Murmur of the Lonely Brook by Debashis Dey Page B

garlic, turmeric and dried red chilies. All the while Nisha stayed by her side.
    “Does your elder son love fish?”
    “Yes, very much. Both the brothers and their father love fish.”
    “Then I must learn it well.”
    She memorized every step so that she could cook fish easily should Pravin ever ask her. They also cooked rice. Parvati knew that it was the third time in two weeks that the family was having rice and that there could be no more that month. She remembered her childhood days when rice was cooked only twice or thrice a year and that was on special occasions. Her father, along with others, had carried rice on their backs from as far away as Rampur. There were no roads and it took three days to make the trip.
    Shevak came back and smelled fish the moment he entered the kitchen. The kitchen was more like a living room, as everyone preferred to stay close to the fire. There were a few pots, plates, sacks of buckwheat, and sheepskins on the floor. Nothing more. Diwakar came in and sat in one corner. Parvati took out the plates and called Ria. Shevak got the largest piece. Parvati passed an equally large piece to Diwakar but he refused it.
    “Aama, I have already had one. Why not give this one to Nisha? She has never had one!”
    “Give it to Ria,” Nisha said.
    Parvati kept it aside. Though Nisha was skeptical about a fish she knew nothing about, she remained silent. Ria said nothing. Food was not important; she wanted to finish quickly and watch her favorite programs on TV. There was silence and everyone relished the dinner.
    Shevak got up and said, “You two must finish eating fast. The Devta will be out tonight.”
    Parvati set up two dishes for her and Nisha and asked, “Now who is in trouble?”
    “Sushil,” said Shevak. “He went to get firewood beyond the rest house. While coming back, three dwarf-sized ghosts chased him. He ran, but they were faster. But when they reached him, they simply disappeared!”
    “So, what is the problem now?” asked Parvati innocently.
    “You idiot! You don’t understand that they entered him? He has been speaking incoherently since evening. And now Devta is going to take them out.”
    Parvati nodded and waved at Nisha to finish off the dinner fast. She was a strong believer in ghosts and she knew fish was one thing that attracted them.
    A few moments later, they could hear drums and cymbals. Devta was out on his mission.
    “Switch off all the lights and close the windows,” Parvati whispered. She knew that once the ghost was out of the affected person it would try to get into the nearest visible house. It was better to stay under the cover of darkness. She started reciting hymns and names of gods and goddesses in a low voice. Everyone sat in the darkness. The only glow came from the bukhari and Shevak’s bidi.
    Although Nisha had never encountered a ghost, she was not afraid. In her village, there was only one ghost, which stayed in the pipul tree on the outskirts. He was not harmful except to girls and women who kept their hair untied. But she knew that there was a ghost in Peo. During her stay there, everyone kept the doors and windows closed and switched off lights for a full seven days during a particular time of the year. One of her friends told her that this was the time when a ghost was taken out to do the rounds in the city. And anyone who tried to see him died instantly. Other times of the year, he was chained and locked in a special temple next to the Mother Goddess. The Goddess was also taken out in the procession so she could stop him from doing any harm.
    Diwakar sat in one corner fiddling with his cell phone. Parvati looked at him and said, “Now, don’t start playing songs!”
    “I can play songs that will drive them away.”
    Parvati looked confused. She did not understand this gadget properly. She could never use it even after Diwa tried to explain it to her. She also hated it, as she knew that young boys and girls kept in touch with such