

As soon as I said, “You are welcome,” the beautiful bird flew away.